Project Gingham - "Despite the Memo re: Gingham Day, Sue Does Her Own Thing"

At the beginning of June, I browsed over to Live a Colorful Life and saw she was one of three people hosting a giveaway with gingham fabrics. I wasn't going to enter. While I like gingham, I just had no vision for it for quilting. I'd go so far as to say I was beginning to hate it b/c my mother gave me a few of her gingham fabrics when I started quilting and I wanted to get rid of them but just couldn't do it for some reason. To know me is to know that I then felt like they were useless clutter taking up serious fabric space. However, something compelled me to enter the giveaway and then to hop over to Occasional Piece - Quilt and Krista Stitched and enter their giveaways, too!

Even as I left the last comment, I wondered what was wrong with me. That the last thing I needed was more fabric I had no idea how to use, even though I promised that if I won I'd make something and post it on July 4. I contented myself with the fact I wouldn't win. OF COURSE, that's where I went wrong! I shouldn't have thought that. Or maybe I should be glad because I think I came up with something kinda cool. It's TOTALLY out of my typical style and I learned a lot so let's get down to it and share with you what I did.

Go take a look at the other participants creations. There's some nice creativity out in blog land and for the loving gingham crew (which I'm now firmly entrenched), it's some good inspiration for this nice fabric.

Elizabeth, of Occasional Piece-Quilt
Krista, of KristaStitched
Cindy, of Live A Colorful Life
Rachel of The Life of Riley

Suz, of PatchworknPlay
Kris, of Duke Says Sew What

Additionally, I'm linking this post to 2 other linkee parties I like to participate in. Sew and Tell Friday by AmyLouWho (although it's only through Instagram this week #sewntell) and Favorite Things Friday by Quilting in My Pyjamas b/c Gingham is once again a favorite of mine thanks to this project!

Now, onto the details. I started with the winning green, yellow and brown bundle and an idea. The idea came initially as a joke in one of the giveaway questions, "what would you do with the gingham?" I replied, "something with the NY Beauty block, Dresden plates and Sunbonnet Sue."
I then pulled all the gingham fabrics I could find from my own stash.
After that, I pondered. I knew I wasn't obligated to the idea I threw out but I also couldn't shake it and so I decided to challenge myself by using each of those three patterns. Between Sue and the red gingham, a picnic scene was easy to imagine. Green gingham for grass, red for a blanket, blue for sky and brown for a picnic basket and Sam's clothes.

So I cut out a Sue and Sam. Immediately, I knew I could not have Sue in gingham. I'm not sure why, but she had to be different and stand out. Since this was due to be revealed on July 4th (I'm sorry I'm late everyone), I chose patriotic fabric for her dress.

Since most picnics occur in the sunshine, well, the NY Beauty became the sun.


But how can I get dresden plates in there? And how to use the the flowered gingham I had? Wait, fields of flowers and a fence. Yes!



I realized that this meant I needed to be conscious of depth in the design now and that was my most difficult part. I made a mistake with the pink bushes on the bottom right, where I should have reduced their size as I went toward the middle.

Despite noticing it was off somehow, I didn't figure it out until after all the quilting. I certainly wasn't going to change it then! LOL

I decided to quilt each part differently in an effort to keep a pictorial look. The sky is simple waves and the sun, radiating out.

The flower fields, well, accented to look like fields at a distance, I hope.
The grass is in small, spiky type design. I felt like it was an EKG line as I was quilting it so that's what I'll call it. "EKG continuous line design." -grin-

I have it all quilted and ready to bind when a friend comments I should quilt little ants into it. Brilliant, but since I don't want to reload it onto the frame, I pondered embroidering the ants after the fact. However, during a little sewing room clean up, I ran across a scrap stash and found fabric with ants on it. How lucky was that? I put Steam-a-Seam strips on the back, painstakingly cut them out and then ironed those babies on. The result went from a quilt I was proud of and liked to a quilt I was proud of and really brought a smile to my face.

I am proud bring to you, "Despite the Memo re: Gingham Day, Sue Does Her Own Thing"
Since my mom's birthday is in a couple of weeks, and since she loves Sunbonnet Sue and Sam, plus most of the gingham was hers to begin with, this little baby is going to her as a birthday present. I know she'll be tickled.

And now you know, between work and this little bugger, why I haven't been posting.


Cheers!

Becky