It’s time for “Blogger’s Quilt Festival” again. Visit the Blogger’s Quilt Festival at Amy’s Creative Side and be inspired by all the amazing entries! Amy does a wonderful job of pulling all this together twice a year. Many thanks to Amy for all her hard work!!!
I have followed the Blogger’s Quilt Festival for a while and always enjoy seeing all the great quilts and voting on my favorites. I decided to enter 2 quilts this year. My entry for the Original Design Quilts category is called Wonky Safari and I would love it if you would vote for my quilt! You will find my other entry here.
This quilt was started at Gwen Marston’s retreat in 2012. The theme for that year was medallion quilts. This was the first “design as you go” quilt I had ever done. The idea is not to plan the whole quilt at once, but to start in the center and move out not thinking beyond the part/border you are currently working on. Although this was a little out of my comfort zone, it was a fun way to work without preconceived notions of what should come next, what size or shape or what the finished product would be. It really helps you focus on the design process.
My inspiration for this quilt was a beautiful Echino fabric my sister gave me. In case you aren’t familiar, Echino is an imported collection of printed and solid fabrics from designer Etsuko Furuya for the Japanese fabric manufacturer Kokka. The Echino fabric I chose to be my focus has a black background with safari animals and flowers. The colors on the background were vibrant and stood out on the black background. So, going into the retreat I knew my safari print would be my center, but had no other plan in mind. I brought a ton of different fabrics with me that had colors similar to the center fabric not knowing where it would go beyond the center. Here is a picture of the center fabric:
I really enjoyed making this quilt and used every inch of the yard of Safari print I had in the end. Every block and border in this quilt is from one of Gwen’s many inspirational books. The quilt measures 70″ square. It was pieced and quilted by me on my Bernina 440. Here is a close up picture of some of the quilting:
I pieced my back with a Kaffe’s Spot in Sapphire and a great jungle-like print called Riviera by FreeSpirit. Here’s a picture of the label showing both backing fabrics
I entered this quilt in the 2014 Charlotte AQS show and was thrilled to have it accepted in the show in the Art/Innovative Category. Although I didn’t get a ribbon it was so exciting to see my quilt hanging in the show and to experience the whole event with my Mother, one of my biggest supporters!
I hope you enjoy the Blogger’s Quilt Festival and don’t forget to vote for my quilts!!!
Sew long from the Quilter on Osage Hill!
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