2014 Houston International Quilt Show Donation Quilt-Eco Print
I’ll be teaching again at the Houston International Quilt Festival-and this year is its 40th anniversary! The Festival organizers ask each teacher to consider donating a small quilt to an on-site silent auction to raise money for the non-profit IQF. I really enjoyed making my donation quilt this year, come take a look:
I started with an eco-printed wool panel purchased from Tin Thimble. If you’re local, you really have to spend a day at the old Loomis Fruit Shed: have a lovely lunch in the atrium, browse one of the coolest nurseries around, enjoy the shops (olive oil, wine, gift, pottery, rugs, fabric, etc.) and end up at the artists’ co-op. Sharon Mansfield is the artist who made this print. Don’t ask me about eco-printing/dyeing-I just like it and buy it!
I added some flannel from the shop for the front and binding, and a sateen backing from my stash. I added gold plated beads at the end for a little bit of sparkle-after I quilted it to death!
I almost always love the backs as much as the fronts and this is no exception. Sateen gives such lovely sheen and definition to stitching. I used silk batting this time as I didn’t want a lot of loft with the fuzzy wuzzy flannel. Check out the binding-love that flannel plaid on the bias!
Lately I have favored austere labels. I guess because I like the backs so much on their own, I don’t want my label to shout. I like the way this discreet label lays on the back of this piece.
The eco-print really did the talking on this piece so my quilting just needed to have a supporting role. I can’t imagine what else would have worked for my background here. Echoing would have complicated it. gridding would have detracted, any other motif would have been fussy. I do like my faux border insert. The unquilted gap between the outside and inside bubbles creates enough separation to highlight each section.
I Misty Fused the layers together again and yet somehow I got significant creep on this one as I quilted. The center portion was like a spongy, moving mass and required some thoughtful movements to keep tucks away. The silk batting is super flat so I don’t understand what caused that. It all worked out in the end though.
The wool gave such incredible texture and dimension! I kind of expected texture but this much dimension was a pleasant surprise. And if you examine this piece you will readily see that the grid is off in spots. Marking on flannel was very difficult with both chalk pencil and water erasable-no matter what I used, it pulled on the flannel fuzzies.
I was surprised at how a detail I added disappeared: I used two different variegated threads for the grid, hoping to get a bit of a plaid-y look. It showed well on my sample but not on the real quilt. I still love the way this turned out and hope it fetches a high price for the Festival! If you go you can see all the faculty quilts and bid on them-some are quite spectacular.
Jenny as always your quilt is beautiful. I am sure your quilt will do well. I am still practicing my quilting and I am so glad I took your class.
Oh Connie you are already good-you really must believe that! Thank you for your kind words-love hearing from you!
Wow, not only going to Houston, but teaching there! How wonderful.
Very pretty piece. Very interesting–your comments about the wool, even with the misty fuse, it wanted to move around. I have worked with wool a little bit, and want to work with it more (I have a lot–I’m a closet rug hooker :) ) But that moving around is disconcerting. Thanks for sharing. I always learn something from your blog.
Thank you Debby! Yes, it’s a real treat to teach in Houston-and a ton of work too.
I wonder if the smooshing was because perhaps the Misty Fuse did not want to adhere to the slippery silk batting. It could be the wool too since it’s so fuzzy, it’s harder for the Misty Fuse to get a grip. I’m still working through that one.
And I’m enjoying your columns on the Quilt Show too! Wow, talk about reaching an audience!
This is a wonderful little piece. Even after you pointed out all the little problems, when I look at it I see nothing wrong with it. It should do well for the festival.
Oh thank you Linda! You know, I do see the problems but I really like the piece too. I do not strive for perfect, really don’t. Life is too short for perfect. I saw I was having problems and had to decide whether to stop and rip and re-mark. Well, I was already almost 2 weeks late and I have LOTS of other stuff to do for Houston. I think I made the right call. We’ll see!
wonderful donation quilt! I’m super excited for you going to Houston. Maybe I’ll be there next year…
Thank you Roxane! Oh you MUST go next year. Well you just need to enter so you’re in the show and then come visit your piece!
Pebbles make such a good background for the printed design, and then the move to the frame is perfect for the piece. Wish I were going to Houston.
Thanks for your comment Claire! I am happy I put in the “frame”. I am learning so much about design this year. I think that without the frame it would actually lose a lot.
Put Houston on your bucket list-really. It is on a whole ‘nuther level than any other show (except maybe Paducah). And the vendors, the classes, the international teachers that you wouldn’t ever get to take otherwise, the fun, the quilts…..and the whole show is such a class act -every single detail.
A very pretty piece, Jenny. :-) You mentioned a bit of ‘creep’ when you quilted the centre, which was fused to the back, right? If the centre was cotton and the background, wool…that could have done it. Even though both were woven fabrics, the wool by its nature would have been a bit more ‘stretchy’ than cotton, accounting for more movement of it underneath the cotton. Just a thought.
Have fun in Houston; I’m sure your students will!
So sorry-just saw your comment. My blog is not notifying me of comments for some reason even though I have that box checked. Yes, I do think it was the wool-it was essentially felted and had a lot of spring to it. The center was wool and the border was cotton flannel-all troublesome! I hope to have a lot of fun in Houston! Thank you!