Each year the Quilter's Guild of NSW holds a challenge for it's members to make a mini quilt with a set theme. Some examples of past challenges include Hexagon Hype, Purple and Yellow, Spot the Spot. The only limits are the size of 40cm x 40cm (16inches x16inches) and that the piece be 3 layers. The quilts then become a travelling suitcase exhibition and will tour for a year or two.

 I've been a member of the guild for a few years now but somehow each year would fly by before I'd get something made. Ha, no more excuses - this year I finally jumped in early and got sewing. 


The theme for the 2014 Suitcase Challenge was "Mini Modern".
Just to make sure I was on the right track I looked up What is a Modern Quilt? and found the answer on the Modern Quilt Guild's blog

"Modern quilters work in different styles and define modern quilting in different ways, but several characteristics often appear which may help identify a modern quilt. These include, but are not limited to: the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid work."

So I grabbed some bold fabrics, did some improv piecing, tried to keep it minimal, added some negative space and high contrast with the grey linen, 
and this is what I came up with.
I called it Wiggle Jiggle because I think the wobbly lines look as though they're doing a wiggly dance. 

Did you notice the binding? To add extra Wiggles at the edges I sewed the binding to the back first and then brought it around to the front and appliqued it down it a wiggly jiggly way. Once both sides of the quilt were appliqued I finished by binding the top and bottom with linen. 


While I had my little pile of colourful fabrics sitting on the cutting bench I decided to see what I could do with straight lines. I started with squares and then added skinny lines and it just grew from there. As with the previous quilt I also incorporated the binding into the design.

And to continue the rhyming names this little quilt became Square Flair

Seeing as I'd made two quilts I thought I might as well whip up a third. 
 I looked at the pile of little coulourful scraps and proceeded to sew them together. 
This time I was going to have both straight lines and curves!

The result became a big zany blob and a fun 2 sided border. Rather than doing any binding at all I used the pillow slip method in which I sewed the quilt sandwich together inside out and then turned it the right way around so the raw edge are tucked inside the seams.

I had fun with the quilting on this one. Besides using lots of different colours I varied the length of the stitches. I'm really pleased with the result, after all variety is the spice of life.

As for the name - as soon as I thought of Bright Meteorite I knew that was it!

So in the end I made three quilts... I have sketches for more of these little moderns, using the same elements of colourful bits mixed with linen, and exploring different edges. Coming up with different rhyming names could be tricky though. 

Back to the reason I started these in the first place -
 the Guild's Suitcase Challenge. 
I now had the dilema of which quilt to enter. I did Um and Ahh and practically had to pull a name out of a hat to decide which one to send. In the end one little quilt was packed up and sent off on it's merry way. 

I'm curious -  which one do you think I sent? 

Wiggle Jiggle, Square Flair or Bright Meteorite?