My very first quilt. from 2002, is “My Wild Heritage,” made in a 10-week class for Heritage quilts. I was told to use only white or beige colors, with perhaps a bit of baby blue ribbon. When I showed up with these materials I was told “You can’t do that” because it wouldn’t be a Heritage quilt. In my lifetime I have often been told what I can’t do.
This quilt won a second place ribbon for the appliqué category in the 2014 South Valley Quilt Association show in Morgan Hill, CA.
This is the “Party Animals,” the first quilting class I took and the beginning of my affair with my Babylock Symphony sewing machine, provided by my brother Kris. The details were so fun, I made two of them. Finished 11/15
This is “Sarah’s Rose Cabin.” Every time she took me to the fabric store Sarah would start pointing to the materials with roses in the pattern, saying she wants “this one and this one and this one…” but I would say no, I wouldn’t do it, it would be ugly to use every rose fabric in the store. In 2012 I finally relented in part – every rose fabric without yellow in it (I never use yellow,) and leaving aside a particular set of fabrics I promised to use for another quilt later. This is what I came up with, “Sarah’s Roses.” 7/12
“Musical Gold” is very shiny with gold fabrics, made for my brother Kris, reminiscent of his black and ivory piano and his low brass instruments. This is a “French Braid” pattern, and the second quilting class I took. 6/10
Self Portrait With Yellow
This toddler quilt was made as a commission – otherwise you wouldn’t see any of That Color in a quilt of mine. (you may know what I mean…) 11/14
This is a miniature quilt, measuring only 27″ x 27″, with some of the little pieces only 1/4″ square. It uses traditional Japanese block designs. 06/15
This is a memorial quilt for my friend George, of small size measuring only 35″x35″. The center front blocks are called “Carpenter’s Square,” made in honor of all the work George did in my house, and many others. The back has carpenter’s tools and pigs, which our friends will understand completely. This quilt aims to show two sides of our complex George, the beautiful and the riotous fun. And his many, many tools. All my love. 06/15
Sarah calls this her “Happy Quilt,” and it is hers because she loves it though I think it is hideous, but each to her own. Not every art project turns out as envisioned. 7/15
This quilt, called “Op-Camo” because of its Op-Art design and camouflage colors, was designed by myself with the input of my friend Chelsea Bjorklund. My first major design project. It took lots of math. 9/15
This small piece was made as an exercise in points, and donated to the Association of Educational Therapists for a silent auction at their conference in Chicago in November 2015, at the suggestion of my friend Sarah Steinbach. 11/15
My nephew Tyler’s Christmas quilt started as a kit called “Vortex,” then grew from there.
12/15
Pinwheels – my first free-motion quilt.
12/2015
Derived from a pattern called “Japanese Fan,” I made free-motion suns-and-clouds and moons-and-stars, with what I consider only moderate success, because the stitching doesn’t show well on the patterned fabrics.
06/2016
A kit quilt for Sarah, I got to practice my stippling. That’s about all I can say for this one.
07/2016
Derived from a pattern called “Japanese Fan,” I made free-motion suns-and-clouds and moons-and-stars, with what I consider only moderate success, because the stitching doesn’t show well on the patterned fabrics.
06/2016
(The original pattern.)
The Wedding Quilt
I never work with yellow, but John and his bride asked for primary colors, and after 40 years of friendship I had to give him what he wanted, so here is a wedding quilt for a first marriage at age 69 and there is a baseball story here.
John is an LA Dodgers fan, so I built him a Dodger Blue baseball diamond, with his star pitcher Clayton Kershaw in the center on the mound. However, Our SF Giants star pitcher, Madison Bumgarner, hit a grand slam off of Kershaw this year, so the star is surrounded with Giants orange.
Sorry, John, had to do it. But done with much, much love.
6/16