Time Off for a Show

My daughter and I went to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Festival.  This is where the Hoffman Challenge traditionally displays all the entries that were accepted into the show.  Imagine our surprise to find hardly any of the Challenge...maybe 15-20.  I didn't count.  No dolls.  No apparel.  No booth for information.  On the way out we asked about it, and apparently Hoffman has changed things around and this was all they sent.  The lady at the ticket table said they were as surprised as we were.  What a disappointment.  I did take a few photos of some of those Challenge quilts, which struck my fancy.  I did not look that closely at technique; that's for the judges.  I apologize to the quilters whose hard work created the following.  The labels were so small I could barely read them, let alone take photos of them.  The chosen fabric was littered with butterflies in many colors, and there was a "light" colorway and a dark colorway from which to work.  At the Hoffman Challenge website you can see the winners' quilts and if you scroll way down will find the butterfly fabric.

The following is a selection of those we viewed in person:

There were lots of butterflies within butterflies.

I found this one charming.

Unusual, interesting.

Lots of color.

Accessory fabrics within the stained glass framework.

Neat idea that spoke to me.

Love the precision.  Nicely executed.

Ten individually bound mini-quilts stitched to the turquoise background.
Like an entomologist's display.  Clever.

I like the overlaid embroidery on this one.

This one made me laugh.  Cute idea.

I must say that standing within a booth with five or six butterfly quilts I began to feel like there were too many bugs buzzing around.  Weird sensation, but the quilters really created their quilts with realistic butterflies on the brain.  Very few used the fabric only for color or texture.

The rest of the show was made up of exhibits by different groups.  The highlight for me was a booth with three of Sharon Schamber's beautiful quilts.  The detailing was spectacular.  I could have stood there for the next hour just taking in her incredible workmanship.  This particular show is not juried so there were no individual entries or prizes.  The exhibit I liked best was done by the Rocky Mountain Creative Quilters.  I didn't think to take any photos.  I must have left my brain at home.  They have a fine bunch of talented quilters in that group.  I don't know that I could have chosen any that I liked best - they were all amazing.

Caveat:  You may note some quilts that look like they are hanging poorly.  You are right!  The bars they were hanging from sagged in the middle.  This made the quilts slide toward the center so fold lines were accentuated, which made some quilts look crooked and bent.  Many of the bed-size quilts were dragging on the bare floor.  What a shame!

Next week I will get back to the saga of my binding redo and share a gorgeous binding on one of Sharon Schamber's quilts.

Sew a happy seam this week.  I wish you inspiration from the quilts above and others that you may encounter.

Spiral Quilt

When I first saw RaNae Merrill's book, "Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts" I was so fascinated that I bought a copy.  I didn't get inside it for awhile because I kept looking at the cover photo trying to figure out how she did that quilt (why open the book when it is such fun to challenge your brain to solve the problem).  I was so thrilled when I figured out that the basic design was nothing but a pentagon and triangle kaleidoscope that I immediately sat down and read the book.  During this time I went to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Festival where the complete gallery of the Hoffman Challenge for that year was on display, and fell in love with the fabric for the next year's challenge.  It wasn't long before I delved into the design process for a spiral quilt and bought the challenge fabric to use in it.  The rest is history.

Although variations are possible it is probably easiest to start with a wedge 1/6th or 1/8th of a circle.  Draw some shapes on it and use a mirror to see if you like the repeated design...or decide on shapes you think you would like to fit into the wedge.  They do not have to be even, but these lines will be seams and you must be able to sew them together.

Basic outline of one 30º wedge

I know, I said to use a bigger basic wedge than the example above, but I never start out with the simplest possibility.  Two of these, side by side, will make 1/6th of a circle and the larger number of wedges increases the design possibilities.  The process is the same.  For this first spiral of mine I chose only two shapes because I saw them in the quilt on the book cover, and thus could visualize the potential results.  Illustrator is my software of choice.  You can draw your design on paper if you prefer.

The next step is to draw lines that create triangles within one of the shapes.  There are several ways to do this, but I started with the pentagon and used the "Pinwheel Spiral" as below.

Step 1 (fig 1):  After you have drawn the outline of the pentagon use a ruler and pencil or the pen tool in Illustrator to draw a straight line from point A to a point on line BC about 3/4"-1" from point B.  The chosen distance for that point does not have to be exact but 1" (give or take) is a good place to start for an entry level spiromaniac.  You can measure the distance or guess.

TIP:  The lines you draw within the pentagon shape create triangles.  If you are using the computer I recommend that you draw the complete triangle with the pen tool on a separate layer so that it can be filled with color later.  If you are drawing with pencil this is not necessary as you can color in the lines with your choice of coloring implements.

Step 2 (fig 2 & 3):  Next you draw another line from point B to a point on line CD about 3/4"-1" from point C.

Step 3 (fig 3):  Now go back to where the second line crosses the first line (red circle on Figure 2) and erase or adjust the line so it no longer crosses over the second line.

Step 4 (fig 4):  Continue in this manner until your drawing looks like Figure 4.

Step 5 (fig 5):  Second round.  Continue as you did for the first round, but place the first point at the intersection of the large end of a first-round triangle (red circles) and the second point 3/4"-1"  from the intersection of the first and second first-round triangles.  Erase the overlap as you did in step 3.

Continue in this manner, completing 2 or 3 more rounds as you work toward the center.

Look at that:  it is basically a Twisted Log Cabin!  If your pentagon's sides are equal and every triangle's broad end is the same measurement, then the center will also be a pentagon.  My centers are always wonky because my pentagons are not always equilateral and I don't measure my points precisely, but I rather like the quirkiness they give to a design that is otherwise so ordered.  The triangles do not have to be perfect, but the points must be in the right place and the large ends must lie on the line of the previous round.

Give this a try.  It is fun, and while you are at it, work the triangle piece at the lower part of the wedge and fill it in the same way.

TIP:  You are designing your own quilt.  There is nothing wrong with adapting an idea from someone else, but once you get the technique down, modify it to make it your own.

Stay tuned for my next post, which will continue with the process.  These quilts are beautiful, but they require spending design time, pattern prep time, and sewing time, so I will give you a few days to work out the basics as described here.