You can do anything, but lay off my ... HEH..be sure to vote!
It's time for Challenge 3 voting, the final round of McCalls Quilt Design Star!
I've said it many times, I know, but I cannot believe all this and that I'm even partaking in the final round!! Thank you to all who have voted in the past and to those who voted me into first place in the second challenge. I do hope you think this last creation is worthy of your votes again.
As soon as I read what our challenge involved...this song came to mind! And wouldn't you know it? It's a song I don't care for ... at all!! So here we go with a double challenge again - inspiration from lyrics to a well known song and working with a song I don't really like! Oh boy!
But before I made it home from work (something told me to check my emails before I left work) I already had the start of the challenge in my brain. I hurried into the house and I put the ideas down on paper. Then someone said something about working on a project from the "outside in". Start working from the borders then design towards the middle? Hmmm interesting concept. Yes, I decided to add that to the challenge. And I have loads of fun with it! Whatever I do has to be easy, simple and fun!
Can you believe that this all fell into place as each part/section was thought of? It just flowed so easy, which surprised me with working on a song I don't really like! One thing I did know was that there had to be shoes in the middle - some how. I also knew I would use the pinwheel block as it is a "basic" block and something beginners would know how to do. See, when I work on something like this (sometimes I design something just for fun and it never goes anywhere), I make it so that a beginner quilter would be able to do it, but an advance quilter would enjoy making it and add their own touches to it to make it their own. So many of my creations end up very simple. My KISS method is - Keep It Sewn Simply! ;-)
There are many techniques used in this piece. And I was having so much fun thinking this all out and putting it together. While I was sewing this piece up the fun was dwindling slowly as I was fretting on how I was going to quilt this piece and so much so that I wasn't having fun anymore.
I was so afraid that I would mess this piece up with the quilting, but there was only me so I had to work myself up to completing it. Then came time to quilt ....oh no!!! What am I going to do? So I started stitching in the ditch, trying ever so hard to be "perfect". As I worked on this, ideas on what next to quilt started to form. Try this... rip it out; try this... rip it out....finally after ripping something out the third time at trying to get it perfect I had a light bulb moment!! I don't have a big fancy machine to quilt with, and I am definitely "not" perfect, so why am I trying so hard to be perfect now? Once I gave myself the permission to "fail" I then started to have fun! The machine quilting was then done as I know how on my domestic sewing machine and I even hand quilted all the notes so that they looked how I wanted them to. Oh my gosh the fun had returned!! YES!! This is how it is supposed to feel when you do something you love!
Thank you to all, family, friends and those I have never met, who have voted for me to get me into the third and final Challenge of McCall's Quilt Design Star 2011. Thank you to all who will vote for me in this round as well. Huge thank you's to The Quilting Barn and staff for supplying me with everything I needed to make this beautiful piece and for all their encouragement! And last but not least, thank you Martha aka Chester!! Thank you my dear hubby for being my biggest supporter during all the challenges, you are a keeper! ♥
It has been such a ride, one I will not forget for a very long, long time and I have all off you voters to thank for that, as well as McCall's Quilting and all the sponsors..... THANK YOU!
So head to McCall's Quilting and check out all the great entries and don't forget to vote, even if it isn't for me!
Please vote!!
Forever in stitches,
Shirley in Canada!
I've said it many times, I know, but I cannot believe all this and that I'm even partaking in the final round!! Thank you to all who have voted in the past and to those who voted me into first place in the second challenge. I do hope you think this last creation is worthy of your votes again.
As soon as I read what our challenge involved...this song came to mind! And wouldn't you know it? It's a song I don't care for ... at all!! So here we go with a double challenge again - inspiration from lyrics to a well known song and working with a song I don't really like! Oh boy!
But before I made it home from work (something told me to check my emails before I left work) I already had the start of the challenge in my brain. I hurried into the house and I put the ideas down on paper. Then someone said something about working on a project from the "outside in". Start working from the borders then design towards the middle? Hmmm interesting concept. Yes, I decided to add that to the challenge. And I have loads of fun with it! Whatever I do has to be easy, simple and fun!
Can you believe that this all fell into place as each part/section was thought of? It just flowed so easy, which surprised me with working on a song I don't really like! One thing I did know was that there had to be shoes in the middle - some how. I also knew I would use the pinwheel block as it is a "basic" block and something beginners would know how to do. See, when I work on something like this (sometimes I design something just for fun and it never goes anywhere), I make it so that a beginner quilter would be able to do it, but an advance quilter would enjoy making it and add their own touches to it to make it their own. So many of my creations end up very simple. My KISS method is - Keep It Sewn Simply! ;-)
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| Don't step on my Blue Suede Shoes! |
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| Piano keys and records! |
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| Blue Suede |
There are many techniques used in this piece. And I was having so much fun thinking this all out and putting it together. While I was sewing this piece up the fun was dwindling slowly as I was fretting on how I was going to quilt this piece and so much so that I wasn't having fun anymore.
I was so afraid that I would mess this piece up with the quilting, but there was only me so I had to work myself up to completing it. Then came time to quilt ....oh no!!! What am I going to do? So I started stitching in the ditch, trying ever so hard to be "perfect". As I worked on this, ideas on what next to quilt started to form. Try this... rip it out; try this... rip it out....finally after ripping something out the third time at trying to get it perfect I had a light bulb moment!! I don't have a big fancy machine to quilt with, and I am definitely "not" perfect, so why am I trying so hard to be perfect now? Once I gave myself the permission to "fail" I then started to have fun! The machine quilting was then done as I know how on my domestic sewing machine and I even hand quilted all the notes so that they looked how I wanted them to. Oh my gosh the fun had returned!! YES!! This is how it is supposed to feel when you do something you love!
Thank you to all, family, friends and those I have never met, who have voted for me to get me into the third and final Challenge of McCall's Quilt Design Star 2011. Thank you to all who will vote for me in this round as well. Huge thank you's to The Quilting Barn and staff for supplying me with everything I needed to make this beautiful piece and for all their encouragement! And last but not least, thank you Martha aka Chester!! Thank you my dear hubby for being my biggest supporter during all the challenges, you are a keeper! ♥
It has been such a ride, one I will not forget for a very long, long time and I have all off you voters to thank for that, as well as McCall's Quilting and all the sponsors..... THANK YOU!
So head to McCall's Quilting and check out all the great entries and don't forget to vote, even if it isn't for me!
Please vote!!
Forever in stitches,
Shirley in Canada!
Glad the journey ended on a fun note. Pun intended. I like your quilt and the song. I am an Elvis fan, but never thought of doing one of his songs. Well, Maybe Jailhouse Rock...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary!!
ReplyDeleteClick on the pictures to get a closer view of Blue Suede :)
ReplyDeleteLove the story. What could be better than blue suede shoes???? Maybe not a favorite song, but one everyone knows. Ya done good again! Gotta go vote.
ReplyDeleteShirley....I am a HUGE Elvis fan and was so excited when I saw this quilt!! It is really a masterpiece...you are so clever!! I have been voting all week (usually on facebook...so easy to click) and will continue voting!
ReplyDeleteDid you get anything special for being the round 2 winner beyond the recognition?
ReplyDeleteNothing yet that I know of, Marlene ;-) But coming first was a huge win in itself!!
ReplyDelete