Water = Life UPDATED

 Dear Readers,

It has been a while since I have participated in a quilt challenge.  In January Possum Town Quilters issued a challenge to create a 20 x 20 inch quilt with the theme water in your world.  You were given two blue pieces of fabric and they had to make up 20% of the quilt.  I chose to make mine to look like a national park poster as that was one of my favorite trips with my daughter.    I paper pieced the letters and curved piece the water.  I pieced the water and the sand and sky together then fusible appliqué to add in the mountains and the trees and waterfall.  

I used two layers of batting, one 80-20 and one wool to make the quilting show more giving the sky and water more movement.  

It was fun to do a challenge quilt - it has been a while since I have done one.  Used left over binding from the national park quilt I did for Sue and Bill.  These will be going to Pigeon Forge for their show this June.

Sew on,

Terry

So while I was at Quiltville Inn for a retreat, Judy told me our quilts had won first place in the Mountain Quiltfest Ultimate Guild Challenge.  That means a ribbon and $100 for the guild to help fund future challenged and entries.

Here are some photos of our quilts and the names of the makers.

The whole group.  I know it is hard to see so here are the groups.

Brenda Crownover, Gwen Sisson and Judy Stokes

Sandie Nix and Watana Cantrell

Julia Graber, Tonya Stewart and CC Coggins

Terry Turnage and Kimberly Smith

Guild Challenge

Hey all,

It is almost Christmas!!  I am excited because today my son arrives and tomorrow my daughter arrives.  We are so excited.  Have a good bit on the 'to do' list, but wanted to write this post so I would be up to date on what I have been working on.

I have finished the Black and White plus one guild challenge from Mountain Quiltfest.  The challenge is to create a quilt with a perimeter less than 160 inches that is comprised of only black and white fabrics and one other fabric, I think I remember that the other fabric had to read as a solid.

Matt and Taylor's baby quilt 60 x 60

I really liked the quilt that I did for Matt and Taylor's baby and had enough of that fabric to make another, only revised to be smaller.  Their quilt was about 60 inches square and this quilt needed to be
a max of 40 on each side.  So I revised how I made the stars, shrunk the sashing and border....I was also not in love with the center square on Matt and Taylor's quilt.  So I was talking to Will, my son, on the phone and asked what he thought.  We were tossing ideas back and forth and he said something about a setting sun, and that made me think of the moon over a mountain block.

Shadows of Kilimanjaro 37 x 37

I took a free motion quilting class on craftsy.com by Leah Day, so I decided to do various quilting designs in each of the orange blocks.  I was thinking, pick ones that are organic looking, that would remind people of nature.

I did bamboo on this one.

A vine with long fronds.

 A lotus looking pod.

 Pebbles.

 Flowing water.

Flowers.

Curly vines.

 I also quilted each of the animal blocks and the mountain and the sun.  I decided not to quilt the white areas, so I just need to put on a label and a hanging sleeve.

I hope each of you has an amazing Christmas and remembers that we celebrate this season because Christ died on the cross for our sins and this gift that God gave us is the ultimate gift of salvation and it is worth celebrating the birth of the Christ child.

Merry Christmas.

Terry

Pigeon Forge Mountain Quiltfest

Dear Readers,

During spring break I went to Mountain Quiltfest with my friend Lauren.  We both needed to get away.  I am a teacher, so by Spring Break time, I am ready for a break.  Lauren is her dad's caregiver, but has recently gotten a little more help on board so that gave her a chance to get away for a little break too.  The scenery was wonderful, as was the weather.  It was glorious.  The red buds were in full bloom and the azaleas were just starting to bloom.

I had entered three quilts into the show.  Here are the three that I entered.  I did not win any ribbons, two of the quilts got dinged on needing to trim threads...I would have sworn I had done that so I will be glad to get them back and check them over!

Covenant

Blocks of Love 

The Straight and Narrow

No trip to a quilt show is complete with out shopping...both Lauren and I did our parts to help the economy and the local quilt shops stay in business.  I always have some ideas of what quilts I would like to work on in the coming year, and this year I would like to make a row quilt.  so I was looking for some red and whites to mix in with my 30's prints.  I think it will make a really happy quilt to throw over you when watching TV.

Then I saw these great grey neutrals and I just loved the way they played together, and I am usually not one to buy fabric with out an idea of what I want to do with it...as I like to know about how much to get and if you have no project in mind you cannot even guess how much to buy...but these spoke to me so I bought some.  All have been washed and are sitting on my coffee table waiting for me to put on the shelf or start to work on the next project...I know they cannot just hang out there for long, but I have been enjoying seeing them there as I finished up a binding on another quilt.  I will write about that in a day or so.

Sew long,

Terry