Inspired by Books

A Rhythmical Rabbit Hole.

Alice in Wonderland and the rabbit hole.  What made her want to come in?  I wanted to create a piece that would entice the viewer to come closer.  This quilt uses symmetry with precise lines and circles to attract the viewer.  Did it work?  The center was created in a class with Anna Faustino. This is an original creation.

49" x 49"

This quilt lives in the entry way of Liz a

An Asymmetrical Rabbit Hole

The concept of creating a two-dimensional piece that draws the viewer into the middle fascinates me.  This abstract version of Alice's rabbit hole uses the color wheel to pull in the viewer into the center of the quilt.  

44" x 46"

This quilt lives in the desert at the home of Dana and Don.

Which Rabbit Hole 

This was made using the pattern "Paperweights" by Pam Dinndorf. Fun to make. 

Sold.

Empty Vases

The empty vessels represent the futility of Peony's efforts to win back her beloved husband.  Her flawed judgment embedded within her Chinese traditions created insurmountable obstacles.    Pattern is an adaptation of Strips and Curves by Louisa Smith.

36" x 54"

This quilt lives with friends Dana and Don.

Too Many Corners

As a ghost, Peony was not able to go around corners.  This design could have been used to protect her sister-bride from Peony's ghostly interference.   Pattern is "Silk Crossroads" by Diane Bartels Fabrications.

42" x 42"

This quilt lives with cousins Denny and Liz.

Clouds and Rain

Peony's mother referred to lovemaking as "clouds and rain."  This piece depicts Peony swirling around in the rafters observing her sister-bride with their husband.  Pattern is "Whirlpool" by Virginia A. Walton.

34" x 34"

Gifted to Cousin Cathy

Many Many Moons Ago in Never Neverland

After reading "Peter Pan," I realized this quilt could represent the multiple moons in Neverland. 

Mermaid's Garden

Where did the mermaids play?  I think they played in their personal garden under the sea. This piece was made using the "S" curve template created by Kathie Alyce. 

52" x 55"

This quilt lives with cousins Jim and Linda.

Fairy Dust in the Wind

Fairies use magic to create fairy dust.  I think they threw their fairy dust into the wind to provide a passageway to guide the Lost Boys to Neverland.

59" x 34"

This quilt lives with Aunt Jill.

A Hoochy Mama Garden for Nit

The flowers in this piece were started as class samples for Saturday Workshops.  Based on designs from "Flower Power" by Mary Lou Weidman.  Nit was drawn to the sign at Hennie's.  I love this crazy garden.

59" x 47"

It's a Puzzle

After reading "Prayers for Sale," I decided it was time to make my own sampler.  After all, I've been a quilter since 1998 and have never made one.  Look carefully to find the six pairs of blocks made from the same block pattern.  By fussy cutting fabrics, each block can be so unique it's hard to find its partner.  

49" x 64"

This quilt lives in the home of cousins Anne and Kevin.

Suspended in Time

I wanted to use Paula Nadelstern fabrics to create a piece of suspended kaleidoscopes that would represent the clock gears in the Paris train station. Two of the pieces were designed in a class she taught. The others are made with wedge rulers, dahlia templates, and Angle Play templates. The actual clock gears are the perfect complement to hold the pieces together.

66" x 43"

This pi

Connectivity

All the characters are connected by one mechanical man - the Automaton.  Hugo and his father; Isabelle; her godparents, Georges and Jeanne; Etienne and Rene; and the characters within the train station were all intertwined and connected. Created from the pattern Wacky Weaving by Heidi Pridemore. Quiltmaker magazine J/A 2003 

46" x 46"

This quilt lives with cousins Liz and Denny.

My Little Corner of Portland

Isabel loved her little corner of Portland.  Stand back and you should see 3-D buildings.  My Mom thinks some of them have their lights turned on. 

34" x 56"
This quilt lives with friend Georgia.

Landscape of the North

Isabel spent her life in Alaska, Bellingham, Seattle, and Portland.  She has memories of the mountains in Alaska and the view of the Olympics across Puget Sound.   Like Isabel, I prefer to live in an area where we have  dimension in our landscape.

51" x 35"

This quilt lives in the McCall cabin of cousins Anne and Kevin.

Y Not

Why this title?  Because I will NOT be doing another quilt with this many Y seams.  Using Kaffe Fassett’s Indian Stripes seemed (pardon the pun) a good medium for a tessellation quilt. 

72" x 40" 

This quilt lives with Don and Dana.

Turkish Delight

This piece is made using the "One Block Wonder" pattern/book by Maxine Rosenthal. Each of the hexagons is cut with 8 identical pieces of fabric. They aee connected on the corners by 4 much smaller identical triangles.  I love the way it flows from color to color.  

64" x 56"

This quilt lives with neighbor Michelle.

The Only Roman Glass Paperweight I Can Afford

I love this combination of Kaffe’s “Roman Glass” and “Paperweight” fabrics.  It reminds me of mosaics and a bowl of hand-blown glass leftovers that live in my guest bathroom.  It looks like it should be tactile. 

50" x 67"

Purchased by friend Margaret.

Blowin' in the Wind

I love playing with the S-curve template created by Kathie Alyce.  This quilt from the very beginning was designed to be taken apart and put back together in other configurations. Initially I envisioned it hanging like prayer flags. My husband was the inspiration to hang it from a hoop.  Watching the ribbons blow in the breeze makes me happy.

Gifted to Kay.

Broken Memories

Marina’s memories are broken. As her mind deteriorates, her memories become disjointed. Pieces of her mind are no longer coherent. This piece reflects that disorder. The blocks were started in a class with Scott Murkin.  

50" x 40"

Disconnected

Inspired by “Madonnas of Leningrad” by Debra Dean.  As a young woman, Marina was a docent at the Hermitage Museum where she retained vivid images of the artwork before it was hidden from Nazi Germany.  Her young mind is juxtaposed with the dementia-ridden mind she has as an old woman.  She is now “disconnected” from her youth.  The fabric in this piece was painted in a musical chairs e

Thriving on Chaos

It started with a collection of hand-painted fabrics from the scrap bin at Marta’s Boat in Kauai. The scraps were pieced together and then hand-stitched. This piece is meant to represent CeCe Caruso’s “less-than-organized” approach to crime solving.

90" x 56"

Who Done It?

 The initial design for this piece began as paper in a Rosalie Dace class is Sisters in July of 2014.  When I curved the turquoise and black blocks, I realized I could create a question mark.  “Not a Girl Detective” is a “who-done-it” mystery book. 

38" x 64"

Desert Modern

Collaborative quilt made by CarolAnne Olson, Hedda Wright, and Dianne Kane. Each of us made 3 of the 9 blocks in the quilt. Image ourtesy of Aman Resorts.

55" x 32"

This quilt is available for purchase for $300.

Fire! Fire! Fire!

Time for a technique new to me.  This piece represents the burning of Atlanta during the Civil War. To create this effect, I layered a backing, batting, a gold background, and a black city silhouette.  Then I added snippets of several different gold fabrics.  A layer of netting over the top was secured with hand stitching. 

43" x 31"

Gifted to Andrew and Tabitha

The Blue and The Gray

The Blue represents the Union Army. The Gray represents the Confederate Army. I wanted to create a piece that could reflect the division of soldiers during the Civil War.  Families located between these two factions often had sons who fought against each other.  This piece started with 16 colors of fabrics for a total of 120".  It was sliced and stitched to its current size. 

4

A Glimmer of Hope

Scarlett never gave up hope.  When life's trials became too much, she said, "Ill think about that tomorrow."  This piece, made with cotton lamé fabrics, represents her "tomorrow." 

41" x 35"

This quilt lives with friend Fae.

The Map in Her Head

 Marie-Laure is blind. Her father built miniature models of the blocks around their homes in France. She used these models to learn how to navigate her way through her neighborhoods. 

36" x 48"

Gifted to Michelle

Six Blocks

These six blocks represents the small area of Marie-Laure’s existence. As a blind French girl in World War II, her world was as far as she could walk in her neighborhood without getting lost. This piece was started in a class with Jean Wells. 

20" x 35"

Radio Waves

The music and voices carried on the radio connect the blind French girl to the young German boy.  These sound waves became "the light" they could not see. Circles were started in a class with Kathy Doughty.

57" x 76"

Gifted to friends Tig & Barry

When You Cook

Inspired by this sentence in Ruth Reichl's book "My Kitchen Year." 

45" x 56"

This quilt lives in the kitchen of friends Bill and Barb.

Eat Your Veggies

Several years ago, my husband took photos of vegetables at a Farmers Market on Whidbey Island. They are displayed in our kitchen. This piece represents my abstract interpretation of Jack's photos of lettuce, radishes, onions, and carrots. 

45" x 45"

Preposterous Plaid

This began as 3 yards of hand-dyes that were sliced and stitched before being cut and laid out in the current design. The skinny slices were added by unsewing and stitching in a contrasting 1" strip. The colors were selected for "Primary Colors" by Alexander Theroux. The "preposterous plaid' was a challenge from my Art Quilt Group. 

48" x 48" 

Drunkard's Eye

The challenge from my Art Quilt Group was to create a quilt inspired by page 125.  I was currently reading "Geek Love" by Katherine Dunn.  " . . . as red as a drinker's eye." At the same time I was inspired by "Primary Colors" by Alexander Theroux. This eyeball was made using a 10º wedge ruler.  And yes, there is a hole in the middle.

55" x 55"

Embroidered Graffiti

(2021)

Inspired by "A Single Thread" by Tracy Chevalier

41" x 34"

Antarctic Circles

(2021)

Inspired by "How the Penguins Saved Veronica" by Hazel Prior

41" x 33"

Stained Glass

(2020)

Inspired by "Noon at Tiffany's" by Echo Heron.

Gifted to Liz and Denny.

38" x 53"

Longbourn Landscape

(2015)

Inspired by "Longbourn" by Jo Baker. Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit an English estate.  I remember looking out the door at the long rolling hills and garden.   The hills were created in a class with Rosalie Dace. The doors are 3-diminsional.

51" x 52"

Gifted to Billy and Jenny.

240 Hand Stitch Blocks

(2019)

Inspired by "A Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley. These glitzy little fabrics started as a 5" charm pack, then sliced and diced into 240 blocks.  It's meant to represent a sheet of new stamps. I enjoyed the hand stitiching process.

24" x 40"

Gifted to Kay.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows 

(2012)

It's all about the letters.  I loved this book and wanted to create a piece that would reflect the underlying importance of the "Letters."  The fabrics are hand-dyed marble, pieced using the Scott Murkin method.  When the bottom of the quilt is pulled up and tied, it looks like an envelope.  The return ad

Boston Window

(2019)

Inspired by "The Art Forger" by B. A. Shapiro.  My husband took this photo at a park in Boston. I love the perspective. Raw edge appliqué and paints. Both techniques are new to me! 

40" x 40"

The Book Thief by Makus Zusak

(2012?)

"The Book Thief" is one of my favorite books.  My (Wining) Book Broads read it and when I learned that Thread Tales had read it too, I was determined to create this quilt. The "book" fabrics were already in my stash waiting for the appropriate project  I used the Rectangles Behind Bars pattern form "Rectangle Pizzazz" by Judy Sisneros. This quilt now lives in th

The Spine of Love

(2020)

Inspired by "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" by Helen Simonson.  The Major and Mrs. Ali spent many hours tegether enjoying their tea. Their story was one of love and family with many parallels and connections.

14" x 28"

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

43" x 20"

Inspired by"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens.

A Veiled Affair

(2022)

Inspired by "The Personal Librarian" by Marie Benedict & Victoria Murray.

20" x 20"

Hyreshus: Swedish Apartment

(2022)

Inspired by "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry" by Fredrik Backman.

28" x 44"

Terrarium

17" x 23"

Inspired by For All the Tea in China by Sarah Rose. My interpretation includes hand-stitched flowers then covered with a sheer fabric.

Sold

The Help

15" x 15"

Inspired by "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. If you've read the book, you understand the significance of the pie - with 2 pieces missing. Each of the remaining pieces represents a character in the book. 

Gifted

McCall Cabin

22" x 17"

When I read “Where the Forest Meets the Stars” for my Vancouver Thread Tales Group, I pictured this lovely little McCall cabin where we were lucky enough to stay for several years. (Thanks to cousins Kevin and Anne.) It also morphed into a funky little wonky cabin complete with the pesky squirrels who dropped pinecones onto the roof above our bedroom. Techniques: piecing, appl

Cornelia's Artful Log Cabin

30" x 24"

Inspired by "The Blue Doorknob" by Rita Rodriguez. I used one of Cornelia's landscapes that is included in the book. The piece is owned by the author who gave me permission to recreate the piece using the Artful Log Cabin technique I learned from Katie Pasquini Masopust. The original piece was divided into 20 blocks, each of which was then made into a log cabin