Creative Quilt Challenges

Wendy remembers dreaming of colors when she was very young. Her first sewing projects were doll quilts and clothing. In high school, Wendy created a vinyl bikini bathing suit and waterproof raincoat using bread wrappers. When her sewing teacher insisted it couldn't be done, Wendy made a faux fur coat with perfect bound buttonholes to prove that it could. In 1971, Wendy made her first big quilt: a replica of the floor of the Taj Mahal, in corduroy, for a king-size bed. Creative work with fabrics and fibers, by both hand and machine, has been a steady force in Wendy's life. An incident in a Dansk Outlet store a few years ago made Wendy appreciate the power of imagination. The sales person insisted Wendy couldn't use the steeply discounted saucers as plates- for appetizers. The salesperson patiently explained the difference between saucers and plates, as if Wendy grew up in a cave and didn't know any better. But Wendy and all quilters know that saucers can become plates and a pile of fabrics can become a beautiful quilt- by letting imagination lead the way. Wendy follows her ideas wherever they may take her, from a reversible chicken/egg doll (Housewife Hen/Rietta on the Town) to thread-web quilts to bed quilts and more. In the past few years Wendy has gotten carried away (okay, obsessed) with Tyvec, circle patterns, zippers and new variations of log cabin blocks. The abundance of products and information can be overwhelming. Wendy reminds us that it's easy to make a quilt- it just takes a lifetime to play with our imagination and learn from experience. Wendy's work has been in print in some form since 1992. She has contributed projects to several books and authored magazine articles and four books (On the Surface: Thread Embellishment & Fabric Manipulation (1997), Two-for-One Foundation Piecing: Reversible Quilts and More (2001), and Fast, Fun & Easyr Incredible Thread-A-Bowls (2005), Easy Bias Covered Curves, Create Quilts with WOW Appeal (2006) with C&T Publishing).

Dedication Acknowledgments Introduction: Challenge Yourself The Challenges of Challenge Quilts Challenge #1: Re-Imagine an Old Block with a New Twist Using the Bright Hopes Block Improvisationally Deconstructing the White House Steps Block Challenge #2: The Value of Value Using Value to Create and Play with Pattern Using Value to Set the Mood Challenge #3: Unlikely Materials Using a Monochromatic Color Scheme to Incorporate the Unlikely Material Using Color to Accentuate the Unlikely Material Challenge #4: Pass It Back and Forth (And Do Not Speak) Using Repetition to Unify the Elements in One Quilt Using Repetition to Unify the Elements in a Triptych Challenge #5: The Collection Using a Collection of Echino Fabrics Using ????// Challenge #6: Invent Your Own Challenge Keeping it Simple Focusing on Circles Challenge #7: Mix It Up Painting, Stamping, and Raw-Edge Construction Surface Stitching, Thread Texturing, and Creating New Fabric Show Me How Reversible Double-Fold Binding Machine Topstitched Binding Facing Finish Freeform Sawtooth Stars Inset Squares Pressing Advice and Seam Treatments Quilting-As-You-Sew with Seam Covers Quilting-As-You-Sew to Batting Professional Looking Satin Stitched Edge Finish Thread Texturing, Surface Stitching, and Satin Stitched Triangles Using Zippers in Your Quilts More Quilts Resources About the Authors