About the Quilts

Please note that all quilt dimensions shown are width (horizontal) times height (vertical).

All my quilts are provided with a double hanging sleeve on the back, into which a rod can be inserted. The doubled fabric keeps the rod from direct contact with the back of the quilt. The hanging sleeve also includes a strip of the loop portion of hook and loop tape.  To display my quilts at home, I nail to the wall a wooden bar with a strip of the hook side of the tape on it. Quilts can be easily removed and replaced.

My art quilts are designed to hang on a wall like other visual art and are not expected to undergo the wear and tear of quilts for the bed. Some quilt makers employ many different fabrics on wall quilts but I prefer to use the fibers and fabrics of traditional bed quilts because these have stood the test of time. For this reason, I choose cotton fabrics for the top and backing, cotton threads for construction and cotton batting. In some of my earlier works I used polyester batting because the variety of cotton battings we have today were not available. 

Very few of my works contain fusing or synthetic fabrics because I am concerned that they may affect the longevity of the quilt. I occasionally use metallic threads for quilting when a sparkling effect is what I need. Mostly I choose cotton or rayon threads for this purpose, because I can be confident that they will not damage the quilt surface. Many synthetic threads are stronger than the fibers from which cotton fabrics are woven, and may tend to tear the fabrics if they are under stress. I frequently quilt and appliqué by hand because I enjoy the meditative process of hand stitching. 

Cotton fabrics will fade if exposed to ultra-violet light and should therefore be protected from direct sunlight or other UV sources.  It is good practice to remove a quilt from display periodically and to store it away from light, preferably lying flat or rolled face out on a rod covered with acid-free tissue or well washed muslin. Never store a quilt in a plastic bag and avoid contact with unprotected wood or cardboard. Any of these will stain or deteriorate fabrics over time. 

All of the fabrics used in my quilts have been pre-washed and well rinsed.  Art quilts usually do not require immersion in water to clean them. My art quilts, some of which were made as long ago as ten years, have been displayed in many galleries and in my home without requiring cleaning. If a quilt becomes stained, spot cleaning with cold water is all that is usually necessary. If a quilt has been exposed to dust, put it into a dryer set on "Cool" or "Air" for ten minutes. I do not recommend dry-cleaning or use of an iron on quilts, especially those that contain polyester batting. For detailed information about cleaning textiles, consult a museum conservator.

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