Tuesday, March 25, 2008

QuiltJane RulerPants

My guild decided last year to participate in the AQS Ultimate Guild Challenge. We voted on the theme - My Checkered Past, a self portrait. It had to have a checkerboard motif in it somewhere, and be within a certain size range, etc. For more details and rules, look on our website's challenge page.

Here's my entry - I made my self portrait out of quilting supplies and sewing notions. Her nose is supposed to be a thimble, a men's cotton shirt at the local Goodwill made great 3 inch rulerpants, and the scissors, iron, pressor feet, and cutter blades are made of silvery ironing board cover fabric. I took a hammer and nail to an old bobbin, tore it apart, and put the discs from that for her eyes. Click on the pic for more detail.


I had the hardest time trying to get it to be 36 x 45 finished, and still get the checkerboard 9-patch border to work out light corners to dark corners even/odd all the way around the quilt. I also wanted the top/bottom and side borders to be the same size. If it hadn't been for EQ, I'd have given up!

We had about sixteen quilters in the guild enter the contest, and my entry was one of the eight picked to go on to the show in Nashville. :) Here's one where you can see the entire quilt, next to a couple of the other entries:



I'm not much of a quilter, so that part was the worst for me. I had to force myself to start it, to put the needle to my fabric sandwich, so afraid of ruining it. If I'd been able to send it out, I'd have asked for a nice tiny stipple on the white instead of the big loopy lines I put there.

When it comes back, I'd like to clutter it up a little by sewing on some little orphan blocks over her head (like she is thinking of quilts) and using the quilt as a showcase for some of the pins and buttons I've collected.

Now that this challenge is done, it's back to the jewel box quilt. I've been swimming in hundreds of 3½ half square triangles for it. I've almost got my 200+ bright-to-white ones done, but only 150 or so of the bright-to-blue ones. :)

10 comments:

Tracey in CT said...

This is a great quilt! Seems perfect for the challenge theme. I think that is is very cute and extremely clever, no wonder you were picked to have yours go on to Nashville!!
I got a real chuckle out of her presser feet!

Sew Create It - Jane said...

It's fantastic! I think you've done a wonderful job and it's very clever! I love all the sewing notions put together right done to the safety pins for eye brows!

Sheila said...

I have to 'third' the Very Clever comments! Your little challenge quilt is so creative. I admire those who can think and create in another realm.... not a skill I was born with.

Andee said...

Your self portrait is very clever! I really like and you should be so proud it is going on to Nashville! Nice work!

Pam said...

Quilt Jane Ruler Pants....that is
D~A~R~L~I~N~G!!!

Pam@
www.pamgwillim.com

YankeeQuilter said...

How fun is that! Love the idea of the floating blocks and buttons...congrats.

Quilts And Pieces said...

Oh I love it! It is adorable! Our guild is going to enter that too with our challenges. I didn't worry about mine making it with the size requirements - it was way too much for me!

Kucki68 said...

What a great challenge piece. You must have had a lot of fun with this one!

Bonnie said...

Oh my goodness, I love your self-portrait! What a great imagination you have. It is so clever how you used the different elements to make it all work together. The yellow rotary cutters for hair is perfect. Excellent - well done!

claire said...

It is really very funny, i' like much
http://countrypatch.canalblog.com/

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