Well – this week was a bit crazy. BUT I couldn’t bow out of this challenge. I have completed a quilt for EVERY Regular season Project QUILTING Challenge we’ve had so far and this was NOT going to be my first week not participating. Plus…I’m pretty sure I’m the one that is always on everyone’s case that you CAN finish a quilt in a week…just think small. So small, I though.
First – finding time to get to the grocery store. I went on Monday night between picking my girls up from school and dropping them off at dance. I forgot my camera – so I used my phone.
I snapped a few pictures. I made a collage so I could look at it all in one shot.
Tuesday morning, Cedi had a dentist appointment. Now – this wasn’t your typical dentist appointment. We went to a college for dental hygienist’s so a friend could use Cedi as one of her ‘practice’ (for lack of a better word) patients. Which means – that although the visit was super inexpensive (just $35) it did take 3 hours. Cedi did AMAZING! It was fun for her though as they did much more than is typically done at a cleaning. Like taking a slide of the plaque in her mouth so she could see the bacteria moving around and putting dye on her teeth so she could see where she needed to focus on brushing more. During the visit – I started to sketch some ideas for my quilt. I knew I wanted to keep it small…like mug rug small…but I also knew that I had to be inspired by THREE things so mug rug small might be difficult. I had a few things I couldn’t get out of my mind when thinking about this challenge. First – shapes. I knew somehow I wanted this to be very geometric. Second – Carla’s quilt from last week used the One Block Wonder method and I love that just by using a shape of fabric with the same pattern on each you can create an entirely new piece of fabric.
My sketched turned into flowers made from items found in particular sections of the grocery store. I had five flowers drawn…I finished two!
I didn’t start my project until Friday afternoon (Wednesday was prepping for Nancy and Ash Wednesday and Thursday was the BIG DAY)…and I had two projects done before I went to bed on Friday night. My goal to keep my piece simple worked!
I made my veggie flower first. I kept the ‘shape’ of the veggies I was inspired by – lettuce leaf, green bean, and pea pod – but ignored their color…too much green for my flower! By using hand-dyed fabric for my flower I was able to add depth without making it too busy. I also blanket stitched around each shape and did a radiating linear line out from the flower to the fabric edge. I’m very happy with this!
If you want to make a veggie flower I posted a pattern on my Craftsy site!
Next – the Snack Flower! I was in a zone so I just kept going! I’ll be the first to admit – I’m a chip girl. I love crunch, I love salt, and I love to munch! This flower came from the shapes of a potato chip, tortilla chip, and a cheese puff (the crunchy kind of course). This one I made into a small quilt that I plan to use as a mug rug.
If you want to make a block like this – head over to my craftsy store and get the pattern/templates!
I’m sure I’ll be making up more ‘Grocery’ Flowers so keep an eye out for more patterns! Who knows…maybe there will be a sampler quilt in the end!
Kim, you have done it again! I love this comment: "I kept the ‘shape’ of the veggies I was inspired by – lettuce leaf, green bean, and pea pod – but ignored their color." That is quite a lesson in creativity all on its own. I also really like your photo collage of the store! Mind-opening! Thanks!