Thursday, November 29, 2012

Small Quilts from a Land Down Under

Someone special from Australia has made quite a few small quilts this year.


Marian lives on 2 acres in Tanjil South, Victoria, Australia with her partner Andy and 2 small furry boys - Elmo and Oscar. (Cats - she has four adult children as well).

Her mother was a seamstress and Marian was taught at a young age to hold a needle and thread and stitch a needlework tapestry. Her "mum" also let her sew on her Singer Featherweight and by the age of nine Marian had already made clothes for her dolls. In her teens, she also made most of her own clothes on the Singer. Lucky Marian, she still has that sewing machine.
 
 
 


 

 

Marian has an associate diplioma in Art and Textiles and, in addition to quilting, weaves scarves which she sells through a few local art galleries. I am lucky enough to have been the recipient of one of them!


She made her first quilt, a queen-size log cabin, in 1999 which was hand quilted and finished just in time for the Millenium.

 
 
Love your color combinations here!
 
By 2008 Marian had discovered civil war reproduction fabrics and Jane Stickle’s "Dear Jane" quilt and says she was definitely "smitten." To date, she has made 22 DJ blocks, each sewn by hand, just as Jane’s was.
 
 
(This is from one of my "Schoolgirl Club" patterns )
 
 
(Schoolhouse quilt from Prairie Children & Their Quilts)


Here's what Marian says about making small quilts :
 
"On a sleepless night back in 2010, I stumbled upon your [Kathy's] blog, quite by accident . . . imagine my surprise!! As it happened,  I already owned a copy of ‘American Doll Quilts’ and ‘Prairie Children and Their Quilts’ and here was the author’s blog, what a thrill!! It was while reading your blog that I discovered you had a Yahoo quilt group, so I signed up immediately because although I had never made a doll quilt before, I was keen to get started . . . and I’ve been happily making doll quilts ever since. 

"I love the whole process of making a small quilt, but above all I love to hand quilt . . . it’s such a lovely, relaxing thing to do. I must admit that I’ve enjoyed the Small Quilt monthly challenges immensely. One of the things I’ve discovered while doing the challenges is that I’m really having fun with personalizing the designs, adding my own twist, if you like. I’ve also discovered that I love the challenge of making smaller versions . . . I’ve become addicted to minis LOL!!"
 
 
 
 
 
Inside Marian's studio
 
Thanks, Marian. I've so enjoyed seeing your beautiful work.

Visit Marian's blog at http://marianedwardsdreamweaver.typepad.com  You're in for a treat!
 
 
 
 
 

23 comments:

  1. I love them all! Thanks for sharing them all!

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  2. I love all the little quilts! Thanks for sharing them with us. Karmen

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  3. Marian, I just love seeing all your quilts, and the way you display them. You are a inspiration to me. I also enjoy reading your blog. You always seem to be having so much fun!! Thanks for sharing your quilts with us. Karen/IL.

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  4. Each little piece is a unique little treasure! Than you Marion for sharing with us.
    Thank you Kathleen for making it possible.

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  5. Oh! My, but she's good! I love her fabric choices too. I'd like to visit her studio!

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  6. I so love those little quilts. Beautiful and satisfaction in a short period of time!

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  7. Lovely presentation of Marion's work. What a beautiful collection of little quilts.

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  8. They are all so lovely, and inspire me to get busy! ~Lynda

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  9. l have visited her studio, and its as much fun as it looks. Marian is a wonderful and generous lady l am happy to call my friend!!
    Oh, the inspiration!!

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  10. How exciting to see my friend Marion's quilts on your blog! She is such a talented woman and a fabulous friend. Love our get togethers - she is such a generous person. I've been following her progress both thru her blog and in person as she's created the quilt challenges set each month. Fabulous!

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  11. Hey from France,
    I love all the little quilts.
    Thank you for this sharing
    Beautifull

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  12. From France too.. Marian congratulations for mini quilts , i lové them

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  13. Marian, I love your work. I also always love reading your blog..the colors that you put together, the hand quilting and the display of your quilts are always such a joy to see.. You challenge me in many ways..Great Job.

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  14. They are all fantastic.congratulations,Maria!

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  15. beautiful work. thanks for sharing.

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  16. Thanks for the wonderful introduction to Marion. Amazing collection of her beautiful work.

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  17. Thanks for sharing all of Marian's little quilts. I've gotten the bug, too, and boy is it fun:) You get such a sense of accomplishment when you get that little quilt done so quickly. Thanks for the monthly challenges:)
    debby

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  18. Kathy, I love your idea of featuring the work of wonderful quilters! Showing us their creations add even more depth to the beautiful work you've already done. It's a lovely way to share and include so many versions, and we're all richer for it! Thank You!! Marian, seeing your quilts all together in their "home" is inspiring!! Thanks for sharing! Cathryn in Corvallis

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  19. Marian does beautiful work and I love seeing the fabrics she chooses. They always go so well together. This is something I need to work on more. Thanks to Kathy & Marian.

    Linda in IN

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  20. Hi, soooo cute your mini quilt and the weaver tooo:-)
    A big hug from Italy, Emanuela

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  21. Thanks so much, Kathy, for introducing me to Marian Edwards, I've just spent a lovely few hours perusing her blog. I love her quilts and her sense of colour. She is a very talented lady. Sorry she's so far away, as I would love to visit her studio. I've bookmarked this one for sure.

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