DellaJane Hand Dyes: 2006 Journal Quilts

The Journal Quilt Project was started several years ago by Karey Bresenhan as challenge to QuiltArt members. A selection of each participant's journal quilts are unveiled at International Quilt Festival in Houston each fall.

My 2006 Journal Quilts are a series about windmills. The background of most of the journal quilts are done using scraps of fabric in a technique I call "Too Small to Keep, Too Big to Throw Away". The batting is Peltex, and the edges are finished with a machine zigzag.

January is a traditional windmill on a bright background.	In February, I used the "windflower" design, with ghost windmills in the background.
March. I've seen many of the new 3-bladed windmills as I travel. I used the color white and added additional "blades".	April - The shape of the blades became driving rain.
For May, I used windflowers again, many sizes, all in pink, for my Mayflowers.	June - The hide of a baseball I found along the trail becomes the blades of this windmill. The background was made of strips instead of small scraps.
Again for the background, I used strips of fabric - these were cut from a fabric I painted. The windmills are rusted fabric. I wanted to portray the vast plains, with many windmills and not much else.	This study was a sort of negative of July's quilt. The background is rusted fabric, the windmill and windflowers are purple. I made a larger version called Prairie Windflowers.
September - I used wool I had felted to make gray flowers - definitely NOT flower colors!	Quilt Gallery 2004 Journal Quilts 2005 Journal Quilts HOME