Anna Williams Quilt at the Brooklyn Museum!

A big highlight of my trip to NYC was seeing a quilt by Anna Williams at the Brooklyn Museum.

There's a show there called "Workt by Hand, Hidden Labor and Historical Quilts."

There are many incredible quilts from the museum's collection.

You can see more photos at Helen's and Victoria's blogs.

It was Anna William's quilt that really captivated me.  

Made in 1995, it seemed to vibrate with joy and energy.

So many little pieces.

So many "ugly" fabrics--including sparkles!

I never thought I'd actually get to see one of her quilts up close.

Proof that there is "no scrap too small," and "no wish too big!"

Tonya's Book is Here!

Tonya, the "Unruly Quilter," has a brand new book, Word Play Quilts!! I've been itching for months to get my hands on a copy and make a quilt with words all over it. At last, it's available today!



Surely most of you already know and love Tonya. She calls her blog, "Lazy Gal Quilting," but she is anything but lazy. She's the ring leader of us gals who chuckle at the quilt police, yet her quilts are tastful, whimsical and beautifully made. Somehow she gets around to supporting and encouraging all of us as we push our creative limits. Best of all, she makes us laugh.



I'm posting this quilt today in honor of Tonya. It's my version of a quilt inspired by an African American quilt maker named Anna Williams. Tonya was leading the charge to try to get a book of Anna's quilts published. I don't know what happened to that goal, but it was a brilliant and courageous effort.

CONGRATULATIONS, TONYA!!!

Anna Williams inspired

Someone asked for a larger photo of the quilt top I recently started hand-quilting. It's inspired by one made by Anna Williams. I saw the photo in a Nancy Crow book, can't remember which one. I counted something like 80 different fabrics in Anna's. I don't know how many are in mine. My rule in choosing the fabrics was that they had to be scraps. It's 42 x 55".