Monochromatic quilt top done, and why I make quilts

I finished up the monochromatic quilt top for the Modern Quilt Guild challenge.  I must say that I'm really pleased with this!  My inspiration was a pieced leather Native American Robe that is in a local museum, and I think in my own way I captured it just a bit.  I'm out of batting, and my mom is coming to visit later this week for the kids spring break, so I have to put all of my sewing stuff away, but hope to get it all done in time for the contest this time around...  I'll be linking up with Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday too :).  Come see what else everyone is working on there!

I also got these thank you notes in the mail today from my nieces (thanks to my SIL too).  I made them all quilt for Christmas.  This pretty much sums up why I quilt!  ALMOST makes me want to try to have a girl of our own too ;-).  Priceless!

Modern quilt contest

The project on my sewing table is something I've had in the works for a few years. I recently saw the contest that The Modern Quilt Guild has going on. It challenges us to create a quilt from a picture. The deadline is TODAY! Luckily, I have, not only the pictures that I've used for my inspiration, but I also had the quilt started... all the fabric bought, and cut out since last Spring. This contest is the perfect motivation for me to finish it. Unfortunately, I've also had a lot of other quilts that I needed to get done by certain deadlines, so I'm not sure this will get done today. Wish me luck!

Here's the picture of the inspiration. It's tile work from the New Orleans International Airport. Until my dad passed away 2 1/2 years ago, my family has lived in New Orleans or Baton Rouge for 40+ years. About a year ago, my mom moved from New Orleans to Dallas to be closer to my brother and her sister. This pictures was taken on our very last visit to New Orleans, in June of 2009. The kids and I flew there to help my mom pack up all of her house. Because of Katrina, there wasn't as much of it as there would have been. My parent's house had about 2-3 feet of water sitting in it for weeks, and almost everything was ruined. But that's another story.

This last trip was very bittersweet for me. This very airport terminal was the sight of a horrendous exodus, as people fled from the storm and its aftermath. In older parts of the terminal tiles are missing, broken, and a bit neglected, kind of like the city and the people of New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast, following Katrina and the BP oil spill. But I managed to snap this picture in a newer part of the terminal right before our own final flight away from New Orleans. It makes me so sad to no longer have family there, but I do have some friends still there, and hope to some day return. Until then, I DO know what it means to miss New Orleans. This quilt will remind me of the joyous city and place that I called home for many years.... Here it is in progress. Wish me luck. I'll try to post a picture of it finished as soon as it is!

PS It's Tuesday, and I'm linking up with Quilt Story's "Fabric Tuesday"! Take a look over there at the other wonderful fabric projects others are working on!