“Only a Lily” – New Quilt From an Old Favorite

Each year I like to enter a quilt in The National Quilt Museum’s New Quilts From an Old Favorite contest.

This year the traditional block that our quilt was to represent was the “Carolina Lily.”

I was stunned when I received a call recently that my quilt “Only a Lily” had won 1st place. And then I got all giddy and had to call some family and friends and share my good news.

When my sister, Emily, started making some quilts using Gloria Loughman’s technique from her book “Radiant Landscapes,” I loved the effect.

Blue Bell

So, I bought a book too and studied it and decided to make a ‘lily’ quilt to practice for my entry. 

I was pleased with how “Lily” turned out and decided to use the technique for my entry.

So, I found a piece of fabric that I thought would work good for the background …

… and I cut red and green squares of 2 other pieces of fabric. I traced off a motif of the traditional Carolina Lily pattern onto the squares … 

… and cut them out.

  

When Emily saw my little bits of scraps left over she decided to make another small art quilt using them in the sky of her “Setting Sage” quilt.

I thought it marvelous and decided to change my background to the same yellow that she had chosen. But alas, it didn’t have the same effect that hers did.

  

So I went back to my original choice of background fabric and I loved what I saw.

Here, I have added a black border with slight curves.

Then I cut out ‘lily’ parts and laid them on the background. Deciding which lily I liked best was a hard choice.

When all the fusing was finished I was ready to quilt.

And after the quilting was finished the quilt wanted to wobble, ripple, and pucker up.

But that didn’t cause me too much worry as it all flattened out when I blocked it with lots of water.

And then I added the piping and binding and blocked it again.

Only a Lily

56 1/2” X 56 1/2”

“I am only … a  [humble] lily of the valleys [that grows in deep and difficult places]. … Like the lily among thorns, so are you …” –Song of Solomon 2:1, 2 (Amplified)

Detail

Don’t forget to enter my fabric giveaway HERE.

Finish It Up Friday

Wheat and Lilies

Life …

The men started cutting wheat today.

Ashton found this little critter yesterday on the weather boarding of the house. Later he hopped over to the front door and looked as if he wanted in. Today I saw his tiny fingers curled around the ledge of the dumpster. His beady popped eyes were peering at me over the ledge.

… as a Quilter

Remember the art quilt I started on Memorial Day? I decided to put some kind of a lily on it.

I quilted the background with a serpentine stitch from side to side.

Then using the Carolina Lily block pattern for inspiration I designed a bouquet, sitting in grass, framed with lily petals.

After I had fused the grass down and looked at it a while, I decided I didn’t like the grass. So, I heated it up again and pulled it off.

Then I cut out some more lily parts like the top and sides …

… and added them to the bottom and I liked that much better.

Then I stitched all the silhouette down.

I couldn’t think of a good name so I just call it plain “Lily.”

And then I thought, well, why not get a picture of ‘Lily’ with real lilies!

Here I can visualize the real lilies making the shadows on the quilt.

And Emily was with me for a day. She started this quilt around lunch and finished it up just after supper. I’m anxious to show you her finished project, but I must wait.

See other inspiration at Off the Wall Friday and Amanda's Finish it up Friday.

WIP -- The Start of Something New

I began a new project with this piece of fabric for my background.

I cut out 1 1/2” squares and then shaped them like a lily, thinking I would fuse them to my background fabric. I placed a few of the cut out lily shapes onto the background flowers and thought they didn’t show up enough.

Then Emily took the little tiny leftover triangles and fused them on to a yellow background here, and I love what she has going on.

So, I decided to change my background too.

I added a border to make it bigger and then …

… proceeded to lay the lily shapes on the yellow background. But … I just wasn’t happy with the way it looked.

So … I went back to my original idea, the flower background and laid more lily shapes onto it. Now I think I’m liking it!

And now I've added borders and finished the background.

Farming, Guests, and Only a Lily

Life …

I pulled the bean header again, this time 30 miles. Quinten and Gabriel got a head start going down the road in the combines …

… but I caught up with them and followed them the rest of the way to Pickensville, AL.

Another day, Quinten needed a ride to the Oswalt Farm so I obliged him. He greased up the equipment …

… before starting his day of field cultivating.

Saturday, Miguel came to help set up the playground swings in the pines in the back yard.

He brought his sister Christine along and …

… they stayed for our pizza supper.

Teryn is growing so fast, it seems.

Paul enjoyed a little holding time.

Picking cotton and hauling it away kept Kirby and Ashton busy.

… as a Quilter

I was bequeathed all this fabric and blocks from Veronica from some unknown quilter in the parking lot at Joann's.

My “lily” quilt had lots of wobbly ripples in it when I got through quilting it.

But, don't worry! I blocked it and poured lots of water on it and it dried nice and smooth and flat.

It is finished, all the way down to the label and the hanging sleeve on the back.  I’m calling it “Only a Lily.”