Dawn Rising...

This wall hanging/table runner (40x69) has a unique history. I first made it as a tablecloth to display my acrylic quilting templates on when I set up a table at the monthly Boise Basin Quilters Guild meeting.

I wanted the long arm quilters in the group to see examples of patterns they could make if they purchased the templates.

Most of the people who stopped by the table were hand quilters and piecers, so I didn't sell  many templates.

But, several people loved the tablecloth, and one even commissioned me to make her a king sized wholecloth quilt in the same style.

Because of its complexity and style I decided to enter it into the June 2010 Boise Basin Quit Show. It was then that we named it Dawn Rising. The three main center motifs graduated from simple to complex, reminding us of the flowers opening to the rising sun.

Even though it did not win a ribbon, it did receive many nice comments. We later gave it as a gift to my sister Carol when she lost her husband Cris to ALS. We felt its message could also be applied to the resurrection, of which he is surely a part. One of the best reasons to make a quilt is to bring comfort and peace to a loved one. We feel comforted in return as we feel her love and appreciation.

Secret Garden...

This was a really cool quilt! It's another one pieced by our good friend, Darlyn T., and is a good example of her fine work.

After looking at it for a while I decided to put unique motifs in each of the eight squares, six half-squares and four corners. Here are some of the squares...

And the half-squares look like this...

And the corners look like this...

Here's a better look at the corner and outer swag border...

And the back side of the corner...

It's always fun to be creative and do something different in each square. It takes a little longer because of the "thinking" time, but well worth the effort...

Spirals & Spirals...

What do you do when you get a quilt that is all square blocks with circles in the center?

You spiral them! That's what I did anyway...

The result was pretty dramatic.

If you look close you can see that the end of one spiral leads into the next spiral...

The key was lining them all up correctly.

Even the borders got a continuous curvy treatment...

Thanks to Donna H., one of my first paying customers, for a truly beautiful quilt!

YW Torch and Values...

This quilt was pieced by Janice for our granddaughter, Madison. She was new to the church Young Women program, so we thought a quilt focused on YW values would be appropriate.

The YW torch logo is the centerpiece, surrounded by curved rays representing her influence for good in the world...

The outer area has initials representing the various YW values, such as virtue, knowledge, faith, etc.

I have made several of these. They make terrific gifts for entering (or graduating from) the YW program. If you would like one contact me. We can customize everything; size, fabric, colors, etc...

Earth, Sky, Water...

Earth, Sky, Water... a perfect name for this quilt made for our grandson, Skyler (Get it?). A busy twenty something year old, and very hip musician.

This type of piecing is called a convergence quilt. Basically, you pick two contrasting fabrics (one earth, one sky), stack'em face up and cut a few simple curves. Then alternate the top and bottom layer and sew them back together.

Then you stack'em again and cut them in strips, alternate them again, and sew them back together again.

Then you stack the finished piece with a third fabric (the water), cut them in strips the opposite direction, alternate them and sew them back together.

All this stackin' and cuttin' got you tired yet? It's really a lot easier than I'm making it sound. And the good news is there is NO measuring!

The bad news is you never really know what it will look like until it's finished.

The good news is you ALWAYS like it!

Pink Baby Quilt...

Another beauty by Darlyn T., this dainty pink and white and black top has always been one of my favorites...

Summer Days...

OK, I know what you are thinking... It's a little too early for summer days... and you're right... but as I said in the previous post, quilts come when they come. Darlyn T., a close friend made this one. She teaches others to quilt and is very meticulous in her piecing...