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Here in New Hampshire, April marks the beginnning of the first signs of spring. Buds appear on the trees, and bulbs begin to pop. It’s also a time of transition – and this month was marked a personal transition as well. With the sunshine comes the warm, bright colors used in this quilt. The transition my quilting is taking – from meticulous handwork to more freeform machine work – is symbolized by the combination of hand and machine quilting. The freeform curves were done using upside-down appliqué, a new technique learned in a Quilt University class with Susan Brittingham. While meant to be purely abstract, and not intentionally creating a mirror image, the shapes remind me of a bird, head cocked to one side, holding a leaf in its beak.

Materials: cottons, Oliver Twist fibers, Sulky rayon for free-motion quilting, Oliver Twist thread for hand quilting, assorted beads.

Techniques: machine applique, machine couching, beading, machine and hand quilting.