Thursday 25 December 2008

Quilt Challenge 2008

Autumn 2008 has seen the very first Quilting Challenge which has been held to raise funds for MacMillan nurses at Scarborough Hospital. I decided at my Five Year All Clear from Breast Cancer, this would be an excellent way to give a little back, for all the care and support I have had since first diagnosis. The 'challenge' was to create a small quilt or wallhanging, but to use at least 50% of the quarter metre of fabric supplied. The fabric was a Hoffman print cotton of multicoloured irises, and the winner would receive a free residential weekend!

The entry fee was £5, all of which was donated to the Macmillan Breast Cancer Care. A total of £235 was collected.

All the entries were of a consistently high standard, and the judges had a difficult time choosing the winners.

However, I am pleased to announce that Rosemary Richards gained first place for her entry entitled Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow.

The Iris flower is named after the Greek godess of the rainbow. It is said to symbolise a message, a promise of fair, hope, wisdom and courage, all the qualiteis needed by breast cancer sufferers and their loved ones.

The inspiration for my stained glass wallhanging came from the vibrant rainbow colours and free flowing shapes of the flowers and leaves in the challenge fabric. I used silk to reflect these wonderful colours. All the fabrics were bought locally either in Scarborough or Whitby.

I traced off several of the flowerbuds and leaves, enlarged them, then traced them again, smoothing out the outlines. The resulting designs were cut out in silk, arranged on the background fabric, edged with bias strips, and sewn in place by hand. The two large and two smalled borders of the challenge fabric complete the design.

Congratulations Rosemary. An absolutely exquisite piece of work, and I am pleased to be able to offer her a free weekend during the coming year.

Competition was so fierce that a clear runner up could not be decided, and so there are two entrants in second place.

Eileen Manser
Butterfly Garden

Colours in the designated material suggested something bright, colourful and delicate within the world of nature.








Eleanor Williams
Spray of Iris-like Flowers

Irises are tall and slender, not like me!!!!!





... and in third place ...

Sheila Taylor
View From Our Window.

Machine appliqué work. Creature cut out, then hand stitched. All these little creatures are seen around our pond. The colours of the squares are from the poppies, foxgloves, aubrieta and the yellow and blue iris.

As I do not have a 'stash', my sister gave me free access to her lovely colours.



And here are the rest, in no particular order. Enjoy ...


Winifred Reid
Log Cabin Hearts













Sandra Clarke
Herbaceous Border



Wendy Normington
Irises in my Garden















Ruth Ewbank
Shirley's Flower Garden


Sylvia Britton
Iris














Rosemary Acutt
Iris Folding; Summer Beach Hut



Millie Clayton
Snails' Trail















Pat Pickering
From Dark Days To A Brighter Future



Moreen Davies
Wishful Thinking


















Pamela Chandley
Heartfelt Love


Margaret Tomlinson
Sunburst














Jan Seys
Winter into Spring



Julie Hatton
Darling Buds
















Jackie Baur
Iris Delight





Jo Keown
Peacock













Ellen Royston
Country Landscape





Dot Gent
Are We Courting?













Alma Gaffney
Flowers for Vyv and Myra




A Big Thank You to everyone who entered. I'm looking forward to the next one already!



Happy Christmas and a Creative New Year from Maggie.