Design Wall Monday 2-20-12

Happy President's Day. Patchwork Times is hosting Design Wall Monday today.

This week was devoted to finishing the Art-rageous Quilters challenge piece, titled A Walk Thru My Garden. The parameters were few - use a specific green batik somehow in the piece (some of the leaves in my piece), use a facing technique to bind the piece, the size should be 12 x 30 inches.

So, here's my finished piece and a close-up of the beads/lights. The lights are supposed to represent fireflies. The few trees represent the few trees remaining after Hurricane Irene did a number on my backyard down by the creek. The piece is due March 3rd and at the same time we are starting another challenge that is called a grab bag challenge. Each participant puts supplies for a quilted wall hanging in a big baggie - your name is NOT on the bag and you will not know who gets your bag. The finished piece is due March 2013 and should be about 20 inches square. You must use 65% of the contents of the bag you're given. The catch? Whatever you create will go back to the person who created that grab bag. Your bag can contain anything for making an art quilt - beads, fabrics, thread, ribbons, lace, buttons, paints, yarn, whatever floats your boat. Should be a very interesting challenge.

Knitting sox ... have decided to learn how to knit sox toe up. I'll let you know next week how it goes ... So far, so good, though. Something I recently learned about circular knitting needles ... Did you know that if you drop them in just-boiling water they will straighten out nicely (and instantly) instead of remaining looped up like they are in their packaging?