I Will Lift My Voice Like A Trumpet News

Yesterday I received notification that the American Quilt Society has accepted my quilt into the Grand Rapids, MI show to be held Aug 14-17. I am glad to show it in my home state, and hope that some of my quilting friends are able to see it. This is a special quilt for me, involving a lot of research, design, and execution. It is part of my American Heroes series.

The series was really an idea that came when I made a small wall hanging with a piece of vintage fabric printed with Mary Pickford's photograph. I set it with vintage handkerchiefs, laces and embellishments, including heirloom pins from my Great-Grandmother.

It was while making this quilt I first conceived of the idea of quilts based on American history and people.

 The next quilt in the series was When Dreams Came True for the anniversary of the lunar landing. I grew up with the Space Race and this event seemed a remarkable achievement, the kind of thing that only happened in dreams. I used copyright free NASA photographs and fusible applique to make the images on the quilt.

When I decided to learn to embroider, I made the Presidents Quilt by Michael J Buckingham. I added a border of traditional, new and original blocks to make the quilt larger, including Abigail Adams and Eleanor Roosevelt.

While making that quilt I found I loved embroidery and I decided to design a First Ladies Quilt, and Remember the Ladies was my next project. I read about 20 books on the First Ladies, including biographies, while I was designing the embroidery.

And that brings me to I Will Lift My Voice Like a Trumpet, which highlights women abolitionists and Civil Rights leaders. A professor at Grand Valley State University directed me to the book Freedom's Daughters by Lynne Olson. These women were exactly who I wanted to lift up.

I have my Green Heroes quilt on the frame right now. I want to do a quilt of American authors. But first, I am working on my Charles Dickens quilt. British Writers being another of my loves. I already created a Pride and Prejudice quilt in applique and Redwork! Some day perhaps I will do a quilt of British Writers. And I am sketching ideas for a Wizard of Oz quilt. I just hope I live long enough to finish all the quilts in my head!