Deconstructed Lonestar - Blogger's Quilt Festival

If you're visiting from the Blogger's Quilt Festival, hello... and thanks for stopping by!

This is my Deconstructed Lonestar quilt. I'm not going to say much about it here, because you can read all about the process and inspiration behind it in this previous post. I will say that I'm very proud of this quilt and immensly flattered that it won a second place award at this year's QuiltCon show in the Modern Traditionalism category. I completed the quilt in November of 2014, just in time to enter it in the QuiltCon show.

Here's a detail view of the spiral quilting. You might also notice that many of the gray background fabrics have been overdyed. Do you recognize any of them as originally black-on-white prints?! Dyeing quilting fabrics was a first for me, and something I really enjoyed experimenting with.

Be sure to check out all the quilts in the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side.  I'm entering this one in the Small Quilts category.

Bright Lights - Bloggers Quilt Festival

If you're visiting from the Blogger's Quilt Festival, hello... and thanks for stopping by!

I'm entering my Bright Lights quilt in the festival, and realized I hadn't yet shared it here on the blog. This is the second quilt I've made. Ever. That's right. I made a quilted table runner in 2012-13 (It took a while!), and then this one, so it was very much a learning process for me.  Which, really, every quilt is!

© leiyagami

The design was inspired and made for a 'Modern in the City' challenge organized for the International Quilt Festival show in Chicago last year.  It's loosely based on this photo I found through a Google image search: a blurry image of a city street at night. (Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything more to credit the artist/photographer, other than the copyright info above.) I blocked out some general shapes/sections based on the one-point perspective of the photo, then improvised the piecing using different width strips.

I pieced the top while at a retreat with the the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild in March 2014, just a few days before the deadline. Then I quilted it to emphasize the perspective lines. The fabrics were all from my stash. I didn't really know what I was doing, which made it a fun challenge. I just put it together without thinking about it too much; it felt a little like painting! This was also the first time I needed to bury threads, since my only other quilt was a narrow table runner that I quilted so all the stitching ended at the binding edges. And I attached the binding by machine because I worried I wouldn't finish it in time otherwise. Since then, I've come to love binding by hand, and wouldn't dream of doing it otherwise!

It was fun to see it in the IQF show, along with other quilts created by members of both the Chicago and Naperville Modern Quilt Guilds.  I hope you enjoy seeing it (and all the other quilts!) in the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side.  I'm entering it in the Original Designs category.

Giveaway Day!

Today (and the rest of this week) is SewMamaSew's Giveaway Day.  Lucky you.  And me. ;)  You have a chance to win fabulous sewing-related prizes, and learn about blogs or Instagram feeds you might be missing out on... and I get to meet some of you!

I'm giving away the current issue of Modern Patchwork magazine, plus a kit (fabric and batting) to make the Arrow Sketchbook Cover featured inside.  All you'll need to provide is a bit of sewing time and a sketchbook!

Here's what you could win:

• The Spring 2015 issue of Modern Patchwork
• One (almost) half yard of Comma News Print fabric by Zen Chic in Slate Gray  (This is not the same fabric shown in the finished sketchbook, but will look just as fabulous -- if not more!)
• Three different solid fabrics for piecing the arrows (Kona colors: Pomegranite, Cactus, and Peacock)
• One fat quarter of Kona Turquoise for the lining
• One fat quarter of cotton flannel batting

This issue of Modern Patchwork includes my full instructions for making the Arrow Sketchbook Cover and I hope you'll enjoy making your own!  **The actual sketchbook cover pictured here will not be included in the package.**

Plus, look at all the other fabulous projects you could make from the magazine!!

To enter, please leave a comment letting me know what your favorite thing to sew is.  Do you like quilting, or sewing garments, bags, soft toys... or something else??  I'd love to know!

You have from now until Sunday, May 10, at 5:00 pm PST to enter.  After that, I'll randomly choose one winner.  

Please be sure I have a way to contact you if you're a winner!  If your email is not connected to your blogger profile, please include it in your comment.

I'm not requiring any extra hoops to enter, but I'd be absolutely flattered if you choose to follow me through Bloglovin' or on Instagram.  Thanks, and good luck!!