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Featured Quilt: Social Bubbles

Announcing the GRAND PRIZE WINNER in the RISE UP QUILT CHALLENGE!

Social Bubbles by Denise DeGrandis, Thornberry, Ontario, Canada

GRAND PRIZE WINNER IN THE RISE UP QUILT CHALLENGE!

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SEE ALL RISE UP CHALLENGE ENTRIES HERE

About the Winning Entry

From Denise:

Where to begin? This challenge has made me consider my effort to remain optimistic during this ever present devastating coronavirus. Ten years ago, I saw a thriller film called “Contagion”. The situation in that movie has become far too real. The societal chaos, isolation from and loss of loved ones, only leaving home for essentials and the forming of social bubbles has become a reality. Being retired and with no family close by it has been extremely important to keep busy, focus on and be grateful for the positive things in our lives. Thankfully, in our little bubble, we have 3 lovable dogs that help make our home feel busy.

Realizing that while everyone’s social bubble is different, they also have much in common, a strong desire to resume our ‘normal life’. My depiction of social bubbles are circles in a variety of sizes and colours surrounded by purple to show different feelings and relationships. The blended brick wall in the background shows the difficulty to move forward until everyone has been vaccinated. I thought the brightest part of this piece needed to be the phoenix symbolizing the vaccine arriving so we can, hopefully, all safely leave our social bubbles this summer!

Xanadu
by Carol Moellers of
Greene, Iowa, won 2nd place.

Carol says:

These last 10 months there have been lots of ups and downs, good days and bad. Being a business owner there have been some very uncertain, stressful moments. Making business altering changes to protect our staff and clients. Calming fears and trying our best to keep everyone safe from contacting the virus. Working through dealing with supply shortages of paper towels, cleaners, masks, hand sanitizers, spending hours trying to find suppliers to send us these needed items. Days were long and stressful. At the end of the day I would go to my studio to unwind and just relieve the stresses of the day. Xanadu was made to symbolize the emotions during this pandemic. I named it Xanadu because this is my "place" where I go to find peace and contentment. I was sitting on the couch early one morning working on my computer and looked up as the sun was rising. This beautiful, colorful sunrise was being painted across the morning sky. At that moment it hit me what to create for this Rise Up Challenge.

A huge thank you to all who submitted and shared their stories and inspired creative endeavors during the time of this historic global pandemic. The additional entries can be seen here.

TRY THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

Choose your own difficulty. Click the 9-patch grid to change number of pieces. Click the circle arrow to make the puzzle pieces rotating instead of stable orientation. Also, there are tips under the "?" on the upper right of the puzzle. If you'd like a full screen version, click the button below. Have fun!

Jigsaw Puzzle

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Photos of the Week

2021 Photo Critique Group

Challenge: Obsessive Compulsive
Photo by Ross Millikan

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Ross says:

A marbled godwit among the American avocets. Shorebirds that dig in the mud often gather in large flocks at high tide, waiting for the tide to drop and expose the mud flats again. They usually gather by species, but there are often a few interlopers. I took a bunch of shots and like having the godwit off center. There is another just out of the frame on the upper right. Minor light adjustment in Lightroom.

52 Week Challenge Class

Challenge: One Shape
Photo by Jeff Aleman

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Jeff says:

Wheelbarrel in the snow

2021 Smart Phone Challenges

Challenge: Point
Photo by Laura Minch

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Laura says:

I’m fortunate that there is a lot of math homework in my house. I had many pencils to choose from.

Ricky's Challenge Photos:

Challenge: Point
from the 2021 Smart Phone Challenges

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Ricky says:

My attempt to compose a point with a reward at the end. This is actually just a light on the ceiling and my outstretched arm. It is edited with an extreme filter from prisma.

Challenge: Obsessive Compulsive
from the 2021 Photo Critique Group

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Ricky says:

I was in LaVeta from mid-week dealing with the hard-drive failure and still trying to present my first virtual Quilt Luminarium. In all of the chaos, I did not bring my camera to town. I'm still in town tending to the wrap up, and (being very bad) posting nearly 12 hours after the deadline. This is iPhone - I have all the little soldiers stair-stepping, but one is shorter and leaning - maybe a bit drunk...which I think is what I need to be after what transpired these past 8 days.

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Featured Quilt: Controlled Chaos

Controlled Chaos by Anonymous

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This was a fun find in an antique store during a brief stop in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The price was most definitely right—actually, a steal of a deal. Each patch is hand sewn with a technique that uses a type of quilting running stitch that is top stitched right along the folded edges. It doesn’t use the typical blind stitch used in traditional appliqué.

I bought the quilt in a bit of haste, but once I got it home an got a good look, I was so pleased to see the harmony of all these fabric. They repeat in places over the surface giving continuity in overall color. They also are all of the same era, same general style.

Then, the craziness of the crazy patchwork is subdued by the blocks having definition. There are nine rectangular primary blocks in the quilt. The top doesn’t have an additional border, but the left, right, and bottom, have an obvious border which also controls the chaos. Thus, the name I have given this wonderful find in my collection.

Like a typical crazy quilt, there is no batting inside - so it is more of a summer coverlet. But unlike a typical crazy quilt, there are no embroidered embellishments anywhere on it. Now - for one of the hardest jigsaw puzzled to date. Are you up for the challenge?

TRY THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

Jigsaw Puzzle

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Featured Quilt: The Beat Goes On

The Beat Goes On by Ricky Tims

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On April 24 in the year 2000, I had quadruple heart bypass surgery. I was 44 years old. Of course it was an unexpected turn of events and it was a serious life-changing situation. Fortunately I was home in about three days, and after about two days of writing thank you notes for all the cards I received, I was ready to make a quilt. Exactly one week to the day after my surgery I went to my studio and began drawing this quilt.

My mom and dad were visiting. They were there for the surgery and helped me through the recovery. Since my dad was also a quilter he was very interested in spending time with me in the studio. I designed this quilt, and used my foundation string piecing method to put it together. Since I tear the strips for this method, I really couldn’t manage to tear them due to my surgery and having limited use of my arms, so my dad tore all the strips for me. I made the “top in less than four days. I waited a couple of weeks until I was ready to wrestle it under the machine to do the free motion quilting. I named it The Beat Goes On as a tribute to my heart surgery, but also, as you might expect, after the well-known song by Sonny and Cher.

Love is in the air this week. Who does your heart beat for?

TRY THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

Jigsaw Puzzle

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Viva Violetta!

Mrs. Moo with her Viva Violetta

Mrs. Moo's Viva Violetta

My original Viva Violetta
(pattern available)

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Mrs. Moo put her own spin on my Viva Violetta pattern and I love how it turned out! Check out her story:

I have been quilting since 2000. We had moved from California to Colorado end of 2005. In 2009 I'm teaching begining quilting class at High Country Quilts CO. Saw your book Feathers & Urns, love the design and colors. I am always want to try a new technique and free motion quilting.

Also had your free motion DVD too.

I had start working on the quilt beginning 2011. This is the only quilt I have timed to see how long going to take to finished and it take about 380 hours to completed. I am very happy. Thanks to you "Ricky" your instructions are wonderful. Now I am teaching quilting class at First Stitches Pueblo and Canon City Colorado.

You can get my Viva Violetta pattern here. It is printed on demand so please allow an additional week or more for processing.

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