Bear Medicine Art Quilt

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.

Clowns and Soldiers, Tip Toeing Through and Dangerous Generation, and Kittens, Mittens, and Ray Guns are part of a series of quilts that start with Mid Century baby blankets. I’m looking at the huge contrast between the cute and sweet images we surround infants with and the violent toys many of us played with. Some of the images depicted in vintage baby quilts show an idealized picture of American childhood that was completely unattainable for many. Clowns and Soldiers shows the disconnect between the humorous and the deadly seriousness of war, while Kittens, Mittens, and Ray Guns contrasts cute kitties and vintage space weapons. Most of us growing up in the last century have clear memories about instructions to duck and cover in case of nuclear bombing.

American Childhood quilt art

American Childhood

hand-embroidered and quilted vintage quilt top, 42” x 32”

Micro World quilt art

Micro World

Hand dyed fabric, Hand-embroidered, appliquéd, and quilted using DMC floss, pearl cotton thread. 31” x 31”

micro world 2 quilt art

Micro World 2

Hand dyed fabric, Hand-embroidered, appliquéd, and quilted using DMC floss, pearl cotton thread. 31” x 46”

micro world 3 quilt art

Micro World 3

Hand dyed fabric, Hand-embroidered, appliquéd, and quilted using DMC floss, and pearl cotton thread. 46” x 31”

un-united quilt art

Un-United

machine pieced cotton fabric, cyanotype on fabric, hand and machine-quilted, 41” x 27”

Without You

Without You

2020, hand-embroidered vintage baby clothes, machine pieced hand-dyed fabric, hand quilted, 62″ x 39″

The Unloved Endangered

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

Protection SOLD

2020, fused cotton fabric, machine quilted with assorted charms and medals, 20″ x 20″

Golden Cheeked Warbler

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

Rhino Horizon

2020, machine quilted assorted fused fabrics, 24” x 27.5”

Endangered North American Birds quilt art

Endangered North American Birds

2020, hand-embroidered, dyed and quilted vintage quilt tops, 59” x 36”

Blue Dreaming Bear

Blue Dreaming Bear

hand-embroidered and quilted vintage quilt top, 11.5″ x’ 11.5″

The Kagu

The Kagu

hand embroidered, painted and quilted vintage quilt top, 37” x 26.5”

The Kagu Detail
Ghost of the Forrest Detail
Ghost of the Forest

Ghost of the Forest

machine quilted assorted fused fabrics, 28” x 23”

Art Quilt for the Last Northern Rhino

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”

Indiana Bat

Indiana Bat

2019, Vintage quilts, contemporary fabric, hand-embroidered and quilted, 35” x 73”

Indiana Bat Detail
Indiana Bat Detail

The Magic Bringer

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

Rusty Patch Bumble Bee

2019, hand embroidered vintage quilt top, fabric paint, hand quilted, 18” x 23”

Red and Red Adjacent

Red and Red Adjacent

2023, hand-printed muslin, machine pieced and quilted, 48” x 38”

Disguised Prayer

Disguised Prayer

2023, hand-printed muslin, machine pieced and quilted, 48.5” x 38.5”

There Was Dancing

There Was Dancing

2022, hand-dyed and printed muslin, machine pieced and quilted, 29” x 29”

Several Points Were Made

Several Points Were Made

2022, hand-dyed and printed muslin, machine pieced and quilted, 28” x 28”

2 Windows

2 Windows

2022, hand dyed and printed muslin, machine pieced and quilted, 29” x 29”

Tip Toeing Through a Dangerous Generation

Tip Toeing Through a Dangerous Generation

2023, hand-embroidered and quilted vintage quilt top using cotton thread, 49” x 35”

Hawaiian Crows

Hawaiian Crows

2022, hand-embroidered, painted, and quilted vintage quilt top, 49” x 30”

Balinese Starlings

Balinese Starlings

2022, hand-embroidered, painted, and quilted vintage quilt top, 44” x 31”

Oaklahoma

Oaklahoma

1999, hand-painted and printed silk organza, on cotton organdy and cotton backing, and machine quilted, 30” x 41”

103 Tornados

103 Tornados

2022, hand-painted thickened dye mono prints on cotton, machine pieced and quilted, 57” x 32”

Condor

Condor

2022, Condor, hand-embroidered, painted, and quilted vintage quilt top, 46.5” x 25”

Kittens, Mittens and Ray Guns

Kittens, Mittens and Ray Guns

2022, hand-embroidered and quilted vintage baby blanket, 43” x 34”

Clowns and Soldiers

Clowns and Soldiers

2022, hand-embroidered and quilted vintage baby blanket, 42.5” x 32″