Maker: Sally Sloane Book: Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk Quilt Description: This twin size quilt is done from a collection of sea colored batiks with a sea themed embroidery added to the middle of each block.
Voted winner for Best Representation of Book and Members’ Choice.
Maker: Barbara Knapp Book: Polar Bears & Bear Came Along Quilt Description: I found this pattern of a momma & baby polar bear and just loved it. The pattern is called Polar Bear Peekaboo and is approximately 55” x 62”. It is the largest foundation paper pieced project I have ever done and really enjoyed doing it. I don’t know how many pieces are in it, but it is a lot. I wanted to keep the quilting simple so I did straight lines at an angle. I also did a double edge binding which gave a little pop of white around the edge.
Maker: Gail Sevilla Book:You Will Leave a Trail of Stars by Lisa Congdon Quilt Description:I was inspired by an alphabet I bought from Laura Hartrich, @laurahartrich. I wanted to make something scrappy. Just now, looking at her feed, I guess I was inspired to add stars from a baby quilt she made. Who doesn’t support “Girl Power”? Lisa’s book is full of colorful illustrations and empowering essays. It is actually a coincidence that the colorway turned out to be so close to the cover. I chose the Kona blue “Storm” as it is brighter than navy and would work with all the colors.
Voted winner for Best Modern Design
Maker: Susan Manson Book:You Matter by Christian Robinson Quilt Description:Using a block lotto win I was able to create two toddler-sized quilts. The abundance of color plus being bound in a variety of skin tones reinforces the story of inclusion no matter your gender, ability, or ethnicity. Two copies of the book and two pillow cases using Ann Kelle’s “See Us, Hear Us, Love Us” fabric will be included.
Maker: Betty Altstadt Book:Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston. The book centers on a 13 year old girl, Amari, who goes on a search for her missing brother. She discovers that she has a place in the supernatural world. To help her figure things out, she meets up with a wise man who plucks constellations out of the sky. He gives her the stars and has her toss them back into the sky, where she sees her ancestors, herself and her future. Quilt Description:The quilt is my own design based on a nine patch with wonky stars. I selected fabrics to give a feeling of being under a starry sky. The quilt was long-armed by Cosmic Quilts. The binding is by M&S fabrics and the back reminds me of colorful paint swatches.
Maker: Kelly Hogan Book: Aetherbound Description: This book was a sci-fi coming of age novel about a young girl breaking free from an abusive home life and starting a new life with friends, food, and kindness. It’s also about autonomy and making choices and how people should be treated. I picked fabrics with happy food for the back. The front has fabrics with empowering messages for girls inspired by RBG.
Maker: Jo Treffner Book: Teddy Bear’s Picnic About this Quilt: The front has six bears surrounded by fruity fabric suitable for a healthy picnic. There is a pocket at one corner that is supposed to be like a tree canopy, under which the bears can “hide and seek as long as they please.” On the back, one bear is tucked up in bed because “at 6 o’clock their mommies and daddies will take them home to bed because they are tired little teddy bears.”
Maker: Jeri Polizzotto Book: What If? About this Quilt: I based my quilt on the title of my book “What If?” There are many ways to interpret the question, ‘what if?’ The book is a scientific look at answers to some absurd what if questions. I chose to look at the question in an inspiring way. What if I try something new? What if dreams come true? The words “what if” are intentionally subtle in my quilt and the question mark is bold, because it is a big question! I dyed the fabric in an ombre and let them fall in place randomly. I like the movement this creates between the different shades. I quilted it with a decorative stitch and my walking foot (from a Jacquie Gering Craftsy class) and I love the texture it added to the quilt. I had fun with the back of the quilt keeping the triangle theme going.
Maker: Susie Johnson Book: The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder About this Quilt: The name of this quilt pattern is Be Seen which is depicting the colors that the boy in the novel “sees” when he hears sounds, e.g., the sound of a person’s voice or the sound of birds singing.
Maker: Lisa Handley Book: The 100 Rebellion About this Quilt: This quilt was made during the Pandemic after choosing my book for the challenge. It was made when things were in chaos and we were unsure about what was next for humanity. I made it with material I had – and not perfect. It kind of looks like stars in a murky sky. It’s metal looking. While making it, I felt very much like the book, asking what was next – everything was unknown. The 100 Book Series is set ninety-seven years after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization, when a spaceship housing humanity’s lone survivors sends one hundred juvenile delinquents back to Earth, in hopes of possibly re-populating the planet.
Maker: Susan Manson Books: Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Stardust, & Unicorn Academy About this Quilt: Tula Pink’s Pinkerville fabric weaves fantasy tales about Unicorns, Serpents, Owls, Stardust and more with bright, youthful colors and bold graphics. Generously sized at 62×63, preteens can grow with their books from ages 6-12. Quilting: Cosmic Quilting. Quilt Pattern: Weave by Running Doe Quilts.
Maker: Mary O’Bannon Book: Phantom Tollbooth About this Quilt: My inspiration came from the book The Phantom Tollbooth which is about Milo, a bored boy who comes home to find a tollbooth in his house. He then gets in his toy car and begins a wonderful adventure traveling to crazy destinations filled with interesting characters. This pattern reminded me of the crazy road Milo takes on his journey. I embroidered Milo and his car along with a sign he encounters on the way to the tollbooth on the back. This book is a delight to read even for adults who need a laugh!
Maker: Gail Sevilla Book: Hatchet About this Quilt: This is a book about a teenager unexpectedly alone in the Canadian woods and having to learn how to survive. He needs to stay calm and step by step figure out how to stay alive. I used a pattern called Show Up by artist Lisa Congdon to make this 60 X 72 quilt with words of encouragement. Instead of a white background, I used an army green Friedlander print then based all my other selections on things from my stash that worked well with it. I think it is suited for a young man.
Maker: Kelly Hogan Book: LumberJanes About this Quilt: I made a rainbow bargello inspired by LumberJanes and also a YA book called “Anger is a Gift” by Mark Oshiro. LumberJanes is a comic book series about a group of girl friends at camp. It is estimated that a disproportionate number of homeless youth in the United States identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (11-40%). I wanted to make a quilt that was a warm rainbow hug of love for these youth. The quilt was hand tied with embroidery floss.
Maker: Helene Born Book: Love and Other Detours About this Quilt: The quilt is 72 X 72″ made with drunkard’s path piecing and nine patch. Pattern by Vanessa Goertzen called Hey Cupcake. Fabrics are: Dash Flow, QT 2016 & Kona solid (Chocolate Brown). Quilted myself with pantograph in a paisley shape that matched the backing fabric design.
Maker: Janet Segner Book: My Side of the Mountain About this Quilt: A modern ombre mountain.
Maker: Betty Alstadt Book: A Book That Takes Its Time About this Quilt: The book and quilt are for an older teenager. The size is 49″ wide by 60″ long. The quilt pattern is based on Tossed Squares by Debra Finan. The fabrics were selected for their cheerfulness and brightness. Fabrics are from Free Spirit Fabrics, including Outlander, Kaffee Fassett, Tula Pink, Riley Blade Glohaven and Moda Zen Chic. The quilting was done by me using a domestic machine.
Maker: Barbara Knapp Book: Girl Stolen About this Quilt: This quilt is made using Allison Glass fabric with a charcoal background. The links were echo quilted using variegated thread and the charcoal background was quilted in horizontal lines. Although the quilt pattern is called Infinity, it reminded me of chains. In the story Cheyenne, a blind teenage, was accidentally kidnapped and tied up to keep her from running away. There was even a dog in the story that was tied up to a massive chain, however I’m sure this chain is much more colorful. It was really good story and I highly recommend it.
OC Modern Quilt Guild Members Only: cast your votes by clickinghere.
Maker: Barbara Knapp Pattern Used: Rock Candy by Yvonne Fuchs Description: I made a smaller version of this quilt because I didn’t have enough purple fabric and I really wanted to use the purple in it. I ended up using a 4.25” square for the curved pieces and half square triangles….what was I thinking :/>, should have used 4.5” or 4”. Quilted using straight lines about 1/4” apart.
Maker: Sally Sloane Pattern Used: City Lights by Anne Sullivan Description: Sunset From Walnut Beach, inspired by a photo sent to me from my cousin in Ashtabula
Maker: Mary O’Bannon Pattern Used: City Lights by Anne Sullivan Description: I took the original pattern and changed the colors and made it smaller. I quilted vertical lines with straight stitching and horizontal lines of varying lengths with Sashiko stitching.
Maker: Susie Johnson Pattern Used: Merge by Karen Foster Description: I chose “Merge” for this challenge because I felt it was the most intriguing pattern. However, I thought that too many fabric colors were used in the original so I pared it down to just three colors instead of the original eight. I find the design much more compelling with the limited color palette and the saturated colors that I used. I also used a more subtle curvy quilting design which I think emphasizes the improv curves of the pattern more than the very busy quilting on the original quilt.
Maker: Lisa Handley Pattern Used: City Lights by Anne Sullivan Description: Walk on the Beach – Fabric from Tahiti and some Grunge Basic
Second Place
Maker: Joanne Treffner Pattern Used: City Lights by Anne Sullivan Description: City Lights – day & night. Driving into the city at night and leaving in the morning – so the back of the quilt is the same design mirror-imaged. The entire quilt is made of spotty fabrics with the exception of the green stripes that are the same back and front and serves as an homage to city parks. It is quilted with birds because what is a city without birds.
Third Place
Maker: Dana LaVenture Pattern Used: Disappearing Oranges by Cheryl Brickey Description: My quilt is 35″ X 38″, named Autumn Leaves. The Disappearing Oranges look like leaves. Therefore I have created Autumn Leaves that are softly being blown by the wind and the leaves are beginning to drop. The leaves are appliquéd to the white background.
First Place
Maker: Jeri Polizzotto Pattern Used: Rock Candy by Yvonne Fuchs Description:My quilt Party Mints was inspired by Yvonne Fuchs’ quilt Rock Candy. I like how she took a block and switched the colors around so that when they are next to each other it makes a new design. I included many of the same elements as her quilt – a limited number of colors in the palette, a curve and half square triangles. I came up with a nine patch block (with 7 inch squares) and sewed them in 3 different color ways. The fun part was laying them out to see all of the different secondary patterns! My daughter collaborated with me on the color palette and we had a fun day dying fabric together, but now she wants the quilt! I quilted it on my home sewing machine. Thank you OCMQG for the fun challenge!
Maker: Joanne Treffner Pattern Used: City Lights by Anne Sullivan Description: City Lights – day & night. Driving into the city at night and leaving in the morning – so the back of the quilt is the same design mirror-imaged. The entire quilt is made of spotty fabrics with the exception of the green stripes that are the same back and front and serves as an homage to city parks. It is quilted with birds because what is a city without birds.
Maker: Mary O’Bannon Pattern Used: City Lights by Anne Sullivan Description: I took the original pattern and changed the colors and made it smaller. I quilted vertical lines with straight stitching and horizontal lines of varying lengths with Sashiko stitching.
Maker: Susie Johnson Pattern Used: Merge by Karen Foster Description: I chose “Merge” for this challenge because I felt it was the most intriguing pattern. However, I thought that too many fabric colors were used in the original so I pared it down to just three colors instead of the original eight. I find the design much more compelling with the limited color palette and the saturated colors that I used. I also used a more subtle curvy quilting design which I think emphasizes the improv curves of the pattern more than the very busy quilting on the original quilt.
Maker: Lisa Handley Pattern Used: City Lights by Anne Sullivan Description: Walk on the Beach – Fabric from Tahiti and some Grunge Basic
Maker: Barbara Knapp Pattern Used: Rock Candy by Yvonne Fuchs Description: I made a smaller version of this quilt because I didn’t have enough purple fabric and I really wanted to use the purple in it. I ended up using a 4.25” square for the curved pieces and half square triangles….what was I thinking :/>, should have used 4.5” or 4”. Quilted using straight lines about 1/4” apart.
Maker: Sally Sloane Pattern Used: City Lights by Anne Sullivan Description: Sunset From Walnut Beach, inspired by a photo sent to me from my cousin in Ashtabula
Maker: Jeri Polizzotto Pattern Used: Rock Candy by Yvonne Fuchs Description:My quilt Party Mints was inspired by Yvonne Fuchs’ quilt Rock Candy. I like how she took a block and switched the colors around so that when they are next to each other it makes a new design. I included many of the same elements as her quilt – a limited number of colors in the palette, a curve and half square triangles. I came up with a nine patch block (with 7 inch squares) and sewed them in 3 different color ways. The fun part was laying them out to see all of the different secondary patterns! My daughter collaborated with me on the color palette and we had a fun day dying fabric together, but now she wants the quilt! I quilted it on my home sewing machine. Thank you OCMQG for the fun challenge!
Maker: Dana LaVenture Pattern Used: Disappearing Oranges by Cheryl Brickey Description: My quilt is 35″ X 38″, named Autumn Leaves. The Disappearing Oranges look like leaves. Therefore I have created Autumn Leaves that are softly being blown by the wind and the leaves are beginning to drop. The leaves are appliquéd to the white background.
OC Modern Quilt Guild Members Only: cast your votes by clicking here.
For August 2020, the Orange County Modern Quilt Guild challenges its members to create a quilt using one of the five free patterns shown below. These five are among the 84 free patterns that the Modern Quilt Guild has offered to its members. There is a new one offered every month. You will need to log in to the Modern Quilt Guild to view and download the patterns, links provided below.
The August Challenge: (1) select one of the five patterns, (2) create it as shown OR modify it per your own creative impulses, minimum size 24 x 24 inches, any fabrics–solids or prints (3) piece the top, quilt, and bind, and (4) submit it for the Challenge due August 31.
At our January 2020 Meeting we announced the opposites challenge. And since we are sure that a number of our members had already been working on quilts for the challenge, we wanted to find a way to still host the challenge. Members were asked to submit their quilt submissions online with a title, description and up to three photos, below you can find all of the submissions, displayed in the order the submissions were received.
Quilter: Jason Titus Quilt Name: Opposites Designer: Jason Titus Description: Made with reversible fabric – a weave – not a print – each side of each fabric makes the quilt Opposites Represented: Black on white, white on black
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Quilter: Helene Born Quilt Name: N/A Designer: Soiree by Amy Ellis Description: Pieced block (6″) set with white on white. Quilted on my longarm using a panograph. Opposites Represented: Black & white
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Quilter:Mary Anne Skorpanich Quilt Name:Sun and Moon Designer:Mary Anne Skorpanich Description:The fabrics are bright and dark, an assortment of metallic prints on black backgrounds. The moon is nested within the sun, representing bright and dark, day and night. Opposites Represented:bright and dark, day and night, sun and moon. Although the sun and moon can be considered opposites, the light of the sun is needed for the moon to be visible to us, the moon has no illumination of its own.
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Quilter: Mary O’Bannon Quilt Name: Star Designer: Mary O’Bannon Description: A star falling and disassembling as it falls. I have always wanted to try to figure out a way to make a pattern disassemble. It was a challenge. Opposites Represented: Whole/Part, Large/Small, Up/Down
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Quilter: Ann Chavez Quilt Name: Boomerangs Designer: Ann Chavez Description: Black and white boomerangs, plus a whole lot more. Opposites Represented: The front is black and white, two opposite facing boomerangs make horizontal floating panel, quilting is the opposite direction as the boomerang panel, backside white and black, boomerangs run vertically, quilting is perpendicular to boomerangs.
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Quilter: Lisa Handley Quilt Name: Improv Color Wheel Designer: Lisa Handley Description: I created this quilt to continue my color theory knowledge. I also am working on my improvisational skills. Opposites Represented: Opposites side of the Color Wheel
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Winner: Member’s Choice
Quilter: Barbara Knapp Quilt Name: Wolf Designer: Barbara Knapp Description: Wolf face divided in half. I don’t know why but it reminds me that there are two sides to every story. Might be given as a gift to a 2020 graduate who has always believed that the wolf is her spirit animal. Opposites Represented: Black & white, side to side (even the binding is half & half)
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Winner: best modern design
Quilter: Susie Johnson Quilt Name: Homage Designer: Geraldo de Barros via his painting, Diagonal Function Description: This 24”x24” wall hanging is my quilted homage to Geraldo Barros’ 1952 painting, Diagonal Function. His very modern design from 68 years ago; my fabric re-creation with quilting in 2020. This is the first time I’ve drafted my own pattern, and not being a math person, I’m tickled that I figured out the correct proportions. Quilted on my domestic machine – completely improv, which is really out of my wheelhouse – a good challenge for me. Opposites Represented: Black and white, shapes (horizontal, vertical, diagonal)
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Winner: Best expression of opposites
Quilter: Gail Sevilla Quilt Name: Anger/Calm Designer: Gail Sevilla Description: This free form improvisational quilt is representing Calm and Anger. I had only a rough sketch of what I wanted it to look like. I made the Anger section in February. I began making improv triangles of sharp colors for the anger portion. There is a reference to a common swear word in a couple of places too. There is black fabric with text on it that represents harsh, painful words. There is machine quilting of lines at different angles contributing to the chaos of anger.
After a relaxing vacation, I had planned to do the Calm section. Who knew that it became one of least calm times in modern life- Covid time? It took a week or so of just processing so many of the losses before I could tackle sewing again. I began making curved organic shapes in soft lilacs and white to represent Calm. I machine quilted soft, echos of curves, like waves quenching the anger. I included some overlap of the anger colors into the calm. The anger may still reside in smaller pieces and it may rise up in unexpected ways.
I wanted more texture and depth so I added hand embroidery thread. It is knotted and messy in the angry area. The calm area features more big stitch echos of curves. To add more depth to the calm, I also appliqued circles of organza (remnants of my wedding dress) randomly in the calm zone. They are tacked on gently with just a bit of stitching. It is finished with a facing with some semi circles and points reaching out from the edges.
Making this quilt was a consuming project during this difficult time. I am certain I will never forget all the mixed feelings we all dealt with during the months of March and April. Opposites Represented: Anger and Calm
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Quilter: Jeri Polizzotto Quilt Name: Improv by the Sea Designer: Jeri Polizzotto Description: I call this quilt “Improv by the Sea.” I loved the theme opposites and really couldn’t stop once I got going. I started with my favorite opposites on the color wheel – blue and orange. The center squares are the improv part, kind of subtle. Then I got going on the quilting and decided to throw in some large circles to contrast with the squares. Inside of those large circles I decided to quilt a sea creature. I love octopuses so I quilted one! I filled in between the large circles with different size (large & small) circles and had fun putting different motifs in a lot of the circles.
One day about 5 years ago I was at my sister in law’s house with my best friend and she had a bunch of embroidered flip flop blocks that she had gotten at a garage sale. We divided them amongst us and said that we would all make quilts out of them. Well I don’t think that any of us ever made quilts out of those blocks! It did however inspire me to get back into quilting after not having done it for more than 10 years (kids got in the way!). I put one of those flip flop blocks in there as kind of a reminder to myself of how much I love quilting and how it’s important in life to do things we love. Opposites Represented: Blue and orange, circle and square
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Quilter: Virginia Lucas Quilt Name: Square Pegs, Round Holes Designer: Virginia Lucas Description: Wall Hanging 19” wide x 30” long, raw edge applique Opposites Represented: Shapes, size of shapes, background color
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Quilter: Sandra Johnson Quilt Name: Silver Circles Designer: Sandra Johnson Description: Sewn in large circle and applique smaller circles Opposites Represented: Black and Light Blue
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Quilter: Kelly H. Quilt Name: Hopepunk is the opposite of grimdark. Pass it on. Designer: Kelly H. Description: I saw an online post by writer Alexanda Rowland in 2017 that said shortly “The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk. Pass it on.” This short little phrase caught on, was expanded into an essay, and now is a shorthand for a genre of fiction. So I wanted to take the spirit of Hopepunk into quilt form. I improv-ed the letters for Hopepunk in all different shades of purple and did a double-layer of batting beneath it to try for the trapunto effect. I also tried reverse applique for the letters (new technique for me). I did a loopy meander for the quilting and framed it with a dark grey binding. Hopepunk is “It’s about doing the one little thing you can do, even if it’s useless: planting seeds in the midst of the apocalypse, spitting on a wildfire. Hope and strength comes from our bonds with each other, from the actions we take as a community, holding hands in the dark….There are no heroes and no villains. There are just people. That’s hopepunk: Whether the glass is half full or half empty, what matters is that there’s water in that glass. And that’s something worth defending.” Opposites Represented: I wanted to contract the explosive nature of punk with rich bold colors and have the text pop off quilt by adding extra batting and only quilting around the letters. The purple should pop off the dull grey everywhere else on the quilt.
As we announced in January, entries for the Opposites Challenge are due at our membership meeting April 30. Our April meeting will be now be held online so in order to give every member the opportunity to show their quilt to its best advantage, we will be holding the Challenge online also.
The procedures will be similar to submitting a quilt to QuiltCon or the Orange County Fair, and we’ve worked to make it as simple and easy as we can.
Below is a link to an online form where you will fill out your name and information about your entry.
You’ll take 1-3 photos of your quilt and either email them to us OR send us a link to them. Only one photo is required.
Once we receive the entries, info and photos will be posted online and you’ll get another link to see them and vote.
At our next in-person meeting you’ll get a chance to see all those fabulous quilts in person.
At our May meeting winners in the three categories will be announced:
Best Expression of Opposites Theme
Best Modern Design
Members’ Choice
Schedule:
April 27- Online submission begins, a link to entry form emailed to members May 10- Deadline for online entry form and photos May 17 – Online viewing and voting begin May 25 – Last day to vote May 28 – Membership meeting: see quilts in person, winners announced, prizes and ribbons awarded
Need help with the form or uploading your photos? Email the guild with the best phone number for contacting you and someone will assist you.
Create a quilt themed around a book. Bring both your quilt and book to the November meeting. The quilts and books will be donated to The Orangewood Foundation.
THE ENTRIES
OUR WINNERS
Congrats to our winners, Julie M for Members Choice, Barbara K for the Best Modern Design and Jeri P for Best Use of Book Theme!
Orange County Modern Quilt Guild 
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