Amish Monkey Wrench...Sort of

I did it...I finished my block in plenty of time; days to spare!!

In keeping with my original idea, I went with an Amish theme and then quilted the heck out of it. Good thing I decided on the modern Amish--I didn't have enough green fabric for my original idea!  This is the first of seven in the Project Quilting: Focus through the Prism Challenge

Below are a couple close-ups of the quilting.  Amish in style, perhaps -- not so much in the quilting.  Sort of overkill!!!

 

 Of course I had to stitch a Monkey Wrench block too...<g>

  

We get the block "assignment" for Part Two on Monday.  I'm getting excited...I may be forced to purchase more Cherrywood fabric! <he he>

Dory

I'm Doing a Challenge

...because, as you know, I simply don't have enough to do!!!!!

Its not my fault though, really, it isn't. I adore Cherrywood Fabrics and I have since I first found out about them years ago. I have never seen such beautiful fabric--its cotton that looks like suede! Nuf said!!

I received an e-mail at the end of April about the Focus Through the Prism challenge and the fabric fat-quarter bundle from Cherrywood that was the only requirement. Of course, I ordered the fabric without having a clue what I would do. I mean, really...look at those colors!! I couldn't resist (I didn't try real hard though <wink>)

 

So I've had the fabric for a few weeks now and just the other day I finally came up with an idea. As you know,  I'm a quilter and while I can come up with many different ideas for quilting a quilt, I have little to no designing talent when it comes to piecing. However, I've been reading a series of mystery books with an Amish theme and the light bulb flashed! What if I make my projects to resemble Amish quilts...ding, ding...we have a winner!!

These quilts are to measure 20" square and each month for the next seven months, we are to use one color from the bundle as our focus fabric. At the end of each month, we are to submit a picture of the finished quilt and at the end, quilts will be chose to travel with an exhibit for a year. Now I have no fantasies that mine will be among the travelling quilts; however, I want mine to coordinate when I hang them on my wall. Seemed like Amish quilts fit that requirement.

Oh, and one last requirement: we are to work from a specific quilt block chosen by Kim at Persimmon Dreams. This month's block is Churn Dash.  After playing in EQ, I think this is what mine will look like:

Not sure that I'll use red, but I like the idea of black as the background. Or maybe I'll do a Modern Amish??? (Ignore the white bits around the blocks in the corner--I just didn't move the blocks enough to cover that area up) 

 

So what do you think??  Amish-Amish or Modern Amish??  And what do I do when its time to use the dark blue fabric? I'm thinking dark blue on black may not have enough contrast!!  (Can you say, "duh!")

Thoughts????

Dory

Crabapple Hill's Snow Day's Quilt

Isn't this quilt beautiful??? The pattern is called Snow Days and its put out by Crabapple Hill Studio.

 

Donna sent it up for me to play on.  I got it loaded and then I just stared at it--for THREE days!!  I was stumped. I wanted to treat the outside border as if it were a solid, rather than pieced, border. With the embroidery overlapping into those blocks, I felt that was the best design idea. However, once that was decided, I couldn't come up with a design I liked.  Finally, I settled on swirls with sort of a feathered flower. (Sorry about the wonky pics--most of these were taken while I was unloading.)

Then I stitched around the applique to make it pop...

Finally, the blocks in the center were quilted. I did many designs with enough similarities to tie them all together. You'll definitely see some Angela Walters' designs peeking through.

This was such a fun quilt to work on!!

 Dory

Same Quilts, Different Quilting

Remember my allovers from the last post?  Well here are two more of the same quilt with different fabrics and different quilting.  First, Katherine's:

 

Katherine wanted a bit more quilting on hers, so I accented the different color blocks with complimentary designs. I also did a loop meander type in the white "stained glass" bits to make that stand out more.

 

A closer view:

 

This is the same quilt, albeit a bit smaller--that's because I made it.  I did just the four blocks and now have a table topper/wall hanging. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really played with this one, trying out new thread and some new designs.  The best design was the center, which I saved for last. I didn't know what I wanted to do in the middle, but I knew I wanted it to be unique.  I love how these straight lines appear to be curved!

From there it was line work and feathers...with my favorite over/under feather in the outside border.

 

Here's a shot of the back...and that's what I didn't like about the thread I used.  Rather than my usual prewound magnetic or Bottom Line bobbins, I wound my own. The thread was just too thick for that and it caused my tension to not be as perfect as usual. But, since it is my quilt, as the saying goes, "Its good enough for who its for!"

 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Dory