What is black and white with thread through and through???
The Me + You Virtual Fabric Challenge by Hoffman Fabric and Sewtopia
Luckily I saw the post about a Virtual Fabric Challenge as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed. Sewtopia hosted it along with a sponsor, Hoffman Fabric. The first 80 people that signed up got six black and white fat quarters for free. All I had to do was pay for shipping. What a steal, right?
We were able to use it in any project we wanted: bags, table runner, quilt – the sky’s the limit. The fabric is from Hoffman Fabric. Part of a collection designed by Me + You. It was handcrafted in Bali. I’d never used Batiks before and let me just say I loved the quality of this fabric. I loved not having to worry about which side of that fabric I pinned or sewed. What I loved most was the cute almost heart looking fabric. I think I NEED a couple of yards of this fabric just because. We received the fabric the last week of March and the deadline to submit the finished project by email was the last day of May. Prizes will be given to the 1st and 2nd place project so wish me luck!
It was with a mind full of turmoil and a clear objective in sight that I set out to make this quilt. I had six different patterns swimming around my head. I would take turns asking my sister, mom, and husband what they thought and each day I would decide on a different pattern. This is why I got such a late start on making it. Starting the first week of May presented a little trouble since the completed project has to be submitted on the last day of May. Determined not to let my procrastination take hold any longer, I made up my mind and pushed ahead.
I feel like I was able to get the biggest bang out my free fabric by choosing one large star block as the focal point. Very carefully I cut up my six fat quarters. Adding four fat quarters of pink and orange to complement the block. The center square was originally going to be pink. But when I laid the pieces out on the floor, I placed the white and black fabric on top of the pink and the star came to life.
My Virtual Fabric Challenge quilt was trial and error the whole way. I started by making two test blocks to check that my seams would line up and they did so. Then, I had some trimming to do but I didn’t worry about that. I finished the block, added more fabric for the borders and had a lot of fun with the back. My mom really felt like the quilting had to work with the star, meaning it had to be quilted with free motion or by hand. Now I don’t know about you, but if I hand quilt this quilt even at this lap- size quilt, it would take a year. If I am honest, more than a year. Heck, I still haven’t finished a quilt that I started hand quilting 12 years ago. Hand quilting was off the table.
That brings me to free motion quilting. OK maybe on the long arm. I decided I would try it. If it didn’t work I would stop and do a repeating pattern (because I knew from experience if I used my domestic machine it would not be good enough for the challenge) because I had to get the quilting done that day. With the help of my mom and sister and wanting to pull my hair out, I finished the quilting that (long) day. I was still on my timeline. Now all I needed to do was the binding and take photos.
When I take in the black and white fabrics I get a sense of stars or lights in building windows. I see movement and think urban. That is why when my husband and I drove past the wall from Epic Cafe we stopped and I took photos of the quilt there. It might be a too modern, the Street Art might be too much, but it felt right. We took photos, we met the owner of the cafe and we had a delicious lunch. I submitted my photos the day of the deadline and I was so happy to be done. I hope you like this quilt as much as I do!! And fingers crossed I hope to learn about the winning quilts soon. You should take a look at the beautiful work created for this challenge. Use #sewtopiavirtualchallenge to check out all of the entries.
If you would like to see more star quilts click here.
Have a great day and quilt on!
