FINDING MY VOICE, THREE

More quilts from Finding My Voice Exhibit at AQS QuiltWeek Chattanooga.

My Day of Sunshine

Needle Turn Applique

87.5" x 87.5"

Pattern by Jan Patek

Quilted by Jo McCluney

The featured technique is a combination of needle-turn applique and a little machine applique.  The entire quilt is done in Batiks.

Christmas Poinsettias

92" x 92"

Pattern by Bonnie Hunter

Quilted by Jo McCluney

The technique practiced in this mystery quilt pattern was working with the Easy Angle ruler to make half-square and quarter-square triangles.

First My Daughter, Now My Friend

64" x 80"

Pattern by Karen Combs

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

The design in this quilt was achieved with strong light/dark values in fabric.  This was the beginning of introducing some contemporary/modern designs to my quilts.

Pebbles and Stripes

37" x 37"

Pattern by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

With the discovery of the on-line Modern Quilt group, my interest shifted to a more modern approach to quilting.  Use of negative space, asymmetry in design, and straight-line quilting with some pebbles produced this piece.

Hear the Orcas Sing

89" x 97"

Pattern by Bonnie Hunter

Quilted by Jo McCluney

The use of black/white fabric for the background created a more interesting composition with the string blocks.  A new block in this quilt was Birds in the Air used in the border.

So, What's the Point?

Original Design by Sandi Suggs, Linda Smith, Sharon Joyner, and Karen Downer

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

This is a small modern improv piece done as a round robin with three friends.  One of my criteria was to "lose the points" on the stars.  It is straight-line quilted. 

Lemonade Stand

69" x 76.5"

Origin of pattern unknown

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

This is a fun two-color scrappy quilt using string piecing: stitch and flip corners; and strata blocks for the border.  The new technique was the stitch and flip corners tessellating to adjoining blocks..

-sandi

I ATE, I SLEPT, I STITCHED AND STITCHED

This was Red Rooster Retreat Weekend again.  This retreat is in Cullman, Alabama in a very rural setting with beautiful vistas of the Smith Lake.  I like to just settle in and quilt my heart out for four wonderful days.


What an awesome group of ladies to spend a weekend with -quilting and building friendships.




 Just look at some of the projects that were finished while we were at Retreat.  The completed projects are stacked 2 and 3 deep along that rail.

I was pleased with my progress on my Lemonade Stand.  The part I completed is the center of the quilt.  I will add the borders of the yellows and then another border of the teal.

The next project I worked on was my Farmer's Market Quilt that is made up of Lady of the Lake blocks.  I had to stop when I realized I did not bring all of the fabric I needed to complete the eggplant blocks.

This is the hand sewing corner of the work room at Red Rooster.  Here are Ava, Joan, and Libby working on projects. 

 I worked on my hand quilted sofa quilt.

Details of the quilting in one block.

My other hand stitching project was to get some more hexies together for my Star Quilt.

On Saturday morning I decided to make a Wave Table Runner out of Batiks.

These are the greens that I chose and then I added the contrasting bias binding.

I learned a new technique for making bias binding by starting with a square and folding all the corners to the center.

After folding I began cutting my 2 inch strips that would separate the different waves on my project.

This makes a lot of strips.

I ended up with this huge pile of strips to be sewn end to end.

I put the bias on one side of the strata sets. 

Then I sewed it to the other side and echo quilted as I went.

Detail of the echo quilting.

I like it better as a wall hanging instead of a table runner.

I did not do any work on my July WIP - the Convergence in Music- because I did not take enough fabric.

I am having withdrawal today after spending 4 days quilting, chatting, learning, and eating.  I did not have to prepare a single meal, nor did I have to wash my dishes. 

This was just a little Heaven on Earth.  Can hardly wait until next time.

                                             -sandi