Celebrating the wedding of Katharine and Marco.
February 3, 2007

Te Whare,Waitetoko, Lake Taupo, New Zealand
...may the tides of life carry you gently, and storms keep you safe in their wake...
Judy Small

Machine pieced, machine quilted; 100% cotton, upholstery cotton; cotton and polyester threads; cotton batting.

The cross-section of a nautilus shell captures the grand, limitless beauty of art in the natural world revealed in the swirl of a seashell. A sacred connection is made, patterns are discerned and a world of meaning is discovered.

Machine pieced, machine appliqué, machine quilted; commercial 100% cottons, batiks; cotton, rayon, metallic and polyester invisible threads; cotton batting.

The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.
Joanna May

This commemorative signature quilt celebrates 50 years of marriage. It is signed by family members and friends who attended a surprise anniversary party in Ottawa, Ontario. In 1930, Grant Wood, an American painter, created his masterpiece, American Gothic. I have taken some liberty with this great work of art, by lending it a Nova Scotian theme, in honour of Balmoral Mills where my parents now live, just down the road from me. Not to be confused with Balmoral, Scotland, where Queen Elizabeth has her summer residence. Balmoral Mills in Nova Scotia is home to only one queen, and that’s my mom, Queen Doris. Tom and Doris, 50 years married and both 70 years young. It marks where they are in their lives at the moment and I call it Balmoral Gothic, complete with their white underwear on a clothesline..

Machine pieced, machine appliquéd, machine quilted; hand-painted cotton, commercial cotton; cotton, rayon and polyester invisible threads; cotton batting.

Chickadees are friendly little birds whose near feather-light weight on our hands can make our hearts flutter with gratitude. A small offering of a few sunflower seeds is all I need to bridge the distance between the wild and me.

Machine pieced, machine quilted, machine appliqué, thread painting (both chickadee and cranberries); commercial cotton, hand-painted cottons, cotton, rayon and polyester threads; cotton batting (credit to Kathy Tidswell’s class in thread painting).

Simply for fun and rising to the challenge of submitting an entry to the Mail Art Exhibit mounted by Visual Arts of Nova Scotia.

Machine pieced, machine appliquéd, machine quilted; commercial cottons, hand-dyed cottons, cotton and rayon threads; cotton batting.

Four postage stamp baskets set on point make each block; the blocks are separated by small “floating” light green blocks to create this traditional quilt.

Machine pieced, machine appliqué, machine quilted; commercial cottons, cotton threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine appliqué, machine quilted; commercial cottons, dyed cottons, cotton threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine appliqué, machine quilted; commercial cottons, dyed cottons, cotton threads, variegated threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine appliqué, machine quilted; commercial cottons, dyed cottons, cotton threads, variegated threads; cotton batting.

Sam’s Welcome to the World commemorates the birth of a nephew with all the hope each new human being engenders.

Whole cloth machine quilted; cotton, rayon and metallic threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine appliqué, three dimensional red leaf, machine quilted; commercial cottons, dyed cottons, painted cottons, cotton threads, variegated threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine quilted; commercial and hand-dyed cottons, cotton and rayon threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine appliqué, machine quilted; commercial cottons, cotton and rayon threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine appliqué, machine quilted; commercial cottons, cotton and rayon threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine quilted; commercial cotton, ultrasuede, cotton, polyester and rayon threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine quilted; commercial cotton, ultrasuede, cotton, polyester and rayon threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine quilted; hand painted sun-print cotton, cotton threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine quilted; commercial cottons, tulle, cotton and rayon threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine quilted; commercial cottons, cotton and rayon threads; cotton batting.

Machine pieced, machine quilted; commercial cottons, ultrasuede, cotton and rayon threads; cotton batting.

Celebrating the Irish in Me was commissioned by a Canadian woman just discovering her Irish heritage and roots. The quilted designs include the Celtic Lover’s Knot, Celtic Circle and shamrock.

Machine pieced, hand quilted; commercial cotton, cotton threads; cotton batting.

2005 World Quilt & Textile Competition Finalist, Columbus, Ohio; Manchester, New Hampshire; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Clara, California.

Heather’s Wood celebrates a 25-year friendship and captures the rich and dynamic tapestry life of a woodland in the early morning light. A snake slips among the ferns while dragonflies, swallowtail and red admiral butterflies flitter in the oaks. This is a playful but profound exploration of biodiversity in all its natural glory.

Machine raw-edge appliqué, regular appliqué, reverse appliqué, credit to Katie Pasquini-Masopust for fractured landscape technique, free motion machine quilting with cotton, polyester and rayon threads, thread painting; hand-dyed and commercial cottons, tone on tone cottons, tulle; cotton, metallic, rayon and invisible polyester threads, polyester batting.

A Byzantine castle at Kibbutz Yehiam in northern Israel inspired this fractured landscape quilt that shows a crumbling section of this mostly intact castle. A stone stairway leading to open air offers a glimpse of an ancient structure peppered with wild colourful weeds and shaded by arching tree branches.

Machine pieced, machine quilted; commercial cottons, cotton, rayon and metallic threads; cotton batting.

One dragonfly is set against a traditionally pieced block and a garden pond. Camouflaged on the open water are two more dragonflies. This quilt is made in remembrance of family loss.

Machine pieced, hand pieced, hand appliqué, reverse applique, hand stitched; commercial cottons, cotton thread; cotton batting.

This work brings together three images taken from the drawings of a young child; transposed to a quilt they create the delightful image of youthful simplicity, innocence and energy. It is embellished with polymer clay beads also made by a young child.

Machine pieced, machine appliqué, machine quilted; commercial cottons, cotton threads, invisible polyester threads, solar-sensitive threads; cotton batting.

A fractured landscape quilt of Cabot Provincial Park on Prince Edward Island, CANADA. This technique was used to capture the special late summer evening light that reflects the natural beauty of the Maritime Provinces.

Machine pieced, machine quilted; commercial cottons, cotton and metallic threads; cotton batting.

This quilt was made to resemble a Turkish carpet - no flowers please. The design features a large square hand-appliquéd centre medallion surrounded by a Greek key design, a cable design, as well as LeMoyne stars and Variable stars. The quilt’s name is a play on the phrase, variation of a theme.

Machine pieced, hand appliqué, foundation piecing, hand quilted; commercial cottons, cotton threads; cotton batting.

A round robin quilt is a collaborative effort. This quilt began with a floral centre block designed to pay homage to the celebrated American artist, Georgia O’Keefe, whose flower paintings are famous worldwide. M. McGregor and L. Whitman completed the outer edges of the quilt.

Machine pieced, hand appliqué, hand quilted; commercial cottons, cotton threads; cotton batting.

Starburst was born from a challenge by the Northumberland Quilt Guild when it asked its members to make a celestial quilt using a piece of “ugly” fabric. The fabric was chosen from a paper grab-bag so it was a surprise. In this quilt, the “ugly” fabric is the lightest fabric in the quilt, ugly was rendered beautiful within a larger pattern of stars and galaxies.

Foundation pieced, hand stitched; commercial cottons, African black and red print, cotton threads; cotton/polyester batting.

This Snail’s Spell quilt was made using blue and green fabrics. A spiral quilting design was used in the body of the white snails.

Machine pieced, hand quilted; commercial cottons, cotton thread; cotton batting.

Inspired by the print of a child’s sundress, bits of the seashell fabric were incorporated in this miniature quilt of traditional design.

Foundation pieced, hand quilted; commercial cottons, cotton thread; cotton batting.