On the Dot:
This quilt is a streamlined interpretation of a quilt done by Becky Goldsmith. The challenge was to use only polka dotted fabric and play with color placement and contrast. There are over 50 different fabrics in this quilt and nearly 1,000 pieces in total. I estimate that I easily spent over 125 hours in the construction of this quilt. Click here for a larger view.

Wild Geese:
For this quilt, I employed the playful “crooked” piecing style of Australian quilter Jan Mullen. The triangular pieces are skewed versions of the traditional quilt shape called “flying geese”. I paired coordinating polka dotted and striped fabrics for each 2” x 4” quilt block and then arranged the blocks to suggest a woven pattern. Then I used only the striped fabrics again in the border for a second woven effect, but when I put the border next to the main portion of the quilt, it was just too much to look at. What I needed was a skinny black marker line to separate the two bold sections, but one that added no width to the construction. The solution was adding piping -- or welting -- in a black fabric (with polka dots, of course) between the visually combative sections. Now the center of the quilt and its border live in a vibrant harmony. There are over 1,000 pieces of fabric in this quilt and it likely took me 150 hours to make. Click here for a larger view.

Dizzying:
This quilt was made based on a design of Karen K. Stone. My goal was to use only cool colors – blues, greens and purples. But I found that in order to get enough contrast in the quilt, I needed to use fabrics that not only used the selected colors in their design, but also white and/or black. The quilt pattern has great movement – suggesting a spinning effect. This quilt is made up of over 600 pieces and took over 75 hours to create. Click here for a larger view.

Red & Black Licorice:
The pattern used for this quilt is a time-honored one and, among its many names, it is called “New York Beauty”. This name comes from the spires on the arc in each block of the quilt, reminiscent of the spires on the crown on the Statue of Liberty. This quilt was inspired by the amazing New York Beauty quilts done by Karen K. Stone. The challenge I gave myself with this quilt was to use only three colors – black, white and red – and only 36 fabrics – 18 red and 18 black & whites. In the 36 blocks, I have used each fabric four times, once in each of the four sections of the block (inner quarter circle, spires, background of spires and large background piece). There are nearly 500 pieces of fabric and likely 75 hours invested in this quilt. The name comes from the immediate reaction a friend had to the quilt when she first saw it for the first time. Click here for a larger view.