Inspiration from Hoffman Fabric

This year’s Hoffman Challenge fabric “K7126_136G Peacock Gold” (Fig.1) inspired Nancy, who has been participating in this annual challenge for several years. She studied the fabric and decided that the round gold-outlined medallions resembled “coins” (Fig. 2). She then mentally created a scenario to guide her in the design process. Her resulting quilt, “Payment In Gold” (Fig. 3), captures a moment in time of a knight purchasing his prospective dinner of pheasants from a local huntsman.

Nancy fussy cut the fabric’s leaves to make the huntsman’s forest cape, added the quiver strap across his chest, and spent time carefully hand cutting rows of “feathers” to achieve a believable visual narrative. For the knight, a richly embroidered tunic over chain mail establishes his ability to command a pouch full of gold coins.

She had fun incorporating layers of a silver party fabric for the chain mail and using Razzle Dazzle thread for embroidery “bling” on the tunic. Special attention went into creating the appliquéd hands by first painting the fabric and then using thread painting for the final effect (Fig.4).




(Fig. 1) Peacock Gold fabric

(Fig. 2) One of the "coins"

(Fig. 3) "Payment In Gold" finished quilt

(Fig. 4) Detail of hands