A Photo Challenge

For short, I've been referring to to this challenge as the Mill Challenge.  It is challenge issued by the Modern Design Lab, a group of modern quilters who encourage each other to become better artists and designers.

Photo to Textile Challenge - Guidelines

Objective – Create a small quilt using the Woodside Mill photo as inspiration.

Size – Quilt should finish 15” x 15”.

Color Palette – Any shades of white, gray and black can be used in desired amounts along with the Kona Grasshopper.

Fabrics – Kona Solid in Grasshopper must be included in some way.  Any other solids and prints are welcome keeping the chosen color palette in mind.

Construction and Quilting – Any construction techniques may be used as long as the quilt has two fabric layers with batting sandwiched between and joined together with stitching by hand and/or machine. 

The group collectively decided on which green to use,  Kona Grasshopper. 

Background

The textile boom of Greenville (South Carolina) began around 1880 to 1890 when southern farmers transitioned from shipping their cotton to New England to processing it here in the Upstate into finished goods.  Soon Greenville was dubbed the “Textile Capital of the World”.  In about a twenty-year span, sixteen cotton mills were built within three miles of downtown Greenville, including the Brandon Mill, home of the Greenville Center for Creative Arts, and the Woodside Mill pictured here.

Woodside Mill by Mark Mulfinger

I am struggling with this challenge, but I'm sketching away trying to develop an idea.  As much as I want to incorporate the water tower or the smokestack.   I am using the windows in the photo as my main inspiration.

Since, I need to finish this soon, I'm declaring this my One Monthly Goal for May and linking to Elm Street Quilts.