Falling Leaves
The Falling Leaves series evolved from my general interest in trees and my
new intense interest in acorns. My parents were moving out of the home I grew up in.
I wanted to make a keepsake for my parents, siblings, and me.
The house is surrounded by large oak trees; Swamp Chestnut, Red, White & Pin Oaks.
I collected as many acorn tops as I could find and made small fabric ornaments with the real acorn tops.
Along with the acorns I began to pick up leaves to help in identification.
I started cutting leaves from the upholstery fabrics and other patterned and textured fabrics I love to use.
In an abstract class with Kate Keely, I began to think about how to add movement to my quilts.
Reusing textiles discarded by designers and decorators, I create with small bits of ephemeral fabrics from sample books.
Once used, I cannot replace them. Textile production is a resource-intensive industry:
the more I keep out of the landfills the more at peace I feel with my chosen medium.
The falling leaves continue to intrigue me.
I want to educate people about all the wonderful reasons to grow oaks;
long-lived, food for animals, shade, and all the interesting leaf shapes.
Oak Leaf Vessel I: Rubrum Albus Quercus
Created for the SAQA Global call for art Color in Context: Red. It is now traveling around the world until 2026.
International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas: November 2 - 5, 2023
AQC - Australasian Quilt Convention, Melbourne, Australia: April 11 - 14, 2024
Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair, Sydney, Australia: July 3 - 6, 2024
Melbourne Craft & Quilt Fair, Melbourne, Australia: July 24 - 27, 2024
Brisbane Craft & Quilt Fair, Brisbane, Australia: October 9 - 12, 2024
AQS QuiltWeek:
Daytona Beach, Florida: February 19 – 22, 2025
Branson, Missouri: March 12-15, 2025
Paducah, Kentucky: April 23 - 26, 2025
Grand Rapids, Michigan: August 20 – 23, 2025
Lancaster, Pennsylvania: September 10 – 13, 2025
Method.
Hand cut, Machine quilted, thread painted, hand constructed, hand beaded
10” wide x 6” deep
Materials.
Recycled upholstery fabric samples, cotton and polyester thread, glass beads
Oak Leaves I: Frosted Shumard Oak Leaves
Created for a member show at the Foundry Art Market, Blue & White & Ice Too in 2019.
Inspired by an abstract class with Kate Keely and a growing fascination with oak trees.
August - October 2024
Gallery 50
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
https://gallery50-aagw.square.site/
Tactile Expressions
May - July 2024
Frederick Arts Council
FAC Gallery at 1 North Market Street
Frederick, Maryland
https://frederickartscouncil.org/
2024 Annual Juried Show – Feeling Blue: Navigating Challenges Through Art
March - April 2024
Abington Art Center
Abington, Pennsylvania
https://abingtonartcenter.org/
2021 Textiles in Translation
SAQA PA juried regional exhibition
June 1- July 22, 2021
Penn College Gallery
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Method.
Machine quilted, raw edge machine appliqued, thread painted, hand beaded with glass beads.
16”w x 40” h x 6”d
Materials.
Recycled upholstery fabric samples, glass beads, wood, canvas.
Oak Leaves II: White Oak Leaves in Red
A collaborative piece with Mary Lazar from Artful Dimensions Gallery in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Mary supplied the eco-dyed silk white oak leaves
Earth Matters
Surface Design Associates
juried member exhibition
September 3- October 30, 2021
Watermark Art Center
Bemidji, Minnesota
Method.
Machine quilted, raw edge machine appliqued, thread painted, hand beaded with glass beads
16”w x 40” h x 7”d
Materials.
Cotton, eco-dyed silk, recycled upholstery fabric samples, wood, canvas.
Oak Leaves III: Bur Oak in Green
The third in the series began with a hand-dyed piece of fabric purchased from Lisa White Reber of Dippy Dyes.
This piece has found its forever home.
Method.
Machine quilted, raw edge machine appliqued, thread painted, hand beaded with glass beads
16”w x 40” h x 6”d
Materials.
Cotton, silk, recycled upholstery fabric samples, wood, canvas
Oak Leaves V: Swamp Chestnut Oak in Grey
Created for the Foundry Art Market member show Foundry Shades of Grey in 2020
This piece has found its forever home.
Quercus Falling Leaves VII:
Falling White Oak (alba
Reusing textiles discarded by designers and decorators, I create with small bits of ephemeral fabrics from sample books.
Once used, I cannot replace them.
Textile production is a resource-intensive industry: the more kept out of the landfills the more at peace I feel with my chosen medium.
I create my art to show aspects of the natural world with an emphasis on native plants like oaks
that provide havens and subsistence for our native fauna.
Once a traditional flat quilter, my work now rises from the surface to escape the boundaries of flat surface art, becoming increasingly abstract, with sculptural elements trying to leave the quilt that taunts the viewer to reach out and touch. After years of fermentation, three once separate parts of my life, macro-photography, quilting, and botany, now come together in my fiber art.
This work has found it’s forever home.
Purpose/Repurpose
SAQA Tri-Regional Exhibition
September 6- October 39, 2022
The Mansion at Strathmore
Bethesda, Maryland
https://www.saqa.com/
This piece has found its forever home.
Method.
Hand cut, Machine quilted, raw edge machine appliquéd, thread painted, hand constructed, hand beaded
60”h x 36” w x 22”d
Materials.
Recycled upholstery fabric samples, cotton and polyester thread, aluminum wire, glass beads
Leaf Blocks
Single leaves highlighted on each block
Machine quilted, raw edge machine appliqued, thread painted, some hand beaded with glass beads
Cotton, silk, recycled upholstery fabric samples, wood, canvas
4”w x 4” h x 2”d
