PQ Season 8 Carolina Lily

Another week of Project Quilting! 

This week's challenge was The Carolina Lily. After a quick internet search I found out 2 things. 

1.The Carolina Lily is an absolutely gorgeous flower

The state Flower of North Carolina
It grows wild throughout the state

2. It is a very traditional quilt block and can be seen in many antique quilts

I hesitated entering this week's challenge as we were busy getting ready to leave on a trip to France, but thought why not? I'll just do a small project. Maybe I should add  one more thing I learned doing this project:

All projects take longer than I expect! 

Here it is midnight, I'm leaving for France in the AM, and I just finished binding my project and am writing this blog. AND I HAVENT PACKED YET, ha! Priorities!

                                         This is definitely my mantra this week, just ask my hubby

So when thinking about this project I was just amazed at the colors in the Carolina Lily and that is how I started. 

 Decided to go semi traditional with vibrant colors. Kaffe Fassett is perfect fabric!

So I did some piecing. And YUCK "Y" Seams!

 Ok, so I'm not very experienced as a quilter, and Y seams have always scared me. I've done them once before in a class project.... Guess that is the whole point of PQ challenge, to try new things/techniques!

  

For  the layout I  decided on 8 Lily blocks

I made bias tape strips for the vines using my fancy clover 1/2 inch bias tool

And applique leaves

Love this technique I learned from Lori Holt. I use interfacing and turn the shapes

Added the vines and leaves by applique

And yes I am done!!

It is 43 by 21 inches.

Nice to be done! Now off to France. 

Thanks again to Kim and Trisha for making Project Quilting possible! Hope to see you in 2 weeks! 

Enjoy!  💗 Renie

 

Not So Crazy Eights! Season Eight Project Quilting

So excited for this year's Project Quilting challenges! I entered several projects last year during Season 7, and I found out 2 things about myself,
1. I love challenges! Not only does it make me complete a project since we have the week to finish the item and post,( I have so many UFOs around), but it appeals to my competitive side. Nothing like being challenged once in awhile.
2. By doing these challenges I tried new techniques that I probably would not have tried if I hadn't been part of the group. Last year I appliqued for the first time, tried some landscape quilting, and even designed my own patterns. Basically these projects have helped me become a more rounded quilter.

Well the first challenge this season is "Eight is great," in honor of this eighth season.

I immediately thought about one of my first quilts I made as part of a class: a stack and whack quilt. I remember taking the class as a new quilter thinking I could never do such a difficult quilt. With the help of a fantastic instructor and a great book, the quilt came out better than I even imagined.

A quilt I made for my daughter Caitlin for Christmas 2014

I always loved this method. The class was based on the book by Bethany S. Reynolds, "Magic Stack and Whack Quilts." A great book that has easy to follow instructions for several different types of stack and whack quilts.

I decided to do an Octagon stack and whack, so eight pieces. My design would be these Octagons on top of each other to make the number eight throughout the quilt.

To start I layered eight pieces of fabric matching precisely the prints.21 x 6 inches. My fabric had a 12 inch repeat.

My Fabric

 It is best to use fabric with a larger print, and over a 12 inch repeat. I did this using long straight pins, then placing a basting stitch to hold everything in place exactly. In the picture for example. I found the several identifiable marks that I could see easily and put a pin through each of these marks.8 times, on each layer.

I'm using the bird's eye as an exact mark for the eye layers.

Then I cut triangles out of these layers. each triangle will make an Octagon. I'm doing eight 6 inch blocks and eight 10 inch blocks.

I get so excited as I see the different Kaleidoscope like designs that appear as you put the different pieces together .

Corners added to make octagons square and easier to work with

Next I auditioned placement and background choices

                                                 

After picking my background fabric , I pieced the quilt and sandwiched it.

Time to quilt! I have just bought this new ruler foot from Bernina with these shape rulers. Included are circle shapes which I thought would be perfect as eight shapes! 

The ruler idea is very useful, but takes a lot of patience. It also takes upperbody strength since you have to hold the shapes down so the wide edged foot "rolls around" the shape (I was sore the next day!). If you move the ruler even a slight bit, it causes some imperfections.  I should have tried it on a smaller project to begin with, but no turning back now!!

So here is my finished project! It is 50 inches by 47 inches . 

Not So Crazy Eights!

There are eight pieces in each Octagon. They are stacked to look like the number eight, And the quilting on border and sashings are circles stacked to look like the number eight,

Thanks Kim and Trish for making this challenge possible!