"Alliances: Soil and Sky"....New Project

The Alliance for American Quilts is once again holding its annual competition/fund raiser.



This year's theme is "Alliances: People, Pattern, Passions"; the quilt size is again 16" X 16", and the deadline is March 7th, 2011. (The deadline is early this year because all the quilts will be shown at the American Quilters Society show in Paducah, Kentucky in April!) You still have plenty of time to create your entry.
There are many great prizes; check them all out here, along with the contest guidelines. The Grand Prize is the winner's choice of any long arm machine made by HandiQuilter. Winners are selected by online voting of Alliance members...you can become one and support this great nonprofit for the small fee of $25. This about covers the entry fee for the competition, too, which is but $5.00 for members, $25 for non-members.

Because I am currently serving on the board of AAQ, my quilt will not be eligible for the contest. But I still love participating, and my quilt will be auctioned off with all the others on Ebay in the fall.

I've just started my entry, "Alliances: Soil and Sky". I've been wanting to make this quilt for a long time.

I gathered my elements....

....started laying out my basic background with pins....

...and sewed it down with clear monofiliment thread in a narrow zigzag stitch.
These paintings (except the top one, which is by Manjiree) are by Julius Guzy. Both artists graciously gave me permission to use their work in a quilt.

I have begun arranging a possible frame around the perimeter.

We'll see...
Naturally all kinds of green shoots are going to emerge from the soil, and some pithy phrase will go across the top...I love working this way and am so glad to be starting on my Alliance quilt. It's about Spring, too, isn't it? ;-)