Bear Medicine Quilt
2017, Appliquéd rust dyed, ice dyed and bleach discharged fabric. Quilted with assorted glass beads, 66” x 44”
animal art quilts
I have always had a deep concern for the planet and all the people, animals and plants living on it, yet it is only recently that I have begun to address the mass extinction of animals by portraying them in my art quilts. As I do the research for each artwork I learn quite a bit about the factors underlying the perilous edge many of these animals exist on. It is my hope to evoke these “edges” as I portray endangered animals in my art quilts.
I have chosen to use vintage quilt tops because I find the old fabrics and patterns in them endlessly varied and beautiful. On an emotional level I appreciate the abandoned nature of these quilts, for someone had spent hours hand-piecing hundreds of bits of fabric and yet never finished their project. Most quilts have spent decades in storage and are now given new life off the bed and hung on the wall as endangered animal quilts. Symbolically quilts make me think of mothers, grandmothers, home, safety, and protection. I like to think of sending that sentiment out into the world in my pieces. Another aspect of these old quilts, that I reflect on, is that when these women were stitching them, 50 or 60 years ago, the animals were not yet endangered. I look at each sewing session as a kind of prayer offered up for each animal’s survival and for the greater wisdom and stewardship by the humans involved. We can’t go back in time, but we can adopt behaviors that will support world ecosystems and animal survival. I believe that this will take the dramatic changes on a global level, and this is but one small step in that direction.
Micro World
Hand dyed fabric, Hand-embroidered, appliquéd, and quilted using DMC floss, pearl cotton thread. 31” x 31”
Micro World 2
Hand dyed fabric, Hand-embroidered, appliquéd, and quilted using DMC floss, pearl cotton thread. 31” x 46”
Micro World 3
Hand dyed fabric, Hand-embroidered, appliquéd, and quilted using DMC floss, and pearl cotton thread. 46” x 31”
Without You
2020, hand-embroidered vintage baby clothes, machine pieced hand-dyed fabric, hand quilted, 62″ x 39″
The Unloved Endangered
2020, hand-embroidered and quilted vintage sari silk and hand dyed cotton, 61″ x 48.5″, DMC floss embroidered on cotton, 6″ x 3.5″
Protection SOLD
2020, fused cotton fabric, machine quilted with assorted charms and medals, 20″ x 20″
Deep Sea
2019, hand quilted, hand needle turned appliqué and embroidered commercial fabric, 50” x 32”
Bat Twilight
2020, machine pieced, fused fabric, which is hand and machine quilted, 47” x 32”
Thought & Memory
2020, machine quilted assorted fused fabrics, 70” x 27”
Golden Cheeked Warbler
2020, vintage quilt top, hand embroidered and quilted using DMC embroidery floss and perle cotton thread with fabric paint, 24” x 24”
Rhino Horizon
2020, machine quilted assorted fused fabrics, 24” x 27.5”
Endangered North American Birds
2020, hand-embroidered, dyed and quilted vintage quilt tops, 59” x 36”
Blue Dreaming Bear
hand-embroidered and quilted vintage quilt top, 11.5″ x’ 11.5″
The Kagu
hand embroidered, painted and quilted vintage quilt top, 37” x 26.5”
Ghost of the Forest
machine quilted assorted fused fabrics, 28” x 23”
Quilt for the Last Northern Rhino
2019, quilt with hand-embroidery, fabric paint and hand quilting. Made vintage quilt top, and glass beads, 26” x 39”
Ladybird Spider
2019, hand embroidered and appliquéd vintage quilt tops, hand quilted, 41” x 28.5”
Indiana Bat
2019, Vintage quilts, contemporary fabric, hand-embroidered and quilted, 35” x 73”
Carrion Beetle
2019, hand embroidered and appliquéd vintage quilt tops, hand quilted, 36” x 15”
The Magic Bringer
2019, hand-quilted with hand appliqué, hand embroidery and quilting. Made from contemporary fabric, vintage quilt tops, and glass beads, 28” x 35”
Rusty Patch Bumble Bee
2019, hand embroidered vintage quilt top, fabric paint, hand quilted, 18” x 23”