Awesome Alliance Quilt - 1930's Scrappy Mix and Match

Two of a Kind, 16 x 16", Donna Starley 2010

This is my sister Donna's paper pieced quilt made for the 2010 'New From Old' Alliance for American Quilts Challenge. She used her original scrappy mix and match sampler pattern She used 1930's reproduction fabrics to create eight different foundation pieced 2 1/2" traditional blocks. Each block was used twice in the quilt but looks different based upon color placement within the block. She's mixed up all the blocks--can you identify all the matches? Donated to the Alliance fundraising and auctioned on eBay last month (luckily we were able to buy it back).

This is the same pattern that I used in my black, white and pink puzzle quilt, see previous entry. It is amazing to see how different the two quilts turned out, it is a very cool pattern.

Speaking of the Alliance Challenge, the 2011 contest was just announced, click on the logo to see the details, and please note the deadline is much earlier this time, March 7, 2011. Hope you will consider joining the Alliance and also donating a 16 x 16" quilt for the challenge.

B&W&Pink Mini Blog Fest - Fall 2010

Scrappy Color Play 8.5" x 11"

This is one of my all time favorite quilts, made for the Journal Quilt Project and shown at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. I love the graphic nature of the pink, fuchsia and black and white. It was a lot of fun to do such small piecing (the blocks are are about 2.75"-yes less than 3"). The paper pieced pattern was designed by my sister Donna and this is a sample for her class. It is a mix and match sampler: there are 6 pairs of blocks with the same pieces but each twin looks different based on color placement. See if you can find the match for each block.
There is a pattern available.

Don't forget to visit my other favorite -- part of my antique quilt collection (a cool blue and white schoolhouse quilt).
http://utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com/2010/10/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2010.html

And click on the icon to visit even more of the quilt festival

Flower Talk - Hoffman Quilt

Flower Talk (Pick Me I'm Cute) 29" x 29" 2010

My 2010 Hoffman Challenge quilt--flower talk. It was picked to be part of the Hoffman Challenge traveling collection (my sister Donna's feathered star is also part of the collection). The challenge fabric is the blue floral used in the 4 blocks without letters.

It is an original design, inspired by a field of purple coneflowers all asking to be picked ... flower humor. Part of my series of "word play" quilts--quilts that have something to say. A whimsical approach to quilting. Started for the 2009 challenge (brown paisley-see middle line of last E) --I kept the pink and brown centers and then reworked the next row adding blues and keeping the greens. I finished off with more pink and a funky dragonfly border. It was a design I really liked and it felt good to make it work.

Letters were paperpieced from my patterns. Machine pieced and then embroider/quilted in one step with Sulky thread. 2 batts- 80/20 cotton/polyester and 50/50 cotton/bamboo.

New From Old - Reproduction from my Antique Collection

"I've Got the Blues...But Things Are Looking Up"
May 2010 16 X 16"

My donation quilt for the Alliance for American Quilts 2010 New From Old Challenge. Voting is open from June 14 -June 20 for Alliance members, click here to see the quilts (my sister Donna also has a wonderful 1930's inspired quilt). I appreciate any and all votes and if you are reading this before June 20th, you can still join online and vote. I was honored last year to win an honorable mention award. All the quilts will be auctioned off on eBay this fall. This weekend they will be on display at the NQA show in Columbus, Ohio.

I was inspired by my antique c. 1890 blue/white 9 patch arrow/blue cross quilt that demands to be displayed with the arrows pointing due north. The title plays on the juxtaposition of the positive direction with the blue (aka sad) fabrics.

c. 1890 antique Blue & White Arrows, 9 Patch Quilt 72" X 92"

NEW and OLD TOGETHER
I used c. 1890 antique indigo and cadet blues in the 5 large arrows and then reproductions for the rest of the quilt. I'm impressed with how closely the reproductions match the antique fabrics as can be seen with this photo. My arrows were paperpieced from my pattern and the small white arrows centers are 1" finished. I machine quilted in the ditch and added 9 patches and arrows to the plain blocks. It was fun working small but hard to cut into the 120 year old fabric.

Bloggers Quilt Festival

I made this quilt this spring for the Riley Blake challenge-charity fundraiser for the 2010 Home Machine Quilting Show. It was quite a challenge to use all of the required fabrics since the fabrics initially didn't want to play well together especially the pinks and reds. But when I pulled out a reproduction antique cheddar solid, it really brought all the colors together. It still looks a bit wild but wait until you see it with my inspiration- an antique quilt in my collection. Here is a bit of the challenge quilt and the inspiration quilt together:

And finally here is the inspiration quilt-a circa 1890 variable star with double pink centers and cheddar orange sashing. Don't forget to click on the picture to see the sawtooth borders (only on 1 side and the bottom). Don't know if she ran out of steam or if it was made for a bed that went against a wall. I love being an Certified Quilt Appraiser and having a reason to collect antique quilts. I just did a couple of trunk shows and had an antique quilt exhibit at the Home Machine Quilting Show. In fact both of these quilts were part of my lecture Rising to the Challenge.

Go to my antique quilt blog to see another 1890 antique star quilt- double pink blazing star quilt.

Please click on the festival icon to see a lot of great quilts and meet many fun quilters.

New from Old 2010 Alliance Contest

Calling all creative quilters especially lovers of antique quilts and collectors of bits of old quilts. The Alliance for American Quilts has announced its 2010 contest New from Old "a broad theme that celebrates the past in the frame of the present". Very simple rules: a new 16" X 16" quilt inspired by something 'old' and sent by May 31, 2010. Old and New are up to you--put a new twist on a traditional pattern, recycle antique blocks or find some old ones in your UFO box. Contest quilts become a donation to AAQ. All entries will be auctioned on eBay with all proceeds supporting the AAQ and its projects.

There are great prizes involved due to generous sponsors and the quilts will be exhibited on The Alliance's website as well as national venues including the National Quilting Association's annual show in Columbus, Ohio, June 17-19, 2010 and the American Quilter's Society Show in Knoxville, Tennessee, July 14-17. The quilts will become part of quilt history as part of the Quilt Index. The quilts also get a lot of exposure on during the eBay auction.

Come join in the fun. Scroll down or click on the link to see my 2009 entry.