My Dad's Clocks-PQ Season Eight

    This week's Project Quilting challenge was "Time's Up". It is our final challenge of season eight
There is nothing like finishing a quilt in a week. This challenge had me up until 3:30 AM finishing so I can post my blog this morning.  This has been a regular routine, I would work late into the night before each challenge was due. For me, it was a constant flowing of ideas and project creep. My idea would continue to blossom all week, I would add an extra portion here or there up until the last moment. Some of this was my inexperience, not knowing the most efficient way to get my ideas to work on fabric.I have made many mistakes, ripped out so many seams, started over and even changed my plan mid week!

 So I decided to do a quilt of clocks. My Dad collected clocks. They were in each room, some rooms had several and each clock had its unique sound as it chimed or tolled. He tried to have the clocks go off at the same time, and it was always quite loud on the hour. When he died, there were 14 running clocks. Now I'm not talking small clocks. My favorite was a 10 foot tall grandfather clock that he discovered at an antique shop in pieces when I was a small child. Then there was a dutch clock with brass pear shaped weights and a very old hand painted cuckoo clock that he had purchased for my Mom when they were first married in 1956. I have a few of his clocks and have added a few of my own. As they chime they always remind me of him!

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So I decided to do a quilt with clocks . I went through my fabric and found some vintage clock fabric which was a perfect choice for this challenge. 

I decided I wanted to try some reverse applique an new technique for me. Basically I cut circles in the fabric, made an finished seam on the inside and added a quilt block behind it.I used an easy technique by Dale Fleming. Here's a link to a video on the technique  Dale Fleming 6 min circles

I am fascinated by Gypsy quilts, love the randomness, the different block sizes put all in one quilt. So I decided to attempt a version of that. It looked easy, but was more challenging than I thought and I had to do quite a bit of piecing and cutting. I decided on a few bigger blocks which would be the faces of the clocks and smaller blocks to represent the pendulum portions. 

My Initial layout

I had so many scraps left after making these blocks all fit together!!

Pieced And Ready To Quilt!

And of course I must label my quilt! This is something I am really trying to do with each of my projects. My embroidery machine has really helped me making these quick labels

Label

My finished project It is 43x38 inches

                   My Dad's Clocks

  

 Link to This challenge: Time's Up-PQSeason 8 

Thanks again to Kim +PersimonDreams  and Trish for putting these fantastic challenges together! I have learned so much and am amazed when I look back to last year to see my progression.

         Till next time!