Leaf Study

Leaf Study, 18" x 22"

I used Caryl Bryer Fallert's "appli-piecing" technique to create these leaves. The leaves are appliqued to a hand-dyed cotton sateen by Heide Stoll-Weber. The echo quilting was done with the presser foot down, and the edge finish is a facing rather than a binding.

Detail

Detail

Galaxy wins in Art Show

Galaxy

"Galaxy" won a blue ribbon this weekend in the South Mississippi Art Association 34th Annual Show in Hattiesburg. The wall quilt is 37" wide and 24" high. The blue-to-green ribbon is pieced with hand-dyes by Mary Nell Magee, and the orange ribbon and lighter blue ribbon are Martha's own hand-dyes. It incorporates Caryl Bryer Fallert's gradated fabric for the background. The outer border is a commercial batik. Quilting in the background matched the colors in order to de-emphasize the background and call attention to the three ribbons. The piece was designed in a class with Caryl Bryer Fallert at her studio in Paducah, Ky., in the fall of 2009, and extended and completed in 2010.

The Quilter Magazine article--March 2010

In November 2009 my good friend Lucy Fazely contacted me saying she was invited to write an article "about a talented machine quilter" for The Quilter Magazine. How thrilled I was that she considered me that person and interviewed me for the article. This took place just before I was to leave for a dream workshop at Caryl Bryer Fallert's Paducah studio and also just before my husband was scheduled for brain surgery for relief of his severe Parkinson's symptoms. So when the March 2010 article came out in January 2010, I was pleased that my rattled state was not apparent, thanks to Lucy's skilled writing. (The surgery went well and we think he shows some improvement.)

How exciting it is to see one's artwork in print and be able to share this news with friends and family. Events like this also give us a chance to think deeply about what we do and why we do it and put those thoughts into words. Our creative endeavors are essential to our emotional wellbeing, and having the fruits of our labors printed so colorfully--well, it is just too rewarding for words!