My Challenge Quilt Revealed!

Remember this post?  It was a sneak peek at the fabrics that I had to use for the Challenge Quilt for our local quilt show which opens today. "Look up in the sky and what do you see?", was the subject of the Challenge Quilt category.  After our trip to Hawaii this summer, I was inspired to make this quilt for the show.  Keep in mind that was dangerously close to the deadline to submit paperwork to enter, so it was full steam ahead to get it completed on time!  But I made it with less than a day to spare!

 'Island Life in Hawaii' is the name of this quilt.  It fits, don't you think? 

Can you find the Challenge fabrics in the quilt?  I like that they blend in and aren't too obvious.  I don't think the fabrics scream, "She had to put me in somewhere!"  I thought they did scream, "Hawaii", though.  How can that black not be used as volcanic rock?

A sea turtle with stuffing under the shell to give it more dimension. 

 The volcano is done with two different batiks and one of the challenge fabrics.  The batik for the lava coming down the volcano had to be pieced together so it would be wide enough.  Every fabric, except the challenge fabric and the fabric used for the ocean, came from my stash!  

A Hawaiian sunset!

 The pink fabric for this fish is one I would have passed over if I had been shopping for fish fabric, but when I was looking through my stash I thought it might work.  After I made a trial fish using the fabric. I was hooked!  LOL!!

This chenille used for the coral, was from a baby quilt that I made years ago. That stuff is certainly fun to fluff up!  My kids were eager volunteers for that job.   

 The yellow challenge fabric worked well for this fish.  It even has spots, like fish that have spots that look like eyes to confuse predators.  The first time I made him, I used totally black fabric for the fins and we decided he looked like he had a bad toupee, so I made him again. He looked much better with this tone on tone fabric I had used in a previous challenge quilt!

Being that I'm not a big fan of applique, this quilt was certainly a challenge for me! It was nerve-racking to put applique on a whole quilt first, rather than just one block at a time. Don't get me wrong, I love quilts with applique, as long as I'm not the one making them!  I'd like to work on applique to get better, but those pieced quilts just seem to call my name.  Maybe this is the start of something new for me!