Together - for ever - Wedding gift for my little brother and his wife who got married the 22.08.2008. Figures was inspired by looking at sculpture of couple made in metal. Colors picked out based on fabrics that I liked and the fact that I knew my brother and his Ingrid loved purple and green. On the background I tryout a technique I saw on the quilt show with Vikki Pignatelli. I also put some applique inspired by the story about "the danish professor with an empty yam glass and 2 cups of coffee" - Big rocks represent important values in life like love, family, children, friends and so on. Smaller rocks represents things that are less important but nice to have like a house, a car and so on. The frame was inspired of something I saw on TV many years ago, about an artist who just metal scraps in her art with textile, I do not remember her name. My father helped me make it.

Forrest Grump - This was a guild challenge that I finished but didn't get to show. ("Life is like a box of chocolates" except for PMS!) We traded 3 inch strips of neutral fabrics and had to use a split nine patch block.

Phunky Feasant - My friend's boss kept asking for a pheasant quilt. It started as a joke but ended up okay. This would be my first "art" quilt and it hangs in his office. The size is estimate.

Gussie's Double Jumbo Tulip Quilt - My quilt books are all in storage, thus I can't give the pattern name. The applique block is of my own design. The quilting was done by Carol Smith of Brookline, NH. This quilt was supposed to be a cute little nine-block wall hanging. My husband loved what I was working on so much, he kept saying 'make more blocks!'. When the quilt got to be 108 X 108, I said ENOUGH!

Sister's 50th Bday Quilt - My online quilt group did a block swap called Starry Nights. I decided to put them into a scrappy star quilt for my sister's 50th birthday. I needed to create more blocks then the number I received in the swaps so I "deconstructed" a few of them so I could mix the fabrics more randomly through out the top. Otherwise the extra blocks I made would have stood out too much. My husband helped with the machine quilting.

Running Like a Wild Animal - This is Lindsey's big boy quilt. He is the next best thing to hyperactive, hence the name. I would like to say that I am very good at math, and got straight A's all the way through Differential Equations all through college. However, when I made this I goofed up my geometry in determining the size of the border diamonds. Then I forgot to use my algebra to make sure the large and small diamonds would attached to each other. Finally, when I cut out too many blocks, I found I could not even count! BUT the jungle animals, a directional fabric, are all right side up and none had to be re-sewn!

First Poppy - One day I looked out my window while it was raining, and marveled at all the different shades of green I saw. And there was one lone poppy amidst the green. With the rain distorting the view, it looked like a Monet scene. So I took a photo and used some artistic license to reproduce the scene.

Carpenter's Star - Made this wall quilt with the half-square triangles cut from the corners of flying geese blocks used in other quilts. Other leftover fabrics were used for the borders. Don't you love a free quilt?!

Flower Child - Use of black/bright prints and Lazy Daisy zinnia fabric. Inspired by flower children of the '60's.

American Mariner - Took a class with Chris Lynn Kirsch at the Wisconsin Quilt Expo in 2006. I got a quarter of the center done in class and then finished the center compass over the next week (so I wouldn't forget how to do it). It sat in my quilt studio for the next year and a half while I looked for coordinating fabric and pondered how to complete it. Finished it this spring. It's longarm quilted in silver metallic thread with fireworks and bunting.

Non-Fat Espresso - Made for a long wall in my daughter's kitchen/dining area. The block is called Watercrystal from the book, Serendipity Quilts, by Sara Nephew. I used four full blocks and added half blocks at the corners. The red and white stripe is a quarter-inch flange. This is the second Serendipity quilt I have made. As the book's cover blurb says, "seriously addictive."

Levels - I saw a quilt in our gallery here with this block, liked it a lot, and drafted and made it. I like the effect of white floating on color, floating on black, different levels. I wish I could remember who has the original quilt--looked as though it was made with fabrics from the 30s and 40s.

SEPTEMBER BOM

A Midsummer Night's Dream - I returned from my first show in Paducah inspired, and pieced this in about 2 weeks, but didn't know how to quilt it. Put it away and forgot all about it for 10 years! Found it, and passed it to Agnes, who just got a Handiquilter, and she put it away while she practised, and she forgot it. After another 10 years, she found it and quilted it.

Batik Stars - Made with my stash of batik fabrics, to go on our daybed in the loft.

Oriental I Spy - I made this quilt for my DSIL, who loves the oriental look, but she didn't really like it--too scrappy for her, so I have it back. It's partially quilted, but not really done yet.

Double Wedding Ring

Arizona Sunset - Painted, stamped, foiled coffee filter sewn onto hand dyed fabric with set in circle. Machine stitched and adhered to painted canvas.