It took me forever and a day to come up with an idea for this challenge. In the end, I went with what I was pondering in the first place (isn't that always the way it works??), although I had to idea it would be in the context of Minnesota.
My idea first began thinking about fractured quilts, and my final project used a little bit of that idea. My inspiration was earthquakes, and then I came across this interesting link from the Minneapolis Star Tribune about earthquakes that have hit Minnesota. Growing up in South Dakota, I do recall one very mild earthquake event that hit my area, but have not experienced any since my relocation to Minnesota.
For my quilt, I decided to take a piece of fabric with a bit of a nature scene that made me think of Minnesota. I traced out the state outline onto SoftFuse and fused it to be back of that fabric. Then I cut the the piece into 1-inch strips. I fused it onto Grunge fabric in a deep teal that made me think of the lakes of Minnesota (since we are the land of 10,000 lakes) in a staggered arrangement, hoping to give the idea of being shaken. I stitched around each strip using raw edge applique with a cream thread.
So that was pretty simplistic. I pondered whether I could add anything else, and considered some wording, but in the end decided to go with simple. Here's a view of the back, with the same fabric I used for the state outline.
I had a little bit of fun with the quilting, and decided to quilt a siesmometer readout design over the fractured state outline. Thinking it would be a quick quilting idea, but it took me longer than I thought it would. I used a light variegated cream thread, so that it would show against the teal but fade into the state outline.
Hopefully you can see that in this angled shot, where the light picks up the quilting a bit better.
I'm looking forward to seeing the other interpretations of this theme. It was a tough one for me!
Wendy
Really like where you went with this Wendy, the seismometer quilting was inspired :)
ReplyDeleteThank you - sometimes it's worth just letting the quilt sit there until a quilting idea pops into your head!
DeleteThanks - I still feel like I need to add something, so we'll see. I did enjoy the quilting part, quite a bit, even though it took longer than I thought it would.
ReplyDeleteThe seismometer shows up well! (Spell check does not like my spelling of seismometer and offers me "isomerism" instead -- I have never heard of that word!)
ReplyDeleteI like the fractured nature and I think it will be a conversation starter that teaches people something they never knew about Minnesota! :)
Thanks - my computer had the same issues with that spelling - haha! I agree that this quilt will be a conversation starter. We rarely think about earthquakes in a landlocked area!
DeleteWhat a great idea! I am trying to study Geology at the moment and the fractures you have created are just like the parallel faults I've been learning about. Love the seismic quilting too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Catherine! What an interesting study, something we all know about, but really don't fully understand!
DeleteGreat interpretation of the theme. I like your idea of tracing the design onto the soft fuse. And your inspiration for the quilting was genius!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barbara - you know how long it took me to get going on this! I thought the quilting might spice it up a little - it needed something!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea and the quilting. I didn't know you had earthquakes in Minnesota. I grew up in California, and experienced several there and a major one in Italy.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, the way they described the earthquakes was as though one were lifting a rock off a sponge (if I'm remembering correctly), so our earthquakes are relatively gentle compared to those elsewhere in the world. Still, I found it interesting, and it brought back a few memories!
DeleteI was in the Washington, DC earthquake ten years ago. I remember the tremendous sound of it, and the table skittering across the floor as the walls began to undulate. Your seismic quilting perfectly conveys the feeling as Minnesota comes apart -figuratively, thank goodness.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maureen. I recall a small earthquake while a young adult in South Dakota, seeing a quarter skitter across the table of its own volition. That was about the worst we experienced. The seismic quilting was fun!
DeleteThis is wonderful. A clever idea for your quilt and you've constructed it beautifully :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janine. It took me forever to come up with something, but I'm okay with it in the end!
DeleteThis was a great idea and it turned out nicely.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nancy. It was a bit last minute, but I got it done!
DeleteReally like how the elements came together especially the quilting. We're supposed to get really mild earth movements here so thankfully I've never experienced it either. I think you capture the disorientation really well with the colour, spikes of the wave and the broken land.
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