2007    52 1/2" x 69 3/4"
As I had been holding onto the idea of exploring visually what villages and homes mean to me and aspects of being a part of a village and yet still being an outsider, a competition with the theme "Dream Houses" came up. At about the same time two friends (also ex-pats) were discussing having homes long enough to establish roots. In that moment, this quilt apeared in my head. I used a combination of painting, and monoprinting to create the roots, and based the painted houses on a drawing my son had made of our house. The border is a bit fussy like a nice frame you would put a cherished photo or painting in. It contains memories as well as all the fabrics in the pieced border were scraps from the previous year's projects. The quilt is machine quilted and both machine and hand embrodered. It is made of 100% cotton fabrics (hand dyed, commercial, and recycled) and batting.

Juried into the Deutsche Patchwork Guilde's "Traumhäuser" competition, shown in Berlin and at Main Quilt Festival, 2007.

2007    28” x 34”
This quilt was begun in a workshop with artist Gerry Chase where students explored both intuitive quilt construction, and the use of the tjanting tool for drawing on fabric. I had brought with me a very European looking house stamp and soon ethereal villages started to appear. I held onto the idea of exploring aspects of being a part of a village and yet still being an outsider. I finished the quilt with some machine quilting, a few buttons, and lots of seed stitch by hand. "Village Series #1" is made with commercial and hand painted cotton fabrics and 100% cotton batting.

Included in the anniversary exhibition "Vorhang Auf" at Gallery Bourgeois Pig, Heidelberg Germany, October 2007.

2007    28” x 34”
This is the second quilt begun in a workshop with artist Gerry Chase where students explored both intuitive quilt construction, and the use of the tjanting tool for drawing on fabric. I had brought with me a very European looking house stamp and soon ethereal villages started to appear. Again, I was holding onto the idea of exploring aspects of being a part of a village and yet still being an outsider. I finished the quilt with some machine quilting and lots of seed stitch by hand. "Village Series #2" is made with commercial and hand painted cotton fabrics and 100% cotton batting.

Juried into "Art Quilts Lowell" at the Brush Gallery, Lowell MA, September 2007.

Private Collection.

2007    18” x 11”
I made this small quilt from some a small piece of fabric I stamped and painted in the same Gerry Chase workshop. The quilt grew intuitively, collecting fabrics and trims that suggest water, gardens, and messages. I'll leave any deeper connection up to the individual viewer. It is made of 100% cotton fabrics and batting, machine quilted, and framed.

2007    17” x 17”
"Village Series #4"  is made from more of the fabric I stamped and painted in the Gerry Chase workshop. This quilt also grew intuitively based on the traditional Log Cabin block which seemed appropriate with stamped houses. I was begining to like the idea of exploring aspects of being a part of a village and yet still being an outsider. It is made of 100% cotton fabrics and batting. It is hand quilted.

Private Collection

2007    17” x 17”
"Village Series #6" was made especially for an internet friend as a swap for a piece of her artwork. My "Village Series #4" seemed like an appropriate swap size-wise and such, but I wasn’t feeling totally confident that it was the right match. So, I dug around until I found another painted house bit and built a new, more organized, quilt around it. It is made of 100% cotton fabrics -- all saved from previous projects, except for the hand stamped and painted houses in the center. It is machine quilted and hand embroidered. The batting is 100% cotton.

Private Collection

2006    25” x 31”
I started this quilt as a sampler for a class on simple embroidery for embellishing quilts. I finally finished it for charity auction benefitting a California family. I thought the imagery was appropriate for the cause, and the quilt did indeed help the auction organizers exceed their goals. It is constructiod of commercial cottons, a vintage flour sack and two images stamped from a hand carved linoleum block. It is machine quilted and, in places, densely hand embroidered. The batting is cotton/poly.

Private Collection