Jill's Quilt...Progress!

My quilt for Simplicity's Pink Bandana Challenge has been my focus since returning home from the Adventure in Crazy Quilting in CT. I am loving this project not only for the joy of making it, but also because it promotes breast cancer awareness and will be contributing money to research for a cure.

I put some of the motifs I received in Connecticut to work right away!
The crocheted yellow rudbeckia is from the Maryland ladies who attended.

And the Black Eyed Susan is from our Mistress of Ceremonies, Susan Elliott.

I love that my friends' work is joining me on this quilt.

I used my Accuquilt Go! Cutter to cut out some hearts for some of the blocks...

I don't know how I lived without this tool....!

I machine appliqued the hearts onto their backgrounds and then buttonhole stitched them down, also with the machine, using #12 silk perle thread and a #110 jeans needle.

Sue Weeks's beaded motif was just perfect for the center here.

I trimmed and assembled all the blocks together, and now will have the grand fun of creating embellishments and sashing for the center block.

I'm enjoying pushing this crazy quilt into a contemporary, graphic direction. I've mixed handwork and machine work together, too, in a way I haven't tried before.

For the center I have a feeling some of these are going to show up....

While these were not made by M & S Schmalberg, the owner, Warren, gave them to me while I was there in NYC last week. (See Cathy K's fabulous post about our visit there.)

So some people who are dear to me are coming together here on this quilt...seems symbolic of the way to defeat breast cancer too.