3-D Flower Vests

Here is a picture of the first vest I ever had published. It was in McCall's Quilting back in the 90's. I still enjoy this vest and it's 3-dimensional flowers, vines and lattice strips.

I decided to make a newer version of the above vest and below is the result. Usually I prefer my second attempt at something because it gives me a chance to refine the design, but in this case I still prefer the original. Maybe it's the colors...

Kissing Fish

Here is another of my early Granny Nanny vests. I paper pieced all these fish using Granny Nanny paper foundations and someone else's hand dyed fabrics (I wasn't dyeing my own yet). Then I set the fish with watery batik squares cut on the bias (who knew that was hard?!). The fish travel in different directions and one pair meet to kiss on the front of the vest. Think Romeo and Juliet, LOL. I added small black beads for eyes and I couched a green satin ribbon on for seaweed. Unfortunately I've worn this vest so often that the inexpensive ribbon I used is getting frayed. It's still one of my favorite early pieces and it still makes me smile.

On a side note, you never know what's around the next corner. Last night I was on my way from a band festival for my kids (All 5 of our high school's ensembles earned a unanimous superior, the highest rating! Go Mt Carmel!) to a quilting class when I was rear ended at a stop light. My brand new Honda Accord (well it's only 2 months old so it still seems new to me) has a big dent in the back now. Fortunately I'm fine and so is the other driver, a very polite and apologetic teenaged boy. Now to deal with getting it repaired, sigh. Oh well, I still made it to class in time and had fun :-) Quilters are the nicest people.

Commissioned Storm at Sea

A couple of weeks ago I helped two friends, Wendy Mathson and Faith Horsky, create this beautiful commission quilt. I really enjoy collaborating with such talented people :-)

Here's a closeup showing the photos and the quilting:

And here's the entire quilt after Faith quilted it:


This is one of those quilts that makes me happy just to look at it :-)

Scrap Quilts

A friend needed some examples of scrap quilts so I dug these out and photographed them. As long as I have the pictures I might as well post them here!
This quilt was a gift to my mother-in-law. We passed around the blocks in secret at her youngest son's wedding. We asked people to write whatever they wanted, draw a picture or just sign it. I assembled them into a quilt and presented it to her as a Christmas gift.

She passed away a couple of years ago and I was touched to see the quilt on display at her funeral. It was returned to me afterwards.

I made this quilt using Karen Stone's paper piecing patterns in a class by Jan Krentz before she became famous :-) It was a great class and Jan is a terrific teacher.

This is another Karen Stone pattern in another class with Jan Krentz. I had so much fun in the first class I couldn't resist taking another class with Jan.

See? I really do make quilts occasionally :-)

First Vest

This is one of my very first attempts at Wearable Art. It was made in a class by Lynn Dash in Williamsburg, Virginia, where I was living at the time. Lynn's sample was a black background with shades of blue on her paper pieced squares so naturally I chose something quite different :-)

The paper foundation pieced squares were produced at the shop where I took the class and are called Granny Nanny's. These are 1-3/4" squares, which is a great scale for a vest.

I made quite a few other vests (and a jacket!) using Granny Nanny's although many have been given away by now. I enjoy paper foundation piecing, especially small pieces.

Valentine's Day Vest

A few years ago I decided to make a vest for every holiday. You can guess how many holidays that lasted, LOL. I don't celebrate New Year's so Valentine's Day was the first. And last. Here is the result. All hearts and their frames were cut out raw edge. I am still happy when I see this vest so obviously it has withstood the test of time. Now if only it still fit me!

Wholecloth Sunflowers

Here's a quickie jacket I made recently. Unfortunately the pictures don't really show the wonderful texture. I quilted a beautiful batik layered with unwashed flannel. Then I washed it and cut it out to the correct size. The result is a wonderfully crinkly-textured jacket. I'm in the process of adding a few more beads along the front edge and neckline. Now I just need to find a shirt to wear with it!

Birds in the Garden

I recently learned how to make this quick and easy Birds in the Air variation and couldn't resist trying it out on a jacket in Easter egg colors. I call it Birds in the Garden because I quilted roses all over the jacket.