Woven Selvages

Looking through my photos recently, I realized I'd never blogged about this selvage project which I finished in November 2017.   This had been my leaders/enders project for awhile testing sewing machines for Jake after he repairs them.  A great way of testing a machine on an actual project when precision isn't required.  I cut 5" squares of muslin or leftover light scrap fabric and covered them with the selvages aiming for lighter and darker for every other square.  This pattern is in the book "Quilts from the Selvage Edge" by Karen Griska.  

The wall hanging is the same size as the Glass Tumbling Cubes from the same book done in 2012.  This way I can interchange the hangings on the wall periodically.  I am running out of wall space ☺.

(click on the photo to enlarge for a better view)

close up of the selvages

The finished wall hanging

I added a navy border instead of the selvage border which I found a little too busy.  I echoed the woven design in the border with the quilting. 

The finished quilt is hanging above my coffee station in my sewing room

Elgin Piecemaker's Challenge

Every year the Elgin Piecemaker's quilt group does a challenge.  This year it was a "Fold it - Snip It - Rip it - Pass it - Make it" challenge organized by Deb and Joanne.  We had to bring a yard of batik fabric to the October meeting as well as a pair of fabric scissors.  We stood in a circle and clipped our yard in half and ripped it, keeping one half and passing the other half to our neighbour on the right.  We continued doing this til we had 7 different fabrics, each half the size of the previous one.  There was only one rule:  at least one piece of each of the 7 batiks must be used in our project.  We could add any fabrics and make whatever we wished.  

I had a pattern in my to do box called "Fierce Ladies" by Eye Candy Quilts and decided to add lots of my batik scraps to make a colourful rendition of this pattern which was inspired by those riotously colourful Victorian houses set in the hills of San Francisco.  This pattern was the mini version and finished at 18" x 24".   (Click on the photos for a larger view.)

The original 7 batiks I received plus a white tone on tone batik I had in my stash which I used for background

Back of my wallhanging.  I bought these fabrics on a trip to PEI a few years ago.  Since the pattern was California houses, a beach theme was appropriate.

While spraying the white parts with water to remove the markings for quilting, the blue of this roof ran!  I got a lot of it out but added rick rack on a few of the roofs to cover it up ☺

The quilting suggestion was on the pattern

Our grand reveal meeting was held at the end of March.  Here are the projects that the other ladies made.  They were all amazing and the judges had a very difficult time choosing two winners!  And, we all had a hard time with our viewer's choice vote!!

Yvonne T's wallhanging

Pat P's wallhanging

Julie's bag (the other colours were in the bottom but somehow I didn't get a picture of that)

Chris's table runner

We wondered if Chris had not used all seven fabrics, but one was hiding on the back ☺

Gail made a bag to carry her handwork in while traveling

Joanne made fabric with lots of batiks added to her colours and made this sunburst of diamonds

Jacqui's  houses

Heather's sewing themed wallhanging has her original fabrics under the machine

Pat O's butterfly pillow

Anne's table runner or wallhanging

Diane's mini paper pieced mariner's compass

Deb burned the midnight oil finishing her table runner!

Our judges, Lorna and Heather holding up Beth P's appliqued fish

Diane won viewer's choice

Julie won runner up for her bag

Deb won 1st place for her lovely modern table runner. 

 We already have two volunteers to challenge us for our next challenge in the fall!  Can't wait to see what they have planned for us.