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Bloodroot

Juried into Taiwan International Quilt Exhibition 2020

(15” wide – 15” long) Bloodroot grew on my property before the 1600s when the Cherokee Indians lived in this part of the Appalachain Mountains. Bloodroot was used for the red color from the root to paint mask and garments. Properties of this native plant were also used for medicinal purposes. The flower is Mylar turned, batted and hand appliqued. The leaf and edge of the oval are machine appliqued. The center is digitized from my drawings with two shades of Magnifico thread. Mask, snakes and feathers are first stitched and then inked with Tsukineko Fabrico Markers. Free motion quilting uses swirls from the red fabric and my own loopy scribble for background.

Ladies Gone Wild

Juried into AQS Lancaster 2020 – Paducah 2020

(34” wide – 32” long) This quilt is a tribute to my Dyslexic Advantage. Lady slippers grow on my property in the mountains of South Carolina. Many photographs were taken of them over the years before I began work on this quilt. The foreground pieces are Stonehenge raw edge leaf shapes which were a challenge because of raveling. A somewhat irregular matchstick stitch solved that problem. Flowers and leafs are ink dyed, turned on Mylar, batted and hand appliqued. Prominent petals are manual thread work on organza and solve. Swarovski Crystals are added for sparkle. The log is discharged and inked then quilted with a free motion bark design. Felted moss is added to trees and log. Background at top is first inked then thread sketched over the ink using Superior Magnifico thread.

Eclipse 2017

AQG 3rd 2018

(31” wide – 31” long) This quilt shows a discharged solar eclipse in front of a swirling sky. Morning glories on the fence are open in the light and closed in the dark. The sky is over inked and discharge areas are ink shadowed. Flower centers are discharged. Leaves and flowers are hand appliqued using my Mylar turned and batted method. Ultra suede is used on closed flowers and beads accent the centers of the ones that are open. I used Machine digitizing on thread stem pieces with Magnifico thread. Silk cord is dyed and couched with Superior Microquilter thread on the fence. I used gold Lumiere paint to highlight the area around moon and the piping. Free motion swirl quilting is used for motion.

Bradley Pond

Juried into AQS Grand Rapids 2017 – Fall Paducah 2017 – Des Moines 2017

This quilt is the best example so far of my discharge and ink painting technique. The background is a hand dyed fabric on which all stems and buds under the water, the back lily pads and the back petals of the flowers are discharged and painted with thickened ink. Front five lily pads and front flower petals are Mylar turned hand applique. Center of the flower is digitized from my drawings and appliqued with matching thread by hand.  Details on leaves and flowers are machine stitched with silk 100 thread. Background is stitched with embroidery thread in irregular curved lines to replicate the water on my stationary machine.

Rambling Vine Jacket

Rambling Vine Jacket

The beautiful blue green fabric came first. An abstract batik print with splashes of the same color and several other shades looked great for the leaves, lining and binding. My garments reflect my landscape quilts but more like a sculpture. The design continues over the entire garment. The large Clematis flowers, buds and leaves are turned on Mylar batted and hand appliqued. Vines are couched using hand dyed variegated satin cord (rattail). They are stitched with the same metallic thread that decorates the sleeves and around the binding. Centers of the flowers are variegated embroidery floss made like pompoms with a thread covered ceramic ring in the center. Quilting follows the line of the vine only. Sides and sleeves are joined and sleeves are inserted after they are quilted. I always cover my seams with bias matching the lining.

May Day Kiss

 Juried into AQS Paducah – Charlotte – Lancaster 2014 – 1st NQA 2013

This quilt was inspired by a May Day theme. I chose to depict a French legend. On May 1, 1561 Charles IX received a Lily of the Valley as a lucky charm. This custom became a yearly tradition. When a lady was given this May Day flower a kiss was expected. Dye and ink work were used for the sky, trees and for shadowing. Most of the applique pieces are turned on Mylar and applied by hand. The rocks in the foreground are machine appliquéd with a decorative stitch. The oil can, flowers, rocks under the trees and clover leaves in the background are digitized from my drawings. Beads add color to the clover. The quilting uses several colors of thread and reflects the natural landscape.

Shadows Of My Mind

 Juried into AQS Paducah – Chattanooga – Des Moines HM 2015 – Daytona Beach 2016 – 3rd NQA 2015 – 3rd Overall QSC Exhibit Columbia, SC 2019

This quilt was inspired by memories of farm life. The old pump, hollyhocks and the ghost quilted antique tractor are a part of my childhood. The background is machine pieced and manipulated with ink to create the barn. The window is discharged. The original digitized thread pieces are appliquéd on by hand using the same thread. All appliqué is turned on Mylar batted and applied by hand. Ink is used extensively to shadow and accents the design. Many different thread colors in the quilting represent the natural landscape. The plows are printed and inked. Flower centers are felted then applied by hand.

Bittersweet

Juried into AQS Paducah 2015 – Phoenix 2016 – 3rd NQA 2014 – Des Moines 2016 – LMQG 1st 2016

This Native American landscape began as a challenge for my art quilt group Thread Heads. I spent many hours researching the Cherokee Indians of the Blue Ridge Mountains where I live. In American Indian Heritage the Cherokee rose represents the loss of their native land. According to legend this rose had seven leaflets. Seven are quilted in the foreground. I first discharged some of the leaves and the trees in the foreground and inked them, then machine pieced the background. All of the flowers and some leaves are turned on Mylar batted and appliqued by hand. The mud blocks are drawn on batik fabric with ink and are applied in sections then the blocks are quilted with Silk 100. The ladder, flower centers and some leaves are digitized thread pieces. Beads cover the flower centers. The ghost quilted mask were line drawings from authentic mask. Many colors are used to reflect the natural landscape.

Abandoned Cotton Field

Juried into AQS Grand Rapids 2017 – Fall Paducah 2017 – Des Moines 2017

The beautiful cotton flower grows at the end of plowed furrows in an abandoned field. The challenge for this quilt was seeds of hope. Cotton is used throughout the world. It is the fabric of our lives especially if you are a quilter. The plowed rows and some of the leaves are discharged. Those leaves are then inked. Flower, buds and other leaves and the house are turned on Mylar batted and appliqued by hand. Sharecropper’s house is printed on fabric and inked then batted. Some details are stitched after the batting is applied. Line quilting accents the furrows. Border is double piped and quilting follows the lines of the fabric.