This is the fourth challenge my art group has attempted. The guidelines were that at least 1/3 must be strips and preferably all of it. The strips can range from 1/4" to 2" and can be straight or curved. You must have a heart at least 1" in size visible or hidden in the quilt. It must measure 26" X 31".

I love underwater and I love strips. I was really excited by this challenge. I had been wanting to do fish for the lake house, and I came up with the idea of making a landscape similar to the lake view that we love to wake up to. The sunrise is so beautiful, I find myself taking pictures of it. The colors are AWESOME. You'll notice our hillside across from us from the inspiration photos. This is what I wanted to do.

I LOVED working on this quilt. As a child, skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks, I tried never to fall, because I was afraid of what was in the water. Maybe something bigger than me, that might like to eat me!!?? So, I wanted to make under the water as a part of the design. I had SO MUCH fun playing with the fabrics trying to decide which to use, and I LOVED trying to find fabrics to make the fish seem realistic. This is definitely one of my top five favorites to do.

Let's start with the fabric selection, because the first thing to do on this quilt was to develop the background for the fish. Most of my quilts, I start with the "characters" in the quilt and then find a good background on which to place them. I went through, and had to refold, SO MUCH fabric until I found just what I wanted.

Should I use more pinks or more oranges? What hue of blues? OH, YEAH! my favorite turquoises. I stayed with the tree fabric for the hillside and eventually went with fabric that blended with the bottom of that piece to indicate a reflection on the top of the water.

I finally made a decision and numbered the strips so they wouldn't get out of order until they were sewn down.

Once I had the strips sewn, it was time to decide what fish to do. But as I thought about color and Missouri fish, I wanted to do the colorful little bluegill and the "villain" in the water could be the big, bad bass that people love to fish for in our cove. I then had to decide on how many, what size, and the "action" of the fish. I didn't have any photos, so I searched the internet and tried to find the most common picture of the coloring of the bluegill. I ended up with five fish and developed patterns for them. I wanted the bass to come from the "deep" and go after the little bluegill that play around the dock. To make the fish bigger, I decided to make the bass come onto the scene and one go away, so that I had more room to enlarge the fish in the narrow setting. Once I knew that, I made the other patterns.

It was time to make the fish. I wanted to start with the bass, because I had been collecting fabric for years with fish in mind and he was just one that I had to make decisions for. I had lots of fun selecting the fabrics. (By the way, I usually select the fabrics from my stash. LOL…) I made my first little bluegill and can you find the hidden heart? As with other quilts, I had drawn slightly inside the outer edges of the fish patterns, on Pellon 830, and cut that out on which to make a base to build each fish. You can move the fish around that way. I then laid the finished fish out for orientation. I got them in place, and then added some free-handed grasses, especially for the bass to hide in before he pounces.

My description indicates why it's named what it is:

As I sit on the deck of my home, I enjoy the beauty,

of the sunrise over the water.

And I ponder and wonder.... what's under.

The on-line article that advertised the exhibit read:

“Just as all of the participants in the group are unique individuals, so are the strip-pieced entries. While each quilt conforms to the requirements for the challenge, they are distinctively different in color, style, and subject matter. Each fiber artist interprets and expresses their individual skills in the execution of the challenge.”

Shows

“I Wonder What’s Under” juried into SAQA Virtual Gallery “Below the Surface”, May 1, 2025. Can be seen at: https://www.saqa.com/art/online-galleries/below-surface-saqa-virtual-gallery

“I Wonder What’s Under”, juried into AQS, Des Moines IA, Sept. 14-17, 2022.

"I Wonder What's Under",  juried into The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, Madison Wisconsin, Sept.9-11, 2021 Held on-line due to Covid.

"I Wonder What's Under," juried into Mancuso Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival Online, Visuals #3 held on-line due to Covid. Feb.24-27, 2021

"I Wonder What's Under", Special Exhibit, "Artrageous Strippers", The Quilt & Sewing Fest of New Jersey, Edison, New Jersey, Nov.18-21, 2020 Held on-line due to Covid-19

"I Wonder What's Under", Special Exhibit, "Artrageous Strippers",  Pacific International Quilt Festival,  Santa Clara, CA, Oct. 15-18, 2020 Held on-line due to Covid-19

"I Wonder What's Under", Special Exhibit, "Artrageous Strippers",  Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, Oaks, PN Sept. 17-20, 2020 Held on-line due to Covid-19

"I Wonder What's Under", Special Exhibit, "Artrageous Strippers",  World Quilt New England,  Springfield MA  Aug.13 - 15, 2020 Held on-line due to Covid-19

"I Wonder What's Under", Special Exhibit, "Artrageous Strippers",  Quiltfest, Greenville, SC June 4-6, 2020 Postponed until Apr.29-May1, 2021 due to Covid-19 virus

"I Wonder What's Under", Special Exhibit, "Artrageous Strippers",  Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, Hampton, VA Feb.27 - Mar. 1, 2020