A Traveler’s Memory Quilts
Quilt designs and fabric choices tell a quilter’s story in a memory quilt Journal Entry: August 6, 2021 The American Quilter magazine began the story… Traveling isn’t just about getting away from daily life, seeing the most advertised sites and gift shops. Acknowledging I do enjoy these things. Going off the beaten path leads to much more: learning about the influence of history, interests of local people, and exploring the surrounding landscape in a different way. Often, all these tend to inspire to a memory quilt design. I had so many different preconceptions about South Africa. When I found out…
Dog Quilt Designs: A Dog’s Imaginary Life
Turning photos of a favorite little canine into a whimsical dog quilt design.
Quilt Designs Inspired by Monet’s Garden: Monet’s Lilies #1 and #2
Journal Entry: March 15, 2020. The inspiration for my Monet wall hanging and bed-size quilts came from an interesting series of events related to Claude Monet’s garden. It started from a long phone conversation with my youngest granddaughter Lily, who had visited Monet’s home in Giverny, Normandy, France with her mom during a summer vacation. Claude Monet is my absolute favorite of the famous Impressionist painters. Lily provided a wonderfully detailed description of her experience: the gentle beauty of the gardens, colorful flowers and lily ponds, and Monet’s personal collection of paintings. During our chat I mentioned how much I admired…
Quilting Lines of Symmetry
Journal Entry: March 21, 2014. “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein I tried to convince my sons when they were in school that quilting is really about math. We’ve argued many times about the difference between a degree in liberal arts, such as one in art or education, and a scientific-based one like engineering or medical science, hard versus soft science. I’ve tried to convince them that quilting crosses over both sides as math and art. Even though they gradually accepted it many, many years ago (I believe acceptance finally came forth because I engaged them in my…
Quilt Designs for Kids: Finding the Right Story
Journal Entry: October 18, 2013. I think I’ve finally got it! I’ve been noodling over a theme for a quilt project for my grandsons for over a year; I’m really feeling major guilt gnawing at me now. I promised the quilts a while ago so they are long overdue. I’ve struggled with finding the design and have been driven by significance—a theme that will be special to each of them. I’ve been stuck on trying to identify a design that will fit each of their interests. They would be happy with Angry Birds or Plants vs. Zombies, but I just…