Ingrid Whitcher

This was my first attempt at an “art quilt”. I have been looking at a lot of different styles of art quilts and decided to try it. One day I came home from a stressful day at work (RN at a Clinic) and I just had to cut something. I decided the base would be 12 1/2 inches and just went from there. What fun!

I am also really enjoying doing some bead work. It is something I can do while Mark is working. I will say that my other 2 attempts with different ideas but the same sized base failed miserably!

This is my first attempt at a whole cloth quilt. I really like the yellow fabric with the slightly darker orange thread. It is only 18 inches square. It is to be my donation for the Pensacola Quilters Guild Show- Silent Auction in March 2008.

Next time I will echo around the hummingbird shape a little more and not fill it in as much so the hummingbird will pop out like the flowers do. Overall I really like it.

This quilt was started at least 1 1/2 years ago. It was my first attempt at needle turn applique. Both my mother and grandmother have beautiful appliqued quilts. I do not know if I will do it very often but it was fun to try. The poppies were sewn together before appliqued. I really enjoyed quilting this quilt because of all the open spaces. The poppy idea came from my mother’s flower bed- the poppies are my favorite.

I also enjoyed working with the different colors in the quilt and tried to give it a color wheel effect. I think the change in color helps move your eye around the quilt as well as the hummingbird.

It was so much fun trying some new quilting ideas. I have been reading some of Diane Gaudynski’s books and am so impressed with her creativeness. My favorite right now is Quilt Savvy by AQS, Gaudynski’s Machine Quilting Guidebook.

I am really bad about finishing projects. I say it is because the quilting design has to “come to me” before a quilt gets quilted, but honestly I usually have a new project in mind that has to get started. Well this month I am planning on getting some of those tops quilted. I am working on a Poppy applique quilt that I finished last summer. I think I have had plenty of time to think about the quilting! What is really great is that I have been pushing myself in expanding my designs and stepping out to try new things. I am really enjoying it, although I am finding myself out of shape. I guess with all the piecing and small quilts I have been working on, the muscles I usually use for quilting are quite out of shape.

This is the project that the web site design was based on. This original design was way out of the box for me. We are having a challenge in our Qulit Guild in Pensacola. The quilt had to be 36 inches square, use 1 inch of the blue theme fabric and fit the theme “Blues”. The quilt uses several techniques – curved piecing, tolle, couching, and hand beading. I will post my progress as it develops.