GJB Quilts

The process of creating a quilt begins with color; I dye my own fabric using 100% cotton fabric and fiber reactive dye. The design itself begins with an idea, inspired from shapes and lines observed in everyday life. I choose a combination of colors, and start cutting and sewing. The composition often changes as I work with colors and shapes on a design wall, cutting freely with a rotary cutter, and sewing by machine. The intent is a new way of looking at things, and reinterpreting old patterns.

I have worked for years as a classically-trained musician but I enjoy the improvisational and accidental in art. My wall quilts reflect my love of hand-dyed colors, repetition of patterns and lines, but include unexpected surprises. I appreciate the discipline necessary in playing cello and making quilts, and enjoy finding new ways to interpret traditional patterns. The colors of a quilt, and the sewing lines that join them, have a rhythm of their own. Like the notes in music, they become the voice of the artist.