Step 5 of 12 Steps

This challenge is with a small LQG, we have been friends and a group for many many moons, we started meeting through  a local shop owned by quilt teacher and lecturer Charlotte Angotti.  Charlotte moved and closed up shop, but we continued to meet and Charlotte is still a part of our small group, when she is in town.  

Every year we set a challenge or two for the group and participation is voluntary.  One of the challenges we started at the beginning of 2012 was based on the Twelve by Twelve group.  Some of us had seen a display of the blocks that group made in Houston in 2011.  We settled for a color theme for our blocks and set up a two year schedule - which almost none of us followed!  We are a fly by the seat of our pants group if ever there was one.

Peacock was one of the colors,  I had skipped over that color last summer, I just didn't have a great idea.  A few weeks ago I went through magazines to discard and came across a quilt that inspired my Peacock block.  I can't find the magazine now (of course), but the quilt had a bird in the center with swirls around it and the bird was appliqued wool.  I do remember that the date was 2007.  

The directions said she had used a bit of 505 to keep the wool in place and then blanket stitched around the edges with her machine!  Wow!  I can do that.  Seeing as how about 3 years ago I invested a sickening amount into wool and an attachment for my machine to felt wool because I was going to make all these wool projects.  

This is my first time using the wool, except for sharing it with someone else who actually uses wool.  

I used a stabilizer underneath and carefully blanket stitched the edges.  I used the 505 sparingly, and pinned the pieces for stitching.  Then I embellish stitched still with the stabilizer underneath.  The background color is Kona Peacock.

I quilted a regular sandwich after putting down some of the embellishment stitches.

Here are most of the Peacock blocks from our group, great variety and many different interpretations of Peacock.

These are all the blocks I have made for this challenge - I have 2 more in the pipeline.

Keep Calm and Quilt On!

Mary