DQ Jan-Feb '14 Challenge - Winner

The DQ challenges aim to nudge you out of your comfort zone and try new styles and techniques. The DQ Jan-Feb '14 Challenge asked for entries in the Crazy Patchwork/Quilting style. Our DQs didn't disappoint and came up with 7 lovely entries. And the winner is...

Entry #4

..the crazy pillow, machine pieced and hand embellished by DQ Damayanthi..





You win a Rs.1500 voucher from BERNINA India

and

Set of 4 coordinated FQs from The Square Inch

Congratulations and well done !

First Quilts - DQ Sudha

(Guest post by DQ Sudha, the 7th in our series of 'First Quilts')

Hey guys,

My experience with my first quilt..

Firsts are always special. First friend, first fight, first gift, first school, first kiss, first baby, first marriage.!! uh-oh....that didn't sound a wee bit right, did it. Keep shut and march ahead.! Which brings me to my first quilt.!

I have been eyeing the umpteen quilting tutes in the blogworld for the longest time possible. but then at any given point i have my eye on zillion diy/sewing tutes . same time i joined DQ was the Sept Dq monthly challenge. And there is this one persistent babe out there who kept sitting on my head on getting started on one.

And I got down to the business of starting. I had two first quilt, no three. But I was so happy that this particular one turned out be my first. It represents everything i am. Hell, it screams me. Its minimalistic in design, its vibrant, the Indian colours, the Indian fabrics, it shouts colours..!! It was plain and simple and yet a whole lot complex. It took me two weeks to complete this. Two weeks and two hundred zillion FB hours with you know who??? :) Yes Teens (thanks for tolerating me)

I took up hand quilting as my first quilting method. I don't know whether it was a risk or safe choice. I wanted to incorporate the kantha technique with a modern twist. So I read up some, looked up a few, and ended up doing squares. And no it wasn't a planned and organised approach. I drew line as i sewed each line. I am surprised how i managed such squares too.

Have I thoroughly enjoyed my first quilting experience? At times I thought I was mad taking on this challenge( I mean wholecloth quilt - what the heck was that..!!!)... the aching back while pinning, the aching neck while quilting, the layers not pinned evenly. However, the satisfaction I felt upon finishing each stage and the enormous sense of achievement seeing my quilt finished, was worth every minute of it!!! And that look on my kiddo's face - ah bliss..!!Yes, I'll be making more quilts. I'm hooked!!!

And the beauty, I guess having that first "done" makes me, officially, a quilter.

-Sudha

psst - I couldnt help but notice the order of my firsts..!! does it look weird to only me? ;)

Here are a few pics -

First Quilts - DQ Amalie

(Guest post by DQ Amalie, the 2nd in our series of 'First Quilts')

I have not been quilting very long so I will share the first and so far only quilt I have made. I do not own a sewing machine yet, so all my projects are hand pieced over paper to keep it fixed. This quilt was a gift for a very special person or rather persons, a good friend and her newborn daughter.

My first quilt started with these fabrics..




Came to look like this after I fixed the fabric on the paper templates..




The front of the quilt ended up like this after hand sewing the pieces..

And the end result with a purple fleece back and batting looked like this..



After making this quilt I was completely hooked on making more quilted things. I have made a few patchwork balls since and have also started on my next quilt.

Amalie