Karen Rips 12X12 quilt posted on Blog 05-13-12

Another of the gift quilts from the Twelve by 12 group.

http://twelveby12.blogspot.com/   http://twelveby12.org/index.html

"Asilomar"  Karen Rips - Thousand Oaks, CA   2011 12" square

Hand-dyed and hand-printed cotton fabric, perle cotton thread. Machine quilted. Wool batting.

http://www.fiberartmusings.blogspot.com/

To create this gorgeous texture Karen used 100% wool felting for the batting. After stitching the front to the batting, she washed it in hot water to shrink it a lot. For a quilt this size, she started with a piece about 18 inches. She drew her inspiration from all the sea grasses growing on the grounds of Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA.

This piece is very flexible, which makes me wonder how a lap sized quilt would be to snuggle with on a wintery day. 

Her hand stitching and French Knots, along with the loose gauzy fabric sewn into the quilted lines, add more depth.  They give the feeling of the layers and layers of grasses.

 

Hand-dyed sateen on the back.

 

And a minimal hand written label - it does have a e-address!

The Jacaranda trees are starting to bloom - they are one of my favorites.

I'm going to take a Blog Break for a few days.  I'm still trying to get over the cold I've had since April 7th and I just don't have enough energy to wade through a day.  Monday morning I see my GP and hope she will have some answers, or at least a suggestion or two!  I'll be back soon.  Love, Del-at-home