Mary: Star Quilt

Mary reported that this was one tough piecing challenge. Pattern source to follow.

Buffy: Rebels Winter Challenge, 49"x62.5"

Challenge fabric is the large off-white background floral in the center.  I mixed it with Sujata's scraps.  Didn't quite work, but lots of free-motion practice.

Scraps/Strips Therapy Quilt, 19"x24.5"

Started to relieve stress of trying to piece handwoven Guatemalan fabrics.  Used scraps from that project and just started sewing.  Top finished in one afternoon and evening.  "It just made itself."  Reminds me of great trip we took to the Guatemalan Highlands about 4 years ago.  Prints by Alexander Henry.  Guatemalan fabrics from Goodwill.

Buffy: Improv Quilt

Started in Gwen Marston workshop last spring, and finished at a quilt retreat with friends in late summer.  Solids plus scraps.  Finished with facing technique featured in JOURNEY TO INSPIRED ART QUILTING by Jean Wells.  Followed advice from Cindy Needham to quilt "every stinking seam", which really works to keep quilt flat.  Used Madeira Monopoly for ditch work, and it really disappears.

Cindy: Top from Karla Alexander Class

Starring Rose the Famous Rebels Mascot.

Miki: Mini Spider Web

Wonderful combination of unusual fabric and color create an engaging quilt.  Amazing background fabric is not pieced.

Cindy: Leaf Quilt found in Eastern Canada

Looks like it may be a kit quilt to me.  Thankful for the kit quilts that kept the tradition going.

Miki: Rebel's Challenge

The floral was the challenge fabric.  Miki took some inspiration from geometry of Modrian's work.

Pam: Antique Star Quilt, found in Eastern WA

Miki: Santa Quilt

The pattern is Old Saint Nick by Betty Alderman from 2004. 

Patty: Spider Web

Despite my warnings that this might be a threat to her mental health, Patty plunged in and did this great spider web.

Challenge fabric quilts by Nifty and Miki

Nifty's Challenge Quilt

Miki's Challenge Quilt

Challenge fabric sent to Nifty and Miki by Victoria at Bumble Beans.  It is the fabric in the center medallion setting triangles of Nifty's quilt--a plaid with floral overlay.  Miki's quilt was much smaller than Nifty's; but I enlarged it so one can see the work better.

Nifty: Words and Orphan Blocks

Nifty: Pine Burr Block Quilt

Amazing Nifty is at it again.  Pine Burr blocks from a donation of vintage 3" polyester squares, and border from thrift market vintage furnishing fabric.  Before you start to do this note that this is one heavy quilt.  Also the finishing is proving a challenge.  She may need to pad the sashing and borders with batting to even them out with the blocks.  How does one quilt it??

Nifty quits using stitch regulator

Nifty 

Nifty started with a thrift market Santa panel, added orphan blocks, giant rick rack, and scraps for a fun Santa Quilt.  She quit her stitch regulator and found that free-motion quilting is lots easier and faster, for her, without it.

Pam: Antique String Quilt

Pam found this "mother-of-all" string quilts in rural Eastern Washington.  IT IS HAND-PIECED!!  We did not find any foundation fabric.

Patty: Rebels Challenge

Challenge fabric featured in medallion.

Pam: "Made Fabric" String Quilt

Nifty: Tea Cozies

Nifty is having too much fun these days with these Ikea fabric Tea Cozies. Note the exuberant fringe on the top one.

Rebels Challenge: Medallion by Pam

Challenge fabric is the the one in the center.  Amazing eclectic fabric choices!

Mary E: Modern Fussy Cut Block

Mary made this block in a workshop with Katie Pedersen at the Quilting Loft in Ballard.  Looks like a great design for a whole quilt to me.

Patsy finishes Judy Roberson workshop quilt

Workshop:  use of inserts using Judy Robertson's great hand dyed fabrics

Patsy: Finishes Carol Taylor workshop circle quilt

Note:  Free-cut circles,  border piecing, batiks held down with black and white contrast

Tea with Victoria!

The Rebels got together this weekend to celebrate Victoria's new book,
15 Minutes of Play.

Miki, me, Alexis, Patty, Buffy, Em, Victoria

We had show and tell, of course!

Em showed her LOVE quilt, which we all loved.

Miki showed her recent finish.  Lots of "ooh's" and "ah's."

And the AAQI quilt she made from the scraps.  

Alexis showed this beauty, which she had finished just that morning.

Buffy brought her most recent quilting project.  Everyone oogled over her quilting.  Too bad you can't see it.  She used red thread, brilliantly.

I showed the tea cozies I made with Ikea fabric for the occasion.

Most of these gals have quilts in the book, along with many others.  

You'll find SO much inspiration in 15 Minutes of Play. 

 If you don't already have your signed copy, 

you can purchase it here!

Miki: Improv quilt with big stitch quilting

Stripes and polka dots, always a winning combination.

Patty pulls UFO from closet to finish

Miki: Palette Challenge Quilt top

Estate Sale Find by Patty, Dresden Plate

Note:  ice cream cone border, idiosyncratic appliqued crosses, and Nile green fabric.

Baby Quilt by Mary E.

Corrected information:  Fabrics  by Malka Dubrawsky, pattern a variation of Malka's, found in her book, Fresh Quilts.

Pam's Chair Topper

Fun with taupes and red!

Patty makes a Pine Burr Block

Patty made this block; inspired by a quilt at the Bold Expressions:  African American Quilts from the Collection of Corrine Riley.  Patty had trouble finding directions.  If anyone has a reference send it on.  Sounds like she's not up for a whole quilt, although it would use a ton of her scraps.

Can this quilt be saved?

It just doesn't work.  Men's shirts, stash solids, and splash of Judy Robertson  fabric.

Lots better.  Still not "drop dead beautiful, but fun and will work.  Strips made of two Kaffe fabrics, one piece of thrift market yardage, and one plaid table cloth.  

Quilt now 61"x77".  Restructured by Buffy and Nifty.

A Bold Expression

Here's what Buffy and I made today!  70 x 79"

To see the inspiration and process, visit niftyquilts.

Mary E makes a green bag: 60's revisited

Vintage  thrift market pique of unknown fiber type

Pam: Log Cabin from hand-dyed fabric

Pam found hand-dyed fabric at an estate sale, and had fun making this top.

Cindy finishes UFO

Cindy bought this partially finished quilt at a sale.  She hasn't quite finished the quilting.  Design by Pacific Rim Quilt Company