2006 HUSQVARNA VIKING
INTERNATIONAL QUILT COMPETITION FINALIST
MasterPieces : Imagine That!
Annually, the Husqvarna Viking company sponsors an international competition in which
50 quilts are selected to be in their
Gallery of Quilt Art International Touring Exhibition.
This year my entry is one of the 50 chosen. The theme was: “Imagine That.” I was inspired to enter and had a 6 week window to create my piece. There were many anxious moments as I created. The piece had to be exactly 51”x 51,” challenge me to do my best workmanship and design I could do at that moment in time and then capture the piece in a well executed photograph for entry and judging.
M y luck was with me this year and I am delighted to be one of the finalists. There is always a bitter-sweet time with contests such as this. If your piece is chosen, you are ecstatic about the honor, but then you have only a short few months to enjoy your piece at home because once it is shipped off, you will not see it for two years as it travels to different international venues.
C reating a piece that is motivated by an external theme is quite a challenge. Of course as you are inspired with ideas and images, the theme takes on it’s own life and definition in your mind. You see how you want to execute the piece and hope that others will see what you see when you are done. It is a challenging journey all along as you determine how you will technically translate your ideas into your quilt.
Here’s what happened with my piece “Pure Joy, Imagine That”
My piece clicked in my mind almost immediately as I tied the theme “Imagine That”
along with a digital image taken of my daughter, Emily playing and leaping.
As I planned the design, I imagined having fun with bubbles, swirls, arcs, and lots of movement.
Then, I used my picture image appliqué process to execute the quilt.
Line drawing of quilt, then full view of quilt and detail
“ PURE JOY….IMAGINE THAT!”
"Pure Joy, Imagine That"
51" x 51"
Ahhh , to frolic with jubilant mirth and delight
for no other reason than
just for the pure pleasure of it.
Imagine that!!
Growing older often stifles our playful spirit.
Our wisdom makes us cautious.
We wonder what others will think of our actions.
We surround ourselves with little black clouds of doubt.
Can we find that passion and exuberant feeling again?
Let’s try.
Just imagine…pure joy!
Inspired by a photograph of my daughter Emily,
age 15 leaping and playing -- just for the fun of it.
Completed, April, 2006