2005     10” x 14”
This was begun in a workshop with Sue Benner and based on a photo I took while vacationing in the German town of Staufen. The raw edged fusing was the perfect medium to convey the terracing of the vineyard covered hill. The fabrics are mostly commercial cottons, with some silks and recycled fabrics from used clothing. The batting is 100% cotton. "Staufen Vineyards" is machine quilted.

Displayed at the "Stadt im Stoff" show celebrating the 1200th Jubilee of the German city of Halle/Saale in 2006.

2005     15” x 24”
I created this quilt in a workshop with Sue Benner. It is based on a photograph I took in the town of Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. It is an exploration of the fusing technique with an emphasis on raw edged strips. The fabrics are commercial cottons and silks. The batting is 100% cotton and the quilt is machine quilted.

"Foggy Morning in Czesky Krumlov" won second place at the "Stadt im Stoff" show celebrating the 1200th Jubilee of the German city of Halle/Saale in 2006.

2006    35” x 25”
"Heidelberg Schloß at Night" is a continuation of the fused collage technique begun with "Staufen Vineyards" and "Foggy Morning in Czesky Krumlov." I made it in preparation for my 2007 gallery show which was in Heidelberg, Germany, figuring people would love to see local imagery. The fabrics are commercial cottons and silks. The batting is 100% cotton and the quilt is machine quilted.

Private Collection

2006    20 3/4" x 37 1/2"
"Tor am Alte Brücke " is a also continuation of the fused collage technique begun with "Staufen Vineyards" and "Foggy Morning in Czesky Krumlov." I made it in preparation for my 2007 gallery show which was in Heidelberg, Germany, figuring people would love to see local imagery. It is based on a photo taken by my mother. The fabrics are commercial cottons and silks. The batting is 100% cotton and the quilt is machine quilted.

2006    29 1/4 x 35"
Inspired by a piece of cotton velvet I dyed myself, I made this quilt with the 2006 "Main Quilt Festival's" Fairy Tale World competion in mind. It includes an embroidered witch's cottage, lush forest, and glittering path of beads, buttons, and stones. The border represents Lebkuchen and the red and white polka dots stand for both the "magic" toadstool (or Fliegenpilz) and the head scarves of the Offenbacher witches seen in German Fasching parades. I've even sewn a chicken bone onto the "cage" patch for Hansel. The quilt is made from 100% cotton fabrics and is both machine quilted with metalic thread and hand embroidered. The batting is 100% cotton.

Displayed at "Main Quilt Festival's" Fairy Tale World show, 2006

2006    33 1/2 x 51 1/2"
This is my second quilt made from free-form strippy rectangles. I wanted to incorporate the ubiquitous german toadstool, or Fliegenpilz, hence the lush green forest where they grow best. The Fliegenpilz is represented by the red and white polka dotted fabrics. The quilt is machine pieced and quilted. There are also sections which I've hand quilted with seed stitch. The hand dyed fabric in the left border is by Gabi Tisch. The quilt is made from cotton, wool, silk, and synthetic fabrics. The batting is 100% cotton.

2006    39" x 44"
"Fliegenpilz II" is an amalgamation of my fascination with distorted hexagons, and my love of the ubiquitous German toadstool, or Fliegenpilz. The upper portion of the quilt is a recycled cotton tablecloth I dyed myself. I left the bottom of the quilt unfinished and dripping with hand dyed cheesecloth to simulate the detrius of the forest floor. In the forest itself, I've machine quilted a castle tower, as one of my impressions of Germany is that all forests seem to have castles. The remainder of the quilting is done by hand with embroidery threads for a more intimate feel. The batting is 100% cotton.

2006    48 1/4 " x 61"
This quilt was inspired by the wheat fields near my home and the wildflowers growing at their edges. I chose to make the quilt out of hexagons as it seemed natural to adapt a pattern traditionally used to represent a garden to describe another form of planting. The decision to distort the hexagons came both from a desire to express the movement of the wheat, and to make the composition less rigid."Am Rand von Omas Weizenfeld" is made from 100% cotton fabrics and batting. The green border fabric was hand dyed by Gabi Tisch. The quilt is both machine quilted and hand embroidered.

"Am Rand von Omas Weizenfeld" won second place representing Germany in the World Quilt Competition 2006.

2006    51" x 63"
In much of Germany, the first and last crops of the growing season are rape seed which is used to make canola oil. The plant has bright yellow flowers—fields of which, with cloudy skies and the occasional red regional train—make for a very graphic scene. I used photosensitive textile paint to make the bottom section with prints of actual rape plants. The rest is pieced from a variety of commercial, hand dyed, and recycled cotton fabrics. The batting is 100% cotton. The quilt is machine quilted and hand embroidered with a variety of cotton and rayon threads.

2006    46 1/2" x 68"    
I had been contemplating making a quilt from free-form strippy rectangles. Driving home from a friend's house one day I realized that the scene before me—the forest, with snow on the ground, and a few dead leaves left on the bare trees—was perfect for the technique I wanted to try. I discharged and painted fabric especially for the border which represents the neatly stacked logs in the forest. I machine quilted a castle in the middle since every dreamy German forest needs a castle hidden by the fog of history. The quilt is made from cotton, wool, silk, and synthetic fabrics. The batting is 100% cotton.

Juried into the World Quilt Competition 2007, representing Germany.

2006    78" x 99"
"Quiltstadt" is to me the German version of "Anytown, USA." It is made from recycled cotton shopping bags which most every German uses most every day for purchasing their daily sustenance. I have hand dyed many of the bags to reflect the palette of the local architechture. The quilt grew intuitively and without a rigid structure, much like European cities and towns have grown from their mideaval centers. "Quiltstadt" includes blocks representing the old fachwerk or half-timbered house, more modern single and double family homes, and on the other side of town, the high rise apartment blocks. All have the red tile roofs so common in Germany, and one can catch glimpses of gardens between the tightly packed buildings. To further the connection to humanity on this quilt, it is completely hand quilted. It is made of 100% cotton fabrics and batting.

Private Collection