One of the charities that I support, Quilts Beyond Borders, has a fun challenge. It is sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop, who have been generous with prizes. In a nutshell, the challenge is to make a quilt using at least one fat quarter, and send it in to the challenge coordinator. That's it! Easy peasy.
I submitted my quilt at the end of November, while we were still in the Metal Shark boatyard. Taking photos in that filthy environment was a bit of a challenge! The pattern is an old one called Five Yard. It doesn't really use full yards so it was easy to modify to the size needed.
I made my piece using some fun Australian-inspired fabrics. There are kangaroos and Aboriginal art motifs. These were pre-cut 6.5" squares that I had in the stash.
I pulled more fabrics in purple, turquoise and royal blue to complement the Aussie themed ones. The actual "challenge" fat quarter is this bold zigzag, which I think is from the Kaffe Fasset collective.
Of course, the quilt needs to meet QBB's size and labeling requirements, which can be found here. I pieced together the backing with some more aquas and blues, added the sewn-in label, and quilted an easy stipple.
Isn't this royal blue stained glass fabric neat? I had enough for a bit on the back after I made the binding with it.
This piece of the backing is metallic stars to represent the Southern Cross constellation and that's the name of this quilt. True story: I visited a friend in Australia for a few weeks in 1985. We stayed at a goat farm in the outback, far from the city lights. One night, I stepped outside my room and was completely overwhelmed by the unfamiliar night sky. So many stars! All in the "wrong" places! It was like being on an alien planet. Suddenly a kookaburra cried out its weird laugh right next to me and scared the bejabbers out of me. I scrambled back into my room and ducked under the covers!
If you have a FQ lying around (Ha ha! Who doesn't?) consider making a quilt and donating it to the Fat Quarter Challenge for Quilts Beyond Borders. Once your quilt is received, it is eligible each month for a $25 gift certificate AND the end of year $100 prize. How many contests put your name back into the hat month after month? It's a win-win!
