Challenge Quilt Reveal
I have my Challenge Quilt reveal to show you today. Wilbs is doing his best to keep your interest piqued.
I participate in a challenge quilt group, The Endeavourers. Each quarter throughout the year, we are given a theme. We are challenged to create a quilt or form of fabric art around the theme.
For this quarter, our theme was “the sea”. I initially thought it would be an easy challenge for me. Then I changed my mind and it took me until October to get my idea into fabric.
Since I live in the Midwest, with little opportunity to visit the sea, one of our favorite places is to head north to Lake Superior. I enjoy listening to the waves crash and see them spray upon the rocks. So this little mini quilt is a nod to my love for my “sea” – Lake Superior.
Because it’s a challenge quilt, I enjoy trying some different techniques that are either new to me, or that I have enjoyed in the past. I played just a tiny bit with some thread painting. I had done seed stitching before, but using it to create the spray was fun.
I began the construction of the quilt by choosing the background fabric, which was a grey ombre I had in my stash. I wanted to create a moody sky. Once that was chosen, I auditioned different cloud fabrics until I was happy with them. One of the clouds is actually a piece of fabric wrong side up – that side had the right look!
I freehand cut the shapes of the clouds, and kept layering until I was happy with it. Then I pinned them down. Leaving them raw edged, I stitched close to the edge until they were all secure. After that, I went back over each line a few times, so I guess a little bit of thread painting, more or less.
One of the first things I did while creating the sea was to add two strips of blue cork-look fabric to the blue. I wanted to create the idea of rolling waves and water glistening from the tiny bit of sun that might be shining through those clouds.
The rock ledge was created in the same way as the clouds, layering until I found fabrics that suited. I did add a few “crags” on the rocks to try to build some dimension.
The next challenge was how to create a rolling wave, so I began by doodling and practicing for free motion.
In the end, the rolling wave detail is a bit more thread scribble than free motion or thread painting, I think, but it worked okay.
Then it was time to add quilting. This late afternoon photo shows the wavy detail I added with the quilting (excuse the shadow).
I began the seed stitching by lightly sketching a shape, as you can see at the tip of the stitching in this photo. Then I just started stitching this way and that.
I just kept adding more spray, making it more dense in the center and then less the further out it went. I took photos and assessed as I went along until I was happy with the look.
I added the binding, and the quilt was done. Finished, it measures 15″ x 20″.
I hope you enjoyed my Challenge Quilt Reveal. It has been a fun challenge for me!
Wendy
Gnome Table Runner Finish
24 Comments
catpatches
Looks great, Wendy. Very creative. I especially like what you did with the seed stitching.
Vicki in MN
The seed stitching was a great way to show the water spray. You really had your creative hat in place and it worked out perfectly!
Julie Holleran
Lovely finish on this one Wendy–I love the little inserts and the seed stitching –they add so much movement to your piece. Nic work hugs, Julierose
nanamickie
What a great piece Wendy and enjoyed your process in making this! I love the seed stitching, it really adds movement to the piece! Have a great day!
Cindy Pieters
A lovely piece! I too love the seed stitching.
txquiltgal
I am so impressed. This is beautiful and should win some kind of prize. Julie (above comment) is right – there is movement! My favorite parts are the seed stitched spray and the rolling wave. I can’t believe it’s only 15×20. It looks bigger!
karenfae
looks great! I don’t see the “sea” often myself and would need to go with lakes or rivers
Nancy Bekedam
I love how you created the spray of the crashing waves! The cork is a great added touch, too, Wendy!!!
Diann@ Little Penguin Quilts
Those Great Lakes are very much like the sea – I think you met the challenge perfectly, Wendy! I really enjoyed reading about all the details you included, and how you made them work. Like your other commenters said – I think the seed stitching works wonderfully for the effect you wanted! Nice finish!
Carol Andrews
Wendy you nailed it with this one! It reminds me of one place I used to visit on the shore of Lake Superior where the waved rolled in and the spray flared up the side of the rocky crags! You made me nostalgic for both favoured lake sides and the coasts off New Brunswick and British Columbia. Beautiful finish. You definitely met the challenge on this one! 😄 Carol
rl2b2017
Hi Wendy! WOWEE! You have a fabulous artist eye. I absolutely loved reading all the details of how this creation came to fruition. The water crashing on the rocks is just so obvious and then to read that it is seed beads – perfection!! I think you have definitely met the challenge and I hope you hang this somewhere you can smile upon it often. Soon, it will be too cold to visit LS yet this hanging will remind you of the crashing waves and how the sky often looks. Great, great job. ~smile~ Roseanne
Louise Hornor
Oh, you KNOW I love this one! You really captured the water, and the clouds are exceptional! The overall look is so well done that I was surprised by each close up of the fabrics. I kept thinking, wait, I don’t remember that, oh it blends right into becoming a rock! Your fabric choices were clearly just perfect 🙂
Helen
I love this… painting with fabric…
Kathleen McCormick
WOW! I love what you did and how you made it all work. That is definitely thread painting and the seed stitch is perfect. This is an awesome quilt! Congratulations – you sure met the challenge.
Quilting is in my Blood
What a work of art! So many wonderful details including the seed stitch water spray! I really love this piece!
quiltinggail
Hi Wendy!
What a great finish to your challenge! It’s obvious there’s a LOT of thought and a LOT of creative work that went into it!
I know when I’ve visited the great lakes, I keep looking to see if the tide is coming in or going out … it takes me a bit to remember that they are NOT the ocean … even if you can’t see to the other side!
Happy Quilting!
marissthequilter
Congratulations. It is a stunning piece that makes one want to dive into that beautiful blue water. Thank you for sharing descriptions and photographs of the process — you certainly worked hard to make this quilt and it shows in the results. This one must take pride of place on your wall of mini quilts
Riceford Streams
Wow, this art quilt is great! Everything came together really well! Fabrics, design and quilting all add interest. I also love that you drew inspiration from Lake Superior, true to you. Where will you display your quilt?
Cocoa Quilts
Wendy I love it. It does remind me of the fall of Lake Superior. Blue gray skies and crashing waves!!! The seeding is great!
Celtic Thistle Stitches
Nice to read more of your process here Wendy. I haven’t attempted seed stitch very often but when I do I struggle to keep the direction random, I think you did a great job with your seed stitching and the cork fabric was a great touch for the rolling waves.
Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl
The seed stitching of the wave splash is a gorgeous finishing touch!
Janine @ Rainbow Hare
This is a brilliant quilt. Having admired it so much over on the Endeavourers blog, I was very interested to see all the detailed progress photos and learn more about your techniques 🙂
thedarlingdogwood
Love it! And I absolutely think it captures the waves of Lake Superior crashing against the rocks. Love all the touches you added with stitching. Thanks for all the details into your process!
Sandra Walker
Wow! Wendy this is a fantastic tribute to one of our ‘inland seas’ as they are known and one which I have seen a few times. I love how you captured the spray with the seed stitching, as well as the rolling waves with your scribble quilting. Beautiful beautiful piece that makes my heart sing as you probably would know it would. 🙂