Wednesday, June 15, 2011

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!"

9 comments:

  1. Fantastic. Your creation definitely says, "Let's play"! The bright fabrics against the dark background really make the game sing and the buttons add just the right finishing touch.

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  2. Oh you definitely need to develop some "rooles" for this one! It is fantastic - I love the bright colours, the button game oieces and dice and the effectiveness of the quilting. A fabulous piece!

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  3. Oh yes fabulous! Your choice of fabrics and colors worked so well and those buttons are perfect. I can only guess at the piece of hand dyed fabric ... is it the yellow with a touch of green?

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  4. What a great idea! Looking at your quilt makes me want to play the game! Love all the fabrics you used, they are really inviting!

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  5. Well, so far, I have loved every single one. I really didn't think all of the pieces would be so great and so varied. I love how this one is so playful and the buttons are just the thing. I especially like the contrast between the foreground and the background quilting. Great job.

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  6. This really conjures up the fun and colorfulness of childhood board games -- the twisting lines made me think of Candyland right off! The buttons are a great embellishment.

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  7. Very cute! I love its brightness and playful feel. Love those dice too!!!!

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  8. How bright and whimsical this is! It certainly reminds me of board games and the fun we used to have playing them. I like how you came up with the name too! Very Seussical!

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  9. Beverly I just love it. We also grew up playing board games and I don't think it could have been better depecited then what you have done here. The contrast, the bright colors and the dice bring it all together. I also love the use of buttons, congratulations!

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