‘A Snow Bird’s Chance’ by Charlene Waggoner

This project is called A Snow Bird's Chance. I bought the fabric for it while on vacation in Florida. It was absolutely going to have several snowmen made using the yellow fabric... but that whole yellow snow thing slowed me down. Then it was going to have snow men in white with blue snowball cornered waves and beach... but that whole snowballed corner thing really slowed me down.

Once I found this @urbanthreads design, I knew that rather than a snowman this one had to be a snow bird. A snow bird wishing she could fly South and get out of the snow.

Two Steps Forward & One Step Back by Wendy B

Two Steps Forward & One Step Back

by Wendy Blanton, GA

November 2015, Snowball Block

This is the 7^th and final month for the Persimon Dreams/Cherrywood Fabric Challenge. The block this month was a snowball block.

I wanted the background to be ghost blocks with something you’re not sure if it’s there or not. Using different shades of gray, the blocks are blended together except the Cherrywood corner stones. I wasn’t sure how to accomplish this look so it was a lot of experimentation. This quilt is named Two Steps Forward & One Step Back because I did a lot of “reverse sewing” and re-cutting of blocks.

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‘'Bella Snowflake’ by Vicky Anda

Pattern idea is from Barbara Brackman. Name is from the winter storm affecting the country this day!

I feel it would be more dramatic in at least a foursome, but I have determined I cannot work in miniature . Necessity is the mother of invention.... I could not figure out how to do the elongated diamond, so appliqué. Then did not like the large open space in the center, so using the childhood technique of making snowflakes was used with fabric.

by Vicki Andas

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“A Light Shines in the Darkness and the Darkness Did Not Overcome It" by Anna Montgomery

"10 Patch 9 Patch or A Light Shines in the Darkness and the Darkness Did Not Overcome It"

As I draw closer to the end of seminary and the ELCA candidacy process, it seems that only theology and prayer finds its way into my head during my sewing time.

And there seems to be so little sewing time!

This is a super simple quilt made of 10 9 patches.  Yellow was the clear choice this month for reasons beyond my understanding,  but as I worked, I kept reflecting on the new theology coming out of the Black Lives Matter movement, and how genuinely it couples with the not-so-new theology of the cross...which clearly states that God is present in the suffering. 

So, my background is brown and black to represent the bodies of those whom I witness in the current company of God.  And the yellow sings in the midst of them.

Which reminds me that God is present in the darkest of hours.

"A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."(John 1:5)

It shall be so, even or especially in this time.

‘Nine Patch Sunflower’ by Sherri M

Nine patch Sunflower:  Inspired by the sunflowers in the garden , it was perfect for the yellow color. 

I love to embellish so I used Tulle and black snaps to add that special touch.

by Sherri Moening

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“Nine Squared” by Marsha Friou

Here is my Nine patch challenge "Nine Squared"  had fun with it. 

Quilted by Marcia Wachuta

She did a great job quilting for me.

by Marsha Friou

“October” by Karen Golden

Guess I'll just call it October. It will always remind me of the fun four days I just spent with friends at a quilting retreat where I finished this little quilt.....heaven on earth...

for the Nine Patch Focus Through the Challenge

‘Come Fly With Me’ by Roxy Pike

What better way to view quilts than with the sky as a backdrop?  "Flying Geese" seems a natural for the banner, but one goose on the loose wants us to join in the fun, ........ "Come Fly With Me!"

Cherrywood's yellow and other sunlit fabrics lets the quilt read golden yellow. The 30's repro fabrics had been in my collection for years and it was time to bring them out to play.

by Roxy Pike

‘Whirlygig’ by Lisa Foslien

Title:  Whirligig by Lisa Foslien

I wanted to make it 3 dimensional with the pinwheels. 

Once I had the quilting finished, it just did not pop as much as I wanted, but when I accidentally pinned one of the flaps back, it all came together. 

So I ran off to find beads today for the finishing touch.

‘Floral Memories’ by Laurel Hewitt

A little rushed due to uninspired month of trying to plan this one.  I call it 'Floral Memories'.

 

Pinwheels remind me of windmills, windmills remind me of time spent in The Netherlands, which of course always reminds me of my favorite flowers - Tulips!!

created by Laurel Hewitt

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‘BREEZY’ Made by Liz Mandelkow

‘BREEZY’ Made by Liz Mandelkow

Created in Idaho

My entry for August, the pinwheel block and my focus color is yellow.

Focus Through the Prism Project Quilting Challenge.

I live in Idaho. An area that is high desert.

This month it has been hot, very dry, smokey from hundreds of fires all around us, and windy.  Lately our local weather man has started to use the word "breezy" in his forecast.  This makes me giggle.  Cause I look out the window and the wind is stripping the flowers off my garden plants, the lawn furniture is tipped over, and the dog has to point his nose into the wind to do his business or he will tip over.  So my pinwheel is "flying apart” to represent a day in our hot Idaho wind.  The good part is it keeps me inside so I can sew and quilt! 

I really had a hard time with my design this month.  But things finally started to come together.  

I tried a new quilting technique … pebble quilting.  I like how it looks and can’t wait to try this on something larger.

I am working outside my comfort zone with off center designs and attempting a more modern look overall.

This has been a great challenge for me and I am learning as I go! 

I am really loving the pebble quilting!!!

‘Sunset at the Cabin’ by Cary Neess

‘Sunset at the Cabin’ by Cary Neess

Focus Through the Prism: Log Cabin Challenge

‘Happy Days in Carol’s Cabin’ by Leana McCutcheon

Happy Days in Carol's Cabin
by M Leana McCutcheon, Roxbury, NJ,  July 2015

Focus Through the Prism Log Cabin Challenge

While making this month's challenge, I remembered many happy times with my dear friend, Carol.  She lived in a house that began as a log cabin.  It had been enlarged over the years but the logs were evident in the structure. 

We played by by the stream at the edge of the property, created a labyrinth around an old pear tree, and had many happy times there.  Yellow is the happy color of the third path of the labyrinth and the Solar Plexus Chakra

“Foundation for a Log Cabin” by Linda Syverson Guild

“Foundation for a Log Cabin” by Linda Syverson Guild for the Log Cabin Focus Through the Prism Project QUITLING Challenge

I selected yellow this month because it possessed the warmth of the sun that would be shining on a log cabin, as well as being the heart of a fire within the cabin.  Then my architectural training influenced this version of a log cabin quilt.

The question at the core of this project was:  how can this piece suggest a story using the log cabin block?  The answer:  irregular blocks were constructed to suggest a sunlit stone (complete with mortar) for a building’s foundation.  After the ‘stones’ were quilted, the floor plan of a log cabin was rendered in thread in the center of the piece.  This quilt is a wall of stone with a log cabin built upon that foundation.

Yellow TaxiCabin’ by Betsy Vinegrad

July Log Cabin, Yellow TaxiCabin’ for the Log Cabin Focus Through the Prism Challenge

As June was coming to an end I was anticipating the July block choice and hoping it would be a log cabin. It’s my favorite block since it’s so versatile. I challenged myself to do the challenge in ROYGBIV and try use black and white. Yellow is not so easy for me. Imagining black and yellow immediately made me think of taxis. I went to the City Quilter in NY specifically to buy the taxi fabric (and hopefully a few more shades of yellow Cherrywood). I already had shades of grey leftover from another project and a few yellows. The idea came from the MQG September 2014 Pattern of the Month, Chess on the Steps by Krista Kennebury. Check out instagram #improvundertheinfluence.  She has a great method for making improvisational from squares. I added a few red patches like the tail lights and some black and white checks. All the solids are cherrywood. 

 

 

 

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‘Friendship Star Flower’ by Sandy Huovinen

Friendship Star Flower by Sandy Huovinen for the Focus Through the Prism Friendship Star Challenge.

I like to link friendships and flowers together.  Kind of reminds me of the "loves me, loves me not" rhyme, but of course it's always " loves me"!

“Always Have an Escape Plan” by Nancy LaPorte

"Always Have an Escape Plan" by Nancy LaPorte for the Focus Through the Prism Friendship Star Challenge.

I knew I wanted a big ol’ yellow Cherrywood moon in one of my quilts so decided this was the month.  The stars were perfect to go inside the moon, since we only see it because of the reflected light from our star, the sun. As far as these being "friendship" stars, the only thing I can say is this looks like the kind of trouble my friends and I would have gotten into when I was a teenager. The runner-up title for this was "Feet Don't Fail Me Now!"

‘Yellow Friendship Stars …’ by Nancy Kazlauckas

Yellow friendship stars... Floating in the dark sky.
By Nancy Kazlauckas

for the Focus Through the Prism Friendship Star Challenge.

‘Disappearing Stars at Sunrise’ by Linda Kowalski

‘Disappearing Stars at Sunrise’ by Linda Kowalski

for the Focus Through the Prism Friendship Star Challenge.

the story ... Just started with Van Gough ' s Starry Night and progressed from there...

“Wonky” Friends by Evelyn Larrison

"Wonky" Friends by Evelyn Larrison for the Focus Through the Prism Friendship Star Challenge. 

Designed in EQ.  I like the diagonal bicolored binding.