So...I've known for an entire year that I would have to provide some type of quilt or quilted item for this auction. I've stewed about it for almost an entire year, thinking about one project and then another that might be worthy of being auctioned off. I've even been collecting potential quilt tops for this auction!
The Milroy Amish School has an annual auction of quilts and quilt tops. I purchased several quilt tops with the thought of perhaps using one of those for the MQS auction. I also purchased a quilt top made by a fellow guild member at our annual auction in March. For a variety of reasons, those tops are still waiting to be quilted.
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| I liked the traditional feathered wreath but wanted to add the ribbon swirls to make it a more contemporary design. |
My other thought was to make a quilt using my favorite pattern - the Double Irish Chain. But then questions of what size, what colors, did I have enough time (I'm very slow at constructing quilts) plagued me. I did manage to finish my grandson's Double Irish Chain in April. It was his to be his Christmas gift - Christmas 2009, that is. I was pleased with the way it turned out as it was the first time I'd used non-traditional colors and fabric choices for this pattern.
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| I used two of these panels for the MQS quilt. |
Finally, I decided to use a new technique that I've recently enjoyed - the fractured quilt discussed earlier (see my April post on Fractured Quilts). I had completed the quilt top in March but had been debating how to quilt it even before the top was completed. With the show coming up quickly, I finally made my quilting plan. The wind in the sky is quilted using black thread on the black background. The inner border is ditched in purple - no quilting in this skinny border. I have always liked the puffiness that ditching around a border provides. The outer border is done in piano keys with gold metallic thread. You don't really see it unless you look for it and with the striped fabric, I like that the quilting is somewhat hidden. The remaining of the interior of the quilt is done in metallic thread. The flying geese are outlined and their feathers defined, the moon segments are outlined and ditched between segments, and the rolling hills are quilted with swoops to emphasize the sweeping nature of the printed fabric. I also added a segmented moon as a reflection in the one large open space in the lower left of the rolling hills. I love the way this quilting enhanced the fractured nature of the quilt.
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| It may be hard to tell, but each of the bird's feathers are outlined in metallic thread. That took quite a bit of time! But I really like the look and was so pleased that my metallic thread ran beautifully. It's all about getting the correct tension. |
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| Moon Rise Sold for $500 at the 2010 MQS Audacious Auction |
But, would anyone else like it enough to bid on the quilt? I was anxious all week leading up to Thursday's auction. And, as it turned out, Thursday night was the one night I wasn't able to attend the evening festivities so I wasn't even there for the auction. I won't make that mistake again.
When I checked at the office to see if they would tell me, I was astonished to learn that the quilt sold for $500! What a thrill to know that someone liked the quilt enough to purchase it at auction. I'm only sorry I wasn't able to meet the purchaser in person. Perhaps some day I will.
I do like the mitered corners of the outer border better than the straight butted corners of my other fractured quilt. It's a little bit more demanding in the piecing and in the addition of the binding but well worth the effort. I was very pleased with the way this quilt turned out.
Cheers!
Wow! Your fractured quilt is terrific. No wonder it sold for big bucks. Congratulations and keep up the great work; you're off and running. Oh, and metallic thread??? Wow-eeeee.
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