THE FABRIC DID IT! This year's Journals is stretching my imagination and creativity by letting the fabric and not my envisioned design dictate the outcome of the piece. Each month a small piece of fabric from various parts of the world was used in each quilt. Each month's title tells which country the main fabric used was imported from. My grey cells really got a workout doing this project!

JANUARY: AMERICA

The center block fabric scene of clay pots, mountains and cacti is made in the USA. The brightly colored border fabrics of Indian motifs was added to give an American Indian theme to this quilt. Machine Pieced, Hand Quilted

FEBRUARY: AUSTRALIA

The center block's rich colored fabric of aborigine animal motif was combined with two other matching fabrics from Australia along with a starry night fabric to create an Aborigine's dream walkabout. Meadering machine quilting in gold thread creates the path of his dream journey. Machine Paper Pieced, Machine Quilted.

MARCH: SPAIN

A strip of fabric from an old skirt from Spain along with hand dyed and hand painted fabrics were used to capture the colors and vibrancy of the Spanish people and country. The red and gray suede free moving ribbons adds movement. The turquoise metallic machine stippling adds sparkle to this quilt.Machine Stripped Pieced, Machine Quilted

APRIL: JAPAN

The two scraps of Japanese blue indigo fabric were leftovers from a larger project, but too precious to throw away. I incorporated them with other Japanese inspired fabrics to compliment the two Geisha maidens. Machine Pieced, Hand Couched Ribbon Border, Hand and Machine Quilted.

MAY:THAILAND

It's wonderful having travelling friends who brings back fabric for my stash! Fabrics from Thailand!!! The 4" batik print was the inspiration to create a window to the Far East. The window frame is shaped like an Asian temple with a small mirror. The gold inlaid fabric for the temple and border fabrics are also from Thailand. Embellished Beads and Mirror, Couched Gold Braided Threads, Hand Appliqued, Machine Pieced, and Machine Quilted.

JUNE:BELIZE

The floral fabric is from Belize. It reminds me of a marvelous Island vacation I had. I wanted to create a "memory" quilt of it....where the scent of flowers floated on the dreamy early morning breezes against a blue-violet sky. Machine Appliqued, Embellished Ribbon Border and Glitter, Machine Quilted.

JULY:AFRICA

Fabrics from Benin, Ivory Coast, Senegal and South Africa were used to create a " scrap pieced" quilt. Cheetah, Giraffe and Zebra heads were fused machine appliqued. Machine Pieced and Appliqued, Machine Quilted.

AUGUST:SOUTH AMERICA

My bright colored talkative pet South American parrot was the inpiration for this quilt. The background canopy fabric is sprinkled with "gold" to create sunlight filtering through the dense greenery of the jungle. Its inhabitants: birds, insects, frogs, lizards and parrot are "fussy cut" raw edged appliques. Machine Appliqued and Pieced, Embellished, Machine Quilted.

SEPTEMBER: BORDER FABRIC

For this last month I decided to do something different. I wanted the border fabric to inspire the creation of the quilt. I chose a very decorative border fabric; a fuchia color sprinkled with bits of embossed painted colored chips. I used a new technique I learned recently to create this quilt. I reproduced one of my abstract nude female figure designs and silk screened it onto an ecru cotton linen using a pink dye to compliment the border fabric.Silk Screen, Hand Pieced, Hand Appiqued.