Improv with Geometry basted and ready to be quilted. You will see pins only around the edge of my quilt as I am now totally converted to basting using basting spray, thanks to the advice of my quilting buddy The Guilty Quilter, Phil.  Using basting spray sparingly has transformed my attitude to quilting, as I had a very problematic relationship with quilting pins. I started quilting off-centre in a spiral, using continuous writing in lower case script – no gaps between words.  A close inspection of the quilt will reveal the writing, but interpreting the words without spaces is very difficult indeed.

With only two days before the deadline to submit my quilt for judging, I made the final stitch in the binding and sewed on the hanging sleeve.

My quilting group, the Quirky Quilters, entered about six quilts in the Collaborative category of QuiltWest, and there were a couple of others who entered. So the total in the category was only about eight.  I don’t have the exact numbers because I forgot to get a catalogue when I visited the exhibition.  The exciting part is that we won first, second and third again, as we did last year, and it was three different members of the group.  It’s nice to share the ribbons around.

Allsorts
Striptease

Judith (L) won third place with Allsorts and Phil (R) won second with Striptease .  Judith reassembled some of her strips, so I can’t exactly point out the part I made.  For Phil, the pieces were joined exactly as they were made.  My strip is fourth from the top.  Both these quilts are better IRL.  The lighting at our exhibition centre leaves a lot to be desired.

And then the biggest thrill when my quilt was announced as First.

Megs

My finished quilt is quite big (63″ x 73″) relative to the quantity of strips that I was given as part of the shoebox round robin, but not quite as big as I would have liked.  You can read in previous posts how I added blocks and used the contributing strips as ‘made fabric’ in the style of Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  A little longer would have made a good sized single bed quilt. However, it will make a nice topper for the queen bed, and I always need more cover than my husband.

I had spent so many hours looking at this quilt and reconstructing blocks, that I could not really appreciate it.  But now that it is a few weeks later and it is on my bed, I really like it.