KCMQG Habitat Challenge Revealed

"Habitat"

So I entered another challenge at guild! I don't know why I really am enjoying challenges right now. I usually shy away from them. Anyhow, this challenge was to use 6 different fabrics (fat eighths) from the Habitat fabric collection by Jay McCarroll. As a rule, these fabrics weren't my favorites. #1 - I don't usually work with pastels and #2 - I don't usually work with bold prints. So when I saw the fabric, I wondered how I was going to pull this off!

Well, per my usual method, I took the fabric home, washed and ironed it and sat it on my work table and looked at it for a few days. The only rule for the quilt was that we could only add in solids or more of the Habitat fabrics. So I went to my solids and started pulling out solids that would either match or contrast with the prints. I chose lots of blues and teals, pink (I don't even know how pink got in my stash!) and yellow. Funny how just a few solids pulled together all these disparate fabrics!


Then I started experimenting with blocks and shapes. This got me no where fast, so I had a chat with myself about what I really like, which is applique. That was all I needed. I had been toying around with a pieced tree for a while and made that first, then I drew a bird and voila! Another theme I wanted to explore was minimalism. I'm on  a quest to see how few elements on a quilt can still be interesting to look at! I started with 7 birds (this was all pinned on my design wall) and every time I walked by, it seemed I took one off. When I got to 3 it just seemed "right!"

Habitat Bird.
This was my least favorite fabric in the group, but matched with the turquoise solid, it's not quite so bad to me anymore!

Another Habitat Bird.
Pink! Really!? I don't do pink. But it was fun working with things I don't normally do. Maybe I'll do more pink in the future.

Habitat Backside.
I felt like I short-changed the spirit of the challenge by using so little of the fabric on the front, so I used up some of the leftovers on the back. I just sewed together wedges of all the fabrics (about 1 1/2"-2" x 4") and cut it in a gentle curve and pieced it together with gray to make a simple backing.

The fabulous quilting was done by Kris Barlow in Lawrence, Kansas. I love how she did the large circles behind the tree branches. I think I'll remember that for another quilt. It is so interesting to look at!

To see more of the challenge quilts, click here.

"Train the Girls"
(My second Habitat challenge quilt!)

And because I ended up loving this challenge so much, I made another quilt! These are my daughter's first bras enshrined for all eternity! I saved them always planning to make this quilt when she is an adult (she's 13) but this challenge offered the perfect background for them! This idea is from Deb Rowden's book "Making Memories" - Thanks Deb for the inspiration!

And DD isn't too horrified. I think she thinks I'm nuts, but she'll get a kick out of this someday - especially when her daughter is training her girls!

Congratulations to aztel2000 and peach rainbow for winning the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks issues!