Nature's. Garden was machine pieced, machine applique and machine quilted by my using my domestic machine.

0tThe hand made hexies were made during hurricane Mathew on September 28th 2016 and lack of electricity.  Sitting by the light from the window, looking a the trees swaying with the wind force created by a category 4 hurricane while mumbling and complaining about my husband 's thinking that connecting the generator to the freezer was more important than mysewing machine.  Finished by machine in 2017.

I love lots of color! The Macaws are perfect for a art quilt for my dinning room. This is a crazy pieced make ground The birds are raw rdge with each feather heavily quilted with embroidery threads. I used some eyelet fabrics in the face.

From a photo by Gunnison, CO photographer Allan Ivy (used with permission).  

I used "prom dress fabric" and a heat gun to achieve the snow, along with some sparkly fabric to enhance.  The light string is a cord with beads sewn onto it.

A whole bunch of fun! And about 3 months.

         When I saw this pattern I knew I had to make it.  It did take nearly 2 years to complete.  It is all hand appliqued and machine quilted on my sit down Tin Lizzie.  There was a time when I put it away with issues and didn't if I would ever go back to it.  We weren't speaking!!  I am very pleased to say we kissed and made up and now she is finished.  She just won Grand Champion in our local county fair, and she also received a Colorado Quilt Council Award of Excellence.  She just won Best in Show at the Colorado State Fair and another Award of Excellence from a different judge.

Mary Kerr's show inspired me to post the bags I made from The Cousin's Collection.  I had16 blocks that I inherited from my grandmother and 16 female cousins.  I had a "The Cousin's Collection" rubber stamp made and used it to mark the muslin lining.  I covered the " not always great" workmanship with yoyo's and thought of the stains as a dexign element.  The blocks are all pockets that are quilted with decorative stitches. Each bag is different and they are embellished with yoyo's, buttons, chenille, machine and hand applique, and embroidery.  Most of the fabrics came from my stach, so it was a great project to use up left over fabric.  I have kept those blocks for 40 years and am delighted to have them out the door!

One of my favourites. Made for my son and his bride 3 years ago. A free moda pattern but I added smashing and cornerstones. Rita Bertling.

This art quilt is fused on a black background leaving a space between shapes to show a black outline. it has more than 500 pieces and while it was time-consuming it was worth and a lot of fun. it just won a second place award.

The Iron Throne

Created by Candace West

Quilted leather art piece using new materials and techniques I am currently experimenting with. Leather, heat transfer vinyl, computerized cutting, and chainmail.

The quilt focuses on the nine houses that are fighting for the Iron Throne, (from the television series Game of Thrones based on the book series by George R. R. Martin.)  Each diamond block has the sigil emblem of one of the houses in their standards colors. The houses are placed in the quilt in the same N/S/E/W position as their geographic location in the fantasy world they inhabit. The corners depict the Iron Throne, which was made with the swords of the vanquished armies that came before them.

Specs and Details

Size:40” x 54”

Weight:7 lbs

Quilting: Hand guided quilting on an Innova 22" longarm.

Time to complete: Who knows? I worked on this off and on between teaching gigs since November 2016. Design and top construction about 2 months. The quilting took approximately 4 weeks, chainmail about 3 weeks. Finishing hardware – 1 week.

Leather Used: 3 Silver lambskins approx. 10 sq feet each, ¼ hide of Grey cow plonge, Fat quarter sizes of all the other colors which include pig, cow and lamb.

Applique and Flanges: Siser Easy Weed Extra heat transfer vinyl. All cut with my KNK Maxx Air cutting machine and heat pressed (fused) to the leather.

Metal: 240 rivets, 449 grommets, 3530 chainmail rings (all chainmail was handmade by the artist, one link at a time in a European 4 and 1 pattern on the bias), 5 decorative conchos.

Lacing: 60 feet of 1.5 mm silver leather cord.

Thread: 2000 yards of Twist thread from Superior, 7 bobbins of Bottom Line (Superior M size) various colors of Invisafil from Wonderfil. Around 300,000 stitches at 13 SPI.

Batting: Quilters Dream Poly on the bottom, Quilters Dream Blend on the top and Hobbs Wool for the trapunto under the appliques.

Backing: Upholstery weight décor print fabric.

Drugs: One full bottle of Tylenol and lots of sugar!

My friend Prue Wheel and I have made this quilt.I made the two right hand panels & Prue made the left hand ones.

We each then quilted & attached the panels using a quilt as you go technique.

This was a quilt I made for the 2017 Iowa Shop Hop Challenge.  Our region of Iowa was given the fall theme and a pre-selected set of specialty designed fabrics produced by Wilmington Fabrics to create a quilt to inspire the quilters throughout the state with projects.  The challenge rules were to incorporate as many of the specialty fabrics and we could add any accent colors that gave the final project a fall look and feel.  I choose the pumpkin seed or orange peel block and changed the scale of the blocks which ran diagonally across the middle.  The quilt is a table topper and is simply quilted with a large meander.  After watching the Mary Kerr show I thought it would be fun to share this quilt.  It is modern but is based on a very old pumpkin seed block.  

Small whole cloth quilted on the home sewing machine using ruler work.

This quilt was pieced (no raw edges), cutting  & sewing random shapes. I learned this technique from Sheila Frampton-Cooper and added my own spin to it. It was fun to free motion quilt different motifs in each shape. I used my Babylock Elisimo gold domestic sewing machine throughout the quilt.  So much fun!

Made for a cheerleader graduating from high school.  This was my first T-shirt quilt, which includes a cheerleader uniform (partially set-in), sweatshirts, detachable hair bows (pinned on using eyelets) and tees.  I used woven fusible interfacing and cotton pieced quilt blocks as fillers.  Each block was custom quilted on my domestic sewing machine.  Backing fabric by Tula Pink.

    I love to display this quit during patriotic holidays.  All of the components used to make this quilt are located in the classroom section of TQS.  Look for the Patchwork Math classes, and you will be able to make a Zinnie's Choice to proudly display in your home. 

Enchanted Evening Star was a quilt I designed as a Quilt of Valor quilt pattern.  The All Hallows block is repeated in this quilt .  It can be made using jelly rolls, fat quarters, or yardage.  It is made using HSTs.   The pattern is available for download at McCalls Quilting.  

Tomorrow, this year's "Tour de France" will run through my hometown and whizz past the corner of  my street. That's the reason why my "Reverse of the Medal" welcomes the peloton in the local pharmacy.
As a sports addict, I was disillusioned and upset by last years’ doping affairs and the tearful confessions of some convicted racing cyclists.
NADA and WADA information disclosed the apparently common abuse of “supportive substances”, even in unexpected disciplines.
These athletes defraud their competitors and us, the fans, but also put their health and life at risk – to gain medals, break records, keep crowd and sponsors satisfied : “To win silver is to lose gold !”

Expecting to add an update some day soon, I finished the right edge with a divisible zipper. On the back, I printed tattoo bicycle gears.

The quilt was on display in shows in England, Japan and the States.

Applique Quilt design by Lori Smith. Hand applique and pieced.