Miniatures

2009 Quilter's Utopia: Where Fabric Grows on Trees 11 x 12

Imagine yourself on a warm quiet beach where yards and yards of colorful fabric grows and then falls from the trees in an endless supply. There are no phones, no internet, no distractions, and your sewing machine works without electricity. The sun never goes down and you can quilt 24 hours a day!

This is the inspiration behind this piece, and my idea of a quilter’s utopia. I made the various elements individually and hand-appliqued them, except for the palm tree fronds which are machine appliqued. The baskets each have a hand-sewn satin stitch around the rims.

2011 Sawatch Range Colorado 9 x 6 - Private Collection

201 1 America the Beautiful II - 15.25 x 12.5

This miniature is based on my larger America the Beautiful quilt, which was based on the famous hymn by Katharine Lee Bates. Verse and chorus is free-motion quilted around the borders. The center pictorial is hand-appliqued. I subtly hand-painted the suggestion of our American flag in the sky with Tsukineko inks. Piping and a gathered inner border surround the pictorial giving it a picture-within-a-frame appearance. Dimensional, autumn aspen leaves peek out around the 'frame.'

2012 Color My World ... With Quilts! 9 x 11.5 - Private Collection

2012 A Labor of Art 8 x 10

Based on my "Color My World..." miniature, this quilt was made for the LABOR challenge by the Machine Quilting Unlimited magazine. The thought behind it is that quilters are artists, and deserve to be recognized and celebrated alongside those in other fields of work. The ‘artist’ in every quilter is evident when creating a functional quilt, or one that simply hangs on the wall for visual enjoyment. In this piece I wanted to depict the quilter and their labor of love: taking a palette of fabric and creating beautiful art.

Rocky Mountain Range 9.5 x 6 - Private Collection

This tiny quilt was made as a gift for a special friend.

Hand appliqued and free-motion quilted.

2014 A Guy With Attitude: "Oh NO I Didint!" 16 x 13 Original photograph by John Gussenhoven - used by permission. Private Collection

This piece is based on a photograph taken by John Gussenhoven – used by permission. He captured an image of this robin sitting on his backyard fence copping an attitude. I’ve never seen a bird cock his head like that before. I thought it would be a fun quilt to make. It is a whole-cloth piece, hand painted, and machine quilted.

2014 Almost Squared Away II - 12 x 14.75

A miniature of my larger modern piece. I liked the larger one so well, I decided to make this small, miniature version. I like the clean look, value contrast, and simple lines. For some additional interest and color I made a pieced binding. It's exciting to see the modern pieces coming from the quilting community.

Colorado Country Roads 12 x 9 - Private Collection

Colorado Country Roads II - 12 x 8.75 - Private Collection

Colorado Country Roads III 12 x 9 - Private Collection

Colorado Country Roads IV - 12.5 x 7 - Private Collection

Colorado Balloon Classic 10.5 x 8 - Private Collection

2016 Colorado Country: Lake Dillon 13.5 x 7.5

I often feature Colorado's beauty in either miniature or larger quilts. This piece is based on my photograph taken at Lake Dillon which is beautifully situated up in the Rocky Mountains. The landscape is hand appliqued. I used Tsukineko inks to both enhance and create elements in the piece. Hand appliqued and machine quilted using Superior's 100 wt. Kimono silk thread.

2017 Colorado Country Roads V - 13.5 x 7.5

I love my home state of Colorado. I enjoy capturing its beauty through personal photography and translating those images into quilts. The photo that inspired this piece was taken along a quiet country road. Beyond the ridge is a farmer’s field and peaceful valley. Hand applique and quilting was done with Superior 100 wt. Kimono silk.

2018 Courtyard - 10.5 x 8 - Private Collection

A wholecloth quilt, hand-painted with Tsukineko inks and quilted with Superior 100wt. Kimono silk. Looking into one of my favorite courtyards at this lovely California Mission. I’ve enjoyed visits here from child through adulthood. Renovations and landscaping changes have occurred over the years but the peaceful serenity never changes. I have fond visual and photo memories of the structures, arches, colorful gardens and beautiful grounds.

2018 Ghost Town of St. Elmo - 13 x 10.75

Originally founded in 1880, St. Elmo is now a well-preserved ghost town located in the Sawatch Range, Colorado.

This whole-cloth piece is based on a personal photo taken on a road trip to the abandoned town. I enjoy working in miniature and including as much detail as possible.

Although a mini, it took approximately 113 hours to create. Hand-painted with Tsukineko Inks and free-motion quilted with Superior 100 wt. Kimono silk thread.

2016 Quilt By Candlelight - 10 x 10 - Private Collection

A grouping of colorful candles in a modern quilt-style. The 10 candles are hand-appliqued individually. I used pearl cotton for the wicks; and a combination of cotton fabric, a sheer specialty fabric, and angelina fibers for the flames.

The pieced binding added the extra color I wanted around the edges. Machine quilted using Superior 100wt. Kimono silk thread.