The background to The Big Reveal: Early 2014, Ann set the Sisters a challenge to make a quilt based on the book, Chintz Quilts From the Poos Collection by Kay & Lori Lee Triplett and Xenia Cord, published by Quiltmania in2013. We were given 2 years to choose a quilt, draft a pattern and get sewing.
You would expect that is plenty of time to complete the challenge, right? Well let's just say that there are various stages of finish achieved. The Big Reveal started with those who had begun the challenge and ended with those who had completed their quilt.
Apologies to Clare who was absent on the day of the reveal. I know she has been working hard on her challenge, despite the being hampered by a frozen shoulder. And to Di as I didn't take any photos on my iPad, I used Di's iPad and that is where they still are.
First up was Deb. Deb has sourced a stunning piece of vintage fabric as the centre for her quilt - Peacock Centre Medallion on page 100 - but that is as far as it got. We all have a serious case of fabric envy!
Next to show her completed quilt top was Merri. This beauty can be found on page 262 and is titled Eight Petal Flower Centre Medallion with Basket Border - such literal description! Merri has created a fabulous quilt top, raiding her (and others) stash for lots of stripes and plaids in an effort to stay as faithful to the original as she could.
My challenge quilt is also at the completed top stage. I chose Peacock Feather and Rose bouquet Diamond in a Square on page 164 as my inspiration and spent hours/days cutting out and playing with fabric to create the broderie perse designs.
Ann presented an absolutely stunning interpretation of the Chinoiserie Centre Medallion with Hand Coloured Chintz Border from page 96. Ann loves colour and this completed quilt just sings from its crazy Toucan centre fabric to the big blowsy broderie perse flowers to the shot cottons used in the pieced borders.
And the final quilt of the reveal was Sue's because out of us all, only Sue hand-pieced and hand-quilted her challenge. Like Deb, Sue chose the Peacock Centre Medallion quilt from page 100 as her challenge. The selection and placement of fabrics makes Sue's quilt looks like it stepped right out of the pages of the book. For her centre medallion Sue has used broderie perse to create her own gorgeous peacock medallion. The completed quilts is an absolute tour de force of hand work.
I hope you have enjoyed The Big Reveal as this will be the last post on the Secret Sewing Sisterhood blog. After 7 years it is time to move on.
On behalf of the Sisters I would like to stay a very big thank you for all of the wonderful support and comments that have been posted over this time. We love patchwork and quilting and will continue sewing on the first Thursday and third Saturday of the month as we have done for over a decade now. For those that are interested in seeing what we are working on I will post the occasional photo on Instagram at mim_leslie.
Happy stitching to you all,
Meghan
