My love of textiles developed from an early age, probably from watching my mother and both grandmothers sew and do other handworks. After retirement I finally had time to pursue my interest in quilting and it’s become a meaningful activity. When my husband started painting and joined PAPA, I didn’t know how much being around other artists would influence me. While I still generally make quilts to cuddle under, the occasional art quilt draws my attention and gets creative juices flowing in unexpected directions.
“Dream Time”, a quilt I made for a young boy, is one example. Each square has a different theme that includes everything from music to the universe to farm animals. I wanted a border that would stand the test of time never looking too young or too old, knowing it might stay with him a good while. Black and white and spiky seemed an appropriate choice and lately I’ve heard he sometimes drags it around the house with him. That makes me smile.
Thanks for taking time to view my quilts and if you want to see more detail in the work, click on an image to enlarge. You can also find me on Instagram @suzygalex
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“Sunflowers Through My Window” started with only a half panel of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers found on a remnant table. I also had an antique square (top left), from an unknown quilter way back in my family, that looked like a sunflower. I started looking for more sunflower ideas and it just evolved from there. I enjoy having this one hang in my kitchen.
Remember the song by the Byrds? I started with a personal challenge to create an abstract with cold wind in mind. That clearly has nothing to do with music but one thing led to another and eventually it became this play list for the seasons.
You probably know Here Comes the Sun and maybe even the 59th Street Bridge Song, but Autumn Leaves is really old and has many interpretations. Try Eva Cassidy’s version of that song if you’re interested. The last song title, Cold Weather Blues, is by Muddy Waters.
I knew as soon as I saw John McLaren’s painting, Sunday Puzzle, there had to be a quilt in there! It was a fun challenge that stretched my skills.
“Stormy Weather” was an adventure in using bits of old textiles including lace, cheesecloth and burlap for textured effects. I found the sharks teeth walking on the beach on a sunny and decidedly not stormy day.
I got the idea for “Solar Power” when we started talking about making eclipse art. The idea of all the sun’s swirling masses and explosive ejections sounded like a fun thing to try and depict. And since we are talking about eclipses, here’s the back side!
“Spring Flower Frenzy” was made with fabrics I hand dyed in a class. I learned you can make all kinds of things just from the variations in fabric dyed this way. And I love spring flowers.
“Night Watch” was made in response to the PAPA Gallery challenge word, Birds (check out the current Challenge exhibit in the back of the gallery). It was another experimental idea I wanted to try and I loved featuring the antique lace posing as a leaf!
“Sleeping in the Cold” was made in response to another PAPA challenge, Winter Landscape. I started with some improv in blues but a clear vision wasn’t making itself known as I worked. I started searching for a phrase or words that fit the vague idea in my mind and found the poem that kind of guided the rest.
When my parents celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, I made them an “Anniversary Diamond”. I used their wedding photo and some antique tatted lace from another long-ago family member to make it more special. (pattern by MJ Kinman)
Backyard Zen was an inspiration from a photo of a friend’s backyard. I immediately loved the feel and wanted to somehow capture it myself. The shadows, value changes and lines in this image made me want to give it a try. The PAPA challenge of Shadow gave me the nudge I needed to make me do it.
On the rack is my version of the National Quilt Museum Block of the Month quilt from 2022. If you’re a quilter too, I highly recommend checking out their BOM program. It’s free and I’ve learned a lot. By the way, feel free to touch – I’ve been watching tv under it for a while now!
