Bloggers' Quilt Festival Spring 2011

This is my third time participating in the Bloggers' Quilt Festival and I know I will be spending a lot of time on my computer this week enjoying the festival. I chose my Winner's Bouquet quilt to showcase as it was a quilt that took 2 years to complete and I struggled with 'how to quilt it'.   I have been quilting professionally for 2 1/2 years on my longarm and even though I have quilted over 200 quilts I still suffer from the dreaded 'Sit and Stare' once in awhile.   Not a very productive technique if you are familiar with it!

I love working with batik fabric and had been collecting earth-tone shades for awhile so when I can across this beautiful pattern I knew that was the quilt I had to make with my fabric.  I loved the acrylic templates that came with the pattern and that made cutting a dream.  Once I had all the piecing done I hit a wall....."how do I quilt the odd shaped background".

I could have done feather but the fabrics just didn't call for that type of quilting.  I wanted the quilting design to enhance the piecing not overpower it.
I came up with a few designs, which were all over ambitions design that I drew out on my plexiglass design board. Now if you don't have a plexiglass board run to your local hardware store and get one because they are one of the best quilting tools there is.  You just have to add the colourful electrical tape on the edges so you don't accidently draw past the edge of the board!

So after 6 months of the Sit and Stare technique I finally decided on the final design and the quilting went quickly, especially when I discovered I had a ruler that had the same curve as the piecing!!

So the quilting was all free hand and ruler work.

Now if you like me and like your art over your bed to match your quilt I thought I would show you what I made to go with it.  I discovered Snow Dyeing  this winter and dyed this piece of fabric that I framed and put over my bed. In Northern Canada winter lasts 6 month of the year so we have plenty of snow to play with. And to be honest this fabric was more of a 'planned accident' that it match my quilt but that's our little secret :)

  If your curious what Snow Dyeing is all about I posted a tutorial Here.

I hope you are all enjoying the festival and thanks for stopping by.