Bloggers Quilt Festival

I'm entering my Moonlit Sky quilt into the Blogger Quilt Festival this time around.

This quilt took me more than two years to finish making, not exactly unheard of in my quilting time warp.

It all started when I was taking a class at the Lowell Quilt Festival back in 2009.  I had the Jacobian Arbor prints from Timeless Treasure that I had been hording for a while. (I didn't end up using the print at the bottom of the above photo.)  I added some tone on tome fabrics to the mix and I had my fabrics set for the class with the queen of paper piecing, Carol Doak.

 

I made this block in the class and loved the block and fabrics that I made.

I continued to add to the top and loved it more and more.  Those of you who spend a lot of time on a quilt know how sometimes you lose interest in it the more time you spend on it.  Not this one.  I loved it more and more.

Then I did what I do best, change the pattern.  The quilt in the pattern called for solid square corners to the border.  I couldn't have just a small square, so I made a mini mariners compass square that finished at 6.5" square.

I debated on if I wanted to extend the inner border or not.  You guys confirmed my thought, extend it!

Then, this quilt sat for a while.  I loved it too much to quilt it myself.  I know my machine quilting limits, so I sent it to Judi from Green Fairy Quilts to make a masterpiece of it.

This is what I got back.  A true masterpiece.  I said I wanted swirls and stars and I got something amazing.

Then, because I couldn't just leave it alone, I added, oh, about 4,800 Swarovski crystals.  No big deal.

After that it was binding and shipping it off to the Lowell Quilt Festival where it won first place in the Wall Quilt category.  I never expected it to win anything, but it did! 

PS. I love your comments and try to respond to each individually, but due to the recent snowstorm, I am without power and thus email (I can access blogger at work but not email).  Please know that I appreciate all of your comments and will reply when I am able to. 

My Winning Quilt!

A few weeks ago I posted about how my quilt was juried into the Lowell Quilt Festival.  Well, I'm pleased to share that my quilt won first place in the wall quilt - pieced category.

I can't seem to rotate it, since I'm uploading from my phone.  Hurricane Irene has left us without power or internet for the past 24 hours and I've been told by the electric company that it could be up to another five days before we get it back.  Here's hoping that it isn't that long.  Keep your fingers crossed for us and everyone else still without power. 

Anyway, once I can get the photos off my camera and uploaded once we get power and internet back, I'll share more photos. 

Lowell Quilt Festival 2011

Today marks the opening of the Lowell Quilt Festival 2011.  As you know, I submitted my quilt, Moonlit Sky to the show and it was accepted.  I decided to submit it for fun and to share a quilt that I absolutely love.  I wasn't entering it into the show with the expectation that I would win anything, especially since I've never entered a juried quilt show before.

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I'm planning on heading over to the show tomorrow afternoon.  I'm going to take a half day and go with my mom and my aunt to see my quilt hanging there next to so many fantastic quilts.  If you're visiting, check out my quilt, and if you think it's awesome, vote for it for people's choice!  Honestly, vote for the one that you like the best, I just hope it's mine. 

I have a list of winners already, even though the show hasn't opened, and there are some very talented quilters being showcased at the show. 

And it's Off...

No, I'm not talking about a race, I'm talking about my Moonlit Sky quilt.

Yup, there it is all finished, packaged up and ready to mail out.  I just got back from the post office to send it off to the Lowell Quilt Festival.  In just a few short weeks, this beauty will be hanging on the show floor.  Whoo Hooo. 

I decided to wait to unveil the quilt and its 3000+ crystals until the actual show.  Not buying it?  Okay, you caught me.  I was so excited to finish and get it mailed out by the deadline that I forgot to get a final photo of it.  I promise to get a photo of it at the show.  Promise. 

Onto my next deadline, finishing my Doll Quilt Swap quilt.  But that's another post.

Accepted

I woke up this morning to the email that I had been waiting for, I learned that my Moonlit Sky quilt had been accepted into the Lowell Quilt Festival.  This was the first time I have every submitted a quilt into a juried show.  I'm not expecting to win anything, but will enjoy having my quilt displayed with some other amazing quilts.

I have the binding cut, I just need to sew it together and add it to the quilt.  I also need to attach a hanging sleeve and finish adding the crystals.

So, if you're going to be in the New England area in August, swing by the Lowell Quilt Festival to see my quilt!

Adding Crystals

While at MQX last weekend I got some supplies to add crystals to quilts.  I decided to add some to my Moonlit Sky quilt.  (Yes, that's the name I have decided on.)

Sure, my crystals aren't in a perfectly straight line, but I really like how this is coming together.  Because there's just some straight line quilting on the stars, I feel like the lines of crystals really enhance the simple quilting and the stars themselves. 

In this light green section I decided that less is more here.  I want to showcase the amazing quilting first and foremost.  The crystals are really here to enhance the quilt.  

I still have a lot of crystals to add, and I have to order more since I completely underestimated the number of crystals I would need.  You would think a package of 144 crystals would go a long way but it really doesn't. 

I like that from far away you really can't tell that there are crystals.  You can tell they're there from the sparkle and the faint appearance of a line. In this picture there are crystals in the purple, the blue stars and the green.