Can’t make it to the International Quilt Festival in Houston to visit my “Specimens” exhibit? Well, don’t fret. I’m thinking of you. Here are some photos from the show. I know it’s not exactly the same, but I’ve also created a virtual version of the show. I don’t think I’ve shown all eleven quilts (plus one: … More Specimens
“Golden Temple of the Good Girls” is the last quilt (besides the final installment of Marabou Stork) to receive the Quilt Story treatment before it and ten other “Specimens” quilts are shown at the 2016 International Quilt Festival in Houston in just a few weeks. This quilt of three of our pets—budgie Kiiora, dog Kali, and cat Djinni—has … More Quilt Stories: Golden Temple of the Good Girls
I’ve tried to ensure that “Specimens,” my exhibit of extinct, endangered, and overlooked animals includes creatures of all different kinds. I haven’t neglected the insect world. My quilts “Fire Beetle” and “Exuberance” represent their colorful and many-legged family. … More Quilt Stories: Fire Beetle & Exuberance
Some quilts have complex and rich origin stories. They have a long incubation and are the product of lots of “dream time.” Others not so much. “Fructos” is one of those others. Here’s what I wrote for the International Quilt Festival where the quilt will appear in my “Specimens” special exhibit this November. The 16th Century portraits … More Quilt Stories: Fructos
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be highlighting each of the ten quilts (plus marabou stork) going into my Specimens exhibit at this year’s International Quilt Festival in Houston. This week I introduce Gombessa, my fabric collage of an ancient fish, a full-sized coelacanth (SEEL-uh-kanth) that I made in 2006. I had heard of coelacanths before, but I didn’t … More Quilt Stories: Gombessa
A portrait of my son gave me the freedom to experiment with a new style of creating fabric collage quilts. … More Quilt Stories: “Samuelsaurus Rex”
Before I was the crocodile quilt lady, I was known by some as the pink rhino quilt lady. Between teaching, home life, and other commitments, I have averaged one big piece per year for about a decade—so certain quilts have defined entire portions of my career. “Tickled Pink” qualifies as one such quilt. It continues to have an … More Quilt Stories: Tickled Pink
Sometimes I wonder if I’m a “serious” artist. I mean, I don’t really worry about it, but it crosses my mind. Anyway, do I really want or need to be a “serious” artist? And what is “serious” art anyway? I suppose it’s art with a purpose, with an important message, or with a revolutionary way of viewing the world. … More Quilt Stories: “Dixie Dingo Dreaming”
Spring is coming on. This fact recently set off a string of associations that led me to recall fondly a quilt I made in 1996. … More Quilt Stories: Farmer’s Market
Bugs make excellent subjects for fabric collage. Maybe that’s why I made so many of them over the years and why they are such a favorite with my students. … More Quilt Stories: Bugging Out
Susan Carlson Quilts 