Da Gama Challenge

The Oranje Quilters Guild planned a mini quilt festival in Bloemfontein in April 2007 and launched a Da Gama (traditional fabric printed in South Africa) quilt challenge and under peer pressure I had to participate. Not into competitions I simply went to the shop to check out the fabric with no idea to what the quilt would be like. Saw the Madiba faces printed on one of these fabrics and went home thinking that I would like to work around that. Paged through a couple of books and magazines and noticed the Kaleidoscope block playing tricks on your eyes by forming circles. So there and then I decided that this was what I wanted to do. Went back to buy the fabric and started out.

Not much planning, effort or difficulty level in this one but as my circles unfolded and Madiba looking at me from the fabric, I couldn't help thinking that this must have been what his fight for freedom was all about and after years of patching here and there, he has come full circle in his fight.

Being my first attempt at a challenge, working against time, this too was 'coming full circle' for me with my quilting. Therefor the name of this quilt "Coming full circle."

Completed: 1 March 2007

Stack & Wack

This idea was shared with us at a quarterly guild meeting by a lady called, Martie Lyle. When my son, at the wise age of 26, decided to move out of the house, he got the help of an interior decorator to set up his new townhouse and Japie, the decorator, decided to keep all lines simple with the whole background set in black, brushed steel and putty with only 1 single color per room to set the scheme. So with orange scatter cushions in the lounge, a lime green chair in the study, red towels in the bathroom it was decided that the bedroom should be a deep bright blue. We however couldn't find any ready-made blue bedding without dolphins on it and 26 was just a little too old for dolphins.

Then one of my quilting group members, Frances v Schalkwyk, made this Stack & Wack quilt in shades of orange and there and then I decided that I'll make a blue one for Roelf. Wonderful fast and fun quilt to make and surely something most men would like.

Completed: 9 October 2006

ABC quilt

Trust me not to read what a quilt is all about before jumping in; buying and cutting fabrics like crazy. So what was there to read about? ABC kiddies quilt, should be in bright colors shouldn't it? Only after the second block I realized that this was a quilt for quilters - trying to teach us the names of different blocks!! Too late ......bright yellow it will stay.

Although designer/teacher Iessie Steenberg, meant well, I have to admit that I only remember the names of the first 4 blocks. Worked a full year on this as it was a BOM project but it was finished on the day that our teacher became grandmother for the first time. So now, seeing her grandson, Joshua, grow up, I will always be reminded of how old my ABC quilt is.

Completed: 2 October 2006

Sugar & Spice

Another BOM by designer, teacher Iessie started in July 2005. Although I found repeating the same block, just changing the slicing and colors rather boring, I kept up.

The Da Gama fabrics also didn't do much for me and after I couldn't find the fabric of choice for the sashing, I improvised by stitching tiny pleats in the sashing which did something to the otherwise dull colors.

Completed: 29 August 2006

Mathematic triangle nightmare

In June 06 teacher Iessie decided that it was time to do revision of our beginners course and spesifically triangles - having to work out exactly how big 2 triangles should be to make up one square.

Maths like I last did in school. Not really having a place for this and it not being in any of my favorite colors, I experimented with the quilting using embroidery thread trying out any possible circle, triangle and doing plenty freehand stitching.

Completed: 7 Julie 2006