Finished Myth & Magic Quilt

Finished Quilt

It's always an interesting challenge to design the layout of disparate pieces, but this one had the advantage of being related by theme and color. Overall, the layout is like an overly large nine-patch quilt block, and this is echoed in the pieced blocks on the four corners. This is a very traditional quilt block design. The colors are largely primary: Red, Yellow, Blue, Green -- very like the selections in a child's box of crayons (the smallest size).

The theme was myth and magic, primarily from the medieval period. Thus, the checkered blocks representing a lord's thematic colors along with the coats of arms (shown by the patches) for that feudal landowner. Thus, the "potions" and mythical creatures: A unicorn, a dragon, and a phoenix. Thus, the proliferation of stars in the sashing around each square and in marking off the inner junctions. The owl represents knowledge and the pursuit of wisdom; the flying golden ball represents athleticism and the chasing of dreams.

4 Patches in the corners

Flying Ball Detail

Owl Detail

Note that the free-form quilting over the sashing picks up the thematic stars.

Loose Knit

This is a BW ad I created for a local yarn shop. The ad ran in the program for a play called "Loose Knit." The purpose was to encourage people to come in for lessons and/or for "Sit and Stitch" hours. (Click on image to see it larger.) But we also had to tie it in with the play which was about a group of people who meet at a local yarn shop for "Sit and Stitch." Stories don't move forward without conflict, and comedies rely on something like conflict-plus, so we played a bit with the concept of how people getting together -- even for a common purpose around a craft they love -- can sometimes be overly dramatic. So, a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor goes a long way with this crowd. Notice that the image at top -- even though it's comprised of three photos -- acts as one. Notice how it takes up nearly half of the page. The visuals are often more important than the words because a strong image -- even a silly one -- will get call a reader's attention.