Challenge #96: September Holidays

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge 96, August 22, 2014

Challenge Hostess: Catherine Lewis

Title:  September Holidays

Theme:  Celebrate a Holiday!

Technique:  Any

Due date:  Aug. 30, 2014

Theme:

"Congratulations! You have been chosen to create a poster for one of the holidays celebrated during the month of September.  Browse through the lists and when you see a holiday that catches your eye, tugs at your heart or simply tickles your funny bone, let your imagination and creativity loose to run wild.  

Techniques:

Anything goes for this challenge! Use bright colors or somber, an abstract design or a very realistic one.  Let the "mood" of the holiday you chose tell you in which direction to go, no matter how quirky that direction may be! You may choose any holiday that you like, whether it's a monthly, weekly or daily observance. All I ask is that it grabs the viewer's attention and truly represents the meaning of the holiday. 

Words are optional on your poster, if you can convey the meaning of the holiday without them, that's fine, although I would be interested in seeing unique ways to add them if you choose to do so.

The only real requirement for this challenge is that you have fun doing it!

Resources:

A list of normal and not so normal holidays may be found here:
http://www.brownielocks.com/september.html

and also here:
http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/september.htm

As you may imagine, it is a bit hard to find art or quilts to serve as inspiration for this challenge, but I have found a few to share with you. Of course these are all not so fast quilts to make, but they are just to inspire! 

This would be great for Read a Book Day...you'll need to scroll down to see it, the second quilt: 

http://aliceslookingglassblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/festival-part-one.html  or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC96-1

Global Warming quilt:

http://beadlust.blogspot.com/2009/11/dees-over-at-works-in-progress-reminded.html or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC96-2.

Alzheimer's Awareness art quilt: http://shelburnemuseum.org/webMedia//2010/05/Quilt-Sylvia-A-Lifes-Journey.jpg or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC96-3.

This would be good art to use for National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day: http://caroljosefiak.blogspot.com/2014/07/july-7-2014-this-is-last-painting-in-my.html or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC96-4,

And if none of the September “holidays” appeal to you, make up your own!

And one more thing: have fun with this! :)

Challenge template

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge #, release date

Challenge Hostess:

Title:

Theme:

Technique:

Due date:

[challenge description]

Resources:

[links to illustrative quilts, non-quilt artwork, background for theme/technique

And one more thing: have fun with this! :)

Ominous Strangers

 

I machine-basted three pieces of fabric together and tried Matisse’s improvisational style of cutting, but having shapes in mind based on Eric Freitas’ steampunk clocks (which are really fascinating, and you should check them out).

When the pieces were cut, un-basted, and laid out, they seemed to suggest one of those scenes from an old western where a trio of silhouetted, gun-slinging hombres saunters into town…possibly with ill intent -- hence the name.  Before machine appliqueing the figures, a watery wash was added at the bottom of the background fabric to hint at shadows and a foundation so the pieces wouldn’t just float on the white background.

The piece is 22” x 28”.  Feedback is welcomed.

 

Robert Hartley

Window with Flowers

Aug. 19, 2014  I've done a bit of enhancement to Window with Flowers: beads and a bit of foil in the flowers, and some fabric paint to add the clouds in the window.  I tried using deColourant to change the blue to white, but it brought out a bit of yellow instead.
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21½" x 21"

I have a set of five fat quarters which are different colorways of the same pattern, and I finally got to use four of them!  Normally I would cut leaves and flowers individually, going with the patterns on the fabrics, but for this project I folded and cut several at once, using the little pieces between the cuts for the stems.  I chose a dark green thread to satin-stitch the leaves and stems in order to give them better definition.

The bright red fabric (the source of tomatoes in an earlier Fast Friday piece!) pushed itself forward as the unlikely background, with the blue fabric becoming window panes.  I quilted lines in the lower part to indicate a table surface, and lastly, added a few dead leaves around the flower pot.

Thank you, Lisa, for a fun challenge.  Comments welcome as always!

The Shell Game

The quilt is a result of three different challenges and will definitely become larger. The paper dolls represent the illegals at our border.

The "transparent" government is playing a shell game hiding the illegals across the country in order to "protect" their privacy. But they don't inform the American citizens and communities who will pay for the illegals' housing, healthcare, education and other financial support.

  

If the illegals want to experience the American dream why not come here through the legal process and earn American citizenship instead of breaking and entering?

My Orange Hat

Well, I started this yesterday, and it's layered but not quilted.

I use these challenges as a way to try new techniques, and in this quilt I tried improvisational strip piecing and also used a flange in the knife edge finish. I was so glad to have "The Ultimate Guide to Art Quilting" by Linda Seward on hand - it helped get me past the first time terrors.

Since I'm hosting the challenge and mentioned free-form, I figured I'd have to try it. My goal was to get the feeling of paper doll chains, and I'm pleased with the result. My piecing improved from start to finish, so I'm also pleased about that.

I'm less pleased with the placement of the four-patch section on the lower left. I wanted a touch of orange other than the hat, but it would be better if it extended to the edge, or had white space above it and below the blue bodies, or both.

That's it for today - for some reason I feel very motivated to clean the studio & storeroom, so that's an opportunity that's not to be missed! Thanks for looking!