Design Wall Monday 1-14-13

Am finally back at it after taking a sewing break over the holidays so I could spend most of my time with my family.

Please visit Patchwork Times today for Design Wall Monday. Even though I haven't been posting the last few Mondays, I have looked at all the lovely and inspiring photos of pieces other quilters are working on.

I actually have several things to report. The Block of the Month quilt is finished. I did not quilt it but instead had it machine quilted by Lilly Lucier in Vanceboro, NC.

This piece is called a "little canvas" that will be a donation to the local arts council. For a fundraiser they ask area artists to submit something, anything, on an 8x10 canvas. In March they hold a banquet that costs $35/person to attend. Each attendee will receive a "little canvas". This is mine. It was definitely inspired by the fabrics!

This is the almost finished grab bag challenge piece. Last March the ArtRageous Quilters group, of which I'm a member, issued a grab bag challenge. Each participant put things in a big zip lock baggy. The bags were handed out to other members. We don't know whose bag we received. We have to make a quilted piece around 20" square or so, and have to use 65% of the materials in the bag. The quilted piece we make will be given back to the person who assembled the grab bag. I have to tell you I was not especially happy with the baggy I received because it was mostly upholstery fabrics. They were very difficult to work with because they frayed so badly. Also included in the baggy were some funky yarns and some metallic threads. And to top it off, the color scheme is not my favorite - it was mostly browns and rusts. After listening to me whine about the baggy I received for several months, my friend Lori reminded me that it was, after all, A Challenge! So I worked up a design and here it is. What's left to do is use the metallic threads to accentuate the pupils and add some beads. It's not named yet - am still thinking about that.

I should finish up both challenge pieces this week and start something new for next week's Design Wall Monday.

Happy New Year to all.