THE BUGS AND FLOWERS QUILT

I'm a big fan of Marilyn Doheny's work.  In fact, I'm so much a fan that I have arranged for her to come to my guild in September for a trunk show one day and a class the next.  Marilyn works with free form art to make leaves and stems, but she also is the inventor of the 9 degree ruler, with which she has created many wonderful masterpieces.

This is my favorite of her quilts.  The wedges created by making strata of very different fabrics and then cutting them in different ways are well demonstrated in this quilt.  You may remember that Mary and I went to Tryon, NC last September for a week long quilting retreat at Marilyn's newly refurbished Melrose Inn.  That's where I started this quilt:

I haven't finished the antennae or the butterfly bodies just yet, but I'm working on them.  I hope to complete at least the applique on this quilt before Marilyn comes to our guild.

Of course, Mary, being the over achiever she is (and I like that about her!), has not only finished her applique but has quilted her quilt and bound it!  She is coming in September at the same time as Marilyn, and I will be hosting these two creative ladies in my home.  Can't wait!

SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION...

This is my set of 9 degree rulers, invented many years ago by Marilyn Doheny, who is one of the most creative, outside the box, innovative quilt artists that I have ever met.  You may remember that BFF Mary and I went to her week long retreat last year in September.  This year, Marilyn is coming east to stay at MY house and to teach my guild how to use her sensational invention in a day long class.

Marilyn uses fabric strata cut in interesting ways and reassembled in even more unusual ways to create many different fan shapes.  These shapes can then be twisted this way and that, elongated or shortened, or mixed with other fan shapes to bring forth wonderful surprises and a plethora of combinations that are sure to delight.

Only your imagination limits what you can do with these fans.  You can make flowers or critters or just winding paths or balloons or whatever comes to mind.  My focus this year for my guild is to bring new experiences to them that can be used many times after the teacher has returned home, so we're kicking off our year long program with Marilyn.  Won't she be fascinating?!