I had a nice surprise in the mail last night: a box from the Museum of the American Quilter’s Society with my quilt inside! Paisley Pavane has been on tour or at the Museum since late 2005, so it’s good to have it home again.
(Click on the photo for a larger pic and detail shots.)
I made this quilt for the MAQS New Quilts from an Old Favorites Contest at MAQS; the block theme for the 2006 contest was Dresden Plate. The purpose of the contest is to showcase innovative interpretations of traditional blocks. I’d had two other quilts accepted to the contest in prior years and I really wanted to enter, but couldn’t come up with a design I was happy with until really late in the game.
I’d really sort of given up on entering, and then I was digging through my stacks of in progress work looking for something else entirely, and I came across the pieces for the medallions that were made using a 9° wedge ruler. The idea took shape and I managed to complete the quilt in time for the contest, and the quilt was awarded a Third Place ribbon.
Dresden Plate: New Quilts…,
by Shelley Hawkins
Quilts that are finalists in the contest are published in a book each year, so this quilt and the complete story of it’s construction from idea to binding is featured along with the other four award winners and 13 other finalist quilts in Dresden Plate–New Quilts from an Old Favorite. You just have to excuse the photography of the quilt in the book though; I have no idea why the color reproduction was so bad, and I tried to have it corrected when they sent the page proofs, but it didn’t happen. Though I realize that color reproduction isn’t always true on computer monitors, what you see here is undoubtedly better than what’s in the book, since the picture in the book is soooo bad.
Themed show exhibits and contests are a great way to stretch your skills and break out of whatever box you might be in. Solving the inevitable issues that arise when developing your own designs can be difficult and at times completely frustrating, but ultimately very rewarding and satisfying in terms of artistic growth and creativity. Upcoming theme information from the MAQS website:
The Museum of the American Quilter’s Society (MAQS) competition is open to quilts that are innovative interpretations of the following traditional patterns for upcoming competitions:
- Burgoyne Surrounded – 2009
- Sunflower – 2010
- Orange Peel – 2011
- Baskets – 2012
Should you hear the challenge to enter calling you, keep in mind that the years shown above are actually the years that the books will be published and the winning and finalist quilts are first exhibited at the Museum. Deadlines for entry are usually in October the year before. In other words, if you have a great idea in mind for the Burgoyne Surrounded contest, you’d better start cutting fabric now, because the deadline for that contest is October, 2008.
I wasn’t really thinking I would enter this year, because Burgoyne Surrounded is kind of a weird, rather boring block in my opinion. Now I’ve got myself thinking though, and the wheels are turning. Since there’s nothing on the MAQS site to show you what this block looks like, I’ve included a picture here so you can see it. I might try to enter, what about you?
Your Voice: Have you designed around a theme in any of your work? Was it for a contest or for yourself as an exercise or goal? What’s the most challenging aspect for you when you work in a theme? Share your experiences»
Quilt stats: approx. 59″ x 59″, 100% cotton fabrics, machine embroidered with Sulky rayon thread, machine pieced with 100% cotton thread, hand appliquéd with #100 silk thread, machine quilted with variegated rayon thread, variegated cotton thread, and #100 silk thread, Midnight Dream Poly Batting, embellished with over 3,100 Swarovski crystals. Completed: Fall, 2005.
I loved reading your story of your quilt. My quilt is currently in Paducah and is one of the finalists in this year’s Sawtooth contest. I find the stories of the quilters the best part of the book. Thanks for the picture of Burgoyne Surrounded. I agree, nothing comes to me for using that block. Maybe it’s time to look elsewhere for a challenge.
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Ooohh, congrats Nancy! I’ll be sure to pick the book up when it comes out so I can see it! I agree, the stories about the quilts are definitely wonderful! When my Butterfly Houses quilt was accepted to the Tumbling Blocks contest, I told my husband that it was wonderful to be able to tell the story of the quilt and it’s design and construction. I really enjoy sharing my artistic vision like that. It’s kind of like the directors that get to talk about their movie on DVDs these days, and tell everyone why they did certain things when they were shooting the film. It’s fun to do, and fun to read as well.
I did have a pretty good idea for the Burgoyne Surrounded block, but I don’t know if I’ll really do it. We’ll see what the year brings in the way of time and other projects (as well as things that take time away from quilting)!
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I was one of the judges at Quilt Odyssey. Your quilt Paisley Pavane was one of my favorites. Please tell me, are the Paisley’s stitched out using your embroidery module and a digitized design, or are the hand guided? Loved it, and I know that either way, it took a lot of expertise and practice to get it right.
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Hi Elsie! It’s lovely to hear from you! The Paisley designs are hand guided (or free-motion) quilted, and the designs themselves are from the book Quilting Makes the Quilt, by Lee Cleeland.
Thank you for your kind comments about my quilt, both on my blog and at Quilt Odyssey!
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