grab bag challenge 2006
Posted: Wednesday, 18 April 2007 |
while I was working on the journal quilts I was also making my quilt for the grab bag challenge, for this each participant has to put fabric and embellishments in a bag and send it off to the coordinator, your bag is then sent to another participant, you do not know who, you receive a bag of fabricsand you do not know who’s bag you have, well 3 weeks after the bags had been sent to us mine had not arrived in Scotland, I e mailed the coordinator and she sent me some of her fabric, she said she matched them as close as she could to the originals but from that moment on I just never felt like I had a ‘proper’ grab bag, here’s a photo of the original grab bag,
and the substitute grab bag,
well all those warm colours are not me so I had a lot of trouble with this, inspiration totally deserted me, I liked the bright pinky/orange sunset fabric and the black and white stripe, there was a funny thing that looked a bit like tree bark (I found out it was waste from the silk industry) so in the end I made 4 blocks with the sunset fabric and beaded them like bursting fireworks and did another 4 blocks by manipulating the B&W stripe, put them together with the barky thing in the middle and made a border, I like the border best,
Nine Squares,
Detail
Statement
the quilt I made was for Lynne Croswell, Vermont USA, Lynne says she loves it, I hope she likes it,
and the substitute grab bag,
well all those warm colours are not me so I had a lot of trouble with this, inspiration totally deserted me, I liked the bright pinky/orange sunset fabric and the black and white stripe, there was a funny thing that looked a bit like tree bark (I found out it was waste from the silk industry) so in the end I made 4 blocks with the sunset fabric and beaded them like bursting fireworks and did another 4 blocks by manipulating the B&W stripe, put them together with the barky thing in the middle and made a border, I like the border best,
Nine Squares,
Detail
Statement
the quilt I made was for Lynne Croswell, Vermont USA, Lynne says she loves it, I hope she likes it,
Comments
Brilliant, IT, and a good challenge to your skills. It must be almost as much fun as getting the bags of tweed and finding out what is in them! You certainly have plenty of patience, I am very impressed, especially with the way you worked the b&w fabric. I see you didn't use the pinky stuff that looks like marbled paper (in the middle of the photo) - that would have been the first one I'd have picked because of the endpaper-type pattern. Not sure about the 'worm' in the middle, though :-) Perhaps it doesn't look so wormy in real life!
Jill Williams from EK
I love what you have done with those bits of fabric, i have no imagination when it comes to working in colour so the way you have worked the black and white in with the colour works realy well to my eyes, and the embroidery is very subtle but effective. i'm sure she will love it, i know i do.
tanith from point
thanks Jill, the marble piece was only about 4"x3" so there was not a lot you could do with it, I was disappointed with the B&W manipulation because it does not show as much as I had envisaged, the pink fireworks takeover, the worm is the silk waste thingy, I liked it at first but more and more wish I had lopped it off, oh well too late now, I told the owner if she wanted to cut it off, as I will not be offended,
island threads from lewis
I love your non-traditional approach to the traditional nine-patch. Beautifully done!
Conni from NJ
Is this a competitor to the Fank? I do like the title 'Grab a Bag'
donald from ness
Hi Conni, thanks, someone else used the nine patch too, I noticed though that most of the quilts were pictorial and wonder if it is easier to work unfamiliar fabric as a picture, unfortunately photos of all the quilts are not on line I thought they were and was going to post a link,
island threads from lewis
Chance would be a fine thing after what befell you on the guga production line Donald.....
Flying Cat from Up Memory Close
Hi Frances, I found your blog when I went looking for mine on Google. I saw your journal quilts when I was in Chicago at IQF. I was especially touched by the Qana one. Way too often innocent children are the casualties of adult action - so sad. And I do love the quilt you made me, especially how you used the B/W fabric and the way you quilted such wonderful texture in the pieced border. I never heard from the person who owns the quilt I made so I have no idea whether she liked it or not.
Lynne from VT
Hi Lynne, so when you googled your name my blog post came up, what is your blog url? I am sorry the person you made a quilt for has not contacted you yet, I think your quilt is beautiful and so does Tomme or she would not have chosen it for the exhibition, perhaps the owner of the quilt will contact you when they receive the quilt, after 8 months I am pleased you still like the quilt I made, thanks for your comment on the Qana journal quilt lucky you being at Chicago I would love to have seen the journal quilts and the all the other quilts, sorry I never got to replying to your e mail have you been/are you still coming to the islands?
island threads from lewis
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