Bloggers Quilt Festival: Through the TARDIS Window

Through the TARDIS Window

details:
design-Joanne Grimes
entirely pieced
quilted by Joanne Grimes with hand embroidery decorative top stitching and machine in-the-ditch stitching.
  size-50" x 55"
"Through the TARDIS window" is a wonderful example of the unpredictability of my sketches. When I do a sketch I don't have any thought in mind of an end product. I just fill the page with lines and whatnot and when I'm done I take a step back. Then I can start to see what it might look like in fabric. When I went to work on the quilt I envisioned the sketch as a stained glass window in an abandoned stone castle with flowers nearly taking over the window and castle walls. When I showed the finished quilt to a friend she saw trees sharing the same foliage in the center area. Then when I took pics and hung it on the wall my daughter and I saw the Doctor Who intro of the TARDIS hurling through space. I went with the last thing I saw before I went goofy trying to figure out a title. Now all of you may see something completely different so tell me what you see.The original post is here.

Bloggers Quilt Festival: Peacock Bloom

Peacock Bloom

       Here is my contribution to the wall hanging category. This is entirely pieced except for the fabric embellishments. I hand quilted the top. This measures 36" x 36". It was designed by me.  The original post is here.

High Street Hustle

High Street Hustle

Drama at the Opera

drama at the opera

Through the TARDIS Window

Through the TARDIS Window

original sketch

starting the actual size template

closeup

closeup

 details:
design-Joanne Grimes
entirely pieced
quilted by Joanne Grimes with hand embroidery decorative top stitching and machine in-the-ditch stitching.
size-50" x 55"
"Through the TARDIS window" is a wonderful example of the unpredictability of my sketches. When I do a sketch I don't have any thought in mind of an end product. I just fill the page with lines and whatnot and when I'm done I take a step back. Then I can start to see what it might look like in fabric. When I went to work on the quilt I envisioned the sketch as a stained glass window in an abandoned stone castle with flowers nearly taking over the window and castle walls.
When I showed the finished quilt to a friend she saw trees sharing the same foliage in the center area.
 Then when I took pics and hung it on the wall my daughter and I saw the Doctor Who intro of the TARDIS hurling through space. I went with the last thing I saw before I went goofy trying to figure out a title. 
Now all of you may see something completely different so tell me what you see.
P.S. Sorry there are no 'in process' photos except for the very start. The kids took the camera with them to Grandma & Grandpa's for the month I was working on this quilt.

Hoffman Challenge 2013: Peacock Bloom

I decided to try something a bit different and do a Hoffman Challenge. This is my first time doing a wall hanging quilt. This is entirely pieced except for the hoffman fabric embellishments. I hand quilted the top. This measures 36" x 36". It was designed by me.

finished Peacock Bloom

Let's start this mini journey with my sketch. I did this sketch for an embroidery idea, but when Pam See suggested I try the Hoffman Challenge this drawing appeared to be better suited for this project. I got the fabric from Happy Apple Quilts at the beginning of May.

sketch

Step 2 or so. Here is the sketch made into the size the finished quilt will be. This shows the fabric pieces cut out and the paper pieces reassembled so I can keep track of what to sew, where the pieces connect and what to do next.

pieces laid out

My lovely workspace. The pieces are getting assembled.

start piecing

Here's the quilt nearly completely pieced.

continued piecing

 The back of the quilt and the embellishment pieces ready to attach.

back of quilt and embellishment pieces

 The quilt is pieced and waiting on me to add the embellishment pieces.

finished piecing and embellishments

The quilt is all done and here's a side view showing the embellishments.

finished side view

Blogger Quilt Festival: Mariner's Compass Ultimate Variation

So after a couple days working on a new quilt (it won't be done in time for this though) and cruising the quilting blogs I happen upon this great way to get out into this creative world. This will be the first time I do this at the Bloggers Quilt Festival. 
I figured this one would work nicely with the Scrap Quilt Category.

• Quilt Measurements -not really sure but I think it's 102" x 112" (it fits our queen bed & it's put away for the summer & I don't feel like hauling it out)
• Special Techniques used, if any- Does my used clothing stash count? Lots of in-seam sewing going on in there, too. Sometimes I make up my own techniques to get the design to work. 
• Entirely pieced
• Quilted  & designed by…Joanne Grimes 

This was the first quilt I made from my design stash. We needed a good winter quilt and the quilts I saw in stores did not impress me with design or workmanship. I used parts of old clothes like my wedding dress, denims, an unused partially silk kimono, some Marine Corps t-shirs of mine, and other stuff. It's tie-quilted because the batting is 1 1/2" thick and tie quilts are more comfy. The original post is here:

Since we can enter 2 quilts here is my other entry. 

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Prism Stardust

So after a couple days working on a new quilt (it won't be done in time for this though) and cruising the quilting blogs I happen upon this great way to get out into this creative world. This will be the first time I do this at the Bloggers Quilt Festival.

• Quilt Measurements -90" x 90"
• Special Techniques used, if any- does using only clothing from thrift stores count? I used everything from t-shirts to medical scrubs to polyester skirts. Lots of in-seam sewing going on in there, too. Sometimes I make up my own techniques to get the design to work. 
• Entirely pieced
• Quilted  & designed by…Joanne Grimes

I finished this just this March 2013 after working on it for almost exactly a year. It just happens to be a perfect fit for the ROYGBIV category. Woohoo! You can also have a look back at my original post of this quilt for more of its history.
Since we can enter 2 quilts here is my other entry.

Wasgij: Camping Commotion

Camping Commotion

Wasgij: Stop the Clock

Stop the Clock

Wasgij: Olympic Odyssey

Olympic Odyssey

Wasgij: Sands of Time

Sands of Time

Wasgij: The Proposal

The Proposal

Wasgij: Best Days of Their Lives

Best Days of Their Lives

Wasgij: Football Madness (Soccer to the USA)

Football Madness

Wasgij: Antique Hunt

Antique Hunt

Wasgij: Home Improvements

Home Improvements

Wasgij: High Tide

High Tide

Wasgij: Bear Necessities

Bear Necessities

Wasgij: Blooming Marvelous

Blooming Marvelous

Wasgij: A Day to Remember

A Day to Remember

Wasgij: Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays

Wasgij: Sunday Drivers

Sunday Drivers

Quilt: Prism Stardust

Prism Stardust

      This is my personal design that I have been working on for about a year. The quilt is based off of the design sketch pictured below. It is entirely pieced and hand quilted. It is 90" x 90". There are over a 1000 pieces and some are as small as a fingernail. The border is made of scraps from the piecing and the black braid is an entire skein of yarn braided in an 8 strand crocodile ridge. My daughter Trinity was the detangler while I braided. It took us 3 days and 206 verses of "This old man he played knick knack paddy wack", but we got it done! All the fabric is clothing from our local thrift store. I worked with everything from Packer t-shirts to polyester skirts. This is the first time I quilted the top instead of tying it. It was also the first time I had the colors picked out before we went shopping. It was fun matching the clothes to the colors on the template sketch.  I made this particular piece for display, but it can be used as a full size light bed quilt. I worked on this from March 2012 until early April 2013.

Shows & Awards:
First Fiber Arts Biennale: Wisconsin State of the Art 2013
        Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts

Art of the Quilter III 2014 - Walls of Wittenberg
        Best of Show- Bed Quilt Category
        
Darting Needles 16th Biennial Quilt Show: The Many Sides of Quilting
         2nd Place in Category 12 - Art Quilts, over 100" perimeter

Prism Stardust template sketch

     Above is my design that became the final template for the Prism Stardust quilt. 

Prism Stardust original sketch

     This is my original design that inspired the Prism Stardust quilt. I had to do some modifications so that I could completely piece the quilt. I sketched this around 1992.

Embroidery: Classic Starburst

Classic Starburst

     This is my original embroidery style design and finished piece. This was a pillow, but it's much easier to display on the wall so now it is a wall hanging. I called it classic starburst because it looks like a starburst firework.

Classic Starburst sketch

This design was done around 1989.

Embroidery: Classic Fireworks

Classic Fireworks

      This is my original embroidery piece. This was done on an old pure silk tank top I used to wear back in the 80s. This was in pillow form, but it's easier to display wall hangings so it was simply repurposed slightly.

Classic Fireworks sketch

This design was created around 1990.

Embroidery: Neutron Star with Blue Dwarves

Neutron Star with Blue Dwarves

     This is my original design made into a embroidery style fabric art piece. This was once a pillow, but hey I can't sleep on it so it's now a wall hanging.  I did the braiding around the outside in an 8 strand round braid. Each of these pieces is dated and signed somewhere just like any other artist does to their work.

Shows & Awards:
First Fiber Arts Biennale: Wisconsin State of the Art 2013
          Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Art

Neutron Star with Blue Dwarves sketch

      This one is a combination of 3 smaller designs. Remember that stack of scrap paper from earlier posts? These came from that pile around 1989. Ok I did these little guys in pencil, but I promise I didn't erase, fix or start over.

Embroidery: Geometric Flower with Leaves

Geometric Flower with Leaves

    This is my original design completed embroidery style fabric art. This was a pillow at one time, but pillows take up too much space and are harder to display. The piece appears to be unfinished since I just noticed a couple lines missing from the fabric piece. Well since it was one of my first attempts at getting paper design to fabric, I'll let it go. This one has two different fabrics for the background. They have differing textures also. I get my fabric from remnants or thrift stores.

Geometric Flower with Leaves

I sketched this design around 1989.

Embroidery: Flower in Daytime Window

Flower in Daytime Window

     This is my original embroidery. This was a pillow, but wall hangings are much more practical for display so tada... I usde a disappearing ink pen to put the design to fabric one element at a time. Each element is then sewn on and the next part is inked on, repeated until done. I did this in March 2007.

Flower in Daytime Window sketch

     I do my designs in pen or marker or whatever is handy on any medium in one take. That means I don't erase, put it down (unless there's an emergency) or restart.