Trunk Show!

This week, Soma at Whims and Fancies is hosting an online Trunk Show of our favorite quilts. What fun! But wait, pick my favorite quilts? That's like having to pick a favorite child or grandchild (all of them, thank you very much). 

So I've been thinking about my quilts and what might best represent my style. I've been quilting for a long time. My quilts tend to be derivative--based on a well-known block, a picture of a quilt or a design, or on a pattern from someone else. But there are some that are original designs, and even though I haven't made many, I think they are quilts that are uniquely me. Those are pictorial quilts made with either foundation paper or freezer paper piecing techniques, and they are the ones I've chosen to share today. If you want to read more about them, just click on the links in the title of each quilt. I've also included a couple of other quilts that are actually from patterns by others--but are representative of my style of choosing and combining fabrics. 

Reminiscence

I made this quilt during 2012-2014 to remember a walk on a mild day during a winter of almost no snow. It is based on a clip of a video I took and is freezer paper pieced, hand quilted and made entirely from my scrap bins. I entered it in the Blogger's Quilt Festival in November 2014, and it won in the Art Category. It now hangs in my living room--perfect for this time of year.

Columbine

I think this was my first attempt at a paper pieced original design, and oddly, I can't remember the exact technique I used. I made it in 2008 as a wedding present for my nephew and new niece. It was hand quilted.

Lighthouses

  

I made these quilts for my sister-in-law (top quilt) in 2014 and for my brother (bottom) in 2012 for their birthdays. They love sailing and Lake Michigan. Years ago I made tiny versions of quilts using traditional block patterns, and I think these are an extension of that interest in working with small pieces. They are foundation paper pieced. The top quilt also has some layered top-stitch applique (Accidental Landscape technique by Karen Eckmeier). 

Hetchy Hetchy

This little picture is of the lodge at Hetch Hetchy, the reservoir in Yosemite National Park that provides water to San Francisco. My grandfather built the lodge and it holds special meaning for my dad, so I made the tiny quilt for him for his 90th birthday in December 2013. It is foundation paper pieced with some layered applique and machine quilting. 

Fall on the Wall

I am a long-time admirer of Ruth B. McDowell and her quilts. In fact, she is the quilter that inspired me to try making my own pictorial quilts. This is a pattern from her book Piecing Workshop and is a great way to practice the various techniques in freezer paper piecing. I used only fabric from my stash and hand quilted it. I completed this quilt in February 2013.

And finally, Poinsettia

This is from a pattern by Eileen Bahring Sullivan from 1994. I completed it in January 2015.

It's a foundation paper pieced quilt, and is the first time I did FMQ on a quilt of this type. 

So that's what's in my trunk. I hope you enjoyed my part of this show. I love making all sorts of quilts, but these types are the ones that are probably most "me" of all the quilts I make. 

I hope you head on over the the show and see what everyone else has on display. Please share your quilts, too. Oh, and did I mention there are treats? Check 'em out! The button is to the right.