A week of quilts - Day 1

The challenge has been received and accepted!  Ack!  What have I got myself into?

Karen Walker, a quilting buddy I met last year at the Handi Quilter Academy in Salt Lake City in Utah challenged me to post 3 quilt pictures a day for a week (5 days).  I then have to challenge someone every day to post their quilt pictures.  

I thought this would be a great blog post.  A way for me to pull out all those quilts I have stacked downstairs and really look at my work and maybe do something with them....like get them out of the basement and onto some of my walls.

I was very disappointed to see the fold creases in these quilts.  I did try pressing and steaming and some of the creases came out, but not all.

Elaine's Windows 15" wide x 35" long

First up....Elaine's Window.  Many, many years ago my Dad started doing stained glass.  He used to work in the aerospace industry working on planes.   He is very particular and found that stained glass was the perfect outlet for him.  He was semi-retired for almost 2 years and started doing more and more stained glass.  A friend from church had found an old window and asked my dad to re-do the leading on it.  Guess what?   Never been done, and now its in my sister's sun room and she loves it!  I was just starting to learn to do stained glass on fabric and took a rubbing of Elaine's window.

The quilt on the right is my first completed attempt using my own hand dyed fabrics.  I love it!  The quilt on the left is the one I used as a class sample for promotion.  I have taught this class using a reverse applique method and the bias tape.  In the class students learn how to make their own bias, which saves a lot of money!

Avril's Window 15" wide x 38" long

Next is Avril's window.  I named it after my niece, Avril who is now 10.  I did most of the reverse applique stitching while she was propped in my arms as a 6 month old.  So I can say the method is pretty easy.

My Rose Garden 27" wide x 23" high

I have always wanted wild roses in my yard.  I live in a pretty part of the country and the Alberta Wild Rose is our province's flower. I stitched this version of my roses.

Spring 40" x 40"

And last up is Spring.  The vision was to create 4 quilts that would be similar, yet different enough to represent the 4 seasons......maybe I'm an eternal optimist and always want it to be spring with all that is promised with new birth, etc.  An interesting note on Spring, this quilt took over 47 meters of 1/4" wide bias tape.  Purchasing that stuff when I was making these quilts was very expensive, so in my classes an important part of the class was teaching students to make their own bias.  Way much cheaper.  I think this quilt took less than 2 meters of black fabric vs. 47 meters of purchased bias.  Very economical.

All of these quilts were made between 2000 and 2007.  I think I need to start with more Stained glass quilting projects.

That's it for day 1 of the quilt challenge.