The Show

The show at Island Quilter was a huge success! The opening was well attended and despite my last minute panic, the show was cohesive, hung well (thanks to Anja) and a lot of fun! For all of you who are over seas and far far away I hope this will give you a closer look! For those of you in the area, the show is open through November 1st.

As promised here are some pictures all courtesy of my very good friend Sue Tamcsin: Thanks Sue!#iloveher.

 View of the middle of the room

Vintage quilts, machine quilted from far left, far right by Irene Campbell

 Frankenquilt with quilts by Katie, Maggie, and Krista

Frankenquilt

Quilted by Krista Withers

Pieced and Designed by Krista Withers

2012

Where to begin? On a dark stormy night …......in the Frankenquilt Lair.

Ha ha, no it’s not quite that dramatic.

 I started this quilt with all good intentions of it becoming a traditional flower garden using Anna Maria Horner’s Good Folks Voile. Hugely inspired by Katy’s (aka Imagingermonkey) Hexie MF,  I envisioned a delicious soft Hexie quilt made just for me.

Seven million hours later and a huge pile of hand stitched hexagons I unknowingly began piecing improv flowers which would merge with the hexies to become what you see here.

Who knew that you could improv English Paper piece? Who knew that using safety pins to keep hexagons in order was a horrible idea? Who knew WTH I was doing? Not me. Who knew I was creating a monster? Who knew at 3a.m.when I was frantically hand sewing hexies and turned on the television to the original 1931 Frankenstein movie, that this quilt had to be called Frankenquilt?

 I knew.

And Frankenquilt grew. A traditional flower garden grew and from it grew flowers that were not traditional at all and from those grew more traditional flowers. And somehow I pieced them all together and tried my best to get it in square, and then tried some more.

I quilted it and quilted it and quilted it, then I quilted it some more.

I even had to quilt a pleat into it because my haphazard piecing is enough to make any judge cry.

 I made it work.

 It was recommended I change its name for show purposes... you see that I could not.

 I present to you, Frankenquilt.

I love Frankenquilt with all my heart.

From far left:  Katie's Seattle Stars, Alison Robins's Extreme fabric diary. Joanne Roth's Running in circles, doll quilts by me, and yet another opposing triangle by Katie

Rainbow wall makes me smile. Quilts by Katie, Maggie Downing, me and my alter ego, Krista.

The third opposing triangles quilt by Katie

Sun quilt by Maggie Downing

And here's Me! 

I am not a huge fan of being photographed, but there I am. 

Quilter’s Statement

I come from a very traditional place in quilting and piecing. As I have evolved as an artist and quilter my work has changed. I have grown and found a place where I can express myself through fabric. Painting is my first love and always will be, but I am thankful to finally see my ideas translated in quilts. I love the modern quilt movement, it has such a vibrant energy and bright future. I feel honored to be part of this movement and thankful to have such talented friends and customers to collaborate with.  This show would have been impossible to put together without the vision of these friends and their gorgeous quilts. Quilts, that have been my privilege to quilt, created by friends who have generously allowed me to share in this exhibit.