twisted tails

camo sampler - traditional 12" sampler blocks

The Bikini Made Me Do It - This quilt is a result of a challenge from my guild to use 2 or more items from the local dollar store. The first I found was a fabric flower bikini top and everything took off from there. I ended up using 6 items, including the bikini top. The woman depicted holds a list of "important" items you need to take on vacation.

6th Grade Goes to Ancient Egypt - My students wrote their names in heiroglyphics and hand sewed their block of three strips.

September 11, 2001 Memorial - Our students wrote original poems which were printed on fabric. These were pieced around the appliqued eagle with stars added to the corners.

Fortune Not Found - Made for guild challenge to interpret the fortune from a fortune cookie. It actually folds and snaps together to the shape of a fortune cookie.

Ricky Meets a Geisha - Made for guild challenge. The quilt could not be a square or rectangle. The geisha came from a panel given to me by a friend.

America Is Like a Quilt - Made for guild challenge. Each entry had to have an American flag included in some way. Inspired by a quote by Jesse Jackson.

A View to Sew By - This quilt shows the tidal river and marsh that I see when I look out the windows of my sewing room. Sometimes the view is too distracting to get much sewing done!

Big Pink Happiness - I just wanted to make something with simple blocks so I began just making 9 patches. Then I unearthed the two fabrics from my stash that became the background-I had just loved them when I bought them with no clue how I would use them the prints are so big to me, but I love the result! We have a Quilterson family challenge on-going that is just "make something that fits/means Happiness to you." I was just so happy making this little quilt I decided it had met that challenge for me, and I always loved the album "Music from Big Pink" by the band so... Big Pink Happiness became the name. Not yet quilted but I can't wait to do it-lots and lots of hearts-and snuggle under it if I ever feel blue.

Mile-High Harlequin - When I registered for the 2007 McCall’s Mile-High Quilt Symposium in Golden, Colorado, I was invited to create a 12-inch challenge block using two fabrics: one white with black polka dots, and the other black with white polka dots. I’d been following the videos in “Ricky’s Rhapsody Reality Blog,” learning how to make a Ricky Tims-style “Rhapsody” quilt, and the pattern I’d designed just happened to be 12 inches square. Excited, I decided to use it for my challenge block. I whipped up the block in my favourite colours the night before I was to fly to Colorado. The next morning, I realized I’d forgotten to include the challenge fabrics! With no time for anything else, I made them into double piping and stitched it around the edges of the block. (Needless to say, I did not win the challenge!) The harlequin pin was made by Anne Holborn. I’d picked it up at a Victoria Quilters’ Guild show several years before, knowing that someday I’d find the perfect use for it. My “Mile-High” challenge block was the setting it had been waiting for. The beads were an afterthought—and turned out to be the part I enjoyed doing the most!

JJ - In my experiments with portrait methods, I made this one of my dog, JJ, using fusing techniques, lots of snippets, and tulle.

Home Sweet Home - The center of this quilt is a vintage embroidered pillow top featuring a little green house. I chose to continue the house theme with log cabin and school house blocks. I'm not sure what the triangle border blocks are--sort of Birds in the Air meet Kansas Troubles. Used reproduction fabrics to pick up the colors of the embroidery.

Scraps - A scrap quilt which didn't seem to use up much of my stash.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - This Very Hungry Catepillar was made as part of a guild storybook challenge. The caterpillar is made of yo-yo's sewn together with a red stuffed head. Eric Carle's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar has always been a favorite in my classroom.

Quilt for Baby Rhett - This "Lucky Stars" pattern by Atkinson Designs made a perfect choice for a baby quilt.

Crossword Puzzle - This crossword puzzle is made from 3 inch squares depicting the sign language alphabet. The words used included family names, locations where we live and other special words. It was a gift to my brother, who at one time was a sign language interpreter for the deaf.

My Kaleidoscope - I made this scrappy kaleidoscope following the directions in Ricky's DVD. I had to use a 16" freezer paper square (instead of 18") because my fabrics were not all wide enough to fit six templates across.