Inspiration

Creating art quilts feeds my passion for working with fabric, color and design. My pictures look like paintings from a distance, yet closer examination proves them to be pieces of fused fabric embellished with free motion stitching and thread sketching. The quilts are original designs using photographs for inspiration often combining elements from several pictures.

Quilts are made on a traditional quilt sandwich with fabric, batting, and fusible web. I use a variety of cotton fabrics including batiks, landscape prints, organza, and tulle. Silk, rayon, and polyester threads are used for stitching and occasionally various paints, markers, and fabric pigments are applied for special effects.

The fabric techniques vary – mosaic pieces, strips of various lengths, confetti pieces stitched on stabilizer, and mini pieces sprinkled 1/2″ deep over quilt batting then stitched in place. Some quilts feature 1, 2 or all of the above!

I learned to sew as a teen and have tried my hand at various art mediums as an adult – drawing, watercolor painting, mosaic tile, jewelry. Quilting entered the picture when I replaced my going-to-college machine with one that was computerized and could do all the tricks. Several years ago, I taught myself free motion stitching. The secret? Hours of practice! Now I find the art quilt creations combine my love of fabric and design with my sewing skills and have become an exciting avenue for me.