Modern Mini Challenge!

Good Morning, Sunshine!

   I was so excited to enter the modern Mini Challenge! It's technically the first quilting contest I have ever entered. I ended up entering the Sliced contest the other day(and it's not really a quilting contest). But I committed to this contest first, and I completed this project first. I just had to wait until today to submit my quilt!

  I tried a few techniques I have never tried before. I did curved piecing which I learned by a tutorial posted by Blogger Diane Bohn at from blank pages. She made it look so easy, and really, it was. Thanks, Diane! 

   The other thing I tried was my new dresden ruler. I needed bigger rays for my sun than the ruler could provide. All I had to do was extend them out. The hardest part was getting the half circle right. I thought I could apply the same principal as curved piecing to cut it. When I went to piece them It wouldn't lay flat. there was a BIG rippleright in the middle of my rays. So the second time around I cut my half circle 1/4 in bigger than the inner part of the rays. I held my breath as I pieced and voila, it worked. 

  Another thing I haven't tried is working with all solids. My quilts are usually a little to busy with prints quite frankly. I have a love prints and would rather spend my money on them I guess.But I am really starting to appreciate solids!

  With the quilting I  pretty much did the same thing on the top as the bottom with the exception of clouds on top and water on the bottom all FMQing on a home sewing machine. The sun was quilted using a design based on Leah Day's Flame Spiral. I was aiming for a reflection of the sun in the water type look. I'm not sure if I achieved this, but the ideas in my head rarely look the same as the finished product.

   I really had fun with this. My quilt made many changes before the sewing stage. I am really happy with how it turned out!! Oh, one more thing. the quilt measures 23 and 7/8 inches. Just under the 24 in. maximum.