Since Lakeside Quilts is more than 40 years old, and we have so many new members, it was proposed that we share our Quilt Challenges through the years. These will be shown (with all submissions) at our Christmas party in December.
Here are mine -- in no particular order:
This one did not have a theme other than to encourage members to think outside the box and try something new. I wanted to try paper piecing that curvy flying geese trail. We were given a small bag of things that had to be included in the quilt:
- 1 fat quarter
- beads
- eye lash yarn
- sparkle gold braid
- tulle
It won Viewer's Choice that year. Whoo-hoo!
Dancing Crane: Black -White + 1 Other Color - 2023 Challenge
For this one, I used a convergence method to combine the red and white, and added the dancing crane with black paint and a stencil. I was worried that the black being stencil paint might disqualify this one, so I made a 2nd one ...
I made a 2nd challenge quilt that year because I thought the dancing crane might be disqualified because the black was added as a surface design, and wasn't fabric quilted into the whole piece.
A little more practice with convergence quilts.
Moonlight Sleeping on a Midnight Lake - Quilt Jam 2026
This challenge was to take a favorite song or lyric and render it visually as a quilt.
I chose Ladysmith Mambazo's song Homeless, made popular in the 1980s with Paul Simon.
This time, we were to incorporate this poem into a quilt. I chose to play with 3D effects. The flying geese pop out, as do the pin wheels and the ruffles. At the time, I was also learning to do free-motion quilting, so I got to play with that, too. The poem is the centerpiece. I gave this one to my mom, and it hung on the wall in her sewing room until just recently when I passed it on to my sister in Japan.
Embrace Your Curves - 2024 Fly-In Challenge
What has more curves than an octopus with tentacles waving? Ha! Clyde the Octopus
The Kiss - 2024 March Madness Quilt Challenge
For this one, the only requirement was to use the Roman Glass fabric, which I made into her dress. I added my own challenge for this one in that I had to use only fabrics from my stash and scrap pile. I could not purchase anything new for this piece.
This is a modern rendition of Klimt's very famous painting, The Kiss, which is one of my all-time favorites!
I thought there might be a few more, but I guess this is all I did as far a challenges for the Guild.
I'm so glad to have this blog that provides a record of all these projects and challenges, as well as my process and thinking behind each one. Here's to documentation!
