DQ May-June'14 Challenge

Rules for the DQ May-June 2014 Challenge:

1.Make a cover for your sewing machine with a traditional block on one side and a modern interpretation of the same block on the other side.

2.Email 4 pics (1.of the full front, 2.of the full back, 3.close up of the traditional block, 4.Close up of the modern take) of the finished item to desiquilters@gmail.com. Please do not send more than 4 pics as the admins do not want to have to choose. Or lesser. And please conform exactly to the pic requirements or you risk disqualification.

3.Please include title, dimensions and a short description of your entry.

4.Please mention if the entry is an original work or inspired. You can share your inspiration once the names are revealed after the voting.

5.Please send in your entries by the midnight of June 29th, 2014

 We are still following the anonymous entries format. For more details on the format.. http://desi-quilters.blogspot.in/2013/01/jan-2013-challenge.html

The winner gets

Rs.1500 voucher from BERNINA India

and

Set of 4 coordinated FQs from The Square Inch

Come on DQs, jump in. Look at it as a way to learn something new and sharpen your existing skills.

Best of luck !

DQ March'13 Challenge - Winner

The winner of the DQ March'13 Challenge is the lovely DQ Manju ! She has beautifully captured the essence of Pipli art in her beautiful entry.

"The Pipli inspired wall hanging is 26” by 22” in size. It is a Jaggannath ji image with a border of Pipli triangle applique …with a twist.

Usually the Pipli triangles are a layer upon layer of individual colours; I have mixed it up a little bit to give my own interpretation.

The area around the image is covered with fmq.

Usually the Pipli art form uses rick rack around the images for applique, but since I did not find any here in the width and colour that I wanted, I used the gold lace instead. " ...Manju.

She wins 

1.A gift voucher for Rs.1500 from Bernina India, redeemable against purchases of sewing, quilting, patchwork notions, thread, etc. from the 'Bernina Creative Center' (BCC) or Bernina or Bernette machines or accessories



and

2. Rs.500 gift voucher from Quilts of Love





Congratulations Manju! We love your work .

DQ March'13 challenge - finalists

Here are the two finalists to the DQ March'13 challenge which required a quilted piece inspired by the lovely Pipli Art of Orissa.

March01

March02 

The winner will be announced shortly.

Happy quilting!

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 -

The Forgiving Quilt

(We are happy to have a guest post by DQ Rama sharing her very moving experience of the buDa traditional quilting workshop) 

=======================================
THE FORGIVING QUILT

I came to Nirmala akka's quilting workshop with some apprehension. I have been so urbanized in my approach to work and people that her mere photo was a challenge. Would I be able to connect to my rustic and earthy nature; was the question. My apprehensions were uncalled for. The place where the workshop was to be conducted, the hostess, the facilitator and the teacher were all so natural that I was calmed at once.

The process of quilt making was grounded and rooted in it's simplicity and complexity. Luckily Nirmala akka and Savitha broke the process into tiny bits and fed us over 3 days like a mother breaks the meal for a baby into tiny mouthfuls. When 3 days were up, we were all equally amazed at how we had succeeded in creating  what seemed a mighty art piece.

The second day was an intense experience for me as the quilt started taking form. The steps are linked until the very end, and, from the very beginning. Every step takes the lead from the previous one; the continuity spoke to me. The flow and the connect could not be missed. And the more my urban culture was determined to make every stitch perfect, the more tedious the process became. So I simply gave in to the process and got into the flow, fumbling and struggling and caring the least at spots, and diligent, conservative or simply plodding along at others. Midway through, I had tears in my eyes and the threads and colors blurred into a psychedelic haze. So very much like life...so very much like life was all I could think! Once the quilt had spoken it's secret to me, I was child like and trusting and laughing and garrulous. 

My respect for Nirmala akka grew. Whether she was a rural woman who made home sewn quilts from bits and pieces or she was a budding entrepreneur, I simply saw her as my teacher and as one who had helped me discover a gift from within myself. A person who had travelled a long way in her innocence and trust in life.

How ever each one of us blundered through the process, the quilts were beautiful at the end of the day. Quixotic, ethereal, flowing and loving, an extension of each one of us. And in the final pic, i couldn't see the flaws, the fumbling, the struggling; all that shows is the flow, the magic and the depth of it.

As forgiving as the great mother earth, the FORGIVING QUILT. As demanding as the great mother, the INTRINSIC QUILT, as psychedelic as mother nature, the MAGIC QUILT.

love

Rama

Chumkie's Cathedral Windows QAL#3 - Gallery

 Here are some finished projects and W.I.P.s inspired by DQ Chumkie's awesome Cathedral Windows QAL on the traditional method of making them.

Chumkie

Sudha

Elvira

Damayanthi

Tina

Aliya

Gayathri

Madhu

(Traditional CWs done by a method slightly different from Chumkie's QAL)

Wowness !!

Chumkie's Cathedral Windows QAL#3

After the very popular 'Chumkie's Cathedral Windows QAL#1 and 2', the awesome DQ Chumkie is back again with the 3rd installment of the Desi QAL.

The Traditional Cathedral Windows  

Finished Size of Quilt = 16”

Finished Size of Block = 4”

For the third technique in this series for constructing Cathedral Windows, we will be making a cushion cover or a mini quilt or a table topper, comprising 16 blocks arranged 4 blocks across by 4 blocks down.

The finished mini quilt

The components of a Cathedral Window block are the foundation or background fabric, the frame and the window pane.  In this variation, the foundation and frame are made from the same fabric.  The window panes can be as varied as you wish.

Table for Cutting Instructions

 Note: 

1. The cutting instructions will make 1 CW block.

2. The numbers in parentheses in the column descriptions represent the number of squares required for each CW block. 

3. The window pane should be cut 1/4” smaller than the finished size of the frame.  Measure for and cut the window panes after the first frame is constructed.

Block Size Foundation (1) Pane (1) approx.

2” 4 ½“ 1 ¼“

3” 6½ “ 2”

4” 8 ½” 2 1/4”

5” 10 ½“ 3”

6” 12 ½ “ 4”

For 16 Cathedral Window blocks that will each finish at 4” square, refer to the table above for the 4”block and cut

16 foundations

16 window panes (not shown – cut after 1st frame is constructed)

Cut 16 foundation squares

Make an 8” template from cardboard for pressing a ¼“ seam on 4 sides of each foundation square.

Use a box cutter to cut cardboard template

Place the template in the center of the foundation and press ¼“ seam using the template as a guide.

Press 1/4" seam on 4 sides of foundation around template 

Fold the foundation in half and press.  Fold in half again and press to crease a vertical and horizontal line on the foundation.

Create two folds on foundation 

Using the creases as a guide, fold the 4 corners to the center and press.

Fold 4 corners to center and press

Do this again.  Fold the 4 corners to the center and press.  This is your 4” Cathedral Window block.

4" Cathedral Window block

Repeat this process for all 16 foundation squares.  To join the foundations together, open a flap on two blocks and sew them together on the creases. 

Sew adjacent flaps on two blocks

The sewn flaps make 1 frame.  Measure 1 side of the frame and cut 16 window panes ½“smaller than the size of the frame.  My frame measured 2 ¾“, so my window panes were cut 2 ¼“ square.

Four 4 1/2 " fabric squares

cut in 4 = 16 window panes

Join all 16 foundations in this way and there should be 8 pairs.  Join 2 pairs together by sewing the two flaps that are between the 2 sewn flaps. 

1 quadrant with 4 flaps sewn together

Join the 4 quadrants together and tack the corners of the frames down with a cross stitch.  Place a window pane in the center of a frame, roll the bias sides of the frame around it and pin in place.

Pin window panes in place

Sew the bias sides of the frame around each window pane and your 16” cushion cover is done!

Completed Mini Quilt

This quilt does not require batting or a backing.  Sewing the frames down over the window panes serves as the quilting. 

Quilting on Back of Mini Quilt

- There is no need to make a backing for the cushion cover because the back is already done!

- Use a 16" pillow insert for a cushion.

- If this quilt is to be used as a table topper, no more work needs to be done. Just use as is!

love,

Chumkie

BuDa Folklore - quilting workshop

BuDa Folklore is back again with Nirmala-akka's traditional quilting workshop!

Some lucky DQs will be attending the workshop. Watch this space for their updates.

Sew lucky!