Harriet's Horrible Hair Day   My First Project (Above) -- This is my first quilt project from 1979. I hand-embroidered birds from designs found in a Pennsylvania Dutch book. In the quilting class, we learned to design and create templates. I'm amazed at how well the fabric has lasted; virtually no fading. Floral Wall Hanging Closeups These are floral paper-pieced designs. There a total of six different flower blocks in my wall hanging. This is Block # 6. This is Block # 4. This is Block # 5. Funky Chicken Pincushion I had fun making these pincushions as gifts. The chicken's body is made from two log cabin blocks. The beak and comb are of stiff felt.  I sewed black beads on for eyes and used ribbon for the tail.

It seems some of my most creative projects develop from quilt challenges or contests. They promote me to think in new ways and stretch my creativity.   Butterfly and Coneflower Wall Hanging My quilt guild's 2006 summer challenge was to create a small wall hanging using a "multitude of creatures".There had to be three or more of the same type of create in the quilt, and the quilt had to use a non-fabric item. As you can see, I chose a "kaleidoscope of butterflies". (There are several names for groups of butterflies including a "rabble" or a "swarm".) I couched green yarn using brown embroidery floss for the coneflower stems, and each cone flower has an edging of tiny bronze glass beads just above the purple petals. I also embroidered the butterfly antennas. I designed the butterfly pattern as well as the coneflowers. The wall hanging measures 12" x 12". Illusion Wall Hanging I attended the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo and took a workshop that focused on using batik fabrics and illusion bars. You can't see it in this photo, but the entire center dragon panel is machine quilted using holographic thread, which lends a gorgeous sparkle to the piece. If you would like to read more about my experiences at the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, please click on this link (and scroll toward the bottom of the page). I had a great time taking this 3-hour workshop. Baby Quilt My neighbor's oldest daughter is having her first child -- a baby boy. The fabric prints include balloons, butterflies, teddy bears, hearts and a floral that is not too flowery. The quilt pattern is a modified Rail Fence. It is freehand machine quilted. Floral Wall Hanging I chaired my quilt guild's Block-of-the-Month challenge. I chose six paper-piece patterns in floral designs (the blocks measure 4-inches each -- you can view photos of some of the blocks at the left). I gave members one pattern each month to sew. They could combine the finished blocks into any design they wished to create. My piece (above) is sized to fit over a doorway and is hand quilted. Sampler On-Point This is the 2001 Block-of-the-Month quilt sponsored by my quilt guild. The photo doesn't do justice to the background fabric, which is a white with a light blue floral design. My Bernina had to go into the shop for tension repair during the middle of this project, so I used my trusty Janome Gem to finish piecing the top. The Bernina returned in time to do the majority of machine quilting. This is my first on-point quilt. Three Cats in Autumn Each year my quilt guild holds a Challenge Quilt contest. This is my 2000 Challenge Quilt entry; the theme being Your Favorite Season. I designed this quilt in Quilt Pro before sewing a stitch. The entire quilt is paper pieced (with the exception of the appliquéd cat's tails). I finished it with hand quilting. Wedding Gift Quilt Strip pieced and free-hand machine quilted, this is a wedding gift for a friend. It's a wall hanging. All the prints used are nature themed. The navy blue diamond fabric pictures stars, and the red centers are printed with delicate white butterflies.  A golden brown-yellow leaf print forms the inner diamonds with green print centers. A medium blue print border frames the quilt. This is my second project using free-hand machine quilting...and I love it.  So easy! Tropical Treasures This is my 1999 Challenge Quilt entry for my quilt guild's annual contest. The contest theme:  Glitz Under the Sea. I learned many new techniques designing this quilt. It is machine pieced, appliquéd, machine and hand quilted. It also includes beadwork. I created the two seahorses (bottom center) with free-style machine embroidery. Who Me? This is my entry in the 1998 Challenge Quilt Contest. The theme: Things You Enjoy. Again, this is entirely paper pieced. I used machine embroidery for the titles on the book spines and hand embroidery for the ruler markings, cat whiskers, and butterfly antenna. Though you cannot see it, I also machine embroidered some of my favorite things in words on the border fabric. The quilt is also decorated with buttons; some of them are a bird house, an angel, Egyptian hieroglyphics and an apple. This is hand quilted. Patchwork Tablecloth Using an assortment of decorator fabric swatches that I won at my quilt guild's annual auction, I sewed this tablecloth for the new kitchen table. I joined the patches with a machine-sewn satin stitch -- oval shaped sewn with white thread.

Copyright 2000 Dawn Lesley Stewart