V is for Victory
49" x 61"
This lovely bright and fun quilt was a
challenge from the Austin Modern Quilt Guild. The challenge was to get a surprise "funky" fabric and make something cool from it. To compete for a small motivational prize, the quilt has to be completed, which includes quilting, the binding, and the Austin MQG label on the back. We were also supposed to keep our project a secret, presumably to make the voting fair. So, our funky fabric arrived in a small brown paper sack, with a secret number, instructions and the little label.
Well, the cat is out of the bag for me. I am not really motivated by winning a prize. I like the challenge. I like making quilts. And I like that this quilt will be given to a child. I also think that by sharing our progress along the way, we have an opportunity to inspire others. Why keep that a secret? ...even for a few months?
So I started with this fabric:
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| small scale multicolored floral - the challenge fabric cut into 2" squares |
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It is not particulary funky or ugly, but it isn't anything I would ever buy. I do like florals, but more so of the Marimekko variety:
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| tote I made from Marimekko fabric, YES, floral, large scale, very graphic....LOVE! |
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The challenge fabric has a lot of colors in it, but the main three were red, blue, and yellow. That is not my normal palette, and as I struggled with what to do with this, I tried several things.
1. I tried pairing it with reds, yellows, and blues.
2. I thought if I cut it small enough, like the 2" squares above, I could blend it in with other things.
Ultimately, I decided that the 2" squares were making unnecessary work for myself. I wanted to work bigger and make a bigger quilt than the required minimum. So, I went with stripes. I learned that putting pretty and bold fabrics next to the challenge fabric had the unexpected result of making the challenge fabric a neutral! Who would of thought? I think it works because the scale of the floral is so small. It is the only fabric that I used multiple times in the quilt (about 6 times), you don't see IT when you look at the quilt. You see mostly the bright bigger scale fabrics.
I also listened to my heart and tossed out the fabrics I paired with this that were causing me distress. I had some lovely blues and purples that honestly just didn't work regardless of the "thinking" that thought they "should". Just let it go. I am delighted with the results. I learned a lot with this project.
The back:
I wanted a back that would go with the quilting lines that I intended to put on the front, and so I opted for giant half square triangles. I think these are about 17" blocks. And the fabrics are fun! I used at least one
Malka Dubrawsky (my batik teacher from long ago), a few from my only fabric line (
Urban Landscapes) with Clothworks, and a bunch of new fabrics I got from STOF when I made
a quilt for them, and a few other prints and batiks that I had in my stash. A great combination! And functionally, this lovely charity quilt is now two sided!
Here are a few shots of the two sided quilted pillows I made a few months ago from the same STOF fabrics (the circles, and the stripes). They go great with my green IKEA sofa and pink Owl IKEA pillow!
