Project Runway Challenge - WEEK 1

Yeah, I'm still behind on the week #1 challenge... but making progress again! I think I mentioned I had an orphan feathered star block that I was thinking about using. I still can't quite believe I cut it for this project, but what the heck -- it wasn't perfect and it doesn't go with anything else, so why was I saving it?

The block must be around 15.5 or 16". I overlapped the block with a piece of the background fabric, both right sides up, and cut a nice gentle curve. After piecing the new plain fabric to the block, it was (sadly) a little out of square, but I persevered. I first quilted the straight lines, where the pieces would have been if I hadn't cut the block.

I had first thought to quilt inside the lines, making the plain side look more like the pieced side. I started that the other night, and ended up picking it all out. In the process of doing that, I decided it was too obvious to quilt it that way -- it would be more interesting to quilt outside the lines. Of course, if I was going to all that work, I wanted the quilting to show.

Be careful what you wish for... I also really wanted to try a new-to-me background filler I learned in a class with Carol Taylor earlier this year. For the first ten minutes, I hate-hate-hated it. The quilting lines looked like blood and it was completely horrible. I decided I would keep going (there was enough done that ripping it out again was NOT an option!) and if nothing else, one of the cats could have a new little quilt. (One of my mom's cats -- George is much too big for this little quiltlet!)

Luckily, the more I quilt it, the better I like it. It's still a little odd, but I'm OK with that, at least at the moment. The photo above is the result of a little more than an hour's worth of quilting. About three more hours of that (I'll have that filler in my muscles by then, I hope), then finishing.

Don't ask about week 2 (the diptych)... I think I've decided to make a pair of Christmas ornaments (yup, taking the easy way out!), but I'm not really in the mood today.

Here's a closer view of one corner. Do you think I should go back after the filler is done and try to "darken" the straight lines that represent the pieces?

Holy cow -- I just clicked the close up image to be sure it would get bigger -- and it does. Don't say I didn't warn you! I almost deleted it after that, since the quilting isn't really that great, but I decided to be a big girl and leave it for your viewing pleasure. I think this filler at this (small) size is better suited for a much thinner thread. See, I did learn something...