Thursday, May 30, 2013

I can't believe it ... a winner!

Last night when I returned from the day's adventures, I found an e-mail from Michele at Quilting Gallery, saying with points from the guest judges, my "Seasons" quilt had won the beautiful hand-dyed fabric offered by Vicki Welsh for the Quilters' Show and Tell.


I can see that I took these pictures before my camera lens was fixed. I do not have digital pictures of my earlier quilts and most of them are now living elsewhere, so I probably never will. This quilt I have kept here and maybe I should celebrate by sleeping under it tonight... though it is a bit big for my semi-single futon.

Years ago I quilted a baby quilt for a friend living in Tokyo. It was a paper-pieced quilt with bug jars ... one opened and the bugs escaping around the quilt and her grand child's name pieced in the border. She requested simple in-the-ditch quilting and offered to pay me for my work. I did keep a record of the time but in the end, I asked her if she could get me an "Ott light" in payment as she had a military address and could order things from the States. I still use and love the lamp she gave me ... but ... one other thing was many sample fabrics from Keepsake Quilting. She got packs frequently and used them to order fabric, the rest she gave to me.

Now, I have always loved the flying geese block, so I divided them up into light and dark and turned those sample pieces into strings of geese. I arranged them in color groups and sewed them together. Then, I began looking for an interesting printed stripe fabric to use between the rows.

I just couldn't find anything to fit, so in the end, I sat at my dining room table and made a list of flowers that had meaning to me ... things growing in my gardens past and present.

I divided the list by seasons, then got some butcher paper and cut four strips. I drew a curved line down each strip and then drew flowers arranged along the strip. I added some birds to represent the seasons.

In this spring panel you can see the "Uguisu" or Bush warbler which is a harbinger of Spring. Maybe you can identify the flowering quince and the magnolia, and certainly cherry blossoms.




Among the summer flowers are the hydrangeas, the sunflowers of my youth, and roses to represent the garden my father grew and hybridized.


The bird is an Oriental Greenfinch,  a welcome summer visitor.











This little blue flower came as a gift from my dad.

The tag said, "Althea" - blue.

Below are wild roses that grow in the area where I camp with the Scouts each summer.





Among the autumn leaves is a "Great Tit". These birds are visitors to my window feeders all year through.

In some areas, the Tits become so tame you can feed them from your fingers. The ones here are shy but they keep their eyes on the feeder and flit around as I go to fill it.












The little Japanese White-eye  is sitting among the winter blooming Camellias.

I think if blogger wanted to improve anything, they would add a feature to rotate pictures.







In the border I quilted many different leaves. I recall a friend had pressed leaves and sent me some of those growing in Ohio.

Well, one of my jobs as a kid was raking leaves, and living on the edge of a forest park, there were many varieties .

I remember in High School we were asked for a science class to to press and make a display note book of at least six different leaves with descriptions.
I went out to my back yard and picked up 38 different varieties. I think the rest of the class was mad at me for over-doing it but I just couldn't play favorites when it came to trees.






So ... here is that quilt!

The prize was some beautiful hand dyed fabric. It was very difficult to decide which set I wanted. I thought about my son's request for a wedding quilt in browns and greens, and there was a very pretty selection of those. But, since I love browns and greens too, I have plenty of those.

What caught my eye was a lovely rainbow set. I thought of those women up in Tohoku and how they might be cheered by those bright colors. That was my decision in the end.

I am grateful for the Quilting Gallery that makes opportunities for "show and tell" as there is always something lovely to see, and for Vicki Welsh who offered her fabric as a prize.
Have you ever entered one of these exhibits?  I know some of my friends have.
Take a peek from time to time. There will always be something to inspire you.

34 comments:

  1. Well done, Julie!
    Congratulations of winning with this wonderful quilt. In this one you have put so much of your interest, knowledge and memories, all executed with professional skill. I take my hat off!

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  2. Oh Julie, Another gorgeous quilt. You do such lovely work. Congratulations on your win.

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  3. Congrats!!!
    This quilt is wonderful.
    Greetings from Germany, Grit

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  4. Congratulations. This quilt obviously appealed to many people. It is good to know your work is appreciated and enjoyed!

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  5. Julie. Most wonderful news. Congratulations as you so much deserve. Beautiful detail, lovely explanations about each part of your quilt, Use it, snuggle under it, it is made with much thought and fine stitching. Fond greetings, Jean. XXX

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  6. wonderful news and wonderful news xx

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  7. congrats well deserved, this is a beautiful quilt. glad you kept it for yourself. So happy that you shared it with us. I can look at this quilt for hours!
    Kathie

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  8. Congratulations! A worthy winner!!

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  9. Congratulations. So well deserved.

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  10. Julie,
    Next time you enter in the competition, let me know so I can vote for your quilt!

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  11. Forgot to mention....your quilt is stunning!

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  12. What a beautiful quilt! You are so talented. Congratulations!

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  13. I saw that when I was visiting their blog and I am so happy for you.
    Your quilt is well deserving, beautiful design, fabrics and quilting.

    Debbie

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  14. The winner, hands down, your work is excellent and deserves the praise.

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  15. Oh my, that quilt should win many many awards - it is scrumptiously gorgeous. I loved the close ups of the details. Such talent, such beauty. And how generous of you to think of the ladies when deciding on the colors of the fabrics you won. Just a heart warming post all around. Enjoy your sleep under this absolutely fabulous quilt - what a joy just to have been able to see a photo of it.

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  16. Julie, your quilt is stunning! Congrats on your win, you certainly deserve it!

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  17. Wow!! Your quilt is beautiful and definitely deserves that win! Congratulations!!!

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  18. Stunning quilt! I love your seasons theme and how you used those rows to connect with the colors of the flying geese. Beautifully done hand stitching of the quilted border. Congratulations!

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  19. Congratulations! That is fantastic, and a beautiful quilt. Vicki W is my "go-to" person for hand dyed fabrics. You can't go wrong with her work!

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  20. Congratulations, Julie!! I voted for your quilt as soon as I saw it on Michelle's site and hoped that you would win - I'm so glad that you did!! Hand-pieced and hand-appliqued - and hands down GORGEOUS quilt!! And how sweet of you to think of the ladies of Tohoku when choosing your prize - ;))

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  21. Beautiful quilt, Julie. Love it, that all seasons represented well on this quilt. Congratulation for the winning.

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  22. I can see why it won. It's lovely.

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  23. Congratulations! This quilt is absolutely stunning, and a beautiful way to keep treasured memories. Bravo!

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  24. I've been so behind, that I missed the contest completely, and didn't see it until they announced YOU as the winner. Woohoo! and well deserved! What a lovely quilt! Off topic, I was thinking of you today, as I was shopping for paint for my son's bathroom. I chose 'Rice Wine' as the color (lt. yellow) and the Rice Wine made me think of you in Japan. I'll think of you more as I paint next week.

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  25. Congratulation!!!!!!!!
    Your work is amazing.
    Hugs from Germany, Grit

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  26. Congratulations, friend, on a well deserved win. The quilt is absolutely stunning. I missed the contest, too, or I would certainly have voted for you.

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  27. Um... I am not at all surprised! Your quilt was the most striking of all of them! Now... do you still have your applique patterns? I sure would LOVE to get my hands on those and try a Julie original. Truly!!!

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  28. Wow, I mean wow! This is a beauty. And I love the personal connections to the flowers and birds, and even the quilted leaves.

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  29. An amazing quilt! Congrats on winning and your prize.

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  30. Hi Julie you deserved that ribbon well and truly. I've been checking in ever since it closed but have only just seen the photo of it up as the winner. I should of checked here earlier to see if you had heard. It is lovely to see the extra photo's of it up close, it is really so beautiful. Cheers Glenda

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  31. Your quilt is beautiful and I so appreciate your descriptions. You just bring it to life with your memories and meanings behind your design.

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  32. Congratulations Mom! This is one of my favorites of your quilts -- birds, blooms, and foliage, what could be better?

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