Medallion quilt project - part five

Remember our quilt theme in my quilt group last year? I never shared the final borders with you. We are meeting tomorrow evening and will start out new theme so I thought I would share the medallion quilts the ladies made last year. They are all very special since each quilt tells a story...

Don't forget you can click on the photos to enlarge them and get a much better look at the detail.

The challenge for this last border was that each person received a fat quarter from me and they had to work that fabric into the last border. Now for some of them it was a real challenge depending on what fabric they were given. I wanted to stimulate them to have to work with something outside of their safe zone in some cases. It was great fun as I took all their quilt tops up to my studio and cut the fabric which I placed in the folded top. They all looked at their challenge fabric at the same time. Further, the last border was a symbol of their current surroundings and hopes and dreams for the future.

For anyone wanting to reread the previous stories, you can find them here and here and here.


Joke ~ Joke was given a fat quarter of her teal color but one with a more vivid leaf print on it. The challenge was to work in a totally different feel of fabric texture and make it work. She used a number of blocks offset from each other to create the symbols of her last border. You will notice first in the right corner the log cabin blocks which stand for a warm and safe home. The two corners across from each other have the block Card Trick and this shows that life is unpredictable while the Flying Geese in each side are the fact that you sometimes want to get away from it all and escape. Delectable Mountains (top left corner), Compass and Broken Band (either side of Card Trick) stand for the hope that in spite of all the obstacles in life, she hopes to come to calm waters and restore a broken band with her son.


Jacomina ~ Jacomina's fat quarter was a major challenge for her. I gave her a soft blue homespun plaid that was the perfect color for her choice of fabrics. Her challenge was using a plaid which she absolutely loaths. I hoped this would help her to use plaids more. I don't think she will but everyone agreed that the plaid really stood out and made the border come together well. I hope you can get an impression of this in the enlarged photo. Her border was a coming together of everything in her previous borders along with more of the toile fabric of the little boy and girl which are a symbol of her twin grandchildren.


Miep ~ Her fat quarter was a dark green plaid which gave a contrast to the prints and florals she was using. Her borders is a series of "mountains" which represents the highs and lows of life. She used red and black corners to show life's natural cycle of life and death.

Elly ~ Elly's challenge was to use a fat quarter that was biege with pink rose buds which is a bit more romantic than she would normally choose herself. I must say her challenge fabric ended up blending in to her quilt perfectly. Her border is the Cracker block creating a wave around the quilt which stands for the wave of life with all its ups and downs. Her four feature blocks are (starting from the top middle): Dove symbol for peace in the world and among men, House symbol for a safe and happy home for herself and also her 4 children, Wedding Ring symbol for her hope that she will one day marry again, and Grandmother's Flower Garden for her hope to have a beautiful flower garden.

Enny ~ Her challenge was to use a darker shade of mossy green giving a little extra dimension to the last border. She used the fabric in the four corners. She says she just did not have any story behind this assignment other than to do something she thought was pretty. They are interlocking squares. She was so excited to work on it and did not wait so had her last border ready ahead of time.

Saskia ~ Her fat quarter challenge was a piece of blue fabric. She, like myself, is not really fond of blue. She used Flying Geese in all four side of the border to show life is all the corners of the world. The 4 cornerstones symbolize for her (starting top left going counterclockwise): Fortune or CrossRoads meaning prosperity and fortune, House meaning finding her dream house, Pineapple for friendship and Heart for love.

Bep ~ Bep's border is full of various symbols behind the use of Flying Geese. She used the block and the color variations to mean a need for freedom, flying through light days or dark days, the nature and then light days returning home. Home is symbolized by the four cornerstones.