Spring Fury

Created for the Project Quilting Season 7 A Goose in the Monkey Wrench challenge.

I struggled with this challenge.  I started something, but wasn't happy.  I found excuses to not work on it.  And suddenly inspiration struck. A while ago Kim (yes, the Kim that runs Project Quilting and is also my daughter-in-law) gave me some Spoonflower fabrics she had designed by manipulating pictures of some of my quilts. She'd challenged my to make something from them, but I had not.  I decided now was the time.

These are the 2 quilts that were photographed to make the fabric.  Interestingly, both of them have been sold.

Spring Blossoms

Pansy Fury

So I fussy cut each piece of an oversize monkey wrench block and used the scraps to make flying geese to go up the side.  It was a really quick project that is very unlike me.  I feel like I played it safe with the challenge by not transforming the ingredients.  But I do love my finished project and it is a great reminder of the 2 quilts I no longer have.

The pieces of my first start to this challenge have found a home in my orphan block drawer until the day inspiration strikes me again and they become part of something wonderful.

Made by Diane Lapacek near Poynette, WI.
24" x 28"

Is That Our Orchard?

Is That Our Orchard? was created for the Project Quilting, Seasson 7, Through the Eyes of a Child challenge.

Children's art has always been important around here. I have a kid's art wall where I display some of my favorites, so inspiration was close by.  I started with the first piece of kid's art I ever framed.  It's an original painting by my granddaughter, Cedi, when she was 5.  She asked me why I framed it and I told her because every time I looked at it it made me smile.  Cedi is 9 now and it still makes me smile.

For a layout, I went to this great work by my granddaughter, Capri, done last year in first grade.  It hung in the office at her school for a few weeks before she gifted it to me.  I decided on 3 trees and I'd use that great echo quilting Capri had used in her project.

My third granddaughter, Pip, (age 4 3/4, just ask her) is big on paper chains, so I thought I'd create a paper chain border like the one hanging around the old window that displays lots of kid's art on my wall.

And I thought it needed a sun, so I asked Pip to draw me one.  She drew this great picture. First the sun, then the person on the left.  She said, "That's you, but you're going to have hair."  So she added the straight yellow hair that I usually get.  Then she said, "But today you have curls.  It's someone you know. It's Trish."  

Then she drew herself by me and said, "Sometimes I have a big hand."  A few flowers and my picture of a sun was ready.  Definitely, this one is going on my wall.

Pip wanted to cut out the apples, so those are also her contribution.  I resisted any urge to make them more round or more uniform in size.  This is kids art, after all.

I couldn't call it finished without one last thing.  Back in 2013, Capri was making 3D birds.  I needed one on this quilt.

 I don't think mine is nearly as cute as hers, but it makes me happy.

All done but the name.  Pip saw it when it just had trees and part of the quilting.  She took one look and said, "Is that our orchard?"  Well, yes, it is.

Created by Diane Lapacek near Poynette, WI.

20" x 26"

On the Road Again

On the Road Again was created for the Project Quilting Season 7 I Need a Vacation Challenge.

Last week my husband, Frank, needed a getaway, so we called some friends and took off for Paducah for a few days. The National Quilt Museum, Hancocks of Paducah, the Moonshine Company, Paducah Beer Werks, Boos butcher block and cutting board outlet in Effingham, IL. Four fabulous days.

My goal was to complete my Sun Prairie Heritage Quilt show challenge before we left, but I didn't quite get there. I came home on Sunday afternoon (in the snow) and knew it needed to be ready for the hand work by Tuesday when I was helping at the polls. Success. Finished.

Now, time to figure out what to do for the I Need a Vacation challenge.  Yes, I think up these challenges for Kim, but that doesn't mean I have an idea in mind. Sometimes, but not usually.  This time I did not.

Our daughter lived out of state for the last 10 years and Frank and I would drive out to see her, usually 3 times a year. I have taken multiple pictures of him driving with the scenery in the background and looked and looked for them on my computer. No luck. I pieced mountains and continued to look. Still no luck. Finally, I told him I needed a favor. I wanted to take his picture in the truck. What a great guy! He said yes!

So we sat in the truck in the garage and I took his picture.  I played with the size a little and printed it out. I cut out his profile and added the shape of the window.  Done.

So this quilt is a memory of all the road trips we made to Virginia. Our daughter recently moved back to Wisconsin (YEAH!!!), so our trips will be going in other directions going forward.

Created by Diane Lapacek near Poynette, WI
15" x 20"

Worlds to Explore

Created for the Project Quilting Season 7 "All About That Thread" challenge and also for the Lodi Valley Quilters Guild Circles challenge.

I started with 1 yard of my hand-dyed fabric, then found some circular objects and traced them on a piece of freezer paper.  I labeled each section and added marks on all the lines so I could get the pieces back together correctly.  All the circles were set in by machine and they laid flat when I was done!  Victory!

Different quilting in each circle and and simple lines in the background completed the quilting.

To fit the thread theme of the challenge, I got out the jar of rayon threads that sits by my machine.  It holds trimmings, tangled threads and a few spools that were only slightly wet after the water leak in my sewing room a few years back.  I thought they'd be okay, but they seem to break way too much when I try to use them now.  I layered threads between 2 pieces of water soluble stabilizer and quiltied the layers together densely to create "fabric" made of threads.  I cut circles in assorted sizes and stitched them to the quilt.  Done! All requirements satisfied for 2 challenges.

I struggled with a name for this quilt.  My first set of pictures was taken last night and they were terrible.  I took another set this morning in my sunroom and looking at the pictures on my screen, it came to me.  Worlds to Explore.  It relates not only to the image I was seeing, but to the techniques used and those yet to come in my quilting world.


24" x 32"
Created by Diane Lapacek near Poynette, WI.

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Seasons

Seasons was created for the Project Quilting Season 7 Seasons challenge.

I really enjoyed making Confetti Fall, so I decided to go with similar techniques for this challenge.  A bigger, wider tree.  More confetti for spring, summer and fall.

But what to do for winter?  I went looking in my collection of old craft supplies from my days of mad crafting and found a jar of snow-tex.  It was kind of hard, so I scooped off the top layer and threw it away, then added some water and stirred.  Perfect!!!!  Supplies can sometimes last for years without using them!

Created by Diane Lapacek near Poynette, WI.
20" x 38".

Confetti Fall

I created Confetti Fall for the Project Quilting Season 7 Confetti challenge.  

First I made some confetti in fall colors. by whacking up some of my smallest scraps.  I scattered them over a piece of water soluble stabilizer, then added another piece of stabilizer on top.

  

I added lots of free motion stitching to hold all those little pieces together, then swished the whole piece in water to dissolve the stabilizer.  Now I had a piece of leaf "fabric" made from confetti.

To create a background, I selected one of my hand-dyed fabrics and added assorted fibers and shreds of fabric to create the tree shape, then layered and quilted the whole thing before cutting my leaf "fabric" in pieces and stitching it in place.

31" x 35"

Created by Diane Lapacek near Poynette, WI.

Focus Through the Prism - the Series

My Project Quilting Focus Through the Prism Challenge series is complete.  I hung them as a group over my dining table and they make me very happy.  I'm not very happy with the pictures.  There are windows on both sides to confuse things and the quilts all look like they aren't exactly straight.  Good thing I'm a quilter and not a photographer.