Stained Glass Shadows

My quilt project for this challenge incorporated paper piecing and 60 degree triangles to interpret Elizabeth's sub-theme Stained Glass Shadows. The idea that stained glass shines on a surface and casts a shadow of color on that surface was what we were to base our pieces on. 

The upper portion of my quilt is a paper pieced stained glass block I designed in EQ7.

The bottom portion used 60 degree triangles cut from lighter pastel fabrics 

than the fabrics used in the upper paper pieced block. 

They were sewn in relation to where the shadow colors from the stained glass might fall.

The quilting was used to accentuate the colorful shadows with their somewhat blurred effect on the surface of the containment.

It also helped define the grays of the stone work in which this window was housed.  

 For more information about my challenge piece, visit my blog. Thank you.

Stained Glass Shadows

I loved this theme, which Elizabeth suggested.

I went looking for stained glass shadows in the National Portrait Gallery

although I found most of my inspiration in Elizabeth's photographs, particularly the way the shadows where light wasn't falling looked purple.

My quilt is intended to capture the saturated colour and softened nature of the light where it falls, and the purple shadows and crisp shapes of the areas where it doesn't. Read more about it on my blog

Colored Shadows

Colored Shadows.  A mini quilt made for my Four-in-Art Group.
This Quarters theme was light: Stained Glass Shadows

 I confess that I wish it had stayed more like this, more vibrant, but with time....and water,

 It ended up more muted.  My inspiration was the way the sun shines in through a stained glass window onto the floor tiles of some ancient cathedral.

 Just a fun teapot print for the back.
This mini finished up at 11.5" x 12.5"

You can visit my personal blog to see the details of the making of this mini at rachel-thelifeofriley.blogspot.com

Stained Glass and Shadows

Sadly, my shadows are not all I'd hoped for but you can see more about this quilt on Rainbow Hare, Janine :)

Rose Window

For the August 1, 2017 Challenge, the theme was Stained Glass Shadows, in the overall yearly theme of Light.

Rose Window

13 1/2" wide by 18" long

Quilt Number 185

I decided to focus on the colors left as the sun passes through stained glass windows, doing some improv piecing, then dense quilting to create this little piece.

You can read more about it on my blog, OPQuilt.com (which stands for OccasionalPiece-Quilt).  This is the penultimate challenge for 2017, as our last one for the year is November 1st.  Check back then to see all the talented quilters create for that theme.

James' Gift

Like most people I have always loved stained glass and the mesmerizing shadows it can cast.  And a few years back I even took a class and made my own piece which, sadly, doesn't cast much of a shadow.  Shortly after I retired I began making stained glass mosaics, even sold a few, and this one hangs in our house on the coast.

But more relevant to this post, stained glass is no stranger to our home in Virginia.  We have a portion of a door, reportedly from a Scottish dance hall:

along with several Frank Lloyd Wright inspired pieces, such as this one:

But my most treasured pieces were made by my friend, James Johnson.  We worked together in the title industry for a few years before he relocated to Phoenix.  During his tenure in Virginia, he became a trusted friend with a brilliant insight into the human race and a charming wit second to none.  These days we stay in touch via Facebook, fortunately!

James was around when my husband and I built our log home and one of his pieces is now a permanent fixture and was the inspiration for this post.   Let me introduce "James' Gift":

I say permanent because we actually mounted it into our bedroom door:

All the doors in our house are vintage and none match - a variety of panel styles, and this particular one lends itself to James' work beautifully.

My fabric interpretation of this, I fear, fails to convey the true beauty of the real thing, but I love it nonetheless!

The top portion is clearly the original piece, but the portion section is meant to convey how the dark red actually shows up in shadow.  The fabric used in the bottom, from Alison Glass, is truly JUST how it looks in reflection on the wall.

Shown next to the dove-tailed corners of the logs-- I think it looks perfect!

One other piece James made for us is this sweet flower which hangs in my bathroom window, happily:

Aren't I lucky to have such a talented friend?  These pieces are part of my life and always make me think of him!

For the backing of our Four-in-Art effort, I used a Michael Miller metallic piece which proved to be a challenge to quilt (and I immediately donated the remaining 8 fat quarters to our guild donation table!).

As always, the label is the part I most enjoy (although this go round it took a half dozen attempts to print, leaving me in a battle of wits with the printer).  And because of the metallic in the fabric, getting this thing to rest straight was impossible!

Although I was initially stumped with this sub-theme of "stained glass shadows", it proved to be a pleasant endeavor.  My thanks to James for his gift many years ago, which continues to bring enjoyment, and to Elizabeth for the challenge!