Roxburgh: Autumn - Aotearoa Quilters Paint Chip Challenge art quilt

  Have been updating my 'maker's journal' with craft projects and cross-referencing with photos and blog posts - and have found a few projects from the past year or two that haven't been shared, so will get them here on record! 

This is my entry for the 2022 NZ Quilt Symposium 'Resene World of Colour Paint Chip Challenge' - a 12" square block that had to be predominantly based on the colours of two paint chips that were sent to each person who registered to enter.

This was my second attempt after I re-read the rules and realised my first attempt was probably too heavy on a third colour.

When driving to Clyde in Central Otago at Easter, I saw the amazing golds of the poplar trees on the hills surrounding Roxburgh and knew that was what I wanted to try and replicate.

Paint chip: Dixie Chick - I grabbed my yellow/gold fabrics,
and tea-dyed a couple of pieces to get different tones.

Paint chip: Half Oilskin - I grabbed out some beige/brown fabrics.

My sketch of the scene
(I hadn't had time to stop to take a photo as we drove past).

I ripped strips of the brown fabrics and crumpled them up in my hands,
before arranging them on a square of batting.

Then I 'sketched' overtop with my sewing machine,
using different colours of brown thread.

Next, I roughly cut out different sizes of poplar trees
and arranged them on the background.

I added tiny pieces of other yellows/golds...

Then I used tiny stippling stitches to sketch the leaf textures onto the trees.

Some close-up shots:

I think I did a pretty good job of using the two colours!

Here is the quilt on display at Symposium in October, along with some shots of the other entries (everyone had different paint chips):

And here it is, all beautifully framed up by the wonderful Alana at 'Framed on Windsor' in Invercargill...I might enter it in an arts awards if something suitable comes along.