For those of you just tuning in you can read more about Project Quilting Here: http://kimscraftyapple.blogspot.com/2010/04/project-quilting.html

and about the first challenge Shoofly Here: http://kimscraftyapple.blogspot.com/2010/04/project-quilting-first-challenge.html

In alphabetic order, I’m going to show you the ‘competitors’ for project quilting. then on the side of the blog, you can cast your vote for your favorite project. Since I’m in charge of this challenge I am excluding myself from all prizes although I am still going to show off my creation. Feel free to leave comments on what you think of it anyway!

CHALLENGE WINNERS: There will be two winners for this challenge – one for the public vote and one for the ‘judged vote’ – Diane and Rose Mary. The winners will each receive a hand-dyed fat quarter that has been dyed by Diane and myself! I will also be sending everyone there rank (somewhere between 1 and 10) and any critique’s the judges have about your creation. The top 3 will be posted on my blog this weekend (4/24 or 4/25).

PUBLIC WINNERS: I will also be giving out a prize to the public. You’ll find out how at the bottom of this post after you’ve checked out each of our challengers entries.

Quilter: BrennieQuilts

The Story:

In true Project Runway fashion, with only grid quilting and binding pinned to the back (he he), here is my challenge piece. Hope you like it!
It's a 30" x 36" Baby Quilt with embroidered ABCDE letter blocks between the Shoofly blocks with Broken Dishes block corners.
This was fun!

Size: 30” x 36”

Cost: Stash

Quilter: DebiDesigns

The Story:

Project Quilting, Shoofly block in batiks.
I used a jelly roll i bought on clearance for $9, I used about 25 strips from the roll to make the front and back. Used left over batting.

Size: 26” x 16”

Cost: Fabric from a jelly roll $9

Never having made a shoo-fly block before, I googled it and then discovered this variation. I lean towards wonky myself and loved choosing fabrics that had designs that reminded me of my garden elements...pinwheels, clouds, spider webs, "peace" , tie dye "flowers". I arranged the blocks as i thought they would appear in a garden, with the dark outlines toward the bottom left corner as if the shadows were created from the sun in the upper left. The quilting had to be very simple and modern and "wonky", with none of my flower centers intersecting perfectly and the grid lines all off center and angled.

Size: measures 29" X 37"

Cost: i spent $0...
everything was pulled from my stash!

The Story:

Here is my submittal for the first Project Quilting - Shoofly Challenge. I started with a piece of fabric I dyed and a fun floral printed fabric. I decided that I would 'make' my own striped fabric. I did this by taking a portion of the hand-dyed fabric and machine stitching different fibers - some that I had dyed, some commercial - across the fabric. I absolutely love the effect it had. It did make ironing during the piecing portion of the quilt a bit tricky. Due to miss calculation of fabric amounts I did not have enough of the hand-dye to put as the center blocks of my shoofly. So, I took a really neat directional branch fabric and pieced them together to create either 'circles' or 'x's' in each square. Eight of them went together just fine but after two tries with the center one (late at night) I scratched it and just used a lighter value square of the hand-dyed fabric. I think created an almost 'bordered' feel in the quilt with out actually adding a border. I decided to keep the quilting simple and did some rectangles and diamonds. There was enough going on with the color, texture and pattern in the quilt.
Size: 31.75" x 31.75"
Cost: $0 - I used everything from my stash!

Quilter: LoveBugStudios

The Story:

First I had to look up the Shoo Fly block because I couldn't remember what it looked like. Then, I went to EQ6 to do the layout & recoloring - I sized it so that everything could be cut with my fabric die cutter. The quilt was inspired by the black & white polka dot and beaded stripe I had in my stash.
Unfortunately, when I went to look for the stripe I couldn't find it, which prompted a trip to the fabric store. I spent $7.49 replacing it, plus 1/2 yard of the white polka dot. Immediately after I returned home, I found my bead striped fabric!
I also decided to embellish the quilt using red 2-holed buttons - nearly all of them that were in my stash. I completely used up the fabric I bought, plus 5 red fat-eighths and about a yard or so of the polka dot. I chose the quilting to mimic the waviness of the striped fabric.

Measurement: The finished quilt measures 32"x34".

Cost: $7.49

Quilter: MrsDragon

The Story:

I took my inspiration from the way the shoofly blocks appear when pieced together into a quilt. If you make the point where the four corners of the blocks come together, you see a new design. I used that as a starting point, and simplified the piecing of this "new" block. I set the blocks on point and quilted with the shoofly outline as a nod to the inspiration. To read a fuller description of MrsDragon's process please check out: http://www.mrsdragon.net/2010/04/project-quilting-challenge-1-shoofly.html

Approximate Size: 26" X 9"

Cost: $0 The only thing I purchased was the red thread.
(This is the short version. : ) The longer version, complete with pictures, will be up on my blog later today. I will update here with the link when it is up.)

Quilter: Pamela Quilts

The Story:

My first thought for the challenge was to make a lot of little shoo fly blocks and put them together into a mosaic, but the time limit made me reconsider that. I then decided to use a stripe as the solid block on the sides and found this great wavy stripe.

Size: It measures 35 x 35.

Cost: My total spent on this quilt was $7.40 for the stripe in the blocks, the border fabric and the binding.

Quilter: Penny Fabric Art

The Story:

I made 5 normal shoofly blocks, plus 4 that I skewed at sharp angles to make the piece flow in a circle.
Size: It measures 19 inches square.
Cost: I used all stash fabrics, so I didn't spend any money to make it.

Quilter: SewSavvy

The Story:

OMG! Did I make it in time? I felt like I was actually on the show and time was working against me! I had so much to do and of course the thread was working against me and I couldn't go buy more. Batteries dead in the camera-where did I put the batteries?Whew, I am done

Size: 34” x 34”

Cost: Well, I spent $0 on this project, everything taken from my stash.

Quilter: Quilties

The Story:

I designed this with a large shoofly block set on point then smaller ones. I used bright and highly contrasting geometric prints, which is way out of my comfort zone, but I like the end result. I emphasized that geometric quality with two repetitive geometric quilting designs.

Size: The quilt is 26" square

Cost: I didn't spend any of my budget. It is all made with materials I had in my sewing room.

I think right now all the participants need a round of applause, or a pat on the back or something – everyone did such a wonderful job and it’s great to see how each person put their own spin on the challenge! Nice work!

PUBLIC WINNERS: The winner from the Random Generator (which I still have to figure out exactly what this is…) will receive Diane’s original ‘Starry Nines’ Pattern. It’s a great pattern for a beginner and fun for a quilter with more experience. Below is a picture of Diane’s Starry Nines in the Jungle that she made from the pattern.

To Enter You must:

Entry 1: Leave a comment on your favorite entry and vote for your favorite on the poll on the upper left hand side of the blog.

Entry 2: Follow my blog.

Entry 3: Must tweet this contest with hashtag #PQShoofly (important or I won’t know you did it)

Entry 4: Become a Fan of Project QUILTING on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ProjectQUILTING

Entry 5: add my Project Quilting ‘Grab my Blinkie’ to your blog or blog about my giveaway

***Participants in project quilting ARE allowed to enter in the public poll/contest as well.***

This means you have FIVE chances to win! I need you to write each of these entries as different comments in order to qualify you for all five entries and include your email address. If you don’t include your email address I won’t be able to contact you when you win and I will have to choose a new winner. I will be picking the winner at 7pm on Friday, April 23rd.