As, September 22, the autumnal equinox, approached, I began receiving quite a few really terrific entries for the GREAT Summer Orphan Block Challenge!
Every single entry was wonderful in its own right.
Let me share a few.
Deb started with some half-square triangles
leftover from a quilt made from her mom's stash.
She made this adorable wall hanging of pieced spool
blocks. The larger half-square triangles became the spool centers, and the
smaller ones contributed to the border. Lovely!
Paula needed a quick birthday gift, so the orphan
challenge was a good excuse to 'kill two birds with one stone,' so to speak.
She found some four-patch blocks in her stash, added some more fabrics and
whipped up a really cute table topper, perfectly suited for a special birthday
gift! Love it when things come together like that!
Susan found some Bird in the Air orphan blocks in
her stash.
With Christmas in mind, she gathered some
additional fabrics that coordinated well, and represented a connection to the
gift recipient. The result, a sweet table topper, ready for gift wrapping!
(Hope I didn't spoil the surprise!)
Not everyone had gift-giving in mind, Lottie Dottie
is Jo's quilt entry. She found some leftover orphan rail fence blocks that just
had to be turned into a quilt.
I think Jo really likes dots. I really like her project!
What do you think?
Jay selected a Winding Ways blocks and used it as
inspiration for "Shades of Gray" The trapunto cone flowers create a
stunning surprise in her quilted wall-hanging.
Have I properly built the suspense? Would you like
to know about the winner?
Our Mystery Judge has spoken:
I was very
impressed with the entries in the GREAT Summer Orphan Block Challenge. Everyone
had such a fun time, and I loved reading the stories behind the finished
pieces.
I saw two criteria
for judging: innovation and pleasing. It was very hard to pick a winner as each
entry was innovative for the maker. And, I loved that everyone found a
challenge beyond just using the orphan blocks.
Drum roll,
the winner is Emily. I particularly liked how she learned two new techniques,
and the original blocks are still recognizable. Plus I'm a sucker for green!
Congratulations, Emily!
Here's Emily's story.
A new quilter, I
joined a Block of the Month group at a local fabric shop to learn piecing
techniques and color blending. Some blocks were more successful than others.
And a couple color combinations were clearly not working with the rest of the
pack.
Since they were
already “learning experiences,” I decided to let them stretch me further with
two more techniques I wanted to learn: faux chenille and a piped pillow. I cut
one block into 4 squares for the chenille-testing coasters, and left the other
whole for the pillow. For the chenille, I layered black, olive green, and
purple flannel under the quilt blocks to blend the colors and tone down the
acid yellow; then stitched and slashed in what I thought might be interesting
patterns. I left the center pinwheel on the pillow intact. For my pillow
border, piping, and backing I used fabric from the BOM collection. Now, my once
abandoned blocks are waiting for the rest of the family to become a quilt and
join them on the couch!
Her orphans:
And her winning project:
Emily lives in the Boston area and will be
receiving a Prize Package loaded with quilty goodies very soon!
Thanks to everyone who participated in the GREAT
Summer Orphan Block Challenge, including everyone who made a project (or just
thought about it!), our wonderful prize sponsors, and a big thanks to our
mystery judge!
In my mind, everyone who made something from his or her stash this
summer is a winner! You now have something this fall that wasn't anything this
past spring. So add those last few stitches, and fix yourself a favorite
beverage, relax, and reflect over a sip or two. You've earned it!
Oh, and if you are feeling a little guilty that you
wanted to make something, but you didn't quite get it pulled together, well,
you are not alone! Remember these blocks?
I had big plans for them. Fall is here and they are
still orphans. Eh, well. There's always next time! Who knows, maybe we'll do
another challenge next summer. What do you say?
Happy Stitching!
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