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.

Tea Roses - AQ Brown Challenge art quilt entry

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 that haven't been shared, so will get them here on record! 

In 2022 I entered the 'Brown Challenge' (12" block) held by the Aotearoa Quilters, for display at the NZ Quilt Symposium (and also travelling around the country).

I got my inspiration at the start of 2022 from one of my rose bushes, which has soft, mushroom-coloured petals, and decided to tea-dye some pale pink fat quarters and use them in a quilt-as-you-go kind of method to make roses.

My inspiration photo.

The dyed fabrics.

Here are some photos of the making process...

I made one large rose block, approx 8", then added smaller roses on the side and bottom, before then squaring it up into a 12" block.

Here it is on display at the Symposium in October 2022, plus some shots of the other quilts on display - I am always amazed by the wonderful ideas and interpretations people come up with and the talented way they sew them up!