dreams. What did you dream last night? Was it a pleasant fantasy, repetitious drudgery or a nightmare? Nighttime dreams might evoke strong feelings or have iconic or archetypal interpretations. A dream can be a day dream, a pipe dream, a hallucination or a delusion. It can also be a vision of the future for yourself, your loved-ones, your community or the world. So dream up a quilt! We invite you to interpret the subject in art quilt form.
Jurors’ Choice Award Winner:
“Illumination of Grace” by Maggie Dillon (Florida, USA)
Artist Statement: The night turns into the dawn of a new day. Basking in the gentle first light, deep reflection inspires the illumination of the mind, daydreaming about the adventures that inspire her, the adventures that may not ever come... back to the reality of life. The woman is based on an image from the 1950's, her vibe & mood, just perfect for the ambiance of the forest at first light. 56”H x 40”W
Techniques & Materials: machine applique, machine quilting
Jurors’ Choice Award Winner:
“Boundless” by
Jill Kerttula
(Virginia, USA)
Artist Statement: In our dreams we are free of the bounds of earthy physics or rules. We can soar through the air, weightless and free. Those are my favorite dreams! 46”H x 35”W
Techniques & Materials: original photography, custom printed fabrics, commercial fabrics, beading, free motion stitching, hand stitching
Venue’s Choice Award Winner:
“Gramma’s Dream” by Paulette Landers
(Oregon, USA)
Artist Statement: I often think about my grandmother, now long gone.Did she have dreams, expectations, desires? Did they ever come through? 40”H x 40”W
Techniques & Materials: mixed media textile collage, hand dyed and painted cotton, machine stitching
Viewers’ Choice Award Winner:
“Gray Matter” by
Gwen Brink (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: My Mother's clothing. Once close to her body. She is still here but not really here. Her dementia has left her a shell of her former self. Once in a while I dream that she is still her former self; that her brain neurons are as healthy as they once were and that her disease is fully cured. When I wake up my sad reality returns. 55”H x 55”W
Techniques & Materials: machine piecing, hand Quilting, recycled clothing, cotton batting, cotton thread
“Fictional Fantasy” by
B.J. Adams
(Washington D.C. , USA)
Artist Statement: Having three fabrics that I could never bear to cut up and use in a quilt, I decided to draw images from all three and combine them into my dream fabric that would forever capture them without cutting into the originals. Choosing colors I prefer and embroidering all the images I appliquéd them onto three other fabrics to highlight the designs. 23”H x 36”W
Techniques & Materials: embroidery, applique, quilting thread, fabric, tulle
“Under the Under” by
Patricia A. Arndt (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: How does the ocean form all the beautiful structures on the floor of the ocean? Some, of course, travel with the living creatures. Do others take root under? In my dreams, I envision this happening. Roots and colorful bubbles of wonderful growing shapes bursting into the underworld. 22”H x 40”W
Techniques & Materials: hand painted silk. silk sarong fabric, hand-fused beads, burnt felt, paint, metallic paint, paint mediums, beads, felting, machine stitching
“Morning Leaf”
by Judi H. Bastion (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: The closeup of a leaf after a brief rain takes on a dream-like quality, rain drops magnifying leaf veins and capturing bits of color not usually observed. My goal for this design was restraint; letting the colors and textures speak quietly for themselves. The textures in the photo are echoed by the quilting on the batik and ice dyed fabrics, fading into abstraction. 34”H x 27”W
Techniques & Materials: Original photo custom printed on cotton sateen, batik, ice dyed cotton, wool batting, pieced backing, hand and machine appliqué, machine quilting
“I Can’t Swim” by Arlene Blackburn (Virginia, USA)
Artist Statement: Please throw me a life jacket! I can't swim...a common dream for many...if the dreamer tires and goes under, where she is no longer able to stay above water, this is an indication that outer influences have just become too burdensome and the person is emotionally succumbing to the pressures and stresses. The buoyancy and balance has become off center and it means it's time to lighten the load in order to float to the surface again. 48”H x 36”W
Techniques & Materials: Digital imagery by artist, digital printing with fiber reactive inks on cotton sateen, machine quilted, monofilament thread, cotton/poly batting, hand-dyed cotton fabric
“Moonlight Madness” by Gwen S. Brink (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: Friendly ratty pets are well behaved and sleep most of the the day. But what do these nocturnal creatures do at night while the rest of the house is asleep? Create mischief in the sewing room!!! Wait... am I dreaming? Hey.. what's this hole in my favorite fabric and who knocked the scissors onto the floor? 48”H x 43”W
Techniques & Materials: machine pieced, hand quilted, hand appliqued, upcycled and indigo dyed fabric, cotton batting, cotton thread
“Rendezvous” by Erica Carter
(Washington, USA)
Artist Statement: The first from my French Romance Series, "Rendezvous" was inspired by a dream of a past romance. The dream was so vivid and strong, that it eventually inspired four pieces. In this first piece, I caught the ephemeral quality of a dream, as the flowers focus in and out with vivid romantic color. The structure of the piece is reminiscent of earlier work done maybe 15 years ago (central panel and side borders), updated with the flowers bursting into the side panels. 44”H x 42”W
Techniques & Materials: hand painted silk, cut, composed on raw silk, direct machine appliqué and machine quilting with silk thread and cotton batting
“Happiness is a Happy Quilt” by Suzanne Clawson (Maryland, USA)
Artist Statement: This quilt uses dozens of different fabrics. I thought of calling it “LIme Sherbert (with sprinkles)” but decided “Happiness” was a better name. 51”H x 50”W
Techniques & Materials: cotton fabrics, raw-edge applique, machine sewn, quilted by GeorgeAnne Lunking
“Dream Sheep” by Barbara Dahlberg (Maryland, USA)
Artist Statement: I saw this picture online of a flock of sheep in multicolored hues. The image stuck with me and one night showed up in my dream. My lovely dream sheep had corralled all the feelings flying around in my head and I did not end up like the girl on the bed, but blissfully asleep. 35”H x 25”W
Techniques & Materials: hand dyed cotton and fairy frost fabrics, text
“The Dreamy House”
by Barbara Dahlberg (Maryland, USA)
Artist Statement: There's this dreamy Victorian house in Cape May, New Jersey that just screamed to have its ghostly past portrayed by this stanza of Tennyson's poem. I don't know if a house inspired Tennyson, but I can imagine the nightmare images in the windows, doors and yard, scaring poor Mariana. 35”H x 29”W
Techniques & Materials: batik and stonehenge fabrics, tulle, organza and a little lace, button, text
“The Safe Guardians” by Gabrielle DiTota (Florida, USA)
Artist Statement: This year has seen a reversal in important environmental protections. There are those who are undermining science and removing the safeguards against polluted waters and skies. There are deniers of global warming who are promoting 'business friendly' changes that will directly affect the health of millions. We, the concerned women of the world, must step up to be the Safe- Guardians of the natural world. We must protect the safety, the beauty and mystery of our natural spaces. We must be on guard from dusk to dawn when deals are made in the shadows. We must wake up! 44”H x 41”W
Techniques & Materials: cotton fabric, hand dyed fabric, painted fabric, acrylic paint acrylic ink, tulle, lace, raw edge applique
“Inside Dreams”’
by Gabrielle DiTota (Florida, USA)
Artist Statement: Experimenting with different fabric surface design ideas gave me these very unique fabrics. When I put the painted and the discharged next to each other I knew they spoke from the same source, out of the same dream. 22”H x36”W
Techniques & Materials: painted fabric, discharged fabric, ink, raw edge applique, painting, discharging
“Stairway to Heaven” by Gabrielle DiTota (Florida, USA)
Artist Statement: This piece came together from fabric that was first dyed and then the color was removed from parts of the fabric. The resulting absences of color were then over-dyed with more dye. The horizontal bars appeared as a staircase and before I even realized it, I was humming the old Led Zeppelin song from 1971, Stairway to Heaven. The piece evoked the feeling of waking from a beautiful dream in which i was climbing up, and up. 36”H x 31W
Techniques & Materials: dyed, discharged and overdyed fabric, yarn, washers, free motion applique
“Dreaming of Peace” by Karen Ernst
(North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: Prayer flags are part of an ancient Buddhist tradition, dating back thousands of years to India and Tibet. The flags have traditionally been hung outside and it is believed that the words and symbols (prayers) are spread throughout the world by the wind. These prayer flags are my own interpretation of this ancient tradition, and I believe all of us dream of a world where love, hope, joy, peace and grace are the norm. 15”H x 36”W
Techniques & Materials: commercial fabrics, fusible web, cotton string, photo transfer, collage techniques, fused, machine stitched
“Which Way Do I Go” by Katherine Gollahon (Oregon, USA)
Artist Statement: Sometimes the thoughts and troubles of the day invade my nighttime dreams. This happens when I cannot figure out how to proceed. This is my representation of those muddled feelings. 17”H x 12.5”W
Techniques & Materials: silk, hand printed fabric, Timex®, machine appliqued, machine quilted
“Small Boat on Green Pond” by Katherine Gollahon (Oregon, USA)
Artist Statement: There is something peaceful about a rowboat, especially if you can find a secluded place to set your mind free to dream. 15.25”H x 9.75”W
Techniques & Materials: mono-printed cotton and twill, commercial fabric, machine quilted with rayon thread and machine appliqued with cotton thread
“I Dream of Ice Cream and Colorful Market Umbrellas”
by Nancy Goodman (Alabama, USA)
Artist Statement: All my grandchildren live far away, and I only get to see them a couple of times a year. Those times are filled with excitement and energy, and there's always ice cream somewhere in the picture. This quilt reminds me of those treasured times, both past and future. 52”H x 45”W
Techniques & Materials: machine pieced and machine quilted on a long-arm sewing machine
“Blue/Brown” by Lynne Harrill
(North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: Recently I dreamed about my mother, who died in 2010; it was like going home. We talked and laughed and reminisced. As a result of this dream, I started pondering all the little ways she influenced my art. She loved blue and brown together. As a child, I thought this was a perfectly dreadful color combination. Eventually however, I came to appreciate her color sense. So, this quilt is in honor of my mother, who gently steered me away from some of the unfortunate color choices of my youth. 31”H x 46”W
Techniques & Materials: Machine pieced; machine quilted; hand-dyed cotton fabric by the artist; cotton batting, thread and backing fabric
“From Out of the Blue” by
Jane Herlihy (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: This piece is a design I "caught" upon waking one morning before it had a chance to scurry back to the inner recesses of my mind as most of my dreams do. In my dream the earth was revolving a little out of orbit causing our natural resources to scatter out into the greater universe. How creative my sleeping brain was to come up with an excuse for the wastage that is going on! 20”H x 27”W
Techniques & Materials: cotton fabrics and thread, machine appliquéd and quilted, embellished with buttons and beads
“Pluses and Minuses” by Jane Herlihy (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: Daydreaming at my sewing machine: it usually begins with having some spare time. Not having a plan in mind, I pick some colors out of the scrap bin, cut them into strips and sew the strips together to make new fabric. Add more colors to make it sing. Slash that fabric into new shapes, and patterns begin to emerge. Shift the lines; tweak the colors and add more pieces until it becomes a celebration of leftovers--pieces of daydreams manifested into beautiful reality. 39.5”H x 39.5”W
Techniques & Materials: cotton fabric and thread, machine pieced and quilted.
“Dreams By Nature”
by Barb Ingersoll (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: This small pond is tucked away in a park that I visit. It is magical. There are soft sounds and ripples provided by nature's creatures, and sunlight casting moving shadows. When I have trouble sleeping, I recall this place and my mind quiets, my breathing slows. The bird is a comforting presence and guide as the ripples expand and dissolve with dream possibilities. 26.25”H x 31.5”W
Techniques & Materials: hand painted, appliqued, machine stitched, cotton fabrics (batik, commercial, and hand-dyed) cotton, rayon, and metallic threads, textile paints, colored pencils and markers
“Urban Dreamtime
- Hong Kong Ficus” by Evelyn Judson (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: In my "Dreamtrees" series, sometimes I will make portraits of trees that are totally abstract, and sometimes portraits of real trees both so surreal and so completely part of their environments that they seem from a dream. The old ficus trees in Hong Kong are planted so close to even older masonry retaining walls in the sides of hills that their roots have grown and swollen through the grids of the stones in corresponding grids. 35”H x 30”W
Techniques & Materials: cotton fabrics, cotton batting, various fiber threads, raw edge applique, machine quilting
“First Comes Love” by Dana Kuhnline (Ohio, USA)
Artist Statement: This was a baby blanket made from scraps of a wedding quilt. The raw circles have become textured and frayed from many washes. A quilt changes over time. The life of its owner becomes a part of the story of the object. In this case, all the dreams of starting a family. First the dream of marriage, reshaped and reborn to hold a family's dreams for a tiny new life. After it was used for two dreaming babies, I decided to preserve it in that state, and applied the faced binding and hanging sleeve to move it from a functional piece to art that remembers the soft sweet dreams that surround newborn babies. 24”H x 24”W
Techniques & Materials: cotton scraps, raw edge appliqué, flannel
“Dream Maps”
by Dana Kuhnline (Ohio, USA)
Artist Statement: As girl I had recurring dreams of flying over mystical intersecting roads, but lost in the endless tasks of early motherhood, I felt I was losing my ability to dream. In fact, I have a recurring dream where I am trying to remember how I used to fly. The improvisational piecing was an attempt to get back in touch with that easy mystery of daydreaming and exploration without purpose. The gray roads in this piece meander intersect and connect landscapes of bright girlhood fabrics, creating a stained-glass bizarre dream map of a city that doesn't exist. 64”H x 54”W
Techniques & Materials: improvisationally pieced cotton fabric.
“Water and Steel” by Dana Khunline (Ohio USA)
Artist Statement: I have always lived near rivers, which means I have always lived near bridges. As a child, drifting in and out of sleep during a rainy day car drive, I loved seeing flickering structure of steel bridges decompose into random light and lines at high speeds. This quilt aims to capture the intersections of steel and sky, of water and metal, of chaos and order, of sleep and wakefulness. Bridges connect spaces and create new currents across the landscape, so do these squares create new shapes, colors and movements that flow back and forth their points of connection. I wanted to explore what I can create when I allow my reality to begin to deconstruct in the playful way that was so easy for me as a daydreaming child. 45”H x 45”W
Techniques & Materials: Hand dyed cottons
“Opal 2” by Roxanne Lessa (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: I often see colors and dance in my dreams. In this piece, the colors and dancing have merged to ecstatic reality, celebrating life. 31”H x 24.5”W
Techniques & Materials: solid and hand-dyed cottons and batiks, wool batting, various threads, machine piecing and quilting
“Revenge of the Sewing Machine” by Lena Meszaros
(Essone, France)
Artist Statement: I am often fighting with my sewing machine. The Machine doesn’t want to accept that I am the only Creator, he resists and proposes me his own solutions of artwork. In my Dream, my sewing machine suddenly took the power and turned to a White Dragon. His paws grabbed me and he started to sew ME! He was in a devouring, animal passion to create... as like me. Finally he fashioned me like his fiancee. It was so crazy! 44” H x 45” W
Techniques & Materials: linen, satin, organza and polyester fabrics, plastic, imitation leather, embroidery, old lace, polypropylene paper, fancy yarn, iron wire, water-soluble film, Angelina fibers, Tyvek, fusing, collage, painting, free-motion machine embroidery
“Winter Dreams, Summer Suns” by Frauke Palmer (Ohio, USA)
Artist Statement: In the dead of winter I sifted through my pictures of moqui marbles, of desert varnish, of all sun-dried things stained and cracked and worn and crumbling under the merciless sun of the summer Utah sky. Suddenly the lambda shaped crack across the bloody iron stain caught my interest and that became the focus of my design. The Cartesian grid ties together the various textures, profligate as only nature can be. 40” H x 38” W
Techniques & Materials: digitally manipulated personal photographs custom printed on sateen fabric, machine quilting, rayon threads, cotton batting, whole cloth backing
“Downtown” by Kathryn Pellman (California, USA)
Artist Statement: Downtown is my fantasy small town. Although, I have lived in my Los Angeles home for over 20 years, I always wanted to live in a small town where I could walk to the downtown. One day, I realized that Culver City, which is a short walk from my home, had grown into a vibrant small town with a farmers market, City Hall, restaurants, coffee shops and retail stores. 43” H x 31” W
Techniques & Materials: commercial cottons, fusible applique, machine quilting
“In Dreams I Saw the Colors Change” by Sue Reno Pennsylvania, USA
Artist Statement: I've lived near the Susquehanna River most of my life, and have boated on it, swum in it, and hiked the adjacent woodlands countless times. Lately, adventures along the river have been appearing vividly in my dreams. In this work, I scramble over the rocky edges of the Susquehanna, and climb to the top of the cliffs to enjoy the commanding views. 48” H x 44” W
Techniques & Materials: needle-felting, fabric manipulation, couching, stitching, wool and silk fibers and fabrics.
“In Dreams I Climbed the Cliffs” by Sue Reno (Pennsylvania, USA)
Artist Statement: I've lived near the Susquehanna River most of my life, and have boated on it, swum in it, and hiked the adjacent woodlands countless times. Lately, adventures along the river have been appearing vividly in my dreams. In this work, I scramble over the rocky edges of the Susquehanna, and climb to the top of the cliffs to enjoy the commanding views. 50” H x 48” W
Techniques & Materials: needle-felting, fabric manipulation, couching, stitching, wool and silk fibers and fabrics
“Prairie Roots” by Mary Ritter
(North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: The vibrant dreams of our foremothers and forefathers defined who they became. Leaving families behind, they sailed across an ocean, surviving the winds and swirling waves. They trod across half a continent, arriving in Minnesota or one of the Dakotas. They turned the sod and planted seed, dreaming of the crop that would help them build their new lives. The seeds took root, sinking roots deeply and firmly, establishing their new lives. 40” H x 18” W
Techniques & Materials: abstract painting custom printed on fabric, machine quilting, hand-stitching, commercially printed fabric, variety of fabric and threads/yarns
“Dreamscape” by Joan Rutledge (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: When I read the prospectus for the "Dreams Exhibit" I knew I wanted to illustrate a woman dreaming of a landscape. As I sketched "Dreamscape", the concept grew to include the warmth of the sun and the nourishing rains filling the seas resulting in the growth of our natural habitat. In nature I find the myriad of textures, shapes and fluid movements and deep rich saturated colors inspiring. 14” H x 20” W
Techniques & Materials: fusible cotton applique, thread-work including metallic threads, tulle
“Star Field” by Pam Shanley (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: I am fascinated with all things stellar. In my dreams I imagine a huge field of stars. These colors remind me of Mars and what the stars may look like from the surface of that planet. I hope we land on Mars in my lifetime. If not, this is what my dream would look like. 20” H x 20” W
Techniques & Materials: recycled decorator fabrics, netting, machine stitching.
“The Daydreamer” by Mary Sneyd (Otago, New Zealand)
Artist Statement: Have you ever wondered what Rodin's 'The Thinker' thinks about? Anyway, I know this daydreamer muses about all the things he would rather be doing than sitting on the stool posing for me. 33” H x 18” W
Techniques & Materials: fused collage, free motion stitching, free motion quilting, walking foot quilting, commercial cottons, batiks, dress fabric remnants, recycled shirts, tulle
“Sea Dance” by Eileen Williams (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: While diving, I have thankfully never become entangles in the tentacles of jellyfish since some of the stings can be painful. But, I find visual beauty in the movement of their long trailing tentacles as they drift with the ocean current in a slow rhythmic underwater dance. 44” H x 18” W
Techniques & Materials: machine raw edge applique, hand guided free motion machine quilting, batik and hand painted fabrics, angelina fibers, lace, plastic onion bag netting, found shells, beads, painted charm, various fibers.
“Lobster Buoy” by Jenny Williams (North Carolina, USA)
Artist Statement: In this hectic world of dog-eat-dog and every man for himself I often dream of going back in time to when life was simple, and time didn't seem to be rushing by at the speed of sound. I dream of living on the coast of New England where you could be out in your boat for hours and see only a few houses dotted here and there along the coast, rather than cottages several stories high, right on top of each other, and three rows deep. Where you could hear the lobster buoys ringing and the fog horn from the lighthouse cut through the night. 17” H x 22” W
Techniques & Materials: rough edge applique, free motion stitching and quilting, various weights and colors of denim, cotton fabric, cheesecloth