Tell Me Thursday - "Crazy Quilt"

The "Crazy Quilt" photo posted yesterday (4/15/09) was photographed at the Colorado Valley Quilt Guild show in La Grange, Texas. It bore a sign with the following information:

Crazy Quilt C. 1885
Silk and velvets
A magnificent schooner flying the American Flag forms the medallion center of this crazy quilt. Motifs abound in this elaborately hand embroidered and hand painted quilt. The famous schooner, "America," - which the America's Cup was named for when it broke Britain's hold on yacht racing championships in 1851 - may have been the inspiration for the center block. It closely resembles depictions of the original "America" even down to the placement of the flag.

Be sure to click on the photo to see the exquisite needlework.

More stories at Tell Me Thursday.
P.S. You think your day is going downhill? Read this Tell me Thursday post by "Mahogany Delights" (I had to search for the name)

Tokyo Quilt Show 2009

I spent 2 days at the Tokyo Quilt Show. Boy, did my feet hurt! The Japanese have only taken up the art of quilting in the last few years, but they are moving forward with great speed and perfection.

The huge Tokyo Dome was the setting for hundreds of quilt entries and a multitude of vendors, American products were very popular, but I was looking for more local wares.
The crowd began arriving before the appointed opening time on the first day. There was plenty of security in place, leading me to wonder if there had been stampedes by ardent quilters in previous years. It was a well-behaved crowd with an almost palpable air of excitement. Instructions were barked from security officers posted around the edges, but I couldn't understand the Japanese so I just followed the crowd. There were only 3-4 English-looking faces in the crowd and it was fairly easy to see what was happening because we stood head and shoulders above most of the other people.
Once inside, we proceeded along paths, more accustomed to avid sports fans than quiet quilters, to an open arena blocked off with temporary walls bearing the fruit of many hours of labor. There were highly creative quilts, a lot of hand-quilting, some traditional American type quilts, and a lot of people. My favorite area focused on the use of vintage Japanese fabrics.

The centerpiece of the quilt show was a house with a picnic setting in the garden. Look carefully at the photos to notice sushi, tiny sandwiches, birds, baskets, flowers, even grass and leaves - all made from fabric.

Christmas Ornaments - " A Babe in a Quilt"

I bought this at the Houston "Quilt Festival" one year. The little china-doll baby is wrapped in a small square made from a vintage quilt. What a wonderful way to rescue some of a precious quilt that is otherwise unusable and not really salvageable.

Quilt Projects

Attic Windows Quilt (not yet quilted) for Wounded Warriors Project

About 4 years ago, our quilting guild voted to make some quilts for returning military who had been injured during the Iraqi war. Interested persons put in $5.00 each and material was bought. Kits were made from the fabric and each person took home a kit, made the quilt, and returned it. The guild paid for backing and batting, then we quilted and bound them. The first batch was taken to Wlford Hall in San Antonio.

We became a little more sophisticated as time went on. People adopted our project and gave donations to make more quilts. Commercial quilters with long-arm machines donated their time to quilt for us. One woman even approached us to volunteer her efforts and drives over weekly to pick up tops ready for quilting and deliver the finished projects. She adds a little extra to each quilt - perhaps stars quilted into the windows of the Attic Window design or phrases on the borders. Each quilt has become a labor of love to gift our wounded warriors and show our appreciation for their sacrifices.

The women of the guild do not stop there. We make quilts for the Linus Project which are distributed to hospitals, foster care programs, advocacy centers, any place a child might need a touch of love in a special situation. One foster mother I know, receives a quilt with each child who comes into her home. The quilt becomes a special object to remind the child that there is some source of love and continuity in its life.

We make quilts with a touch of femininity for some female military undergoing special treatment. It is our hope the women are inspired to realize that there are sisters who wish to share inspiration, hope, and concern. We offer them a quilt as an embodiment of our desire for their future wellness.

In 2004, we donated 33 quilts. There has been a steady increase to a high of 247 in 2007. To date this year, we have donated 194 and they are still flowing in. I am rather reminded of the Bible story of the talents that were given out and their return counted. We started with donations of $5.00 and have evolved into an ongoing project.

We are proud!

Continuing the Quilt Challenge

I had a grand time making the medallions from the "ugly fabric." I made 4 1/2 then went into a slump. It was difficult to find enough areas the same, or the same and reverse, to make many medallions. After they were made, I tried to think of unique ways to set them in a top. I finally decided I didn't have time to complete the project and started to add it to my UFOs. Enter DD who explained that since I had blogged about it, I had to finish the project.....now.
That was easier said than done. I have watched so many quilt shows and the pros make it look easy.
"The quilt just talks to me ," they said.
Well mine wasn't talking!
"Buckle down and think outside the box," I told myself.
I wanted something unique, but finally decided done was better than wonderful. I started putting medallions in place and auditioning fabrics to go with them. I could still have 5 more fabrics besides the black I had already used. I placed the black around the medallion hoping to make it look as if it were floating.




I could not think of a way to place the four medallions in position that give pizzaz to this project. Then it clicked. I would just piece some new blocks from the "ugly fabric" (UF) leftovers. That worked pretty well and added some continuity to the design.

The yellow was a 2nd fabric. It brightened the design and brought out the yellow in the UF. The 3rd fabric , a black bacground with multicolored stylistic flower print, was used for another border on the strip I had pieced. I will add one more border for the entire piece in a different fabric (the 4th). What color do you think will bring it all together and "make it pop?"

I have almost finished the top now. It will be a quilted wall hanging well within the required dimensions. Now back to the sewing machine. Look back at the UF photo and see how different it looks from the pieced blocks.