Our next off-season challenge comes from a friend of mine – Kym of FabricFascination and Kimbuktu.   Here’s what she’s challenging you to:

I would like to do a Non-Quilt Quilt challenge.  The entries can be anything from a bag, to a sculpture, to a wearable, to an accessory, really anything as long as it is made of fabric and is three dimensional (not flat like a quilt).  The entry must also incorporate at least two items or textures that are not fabric.

Kym is planning on participating in this challenge as well and will be incorporating ‘Christmas in July’ into her ‘non-quilt quilt piece’ using the fabrics you see above.

As a bonus, everyone that participates in this challenge will have their name entered into a drawing for a fat quarter bundle of the fabrics shown above!  How fabulous is that!? 

THE RULES:

1. Have FUN! These off season challenges aren’t about winning a prize – they’re about being inspired to create something you may not have in the past. I can’t wait to see all the non-quilt quilted items!
2. Please remember that these projects need to be created during the time frame of the challenge.
3. If you need advice/tips/help (or you just want to give us all a sneak peak) with your project as you work on it feel free to post pictures to the flickr group: Project QUILTING WIP:http://www.flickr.com/groups/1430386@N24/
4. POST your entries with a description of your creative process, including where you are (ie, I create in Madison, WI) and the size of your project by Sunday, July 31st, 2011, at noon, CDT, to this flickr group – Project QUILTING with KimsCraftyApple:http://www.flickr.com/groups/1401824@N21/ OR email a picture/description of your completed project to {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with PROJECT QUILTING in the subject line . ( 3 weeks to finish the challenge)
5. If you do want people to truly critique (the good and the bad) your project please post it to the Flickr Group: Project QUILTING – Critiques
6. If you have an idea for an ‘off season’ challenge which includes a miniature feature about you on my blog please email me at {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com}.

***For a chance to win even more fabric from FabricFascination check out her blog post here:  http://fabricfascination.blogspot.com/2011/07/christmas-in-july.html

The third off season project quilting challenge - FLORA wrapped up at noon today.  I was happy to see six fabulous pieces that were inspired by this challenge.  Now, if you didn’t get time to get to this challenge – no worries – just post the piece inspired by the challenge whenever you get a chance.

Here’s a look at the six projects:

Quilter:  For Quilt’s Sake

“Flowers & Worm”

Made by Pam Geisel of For Quilts Sake in Yellow Springs, Ohio, July 2011, submitted for Project Quilting Off Season (Summer 2011), Challenge 3, Floral

7.25” x 6.25”

Full disclosure: While I was making this large quilted postcard for a friend and then realized that it fit the Floral challenge.

Three batik flowers, one red, one orange and one purple, with wavy green stems are being ogled by a friendly worm.

Fabrics are fused to the background which is fabric on a heavy interfacing. The fabrics were machine appliquéd with a zigzag stitch. The edge of the postcard is a satin stitch, green around the grass part and blue around the sky part.

Quilter:  Stephanie Stories

Blooming Dresden

Webster City, Iowa
Quilt top is 24in X 47in.

When I first saw the Off Season Flora Challenge on kimscraftyapple I fell in love with the hand dyed fabrics by Chris Daly of Dye Candy. So I bought two packs of Fat 1/8ths. They were so beautiful I didn't want to cut them. But I kind of had this vision in my head of what I wanted to do. I've never tried a Dresden plate before. I had planned on using a light blue background that had what looked like clouds on it. I hated it. It seemed so bland. The amazing gals at my local quilt shop helped me find his green and gold batik that I think looks beautiful. I'm not sure I'm wild about the border. I also feel like one of those contestants on TV who show up with an unfinished project. I didn't get her quilted. To be honest, I'm not sure how I'm going to quilt her yet.

Quilter: Diane Lapacek

Gramma's Fluff Garden

I started with an amazing piece of fabric I had dyed, layered it and quilted it. Then I started adding the flowers. I used what I call shreds. I saved those little slivers you have left when you square up your fabric. I took a few at a time and wrapped them around my fingers, then laid them down and stitched them in place with my machine. I threw in some satin ribbons and rickrack for more variety, and added some hand made buttons I got on etsy for flower centers.

Flower stems are a mixture of different fibers, some hand dyed, some commercial, that are wound together and stitched down.

Leaves were made from snippets...tiny pieces of hand dyed fabrics placed on in layers, then covered with a piece of Solvy. I then stitched them down in the shape of a leaf with veins, removed the solvy and trimmed the excess away. Then I added some random fibers for grass.

I took more fibers and wound them together to create the edge. I changed some of the fibers as I went around, again to add variety.

22" x 28"
Created by Diane Lapacek
Poynette, WI

Quilter: Marcia’s Crafty Sewing & Quilting

Floating Lilies Quilt - Project Quilting Entry

Blue Floating Lilies Quilt created for Project Quilting July 10, 2011

Marcia Wachuta of Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting
Boscobel, WIsconsin

www.craftysewing.com
marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/

I love blues.. When the challenge came out for Project Quilting, I decided I was going to make my quilt with some of my favorite blue fabrics. I love blues... I have heard that seeing the color blue causes the body to produce chemicals that have calming effects on a person. Maybe that is why I love blues so much.

Some of the blue fabrics are from Chris' Dye Candy Fabrics - dyecandy.blogspot.com/

I took this photo on my Mom's blue sofa. I made this quilt with the idea that I would use it as a table topper, but my Mom likes it on the back of her sofa. Both Mom and I love blues. The quilt could be used as a pillow topper on the head of a bed. It could be a wall hanging too. I just feel so calm and relaxed about it, that I would just use it anywhere!

I finished the binding last night here at my Mom's house. I took the final pictures this morning.

I took pictures of all the steps from start to finish. I will post them this week while I am here with my Mom's house. I will explain the construction process. You may want to make the delightful Floating Lilies, so I will share it.

Quilter: Sieber Designs

Floral Hamsa

I created my floral Hamsa by machine appliquéing the hamsa to the background, and then placing borders. I then took several days to sew each individual bead to the quilt to make the leaves, vines and flowers. Finally, I layered the quilt and quilted it together with gold cotton thread, added the binding and hand stitched the binding to the reverse of the quilt. The entire quilt is 16.25” x 16”
I am always inspired by Judiaca items (Jewish pieces). I find that I take the most time to create these pieces and that they become my favorites in my collection. I love flowers and color, and believe this is also apparent in this work.
Created in my home studio, Florence, Massachusetts.
Aviva Sieber
www.sieberdesigns.com

Quilter:  KimsCraftyApple

Dill Blossom Strip Quilt

I have to be honest. I didn't put much time into my Project QUILTING challenge piece this time around. I've been finally getting a little bit of time to make things again but I've really been focusing on increasing my inventory for my upcoming 'Summer Craftacular' show in a few weeks and for the apple store this fall.

I made six strip quilts in the last few weeks (during the FLORA challenge time frame) and am submitting this one - my Dill Blossom Strip Quilt for my entry. I've finally embraced the simplicity of a strip quilt and I love how it highlights the beauty of the fabric. The other thing I've come to love is the elegance of straight line quilting. I purposely added a bit of a wave to my quilting just to minimize the stress of having a perfectly straight line. The fabrics I used come from Robert Kaufman's Dill Blossom Line that I purchased from FabricFascination.

Approximate Size: 21" x 29"
Created by Kim Lapacek in Madison, WI

I’ll be posting the next Off Season Project Quilting challenge later TODAY so stop by again SOON!

I haven’t been a diligent blogger lately.  My excuses are good though… Of course, the number one is that I have a 2 month old and a 3 & 4 year old that I have to keep happy, busy, and having fun during these beautiful summer days.  My second one is that I’ve been taking every free moment I have to make new things from quilts to jewelry in order to be prepared for my upcoming show – The Seventh Annual Summer Craftacular on Sunday, July 24th. 

Here’s a mosaic of fun strip quilts I found while searching through flickr. 

Today I’m going to show of the six new baby quilts I have for sale.  I embraced the modern look of a strip quilt and further emphasized it with straight line quilting.  I am very happy with the end result. 

Dill Blossom Strips Quilt Dill Blossom Strips Quilt – 2.0 Galaxy Strip Quilt Eclectic Mix Quilt

Black and White and Red All Over - Olivia the Pig

Black and White and Red All Over - Olivia the Pig - 2.0

Do you have a favorite?

I have been terrible at keeping up with my blog lately – I hope to change this soon…but in the meantime I’d like to share with you the treasury I recently created…

'Jewels of Beauty' by KimsCraftyApple

Amethsyt Vintage Handcrafted... YetiShack $20.00	Red Chevrolet Bel Air Tail L... RetroRoadsideP... $45.00
Blue Sway Block Print Card L... cursiveart $3.50	Original One Seam Top (long,... tasifashion $59.00
Shades of Green Petals Victo... TeroldegoAndTo... $20.00	Rhinestone Earrings Vintage ... ZaftigDelights $25.00
Necklace Red Swarovski Cryst... lindesigns $24.00	Cobalt Blue Stained Glass Bi... Glasserie $14.00
Sapphire Blue Hand Tied Cott... sandeeknits $22.00	Green Pebbletone Colony Squa... bythewayside $10.00
Lavender Honey Sugar Scrub C... TuckerHillTx $7.95	Red Ceramic Heart for Your H... lofficina $10.00
Glass Acorns Red Faceted Gla... WhysperFairy $6.95	No. 69- affordable home dec... TCaponePhoto $30.00
Small Green Elephant Bank Littlepigpotte... $72.00	Sterling Silver Ring Ruby Sa... arosha $370.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

I am sure you’ve noticed by now that I have a slight obsession for putting my girls into handmade clothing.  I was talking with my friend the other day and she asked me why I didn’t make the girls any clothing.  The only reason I could think of is that I hadn’t really tried.  I decided to look around for some patterns to work from and I happily came across patterns from ZoZoBugBaby.  ZoZoBugBaby also makes ready made clothing that is beyond adorable!  The owner of ZoZoBugBaby also happens to be a friend that I met through and etsy team so I emailed her to see which pattern I should start with.  Right away she responded to try the Little Bow Chic Dress.  And she wasn’t kidding!  Right away I made the dress you can see Cedi modeling in the pictures.  I used a sort of cheesy pink paper doll fabric as the main fabric.  It’s typically not a fabric I would use but if you could have seen her face when she first saw the dress you would understand why I chose it!  One of the great things with ZoZo patterns is that a lot of them have two dress variations to pretty much the same dress. 

Anyone that knows me knows I have a hard time following patterns – not because I don’t understand them but because I always have this urge to make something my own.  Once I made the pattern per instructions I decided to make the girls both a slightly modified version combining both of the dresses from the pattern.  Here’s Cedi in the second dress I made her. 

I did a modified front panel that is actually strip pieced, added the ruffle on the bottom and used the same strap system as I did in the first dress.  I also had learned a few things from the first time around and the second one went much quicker!

I didn’t want Capri to feel left out so I made her a dress as well.  I used the same fabrics in the stripped front panel in both dresses so they slightly match but are still different.  I like when my girls are matchy-matchy but they are starting to not want to be.  I figured this was a good way coordinate the two!

My confidence in dress making is definitely at a high so I went ahead and added the Posey and Lola Dress Pattern and The Candy Shoppe Twirl Skirt and Tuxedo Tee Pattern’s to my collection.  I have really been trying hard to focus on stocking up shops I consign at and getting ready for the Summer Craftacular but I do hope to make one of each for Cedi before she starts 4K in the fall. 

Thanks again ZoZoBugBaby for making such great patterns!  What FUN!