New Guild Challenge

I signed up for our quilt guild's annual challenge last night.  I'm sort of excited about the "rules."  If you wish to participate you reach your hand into a bag and pull out three different....   crayons.  (They have the contents of the really large box of crayons in the bag.)  If you wish, you may put one of the colors back and pull out a replacement, but then you are "stuck" with what you have.  You may use one neutral fabric with them.  The only other rule is that it be less than 56" per side. 

When I got in line, I was second.  The first lady put her hand in and pulled out three different shades of pink/red.  She put one back and I think she got peach.  Next it was my turn.  I put my hand in and pulled out three greens!  The crayons are all mixed up in the bag and I know that when I was pulling them, I moved my hand all around the inside of the bag.  I put one of the greens back and drew out...  RED!!!  My very favorite!  I was sort of thinking the odds wouldn't be good that I would get red, blue, and maybe a lighter blue, or a gold, so I could do something patriotic, but I'm pretty happy so far.  When you have your three colors, you write your name on the paper and made color swatches with your crayons.  There was a slip of paper for you to make swatches for yourself, too.  I actually wrote the name of my colors in the crayon so I would have a reference for later, if I wasn't happy with the "swatch."  While I was doing that, the next person put in her hand and drew out...   three different purples!!!  It was crazy that everyone was getting monochromatic colors in a random draw.  Actually I was tempted to keep my three greens, but one was really muddy/olivey and I didn't like it.

I tried to get some photos of my colors off of the internet, but couldn't find them.  They are Fern green, Yellow-green, and Red.  My head is filling with possibilities.  I could do some of the new Christmas fabric lines that have the lighter, brighter greens, or nearly anything.  Luckily for me the greens are okay together and to get red, which is the compliment to green is just awesome.  I'm afraid I didn't sleep well last night, my brain was so stimulated!

I hope you all have a great day!

JoAnne

Quilt Show

Last night our Hawaii Quilt Guild Quilt show opened.  I went to the reception and I even drug my husband along.  There was opening statements and a program.  This year instead of featuring one quilter as per usual, the show decided to focus attention on our service programs.  There are examples displayed.  Some programs include Na Lima Aloha (quilts for local charitable orgs), Japanese Tsunami quilts (these are 12" quiltlets made for survivors of last year's tsunami), Wounded Warrior quilts.  Quilts of Valor, and ASYMC Kid Comfort quilts (small quilts or pillows are made using transferred photos of the soldier and kids for the children with deployed parents)

Here is a photo of the service quilt examples.



 After the program, the gallery was open for viewing and the buffet of pupus (appetizers, etc.) was available.  We snacked a bit first, to allow some of the crowd to disperse a bit from the gallery. 

Finally, we went in.  I just have a few photos here.  It is difficult to photograph the quilts and really get to look at all of them at the opening.  I will be "sitting the show" later and will take better photos and document some of the amazing works of art.

The wall of the challenge quilts.  I blogged about them here 

Here is my Omigosh quilt hanging.  It is always so neat to see my quilts hanging--they look much more artful than spread out on my living room floor, or hanging off the back fence!

Now I don't know about you, but when I go to a quilt show in Hawaii, I love all the quilts, but I sure am hoping to see some magnificent Hawaiian quilts!  This year is no disappointment!  There were some real stunners.

This is a pikake quilt.  Do you remember the lei from Lei Day that was made with ric rac to look like pikake?  It is Hawaiian for jasmine.  I LOVE this quilt and I usually only like the traditional two-color quilts, but this is spectacular!

Monsterra is the plant featured in both this quilt and the one below.  I will try to get a better photo of the top one later.



 Can a make a comment here about my husband?  As we were looking at the Hawaiian quilts, he hold his finger up to the first one.  (He is smart enough to not touch it!)  He says, "this is a good one, they quilted it the proper way--a finger width between all the quilting."  Ok, what?!  Where did he learn about that?  He actually knows that the traditional way to quilt a Hawaiian quilt is one finger width between the echos?!!

This is called Taffeta Ti Leaf.  It is not only appliqued and quilted traditionally, but it is made out of taffeta!!  I can't image trying to needl-turn it.  Taffeta is notorious for raveling!

That is it for now.  As I said, I'll take more pictures and share them later.  Maybe along with more surprising comments my husband made!

Aloha,
JoAnne

Guild Challenge

First of all, do you see what it says above this post?!!  I have 30 followers now!  I'm so excited.  Thank you all for reading this and commenting.  It is so much fun to make friends all over the world.  You all really make my day!

Second, thank you to all who wished my MIL well.  She arrived on Sunday, a bit tired but ready to see Hawaii and EXTREMELY happy to be outside of an airport.

We have been doing some sightseeing so no quilting is going on here.  Tonight, though, was the voting for our guild's challenge quilts.  Our show is coming up next month and we always have a challenge.  This year, we let the guild members vote on who will win.  The challenge quilts are always a big secret, but after the voting concluded, we were able to reveal who made which one.  All the quilts were incredible.  They were so varied, and it was very difficult to choose a favorite!  We were able to vote on three.  Of all the dumb days to forget my camera!  I did have my cell phone so the following pics are all from my phone.  Some are slightly blurry, please bear with me.  The parameters of the challenge were that you start with a 6" appliqued and embellished block and add three borders.  It could be no larger than a certain perimeter measurement, which I forgot.  Apparently everyone figured out that I made mine!  I don't understand why....   ha ha

This Patriotic one is mine.

This one was made in memory of last year's Japanese Tsunami, the artist, Margret, also has a quilt hanging in the show in Paducah.  She does beautiful work.

I love the creativity!  This one is a real working clock!

This one is made from a photo of three doves sitting on a branch.  Below is a closup of the birds.  They are made of countless beads.  

This dragonfly one was made by my friend, Rowena

Honu (Sea turtles) are really popular in quilts here.  Don't you love how she put her 6" block at a diagonal?  Again, so creative.

This one is by another of my friends, Kim.  I taught her back-basting applique.  Until then, she hadn't tried applique.  She is doing awesome!  And do you see the teeney, tiny half square triangles in the border?  Miniscule!

This one is by another friend, Maureen.  She is known to love blue and her husband was a bonafide Sea Captain!  They are really fun people to have dinner with.  I love her pictorial quilt.

I'm getting so excited for our show.  It opens in May, the Friday before Mother's Day.  Don't worry, I'll share lots of pictures then.

Aloha,

JoAnne