Around the World Blog Tour, DP top is finished

First the DP top. I have it now all sewn together. It won't get quilted for awhile as I have other projects that I need to finish first.

I was tagged by Joanna of to participate in the Around the World Blog Tour. I will do my best to answer the questions that were given to me.


How does my work differ from others?

I don't use any patterns for making quilts. The majority of my work is improv cut and pieced. I have developed techniques that produce sets of blocks that can be used in different ways. I work mostly using commercially printed fabric and have figured out how to make sophisticated quilts for adults out of novelty fabrics. I also use solids fabrics if that is what is needed in a piece I am working on. Here is a quilt I made last year for my brother. He was born on Halloween and so all the fabrics in the quilt are Halloween fabrics.

Why do I write/create what I do?
I learn to sew as a kid out of necessity. We never bought school clothes; we didn't have money for that. My Mom would make clothes for my sister and I. As I progressed thru 4-H, I started making my own clothes. I had no experience of going to a store and buying clothes. I had a job in a drapery shop and learned to make curtains and drapes. I would never go and buy them. I feel the same way about quilts. I would never go to a store and buy a comforter. Since I can't paint, draw, sing or dance, I can at least express myself thru my quilts.

Quilting was also a way to give someone a gift that didn't cost a lot of money, but was something personalized and had some thought to it. Over the years I made many baby quilts for coworkers and their now adult children still have the baby quilts I made them when they were born.

Fast forward and I was making quilts for my brother's bosses - people in the world of rock n' roll. My brother works as an independent contractor so he gets jobs by word of mouth. Dropping a hand made quilt in their lap keeps his name in front of them. I have made many large quilts and baby quilts for rockers. Here is a picture of a picture of the quilt I made for Jimmy Buffett. This was taken before I had a digital camera.

How does my writing/creating process work?

When making a new quilt, I think about a starting point. This could be a theme, a color combination, a vibe I get from a person, or a fabric. I design the quilt in my head. I usually don't have a design fully worked out, but I have the concept and the colors I want to use. The design develops the more I think and as I construct the piece. I am flexible with adding or removing elements. Sometimes the search for the fabrics I want to use can be a challenge. For the "Where's Jimmy?" piece I recently finished and exhibited, I searched for months buying fabrics that would work for the sky, ocean, sand, and rain forest. I had a number of fabrics in my stash, but I needed mostly ocean fabrics and sand. The pants are a pair of J.B/'s pants. The wardrobe lady was giving my brother fabric to give to me and in one of the boxes was these pants. She had been trying to downsize the amount of clothing she was hauling around.

What are you working on?

Currently I am working on an improv piece for QuiltCon, a flannel Drunkard's Path sew along piece for , and a flannel quilt for the family Xmas raffle quilt.

Next on the tour is Glenda of http://quiltswissy.blogspot.com (I can't get the linking to work). Glen has made many wonderful quilts using a vast array of techniques. She uses lots of color and her quilts are lively and fun.