"Homage to Ardelia"

My great-grandmother, Ardelia Benson, was an award-winning quilter.  She died decades before I was born.  I believe her love of textiles and herbs passed into me.  I wanted to create a crazy quilt with motifs that Ardelia would have used in one of her quilts, yet use techniques and materials from today. I hope this fusion of past and present would be something Ardelia would find interesting.  67" x 67"   

Close up of the center medallion.  All my embroidery is done by hand.  The "B" is satin stitched with one strand of silk floss.  Metallic thread was used for the outline and beads were added.  The ribbon around the block is a spider and web yardage I purchased while teaching in San Francisco.  Surrounding this is a pastel area of crazy quilting with silk ribbon, beading, surface stitchery, shisha mirrors, satin stitching, and more!  Next, comes a border of burgundy velvet with metallic stem stitching in a cable pattern and roses made of velvet fabric.  Surrounding this are 16 blocks with a variety of techniques.  The final border is an "ice cream cone" border that I have seen used on many antique crazy quilts.  The backing is old gold velvet.  It took me nine months of intensive stitching to complete.

"Cast Your Dreams" is a beaded piece inspired by Robin Atkins beadwork.  I had a lovely piece of agate and a charm of a cherub on a dragonfly.  I decided a fantasy night garden was needed.  The agate is held in place with peyote stitch.  The "flowers" are beaded using a variety of techniques.  The saying is Cast Your Dreams to the Night Air.  8.5" x 11"

"Stream of Consciousness - Butterflies"

This wall hanging was made for the Hoffman challenge and went on the traveling exhibit for over a year.  The theme fabric with its black and gold butterflies demanded an oriental flavored crazy quilt.  The overall effect is of a scroll design.  The top and bottom panels are crazy patched.  The center portion is pictorial with a quilted background.  All the work is hand-pieced and hand-embroidered.  Some of the techniques used include surface embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, stenciling, beadwork, shisha mirror application, photo transfer and satin stitching. 

Close-up 1   Close-up 2   Close-up 3   Close-up 4

"Perchance"

This quilt was made to showcase my love of fairies.  The borders were added by machine, but everything else is hand done.  All the embroidery is by hand (although judges have complimented me on my "fine machine embroidery").  Puck (who is shown on the green striped fabric at the top center) is done with one strand of silk floss in long and short stitch.  The central fairy queen is a Dover line drawing that I then painted and stitched in silk and metallic threads.  The small fairy on the white background is stitched in split stitch and has bullion knot hair.  The chrysanthemum patch is one strand of silk in satin stitch.  Other techniques include wired ribbon work, beadwork, hand painted patches, stumpwork, surface embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery and appliqué work.  There are quotations from Shakespeare, Led Zeppelin, Rush and Robert Kennedy.  I have included a few secret messages that need close inspection to decipher.  The backing is black crushed velvet.  "Perchance" has won several ribbons.

Close-up 1   Close-up 2   Close-up 3   Close-up 4

"Moondance"

Moondance portrays a moonlit fantasy landscape.  I experimented with burnt-edge appliqué to form the background.  The moon is a sheer fabric fused onto the taffeta background.  The quilting in the night sky was inspired by the brushstrokes in Van Gogh's "Starry Night."  The larger-than-life dragonfly is also fused and beaded and overstitched with metallic.  Free-form beaded peyote, ribbons and vintage tatting provide interest and flow in the mid-ground.  Shisha mirrors dot the landscape (they could be portals to another realm).  In the foreground is a wired ribbon flower that spills off the composition. Although this piece is just 12" square, I think it has a lot of impact.  Moondance was juried into the Embroiderers' Guild of America's Fiber Forum.  "Fiber Forum was organized in 1992 in order to advance embroidery as an art form through the exhibition of original works of exceptional merit.  Each year new members are juried in by accredited jurors who judge on aesthetic achievement and technical skill."              

"Oracle"

While teaching at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina, I created Oracle as a demonstration on how to piece crazy patch.  The face is stamped onto fabric.  Her hair is many sheer ribbons intertwined and studded with beads, charms and crystals.  Also included in this piece are hand-lettered song lyrics from Rush's "Mystic Rhythms" and a beaded fringe.

Close-up

"Matriarch"

Matriarch was accepted into the Sacred Threads exhibit for 2003.  The hair is similar to Oracle, above.  Included are many spiritual symbols.  The shisha mirrors represent the seven chakras.

The following are close-ups of my work for your enjoyment.

Mini Crazy Quilt     Beaded Face   Not All Those Who Wander  Lampshade   Mermaid