Gallery

Diamond chains connect the stars of various sizes to each other. There are ll different fabrics used in the background fabrics of this quilt. By placing black tulle strategically over some of the background fabrics 22 different values are created, this is twice as many different values but still only ll different fabrics. Bridgewater, Virginia, United States 42" x 58"

At times I feel alone, but I am not. I am supported by many friends and family. These are the little "i" blocks that make up the big central "i". The other "i" blocks in the field are for all the people I have never met that support my life. Austin, Texas, United States 64.5" x 62.5"

This quilt was inspired by the lid of a vintage Pyrex casserole called "Spirograph". The background diamonds were pieced using a modification of an online tutorial by Anna of Six White Horses (Six-white-horses.blogspot.com) for her Diamond Stack Block and then overlaid with hand appliqued bias tape. For the quilting I used a combination of free motion and straight line walking foot quilting. Being new to quilting and sewing, and being self-taught, my design process is still evolving. This project started with my inspiration and the challenge to see if I could make the design in fabric. Seattle, Washington, United States 70" x 70"

My current series features the tuning fork, a shape that I find to be wonderfully versatile. Using this figure as the building block of the design, I vary its size and value to create an impression of visual movement over the surface of the work. Fort Worth, Texas, United States 46" x 67"

This resulted from deconstructing my original design. I cut up the original top to make this and I could not be happier with the result. Dallas, Texas, United States 65" x 65"

"Dizzy Geese" is made of two sizes of Migrating Geese, moving off into the distance. Not only does the echo quilting echo the geese, but it also forms other geese within the quilting. Greenfield, New Hampshire, United States 31" x 30"

When the challenge rules were announced, I scoured Michael Miller's website for a print to complement the solids and chose Candy Pointillism. Working within the size restraints of the Spring Couture charm squares and jelly roll strips, I designed an original block using the Quick Curve Ruler by Sew Kind of Wonderful. With the curved squares and the pastel colors, the blocks were reminiscent of after dinner mints. When quilting, to emphasize the curved inner squares I echoed around each using the walking foot. I inserted piping along the edge of the binding using Susan Cleveland's piping hot binding technique. Picken, South Carolina, United States 44" x 44"

By the second year after the death of my son, the persistent sense of grief and loss had become invisible to others. From the outside (the lavender side of the quilt), all looked normal. But underneath the surface, a fundamental change in identity was being shaped. Only after choosing the color, did I learn that lavender was the Victorian color of mourning, allowed after black had been worn for a period of time. Galesburg, Illinois, United States 68" x 94"

Spare Change is a modern twist on the traditional Chinese Coins pattern with the roles of the cables and coins reversed. I designed it for RaNae Merrill's upcoming book about sideways spirals. The piecing technique I used was published in the MQG September 2014 Pattern of the Month, "Chess on the Steps", by Krista Hennebury. The improvisational back was made from spare strips from the front. Short Hills, New Jersey, United States 53" x 63"

This quilt was initially inspired by my attraction to circles. Using solids and a favorite text print, the design evolved as I added other shapes, and intentionally left negative space where quilting patterns could reiterate the bias tape shapes. "Shapes" is machine appliquéd, double batted with Quilter's Dream polyester and wool, and quilted with 50-weight Aurifil. The Villages, Florida, United States 67" x 67"