OVCR auction - Lilacs and Seaglass
Lilacs and Seaglass -
Oh, I have been waiting to showcase this finish for a long time - would you believe since last June? I am thrilled to finally write this chapter in the story of this quilt - which I named Lilacs and Seaglass. This is this year’s entry into the M D Anderson Ovarian Cancer Quilt Auction, which readers will recognize as something I support. The amazing quilting done on this was done by Quilting Heirlooms by Cheryl Szynkowkski, who continues to be an amazing partner.
The inspiration for this quilt began with the fabric that you see in both the hexies and the border fabric. It’s one that I had purchased (and consumed a long time ago, with the final scrap pinned to my wall as a souvenir). I was thrilled when a large cut of that same fabric came up on the Facebook Quilter’s classifieds page late one cold January night, and I didn’t even blink when buying it.
This large scale print had plenty of teal and turquoise in it to play with. Timeless Treasures Dynasty for the win.
I have tried a ‘one block wonder’ technique earlier in my career, but the idea of finding the fabric repeat scared the heck out of me, and that project was never completed. I rehomed the fabric somewhere along the way. I wanted to explore that technique again with this fabric, while at the same time leaving some space for Cheryl to have fun with. Technology helped me out that time - I found a very well done video online done by Jordan Fabrics which showed the proper techniques. The fabric worked well with a couple of cuts of Maywood’s gelato fabric (which pulls out the teal and purple hues in the quilt), and began to play.
Working with this technique means you never really know what the fabric will look like until you cut it, and I had a definite preference for the hexies that weren’t so busy. I took this project with me to a quilt retreat, and spent two days literally playing with each individual set o fabrics. If you’re going to do this technique, good pins are essential for keeping the fabrics together - they are literally all the same size. I knew I was going to use basic black as a relief point for all the color, and I threw a few black ones in there as well.
The choose your own adventure quilt continues
Deseign wall after the retreat - how do I make this work? The gradated fabric is from Maywood’s Gelato line, and pulled the colors out of the print.
Cheryl and I work great as a team -we communicate, but each of us works independently of the other. It’s amazing what can come our of our synergy together. Readers may be interested in knowing that although this began construction last winter, quilts being donated to the auction need to be completed and in Houston by June. (I’m already working on a concept for 2025’s auction). . So getting the quilt back from here is always like Christmas morning when I open the quilt - even in early June.
Front Lawn photo of Lilacs and Seaglass.
I love a good ghost!
So this is what I did for the label on this quilt - printed onto white Kona, I think it’s my favorite label.
The name came from the colors - Lilacs from me, where our state flower is the Lilac, and then Seaglass, a nod to Cheryl who lives in Florida. Once I hit on it, it worked. Lilacs and Seaglass is designed to be a large wall hanging, and I can envision it hanging in an office setting.
Cheryl and I donate this to the MD Anderson Ovarian Cancer Quilt Auction, and this year’s auction is live NOW, which coincides with Market and Festival.
L&S is one of 164 quilts donated to the online Auction by quilters throughout the United States, with the proceeds going to the raise funds for OVCR research through MD Anderson, a leader in the fight against this killer. The quilts donated range in size from miniature to King, and they cut across many design aesthetics. There’s literally something for everyone. I’ve linked to the auction above - and we’re number 68 on the list. Please note that the appraised value was established by the Auction staff for each quilt.
If you’re donated a quilt to the auction, thank you. If you know someone who has - please thank them for me.
Quilts are a labor of love, no matter the size.