Friday, October 26, 2012

It's the Bloggers' Quilt Festival for fall

Welcome to the Bloggers' Quilt Festival....Thank you Amy for hosting this event.  


I Saw A Moose
 
     I Saw A Moose  is also called my AK quilt around here.  After a family trip to Alaska in 2009,  I wanted to capture the sights and experiences of our adventure.  I was working my way through the Art Quilt Workbook at the time and many of the techniques I learned were worked into this quilt.











    The first block I started  lead me onto a path of self discovery.  I wanted to include the state flower, Fireweed.  I had lots of photos but no pattern.   Through trial and error, I discovered I could draw my own patterns.  It opened up the world of options for this quilt.   I was experimenting with  curved piecing  and used  it for the background on this block and the for the moose.



     The moose.....If you happen to be in Anchorage, look for the corner building with the purple moose painted on it, there is a great bakery inside!  My son in law made frequent stops for their lemon pie.  But actually the name for the quilt came from my daughter's remark.... "I saw a moose!".   she was doing a happy dance and so excited to see one in real life.








   All the applique was done by machine with a bit of extra thread stitching for some details....like the birch tree details and the chinking between the logs on the Chapel  on the Hill block.
  The borders were inspired by a favorite technique of mine, the blended braid.  I love to do watercolor quilts, and the blending of the braid strips are just a natural progression for me.
 






     My favorite block..... probably the glacier block.  This was the view from the cabin where we stayed. Imagine seeing this from your back door each day.
It was so amazing to watch the sunrise, and  see the colors of the mountains  come alive in the distance.



   Techniques used:  machine applique, thread painting, curved piecing, blending.
   Size:   41" by 62"
   Best category:  Applique quilt or wall hanging
   Quilted by me on my domestic machine.


Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of the  festival.  


Happy stitching.

26 comments:

Béa said...

Very beautiful memory quilt, Debbie . Bravo !

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

What a beautiful quilt and it was fun to read about your trip to Alaska and memories of it!

Janet O. said...

That is a beautiful quilt to commemorate your trip. You have done a great job of preserving the memories in fabric. It is amazing!

Quilting Babcia said...

Oh this quilt brings back memories! I lived in Alaska 30 years ago, on the outskirts of Anchorage. I'll never forget the winter day, in the wee hours of the morning when I looked up from unloading the dishwasher to find a huge furry, snowflake covered snout pressed against the kitchen window and two big brown eyes staring back at me - yep, you guessed it - a yearling moose right on our back deck! Beautiful quilt, and I love the way you blend colors and fabrics.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Just delightful! WOnderful memory quilt.

juliehallfeldhaus said...

What a beautiful quilt. You are very talented!! We loved our trip to Alaska too. I would go again.

CitricSugar said...

This is stunning! You've captured the beauty of the North...

Eileen said...

My goodness this is so fantastic!! How super creative you are and so adept at applique and quilting. Thanks for sharing and have a great day

Emma said...

What a fabulous quilt! It's beautiful, and so cleverly designed.

Barbara said...

Great quilt, Debbie. I want to start working my way through that book too. I'm going to start this month.

Calicojoan said...

You have hit my soft spot. I love Alaska. This quilt is a spectacular tribute to a beautiful state!! I want to do one for myself. :-) I wish I had the confidence to draw, the options are endless if you can. You have proved that! ???? Do you give lessons??? :-)

Pattilou said...

Debbie, you have outdone yourself on this quilt. The various blocks and your story with each one makes this a very inspiring post. Thanks for sharing! XOXO

Teje Karjalainen said...

Hi! Your quilt is gorgeus and I'm happy to see the moose! I miss them from Finland. x Teje

Sheila said...

Such a pretty quilt. Good luck.
(Just catching reading my blogs. You have been busy.)

Janet said...

What a beautiful quilt and I love the many techniques you have used. Very special!

Amy said...

Your quilt completely captivated me. I love it!!

Sunshine Girl said...

Oh this is fabulous - I think you might have inspired me to make one on California which is somewhere we have loved to visit. Your daughter sounds like me as I was beside myself with excitement when I saw a skunk in a Californian park - we don't get them in the wild here in England! Thanks for sharing. #263

Lynne said...

Gorgeous, just gorgeous! What an inspiration you are!

Lori said...

What an amazing quilt! The ones that tell a story mean so much!

pratima said...

Your quilt captures your experiences in Alaska beautifully! Every block is stunning to look at!

Rene' said...

Great quilt! I am partial to the moose block ;-)

Dana Gaffney said...

Debbie, that's wonderful! I think I like the moose best, but who doesn't like a moose.

LoBo333 said...

Your quilt is Awesome! It reminds me of our trip to Alaska. What a great way to immortalize those memories. Thanks for sharing your quilt.

Sheila said...

Great quilt.

Heidi Grohs said...

Phenomenal! Really gorgeous!!!

Karen said...

Your quilt is stunning. There is so much work involved. I can see that it will always hold special memories.

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