AZ Penquins

Last summer I took a class with Michelle Jackson.

Art quilts aren't really my cup of tea but I wanted to learn some of her techniques.

I didn't want to do a landscape or a portrait....so I picked a pic of a penguin.  Thought  I would do a couple of them in technicolor.

But then I realized I should learn some of her techniques so I made a realistic penguin.  I love him but needed something to make it more my style.  So I added three colorful panels.

 The only way to put them together was to make each one a panel and then quilt as you go.  Fun.

 I quilted fish in the stomachs of a couple of them and then just had fun.

It ended up being something like 50 x 80.  I only have one wall that can handle it well.  So these penquins are living the life in Arizona.

I bartered away the quilt off my bed!

Last year while we were AZ for the winter I was looking for someone to put pendant lights in my kitchen over my island.  My friend's husband was so nice to say he would put them in for me if they could have the quilt, they had been coveting, that was on my bed.  Hmmmm..... let me think. YES of course I will trade.  
So I got the lights and sent my quilt to its new home.
8 short months later I realize it is time to head south again and I have no quilt on my bed.  Yikes.
I had a fun focus fabric so off I went. As often happens my focus fabric took a back seat, but it is still in the quilt (that doesn't always happen)

As you can see we had a blue sky day in the big sky state, that doesn't always happen either!

The pattern is loosely based on a quilt I saw by Amy Ellis.

I love how it turned out.

 As usual, I had a ton of fun quilting it.  I stayed with the same pattern the whole way thru! Pfffu.  That was a good character building exercise for me.  No mindless meandering.  Say What! Nope!

These two pic's are bad!  The back is Hoffman or Kaufman ( who can keep them straight)
Raven batik.

I love the scrunchy goodness of batik when it has been washed.

 This baby is 145 x 91.  Don't think I can make a normal size quilt.

Better late than later.....

Warning...this is a photo heavy post.  

I had so much fun quilting this quilt.  I tried all sorts of designs.  

This is all free motion.  Some good some not so good. 

My son was married in 2011 and I told them I would make them a quilt.

 Well 4 years and 2 kids later this is what I delivered to them last night.

 These triangles are my favorite, I think.

 This is the finished quilt.  It is huge.  Something like 135 x 100 after I washed it.

Woohoo.  Gotta love a finish.
I saw this quilt in a Modern Quilting magazine last year.  I don't have the mag any longer so I can't give credit to the quilt maker.
My kids were thrilled with it.  Their 3 year old quickly made a tent out of it.  I don't care how it is used as long as it is used.