I haven’t blogged a ‘style’ recently but I’m going to get right back on it tonight!
from www.thefreedictionary.com

a·vant-garde (ävänt-gärd, vänt-)
n.
A group active in the invention and application of new techniques in a given field, especially in the arts.
adj.
Of, relating to, or being part of an innovative group, especially one in the arts

'What's Your Style: Avant Garde' by TheApple

Avant Garde Black Felt Hat w... pookaqueen $155.00	Crumpled Plastic Cuff Bracel... arosha $50.00
Pastel earrings - Avant Gard... HippieKingdom $16.00	Avant Garde Full Length Drop... Justharempants $35.00
Butterfly Silver Ear Cuff Wr... SpotLightJewel... $14.95	Mohawk Avant Garde Headpiec... PoshFairytaleC... $199.00
Avant Garde Comics ALL OVER ... pshaws $38.00	Longsleeve collar shirt ecru... YudelevitzDesi... $52.00
Blue Bear Claw Coat - haute ... lummedesigns $752.00	SALE 30% off - Avant garde,... sivan $20.80
Pottery Geode Bowl Irregular... blueroompotter... $64.00	Avant Garde Wedding Clutch-M... tbtcwedding $90.00
Fine Art Avant Garde Paper S... AngelasPaperAr... $50.00	SALE Punk and Black avant ga... DeathGlamCoutu... $70.00
Indicolite Avant-Garde Swaro... martaky $30.00	Avant Garde Statement Maille... AngelicaBrigad... $575.00

Past Styles:

• Abstract
• African
• Art Deco
• Art Nouveau
• Asian

close up of the Barn Quilt at Lapacek’s Orchard 

Wow!  As I was typing up the title of this post I realized we’re half way through the 3rd season.  I don’t know about you but I’ve really enjoyed myself this far – can’t wait to see what the last three challenges bring us!
Sticking with tradition, before we get to the challenge – let’s go over all the

PRIZES

Prize 1 QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable

Prize 2 Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!

Prize 3 Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting is offering a Gift Certificate of $30.00 off Quilting on a Baby size or larger. The Gift Certificate will be good for 60 days from the date of issue. The gift certificate is transferable so you can share it with a friend if you’d like.

Prize 4 The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!

Prize 5 LoveBugStudios is giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack  from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com.

Prize 6 Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric.

Prize 7 Fabric Fascination is donating a Fabric Bundle: 6 Fat Quarters from Kathy Davis Happiness Collection for Free Spirit in Indigo - 1 1/2 YDs (ps. I have this collection in another color way – SPECTACULAR!

Prize 8 Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online.

Prize 9 PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

Prize 10 OddStuffbyXanthe is giving a beautiful small, original collage on a wooden block and a fun pin with a print of her original art work. 

Prize 11 TheApple is donated $10 to be redeemed at her etsy store on her handmade jewelry.  (aka my other etsy shop)

AccuQuilt’s Barn Quilt

The Challenge – Barn Quilts

As many of you already know, we have a barn quilt at Lapacek's Orchard.  Last week, a new barn quilt went up a few miles for us on a barn that is being converted into a wedding venue. Since barn quilts are on my mind, this week's challenge is inspired by barn quilts.

1. Your inspiration for this week is Barn Quilts.
2. Your project must include at least one block that would make a great barn quilt. Official barn quilts are usually 8 feet square, but you can make yours any size you choose.
3. The block can be manipulated and/or incorporated into a larger project, or it can stand on its own. 
4. Both the block and the project must have a name.  It is OK for the name of each to be the same, but it is not necessary.
5. Please remember that these projects need to be created during the week of the challenge.
6. 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, February 26th, 2012, 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.
7. If you wish to receive critiques on your piece – the good and critical – please add your photo’s to this group as well:http://www.flickr.com/groups/1628629@N24/
8. Are you stuck?  Need a little ‘Tim Gunn’ advice during the week?  Or are you just so excited on how things are going along and what to share your WIP?  We have a group for that!http://www.flickr.com/groups/1430386@N24/
9. If this is the first Project Quilting challenge you've participated in, please email Kim at {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with PROJECT QUILTING in the subject line so that Kim can keep you updated on the behind the scenes going-ons.

Illinois barn Quilt – photo by wantadog 

EXTRA LINKS for this week!

If you want to see how our Barn Quilt was put together check out these blog posts:

• Barn Quilts
• How to Make a Barn Quilt
• Barn Quilt – Orange
• Barn Quilt – Time for Purple
• Barn Quilt – Poppy
• Barn Quilt – Last Color – Bumblebee
• How to Make a Barn Quilt – Hanging the Quilt

• Cre8tive Quilter from Wisconsin has a ‘Quilt Block son Barns’ Block of the Week Blog you should definitely check out!

Barn Quilt photo by burke_wicker

If you want your name to be entered into the drawing for the prizes your piece has to follow ALL the rules – including being a FINISHED quilt and completed within the allotted time.
Remember, these challenges are intended to help you “Think Outside the Square”. Be creative. Take a risk. DO SOMETHING NO ONE ELSE WILL THINK OF DOING and of course, HAVE SOME FUN!

View from the road of Lapacek’s Orchard’s Barn Quilt

I tend to save the last ‘Closer Look’ for the quilt that I created for the challenge.

'Quilter's Garden'
by Kim Lapacek, Poynette, WI

Another fun Project QUILTING Challenge this week. I didn't have a lot of time so I had to make a small piece.

The four 'tools' I used for my inspiration were...

1. Rotary Cutter (flowers)
2. Needle (stems of the flowers)
3. Scissors (leaves)
4. Stick Pins (rays coming from flowers).

Using the shapes of these tools I created a sweet little 'Quilter's Garden' Wall Quilt. I used tumbler blocks for the background which reminds me of thread spools (I couldn’t decide if spools of thread would actually qualify as tools so that’s how the stick pins evolved).   I raw edge appliquéd the black borders to the quilt. 

 

I have to admit – I felt like I was sort of ‘coping out’ on this challenge since I’ve done the flower garden thing before… but I did know that I was taking it to a different and new level so I went with it. 

 

I kept the quilting simple - Straight line quilting in the bottom third (imitating grass and again, the stick pins), swirly quilting in the rotary cutter flowers, straight rays out of the flowers, and blanket stitching around the needle stems and scissor leaves.

 

The turning point for me in this quilt was the stick pin rays coming out of the flowers.  That was the ‘thing’ that made the difference in this piece – the impact.  I love how it turned out. 

 

Approximate Size: 21" x 18.5"

Missed earlier Closer Looks for the Tool Time Challenge?  No Worries!

• Tool Time - A Closer Look, Part 1
• Tool Time – A Closer Look, Part 2
• Tool Time – A Closer Look, Part 3
• Tool Time – A Closer Look, Part 4

PS – My ‘Owl Be Your’s Quilt’ That I created during Season 2 of Project QUILTING is in this weekend’s Quilt Gallery Contest – Please take a minute and vote for it:  http://quiltinggallery.com/2012/02/17/be-my-valentine-quilts-and-more/  Thanks for your support in advance!

A personal situation has arisen with our Block 8 designer so I’m not exactly sure when I’ll be posting it.  Sorry for the inconvience but I promise I’ll post as soon as I can!

 

Since we don’t have our block yet I thought I’d share with you all another pieced sashing tutorial. 

 Cutting Instructions for ‘Tall Trees’ Fabric A (black and white piece sign):  1: 3.5” x 1.75”, 1 – 1.5” x 3” (this length doesn’t really matter – they can be different as we’ll trim to the right length in the end)

Fabric B (blue):  2 – 1.75” x 1.75”

Fabric C (green):  1 – 2.5” x 3”, 1 – 1.5” x 2.5” (again, these can vary just so that they are all 2.5” long and that once they’re sewn together they’ll end up measuring at least 3”)

Time to Start Piecing Take you 1.75” square of Fabric B and draw diagonal lines with a water soluble pen.  As shown in picture.  Sew along this lines and iron toward the Fabric B.  Sew the Fabric C strips to either side of the 1.5” strip of Fabric A. Here’s what it should look like at this point.  Trim the piece with the long strips of Fabric A and C’s to 3.5” wide.  Sew to the top flying geese piece.  Do this same process again with other fabrics.  I’ tried to use fabrics from the blocks I already have made or fabrics I plan on using.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make at least 3 ‘Tall Tree’ Blocks.     It’s okay if they’re all different heights.  Once they’re sew together trim down to 12.5”. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the ‘Tall Tree’ Sashing between Block 2 and Block 3. 

Remember – you can make all your sashing like this, just one of your sashings like this OR you don’t have to do any sashing at all!  This is just another option to help make your quilt even more fun!

1. Paths of Life Quilt, 2. Project Quilting Week 3- Tools, 3. Dream Big - Project Quilting challenge #3, 4. And Sew It Begins.., 5. 021212 010, 6. projectquilting Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Quilter:  Marcia’s Crafty Sewing & Quilting

Paths of Life Quilt

Marcia Wachuta
Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting
Boscobel, Wisconsin

Quilt measures: 40" X 55"
100% Cotton fabrics
80/20 cotton/poly batting

I was inspired by the tools challenge to create a quilt with paths. I use the tools to create little paths all around my our home in the winter time.

I made a base quilt of squares and tiny black borders. Then I rotary cut curves and formed curvy paths thru' the quilt.

Quilted it with different textures to define the areas.

Signed it at the bottom with name and title of the quilt.

There are several posts about the creating of this quilt on my blog at
marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/search/label/PQSeason3Ch3

Thank you Kim at Project Quilting for inspiring me to create way outside my comfort zone!

Thanks for inspiring everyone to create!

 

Quilter:  I’m Feelin Crafty

Project Quilting Week 3- Tools

Project Quilting Week 3- Tools

13x14.5

Seattle, WA

This challenge stumped me for sure! But I got it with the help of some blog readers!! My tools... Sewing Tools! Scissors, Rotary Knife, Pins, Ruler and Bobbin Blooms

I blogged about it here.

 

Quilter:  Sally’s Angel Works

Dream Big - Project Quilting challenge #3

Here is my mini quilt for Project Quilting Challenge #3. The challenge was to pick 4 tools to inspire the quilt. I recently began reading Dave Ramsey's EntreLeadership, a book about success in business. In one of the first chapters, he tells four things (tools, in my case!!) to use to start on your journey to success: 1. dreaming, 2. having a vision, 3. writing a mission statement, and 4. writing out your specific goals. These are steps that I need to take for different aspects of my life, especially my business. I love these wonderful inspirational tools, and I was excited to embroider them which constantly reminded me of them!

I used a dresden plate die for the Sizzix. I used the Clover yo-yo maker for my yo-yo (love!!) and I just did a few simple echo quilting curved lines. I also did the quick backing binding, which is to cut your backing 1 in. bigger than your quilt and fold it over your edge and machine sew it on. It's pretty fast and looks good!! :) My quilt hangs on one of those really cool Ackfeld Wire Quilt Hangers! So fun!!

This quilt is 12"x12" and was made in Texas!!!

 

Quilter:  All Things Belle

And Sew It Begins..

16"x22"
Jennifer Rodriguez of All Things Belle -
West Jordan, Utah

I wasn't planning on entering this week. We had a sudden death in the family and I just wasn't up for doing much. After the initial shock, and my husband traveled back to his hometown to be with his family, I found the desire to finish this project. Quilting and crochet have brought me comfort in many times of distress.

The title, "And Sew It Begins" refers to my pilgrimage to create a new area of mixed media specializing in crochet with quilting/sewing. Our tool prompt was the perfect inspiration. My tools of choice were : the sewing machine and scissors which are visually represented in the quilt, and my free motion sewing foot and crochet hook which were used in the quilt.

I was literally working up until the deadline, so unfortunately the quilt is not properly pressed. I will complete that later today and update with better pictures.

As always, I will blog later this week when our life is a bit calmer..
allthingsbelle.blogspot.com

Quilter:  virpalm

Didn't have time to finish, going to pick up a new puppy today! Here is my entry, with 1-sewing machine. 2-thread. 3-pins. 4-the fabric itself. My sewing machine is my favorite tool, and of course thread. I found my projects come out so much better if I take time to pin. And fabric is another wonderful tool, coming in so many colors and textures.

   

***I love that Virginia still shared her piece with us even though it wasn’t finished.  She didn’t qualify for any prizes this week but a great piece is started which means my goal of inspiration through Project QUILTING was accomplished!  Plus, we’re all excited to see what it looks like finished!

 

Missed earlier Closer Looks for the Tool Time Challenge?  No Worries!

• Tool Time - A Closer Look, Part 1
• Tool Time – A Closer Look, Part 2
• Tool Time – A Closer Look, Part 3