When challenged by my guild on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary to create a ‘Celebrating Gold’ quilt, I pondered for a long time how best to represent this momentous occasion. The idea for my Quilter in Gold quilt was inspired by Gustav Klimt’s famous portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, a.k.a. the ‘Woman in Gold’ painting.
After sketching my design, I created her walls (my background) complete with two pieces of art hung prominently with one of her quilts. Her quilt is a completely separate quilt, later appliqued to the larger quilt. It measures 3″ x 2″ and has an attached hanger made from a small piece of brass chain. Her quilt has 3 pieced nine-patch blocks off-set with ‘blocks’ fussy-cut from the larger quilt’s backing fabric.
Even though elegantly dressed to celebrate, my quilter wears an art nouveau-styled headband of calico tied with a bow on her head which is surrounded by two gold halos.
My quilter wears an elegant drop-shoulder dress with 3/4 length sleeves. Her bodice is covered with a layer of gold-mesh and features a gold-glass bead fringe on top. A belt separates her bodice from her skirt which was paper-pieced using 44 of Cindi Edgerton’s 1 3/4″ Little Bits-Itty Bitty Fans tissue paper foundations. Flowing around her is a scrappy gold patchwork train.
On the gold kick-pleat near the hem of her skirt, I subtly stitched acknowledgement of the challenge that prompted her creation, QU’s 50th Anniversary.
Hands clasped, my quilter rests on an upholstered copper coil button tufted wing-backed chair and brass discs accent the latticework over her left shoulder.
Her travels include:
Mancuso Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, Hampton, Virginia, February 2023
Quilter’s Unlimited 50th Anniversary Quilt Exhibit at the McLean Textile Gallery in McLean, VA April 6th through May 18th, 2023
ShenArts Members ‘Opposites Attract’ Show at the Barns of Rose Hill, Berryville, VA – June 1st – July 28th, 2023
AQS Worldwide Virtual Quilt Parade October 2023.
