The Quilt Skipper

quilting makes me skip for joy

Jenny K Lyon

Quilting makes me skip for joy

SAQA Anniversary Quilt

Studio Art Quilt Associates is celebrating its 25th anniversary-whoop! As part of that celebration, a call for entry went out for a 10″ x 7″ art quilt that showcases the artistic expression of the member.

The 2014 Anniversary Trunk Show will premier at our conference in Washington, DC, and then travel all across the United States and around the world. A group of quilts from this exhibition will be chosen to become a permanent part of the collection of the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. Wow, I would LOVE to have something in Paducah’s permanent collection!

Adrift
Adrift

I think I’m in a series-I just can’t stop making these black and white quilts depicting the plantings in my yard. I love the way the grasses bow from the rain. In this little quilt I captured an Oat Grass frond dipping and waving in the rain and wind.

Front Detail
Front Detail

I used white sateen for the front and black for the back with wool batting, Aurifil thread on top and Superior’s Kimono silk on the back. I also quilted the rain lines with silk as well as two kinds of silver metallic thread, adding a seed bead here and there.

Maybe you can see the metallic thread here?
Maybe you can see the metallic thread here?

I’m hoping you can see the metallic threads in this photo-they are hard for me to capture in a photo but they show up nicely in person.

Back Detail
Back Detail

I love the look of the light gray silk thread on the black backing. I also faced this quilt instead of binding it and I’ll write about that in another post.

Burying my threads
Burying my threads

I had to bury all those thread ends-creates quite a mess before they get tidily hidden in the batting. Each quilt will be mounted to a black backing board, something I was very much thinking about when I made my quilt. I think this piece will show nicely against the black mat.

The funny thing about this quilt is that I actually made it not once, not twice, but THREE times! The first effort was ruined when I immersed the quilt to wash out the marks and discovered that I had not pre-washed the black backing and the dye bled-yikes.

The second effort was fine but I had used 80/20 batting and its slightly beige color seemed to show through the white top somewhat. Also, it was my first faced quilt and the facing application was just a wee bit tortured. I guess the third time is a charm-I used wool batting and the facing turned out much better. Sometimes it’s just about perseverance!

Comments

    • Yes Martha-get that quilt in! You don’t want to be paying for Fed Ex to deliver it overnight. Like how many times have I done that one…..

  2. Love this Jenny! And love hearing your process. I made mine, planning to face it. Then measured like 4X, and cut. On the third side, I remembered I should have left 1/4 inch on each size for the seam allowance. So mine has binding applied… I’m not sure I have time for a second attempt. But you are encouraging me to give it a try!

    • Thanks Debby. Giggle-I do that kind of thing all the time-make my cut and then realize I cut it too short. So hey, you meant for it to be bound, right?

  6. Your challenge piece is SO much classier than mine. But then you’re playing in a much bigger league than I am. One question – if your work is to be mounted to a black board will that preclude a glimpse of the lovely back with everything reversed?

  9. A beautiful entry! I use soap slivers to do any marking and it never causes problems. Chalk pencils work too. As for burying all those ends……sigh, you are more patient than I!