"Blossom's Journey" Pilgrim/Roy Challenge Quilt 2012 Live Auction AQS Show, Paducah 2012 40 1/2" square My quilt is finished! I was invited to be part of this year's Pilgrim and Roy Challenge, a group of quilts made by well known quilters to be auctioned live at the AQS show in Paducah to raise funds for the National Quilt Museum. The quilts were due last April but because of health problems I was unable to complete mine until this winter. But it's done, will be exhibited at the quilt show in the convention center with the other magnificent quilts already featured and displayed this past year. To see them and think about bidding on one or more of them, click here. The quilt auction is Thursday evening April 26, 6-8 p.m. with food available beforehand in the food tent. You can bid online if you won't be at the event: http://www.quiltmuseum.org/auction1.html The quilt was made of a packet of challenge fabrics by Moda from Hancock's of Paducah, and I added two additional fabrics to complete the design. Quilting motifs are original, including the animals from my Quilting Whimsy digitized embroidery designs for OESD. The animals were traced to the quilt, but the feathers surrounding it are done freehand and are not symmetrical or matching, totally organic. I thought the birds, cats, and rabbits looked best surrounded by flowing natural greenery. I used YLI #100 silk thread and YLI Sparkle thread, and Pellon Legacy wool batt, and the lovely piping/binding was made using Susan Cleveland's Piping Hot Binding materials, book, and technique, which worked wonderfully. Love it. Below is a detail of the border quilting. I will add more photos in an upcoming post so if you are interested in purchasing this quilt you will have more detailed information. If you are going to the AQS Show in Paducah, you can see it there, which is always so much better than a photo. The motifs are outlined in taupe/gold YLI Sparkle thread which gives it such a richness and vintage warmth. All of the quilters involved in this project made stunning quilts, and we hope you will be generous and bid and support the museum. Your contribution will be tax deductible, plus you will own a piece of quilting history from some of your favorite iconic quilters. I hope whatever quilt you choose to buy you will be thrilled with this opportunity to own and see every single day something that will enrich your life so much and do so much to support our museum. The museum belongs to all of us, and we have to do as much as we can to support it. The story of this quilt is all about Blossom, a lovely and amazingly sweet little tabby cat who found our home in the snows and ice of February, and went through a long and incredible journey of trust with us to find a new life. While that was going on, I made this quilt, a happy diversion for Oliver and me, and included the two cats on it to represent this ordeal. The "Trip Around the World" pattern is very fitting indeed. It has a good ending, and Blossom has a new home with a family in our town. The quilt I hope will find a new home too. Please spread the word about these quilts so as many people as possible will know about them and think about buying one of them. I thank you so much. I am making plans to go to Sneak Preview at the AQS Paducah show and opening day, so please say hi if you see me, whip out a feather plume to show me, and I will be happy. Can't wait to see the quilts, see old friends, do some shopping, see what everyone has been making! Keep quilting, your work gets better every day! Diane