Design Wall Monday and Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt

Life …

I accompanied Paul driving a bus load of youth to Bay Springs to sing Christmas carols for residents at a nursing home.

… as a Quilter

On my design wall…

… I’ve pinned my continuing “Sailboat” series that needs to be finished.

I’ve started working on clue #3 of Bonnie Hunter’s “Celtic Solstice” mystery quilt even though …

… step #1 is only partially completed and step #2 hasn’t even been started.

And the winner of my Fabric Giveaway is #130, Robin. Congratulations!

“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

Giveaway Day

I’m participating in the Giveaway Day over at Sew Mama Sew.

This giveaway is now closed.

I have 4 fat quarters of fabric, white on black, for some lucky winner.

To be in the draw, all you have to do is leave a comment in the comment section of this post telling which one of my quilts in the tab “Photo Challenge” you like the best, and if you care to, let me know why.

For an extra chance in the drawing become a follower in some way or follow by e-mail and come back and let me know how. If you are already a follower let me know that as well and how you follow in your second comment.

This giveaway will be open until Dec. 13, 2013 at 5 p.m. PST and to US addresses only. Then we’ll choose a winner with Mr. Random Generator.

Visit other blogs that are participating in the giveaway at:

Celtic Solstice and PTQ’s Christmas

I’m still working on step one of Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt, Celtic Solstice.

These units need another piece added to the left side.

Saturday was our Possum Town Quilters Christmas lunch.

Thank you to our officers for a job well done.

There was lots of good food to taste.

A few members brought “show and tell” items to share with us.

Lauren is making these stockings from felt and hand stitching the cut outs in place.

Shirley with her quilt.

CC showed her “North Wind” quilt, the result of a class with Dorinda Evans.

Watana and her 1600 quilt with a dragonfly.

Watana also made this “Disappearing 4-Patch.”

Don't forget to enter my giveaway HERE.

Celtic Solstice Quilt

I feel like I am lagging behind and being left set in the dust. I really wanted to join Bonnie Hunter’s Mystery Quilt, Celtic Solstice but felt like I had other quilts that need finishing, like my Orca Bay that only lacks the border. My sister Polly and some of her friends and a few of my Possum Town Quilter friends are joining in and I hated to be left out. Do you call it “peer pressure?” So, here I am just now choosing my fabric.

I know this is a mystery and none of us know how it’s going to turn out, but given the clues that we have; do you think this color palette will work? This is how I’m figuring my color changes.

Neutrals = White with a little Black

Yellow/Gold = Light/Medium Celery Green

Orange = Dark Purple/Violet

Green = Light Lavender/Violet

Blue = Black

Will it work????