April 2009 Challenge: Speak Your Piece! (Page 1)

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I can express a frustration about our current economy with my choice of blocks in this quilt: "Flying Fist," "Patch as Patch Can," and "Economy Patch."

St. Charles, Illinois, USA

The quilt design is from an actual vintage quilt that I own. My mother rescued the top at a rummage sale. The patches are each 1" square and are hand sewn together. The plain patches are flour sacking. I quilted the top to finish it and used my embroidery machine. There are feather wreath quilting designs to fill in around the mantra of the 30s that was so primary in my mother's life and she passed on to us: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." I embroidered that with my machine.

To fill in the rest of the plain blocks, I found a protest song from 1932 that was titled, "Prosperity Is Just Around Which Corner?" (probably protesting President Herbert Hoover's promise for better days to come in an improved economy.) So much of what is in this protest applies to our present economic circumstances, yet the words suggest a brighter future. They, too, are embroidered by machine.

St. Charles, Illinois, USA

I am so fed up with people driving agressively. I wish everyone remembered that it's not all about them and getting to wherever they think is so important... people's lives and safety are what matters.

Bowling Green, Ohio

Developers, attempting to maximize their profits, pack as many buildings as possible on available property. In the process they destroy the environment, the beauty of the location, and surround the developed areas with endless, boring concrete (borders).

Williamsburg, VA

A very simple quilt, but it is to remind me that with all the turmoil happening with the USA and the world, I should remember to look to the Cross. God is in contol.

Photos were all taken by me:and I am "Speaking My Piece"
Kennebunkport Maine
Yosemite National Park
Grand Canon
Lake Tahoe
Somewhere in the USA

I remember how good it felt to help my grandparents weed their victory garden in Muskegon, Michigan when I was a little girl. Let's plant Victory Gardens in our communities today!

This quilt reflects my work to help combat domestic violence in my community. It starts in the middle with ultraviolet anger and gradually cools to a calm, peaceful blue. Then the anger builds up again and a family is in danger.

Domestic violence is the single greatest cause of injury to women in the United States. Silence is the abuser's best weapon.

Florida

How to save earth :
Turn off lights.
Green building.
Plant trees.
Ride bike.
Walk.
Recycle.

Taiwan

An original block depicting the difficulties of life, but overcoming results in stability and growth. The fabrics were the recent Black White & Red Fabrics of the Month from EQ6.

Ozark, Missouri

As you can see I have made a point.

My gripe at the moment is people who judge you by the gift you give.

I have tried to put together a quilt in custom set. I am having trouble getting the pieces to sit were I want need more practice or help but I hope you like what I designed.

After nearly 20 years in Germany we have now our own "home affairs" - with a small garden and a huge municipal meadow at the back of our end-rowhouse.

Ideal for Maja!!! (see the next quilt)

Riegelsberg, Germany

We have had already dogs before we came to Germany. But here in rented flats dogs were undesirable! Until a few years ago: after all we have found our house and ... Maja!

As a golden labrador as well as a canadiad shepherd dog she is intelligent, careful und sweet!

"Impossible" triangles from M. Escher in On Point Quiltlayout. Scanned foto of the dog used as a fabric with fussycat tool. 3-D effect best visible without patch outlines!

Riegelsberg, Germany

In recognition of my two favorite charities unicef.org and planusa.org making the world a better place one life at a time by helping the children to a better future.

I'm reasonably sure the law of the land only prohibits praying in groups in public places now. But what's next? And how did this happen? I don't think our representatives in the House and Senate voted for this. I believe it was a small group of judges, Wonder why they ever thought that was a good idea?

Sunnyside, Washington

It's still a mystery to me how a minimum of Americans with loud voices can change 200 years of tradition The benefit they derived from it is a mystery, too. But the misguided effort to remove the posting of the Ten Commandments in government buildings is a long-standing one. How has this improved our country?

There are many different ways of numbering the Commandments. The system used in this quilt is taken from the Lutheran Catechism.

Sunnyside, Washington

We have recently had our daughter and her two children come back to live with us. I worried about this initially but so far it's a treat to have the young lives in our old house. This quilt speaks my piece about the joy children can bring in spite of circumstances.

I've used the two blocks "Grandmother's Own" and "Grandmother's Cross" to continue my theme. The colouring brings out the interlocking of our 5 lives.

Bracebridge, ON Canada

One of my gardening friends is passionate about preserving antique rose bushes. This quilt commemorates her work.

Houston, Texas, USA

"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive"

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies" Oliver Goldsmith

"Why would anyone lie? The truth is always more colorful." James Hall

I designed this quilt in response to being fibbed to. I chose a sickly green color scheme. The S letters remind me of snakes in the grass. And I chose a nice spider web quilting design.
I felt much better after taking out my frustration by designing this quilt.

Waterloo, NY

I reused some drawings from a previous challenge (see Nov 2006) to illustrate the food crisis.

I drew the shape of the African continent because unfortunately it suffers a lot from famine crisis and it is not understandable that such disasters are still existing on our planet. We should not forget that humankind was born there...

I believe we are custodians of our planet. Penguins and glaciers symbolize a part at risk.

Palmyra, VA

Climate change is something I feel strongly about. I am a keen skier and over the last 10 years I have seen the glaciers in Europe retreat at an alarming rate. The implications of our "throw away" livestyle don't just stop there either - there are the polar bears who are loosing their habitat, houses being regularly flooded over the last decade where it didn't happen before, our indigenous plants becoming more and more rare ...... the list goes on and on.

Guildford, England

Why is it that cats are drawn to the sewing room? Quite apart from all the dangers (pins, needles, bits of thread), they just have to walk all over our newly made quilts. Still, we quilters love our cats, and I'm no exception. My own cats, Hattie and Winnie, are always getting up to mischief and are particularly fond of "wadding" which they dribble over and knead with their paws!

Guildford, England

cross roads block - It is road work season when it seems all the roads have road works which have to be finished before the tourists arrive.

Every year in the fall our house is invaded by sneaky ladybugs. After being invisible all winter, they try to escape via the windows in the spring. Since February this year I have been vaccuming up to 150 ladybugs daily. I used to love ladybugs.

Washington State

Victoria British Columbia

Victoria British Columbia

This is one of my favorite sayings. We can do a lot if we are willing to do what we can with what we have, where we are!

I had a good time working with the various layers.

Mission KS

Not when they dig up my crocus bulbs and eat them! The tell-tale blossoms are left behind along with small pits in the ground.

Northeastern Ontario

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