One Step, Two Step- Beverly

 'One Step, Two Step, I Step, You Step'

 I wanted to depict the word 'Games' because it conjured up so many childhood memories for me.  My family played card games, my grandmother would get down on the floor with me and play jacks.  We raced and jumped hurdles in our large back yard.  We played Scrabble and dominoes.  And we played board games, which is the concept I finally chose to work with.

We played Monopoly and Life.  I played Chutes and Ladders and Candyland with my children when they were young.  What you see here is my own invention which my daughter claims looks like something Dr. Seuss would have come up with, hence the name.  I suppose that, given more time, I could have devised some nonsensical rules to play on this board!

I usually like to use my own hand-dyed fabrics, but somehow the bright commercial prints seemed right for this piece.  There is one bit of hand-dye, can you find it?  The background was quilted first, then the 'road' appliqued on.  I wanted the quilting to be a contrast to the curvy lines of the road, but with some variety to add interest.

I have wanted to use buttons in a quilt for a long time, and this was the perfect piece.  I was lucky enough to find a pair of button dice, the final touch.  The 'road' is edged with fusible metallic flat thread, then zig-zagged with monofilament.

Once I settled on a design, I had a lot of fun with this one.  I knew I'd succeeded when my eleven year old granddaughter looked at it for the first time and said, "It's a board game!"