Thread Play for Libby

Last November I was approached about the possibility of creating a quilt destined to become a fundraiser for Libby Lehman.  Of course I was thrilled to be part of this very special project and dove right in.  We were to be inspired by of one of Libby's quilts, take elements from that quilt, and create our own.  The quilt was to be 30" square.

My choice for inspiration was Libby's Rococo Riffs.  Of course this piece is WAY outside of my comfort zone but I saw lots of possibilities for inspiration.

I took the green swirls, traced them, and then combined them into a block on point.

I loved Libby's  squares on point and the gradiated light to dark oranges so decided that having everything on point would work well.  This was all drafted on my table before marking everything on the Dupioni silk.

Many, many hours and four months later I am putting the polishing touches on the quilt and am pleased with how it has turned out!  This piece started out as one solid piece of Dupioni silk.  Because of all the thread play and light-to-dark shading with my threads, look at how it looks like two different fabrics! (It looks a little rumpled as I'm still working on binding and the sleeve).

It's a little hard to see in a photograph but each square on point was quilted with three different shades of Superior Threads' Kimono Silk...light in the center, medium in the middle and darkish around the edges.  This took forever to do and each stop and start had to be individually tied off and buried.  oie.

Each of the little octopus-y swirls were quilted in a purple Kimono Silk, outlined in gold and then teensy echoing in a matching silk for the background fill.  Hundreds of starts and stops here too...

I added three different shades of a heavier Tire Silk (Superior Threads) and a shot of gold Razzle Dazzle around the medallion and had to add beads of course.  I love how the heavy silk and beads provided the much needed dimension for this piece.

The hanging sleeve was created from leftover silk and two runs of some beautiful lace yardage that was gifted to me by a special friend...thank you Wendy!    Of course this was beaded too!

The signature linen was created from a part of a set and the quilt has been named "Thread Play for Libby".

When this project was launched invitations were sent to many national/international quilting instructors in anticipation of a special exhibit/silent auction fundraiser to help Libby with her medical expenses.  Once things are finalized I will definitely put out a blog post shout out to all of you.

During the four months of working on this quilt in the mornings/evenings I find myself thinking of Libby a lot and the journey she has gone thru this past year.  I also follow her religiously on The Caring Bridge keeping track of her amazing progress and how she has overcome so many challenges with her faith, her family and her friends.    Even though Libby is not able to continue teaching all of us in the classroom, she continues to teach and inspire us all.

Hugs, Cindy :)