Bern Challenge #6 Out of Africa

Here finally is the quilt top for my Out of Africa Challenge quilt, The blocks are mostly from a swap I did about ten years ago with my online Southern Cross Quilters group (Scquilters for short). I sent out feature fabric that I had bought in bundles from the Unique Spool quilt shop in the US. These are what I call African tribal fabrics, made in Africa with African themes and bright colours.

My own block that I sent out with the African tribal fabrics is the yellow sunburst block, which is the third block from the left in the second row from the bottom of the quilt. I just love making the sunburst blocks and they are dead easy using paper piecing.

interspersed the pieced blocks with the African tribal prints and some suitable batiks and I am quite happy with how the quilt has turned out. I will say that I got lots of exercise running around the bed in the guest bedroom, constantly swapping the blocks over to make the colour balance work.

I am going to name the quilt " I know a place in Africa: in memory of Karen Blixen (author of the book Out of Africa)" since I loved the book and the film and more importantly Karen's spirit. The book was written in Karen's pseudonym of Isak Dinesen but I preferred to use her real name in the title of the quilt.

Here too is the back of my quilt. I learned from a wonderful fellow Australian quilter, Adina Sullivan, years ago, to try to match the backs of my quilts to the subject/colour of the quilt top. Quilt blocks that did not quite "gel" with the ones in the front were included as well as two prints, one of African women, that I had collected years ago, were used in the back. My friend Dolly is going to quilt the quilt for me on her Happy Jack quilting frame. I don't mind quilting small quilts but this is a queen size bed quilt! Leave such tings to the experts I say!

Sue M #6 Challenge

It has taken some time but my African challenge quilt is finally ready for display.

As you do, I did a google search for Africa and came across the Tinga Tinga drawings and paintings.They are the inspiration for my quilt.

The quilt measures approx 14.5 x 14.5 inches (37 cm square).

Miriam #6 Challenge Out of Africa

Miriam

Jackie D.#Challenge 6 Out of Africa

I've finally finished my Out of Africa Challenge. I enlarged a drawing from the internet. Then I coloured it with black water-colour oil pastel and quilted around the zebra and quilted the background. It's 15.5 inches square.

Tammy #6 Challenge Out of Africa

I took a class on African embroidery in April, so this was a great chance to use what I learned there. I loved the bright colors against black, seems to be one of my favorite colored combos.

Gudrun #6 Challenge Out of Africa

 Panel by North Cott, captured my imagination .
It was my first attempt at Trapunto  & thread painting.
It has been lanquishing.   I used bamboo from our garden, & found
broken camp bracelets to hang.

 I
 
It hangs above our dog crate.....the animals corner :))

Can not post in comments

Hi Girls I have been trying to post to your challenge but the blogger keeps looping me around to the sign in. I think they are all wonderful and I had hoped this would have been fixed by now.
I see two girls have managed to post a comment.
Is there a special way you have done it?
Delia

Delia #6 Challenge Out of Africa

I have been wanting to do an elephant with this technique for ages. So was perfect timing.

I drew the elephant out on sticky paper and then ironed to the black. Cut the pieces out with sharp scissors. Cut the elephant out. Placed a piece of yellow underneath the elephant and ironed together.  I than placed it on another piece of background and edged the piece with an African material. Thread painted around the cutouts and the elephant. I mounted the piece on a canvas.

Keep stitching

 Delia

Joan #6 challenge Out of Africa

Out of Africa - When I found the tiger fat quarter, I knew I wanted to use it. I used a curves technique that I learned in a workshop. The hardest part was getting the pieces to iron out flat.

Michele B #6 Challenge Out of Africa

"Lucy's Bones"


When I thought of this, I thought of Africa as the source of humanity, and the fossils that inform paleontology, especially Lucy. I thought at first of using images of the bones, then while playing around with an apple core template thought about how much they remind me of bones.

I'm glad I stopped at six pieces for the background! I love the look of the apple cores stitched together, but they're a real pain. It's all hand stitched - raw edge.

Sharon M #6 Challenge Out of Africa

For this challenge I experimented with color. I thought the blue zebra print was fun and I liked the purple fabrics with it. I changed my picture from a sunny day to a moonlit evening. I used some different yarns to embellish the grass and zebra manes and tail. I still have to quilt it...still thinking about how I want to do that.

Cheryl #6 Challenge Out of Africa

This was fun, and the timing was perfect! For this challenge I tried color discharging. My mom learned this technique in a class where her subject was a zebra and the results were amazing. Since she was coming to visit in early June I thought it would be fun to do something together AND get a tutorial. The discharging was a learning experience and I also had a chance to use some inks and paint for detail.

I have to give a shout out to my mom who is my inspiration. She has been a quilter for over 30 years and is very talented. Almost four years ago she lost the use of her left side as the result of a stroke. Not only did she have to learn to do everything with one hand, being a lefty she had to train herself to become right-handed. She has shown me courage and determination that I could only hope to possess. Below is the zebra she created in her class just a year ago. I am also including her African mask that she made as part of our project (my flash washed out the photo). She has since finished the project but I only have a photo of what she did while here.

Go Mom, I Love You!

This is the Zebra she did in class

Here is the African Mask

It's just about time Girls Important read before posting

Hi Girls

Can I ask you when you post to use the following format for the challenges.

This way they will all be kept in the right labels as in #6 Challenge.

I have been going through changing the ones that were not right but still have the earlier challenges to do.

This way if someone wants to look at the challenges it will be easy. They can at a glance see all the Challenges by looking down the side of the blog.

Example for Challenge postings below

In the Title line

Sample

Delia (your name) #6 Challenge  Out of Africa

In the Labels at the bottom of your post

#5 Challenge Delia (your name)  note no space after the #

For any other posts please put your name in the Labels area.

Thank you
Delia

Juat about time to reveal.

Hi Girls only a day or two and we can reveil our quilts.
It is exciting isn't it.
Delia

Out of Africa

Hi Girls how are you going with this Challenge?
Delia

Sue M Challenge # 5 Self Portrait

I have to say how much I admire all the quilts, what wonderful work.

I have struggled with this challenge and confess that I didn't manage to get a self portrait finished. I started plenty and they have all ended in the bin.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that in the last challenge with Art Quilts Around the World the theme was ...... you guessed it a 'Self Portrait' so I'm cheating this time and using the same quilt.

If I was to make it again I would do the lips differently, they are much too thick.

I'm looking forward to the African challenge and have some ideas rattling around in my head.

Miriam Challenge #5 Self Portrait

I found this challenge so very difficult. I started it several times and discarded each one. Finally, I decided to make it almost a cartoon of me - quilting, in my sewing room, with lots of bits and pieces of fabric all around me on the floor.

Miriam.

Tammy Challenge # 5 Self Portrait

I finished mine! The why is what the inside of my head is like. The how was I set up a light in the dark hall and had my son trace my profile onto a sheet of paper. Then I copied it onto muslin, I then used fabric paints to do the outline. I added lots of tiny pieces of fabric, threads, laces, ribbon, and odds and ends to the inside. I covered it with thin tulle, and free motion quilted with invisible thread. I am not happy with my zigzag stitch around the edges, but like the look. (just not too good at it yet) I had a hard time with this one, but am please with my results.

Cheryl Challenge # 5 Self Portrait

If you were to walk by me on the street, this is what I looked like 10 years and 20 pounds ago. Haha!



Funny thing is, the picture was taken in March! Everything was going along fine, but somehow the scale on the facial features are larger than they should be. It should be so easy to shed the years! It could be that the original photo was taken with a camera phone, indoors, at night, from a distance...so when it came time to enlarge the photo, the resolution was awful. I think it was a blessing in disguise because I was looking at the contrast rather than the details.

I have come to realize my hair is almost black (not dark brown as I always thought) and I do tend to rest my chin on my hand a lot. Funny. I still have details to add, such as the silver highlights in my hair, but overall it turned out much better than I expected.

This is a part of the process:

 

Below is the original I had to work with...night out with friends.

Lady Gaga

Monster Ball 2011

San Diego

Yep, that's a happy face sticker on my forehead.

Gudrun Challenge # 5 Self Portrait

Woman Easily Distracted

This wasn't easy :)) Self explanatory, yes?

Gudrun

#6 Challenge OUT OF AFRICA due 31st July

It is my turn to set the challenge.
This is exciting and I have had many thoughts but keep coming back to Africa
So AFRICA it is
I will call the challenge
OUT OF AFRICA
Have fun
Delia

Judy

Judy I have been trying to post on your challenge but it will not allow me. I will try in a couple of day as I am going away again.
Delia

Judy Challenge # 5 Self Portrait

I've decided to let this little figure speak for itself as it is a fairly accurate representation of me, both physically and in terms of personality traits.  Would you know me now if you passed me on the street?

Delia Challenge #5 Self Portrait

Ok this is my self portrait. I have made a heap of mistakes and so I covered it with the net. I over machined the hair so the face pucked. I stippled  the dress less and it sat flat. I have post this so you can at least see I tired. This was a very hard challenge for me and it did not turn out the way I would have liked. 

I took a picture and then printed it onto a silk sheet. I then went about thread painting the piece in a hoop. It would have been much better had I not completely filled in the hair with colour.

I can't wait to see the others and how they turned out.

Shirley yours is lovely.

Keep Stitching

Delia 

Challege #5

Shirlry Challenge #5 Self Portrait

I am posting this challenge early as the girls were having problems with the self portrait. I

put some suggestions into our group site and promised to post my picture early after explaining how I did it . I used a simple photo shop method and then thread painted it.

I took a photo of myself and then put 3 pictures of it in photo shop - clicked on filter and then filter galleries (all sorts of wonderful things can be found in the filter portion of photo shop) I found a cross hatch setting and clicked on it ( there are other settings that

focus the colors and divide them more sharply if you want to do a quilted portrait). I then printed it on a fabric photo sheet -- let it dry , removed the back and placed it on a piece of timtex -- or heavy stabilizer - then I thread painted the colors. The original is a bit more like the actual photo although my thread wasn't as dark. This is the first project I have done

since last June as life really got in the way for me-- and I admit I enjoyed it.

I do hope you don't mind me posting it a bit early. Shirley

Challenging ourselves #5 -sneak peak

I have finally opened my sewing machine for the first time since last June and it feels good!

I have started my challenge and am having fun. here is a sneak peak of a start.

I hope you are all having fun with it. My husband is doing so much better after a second visit to the hospital for 4 days to straighten

out his meds so we are doing well. I have the incentive to get back to my machine and hopefully that will remain! '

I just checked all the #4 challenges again - what a creative group we have! Shirley

Gayle's Challenge 4 - The Gods Must Be Angry

Finally - better late than never. I chose to create a background with the blue and purple and make a statement with the orange fabric.

After all that has been going on in the world - uprisings, earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear accidents - I decided that a lightning bolt from the 'heavens' would be an appropriate subject.

The background is fabric collage. I made the bolt dimensional and it stands out from the background a bit. For the binding I used my attempt at a Susan Carlson technique with assorted scraps glued in place.

#5 Challenge

Thank you Cheryl

I am glad you have set the challenge.
I look forward to seeing your challenge.

I dread the challenge you have picked so it is going to be a very challenging

challenge for me

In saying that this is what the group is all about "Challenging Ourslves out of

our comfort zone"

Delia

#5Challenge set by Cheryl

Hi All, sorry I was awol. Taxes and spring break kind of took my breath away. I guess I wasn't paying attention as to how we selected the challenges, but I guess it is alpha order.


We have people from all over the world in our group, some are neighbors and some we could walk by on the street and would never know it so how about a self portrait?

Thoughts?

Thanks for your patience! My challenge is almost ready!

Cheryl