Barbara's Fruit Stand Challenge

Posted by Barbara Bilbo

I looked at the fruit stand picture and decided to do a raw edge collage. After working long and hard, the piece didn't work. Besides, it was too large to be accepted. So I folded it up and away.

Then I decided to do a more abstract piece with the feel of the bushes and the flowers. I also put in the rock wall. And... I did it the correct size.

2009 Retreat: Fabric, Friends and Fun

by Lisa-Marie Sanders


Does your quilting group have an annual retreat? If not, I’d highly recommend it! We just finished our annual weekend retreat and it was a blast. Our monthly meetings are great but it is hard to surpass the bonding that takes place when you spend two days together crammed into small condos, stepping around sewing machines, supplies and drying fabric. I loved watching my friends as they struggled with creative or technical decisions. I loved the help and insights that each person brought to bear on my dilemmas.

There is something from everyone in each of my projects from the retreat: fabric from Irene, paint from Paula, beads from Jill, yarn from Ruth Anne, Photoshop work from Martha and borders from Ellen. And though we worked a lot, we played too. We had a road trip to a bead shop, we took a post-midnight turtle walk on the beach, we dined together and we learned more about each other on a personal level. Did I mention we laughed a lot? We did.

There were so many hysterical moments that I began to chronicle them so we’d have a way to remember them all. Some you might enjoy:
- A glass of wine helps with free motion quilting
- Whatever problem you may have, there’s a bead for that
- Late night wisdom: don’t crop until morning
- Pass your purse to the person on your left (so you won’t spend too much at the store)

It’s only been a week and I’m already looking forward to next year’s retreat.

(the photo is of Irene Watson working through lunch one day.)

Paula's Fruit Stand Challenge Quilt

Posted by Paula Furgason

The first thing I thought of when I saw the inspiration photo was what great texture could be found in the tire. Inspired by the colors and lines in the photo, I created a pile of turquoise tires with pink tread and took some rubbings of my bike tire.

Quilted in a tread pattern, this piece named itself Off Track.

Ellen's Fruit Stand Challenge Quilt

From Ellen Lindner

Although our inspiration photo had many wonderful components, I was attracted to the colors and shapes of the mangos. Thus, my piece Tropical Fruit was born (below.) The green background fabrics were inspired by the vegetation of the area.

BTW, this is not the first mango quilt I've made. You might also be interested in Mangolicious.

Group Photo Challenge Revisited

From Ellen Lindner

Each year we have a group challenge as part of our annual exhibit. This year's challenge is to create art that's inspired by a particular photo. Most of that is still top secret: to be revealed at our October exhibit.

But, since this year's challenge is very similar to what we did in 2007, I thought you might be interested in it.

This was our inspiration photo, selected by the entire group. This fruit stand photo was taken by Ruth Anne Parker in Maui.

Although the goal was for each participant to be inspired by the image, exact replication of the photo was not expected. (But, certainly allowed.) Therefore, we wanted a photo with lots going on, and this one met that criteria. As you'll see in coming posts, some members reproduced the entire image. Others were inspired by the colors, the textures, or one particular element.

Watch for future posts to see the results!