Needle arts from childhood have been something I have been interested in. Even with a large family and a hectic career while a single parent never stopped me exploring techniques. However when I moved and subsequently retired to the Annapolis Valley I had the joy of discovering a local quilting Paradise Village Quilters and then the Mahone Bay Quilt Guild. In under 4 years I have progressed through several quilts learning as I go with the support and encouragement of my quilting community. I love the symmetry of the traditional blocks and their basic recipe for elemental shapes and colours. Learning traditional techniques provides a foundation to experiment. And learning to long arm quilt has expanded my ability to express my feelings for loops and swoops and non-traditional quilting designs.
Through seeing other people’s works and through magazines and on line I have expanded my choices to move my quilting into the arena of art with shapes that are more animated. It also means incorporating thread painting, felting, fabric paints, silks, wools, photography and on and on. Treasured things like a gold bracelet have found a place out of my ‘found’ box on some quilts. Joining SAQA is another move along my quilting and art road.
Here are two pieces. The first was shown in Art Hits the Wall this summer. This theme was kaleidoscope and as the source of inspiration, the kaleidoscope breaks, the quilt and pattern unravel. It is called Fractured. It was an honour to be among well known art quilters.
The second was one inspired by a piece of fabric which incorporated all the colours you see in the sky from morning to night. It is called As the Sun Moves from Dawn to Dusk.
And lastly a thread painting prompted by the beautiful Annapolis Valley fall colour.
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