Meet my Art Quilt Group

I am extremely fortunate to be a part of  Latitude Quilts. This is an international (from a range of global Latitudes) group of 16 women who have come together for camaraderie, creative and technical challenge, quilted and mixed media art work and critique. I can't tell you how talented, adventurous and knowledgeable these women are ... so I will show you! Our first themed challenge will be posted this coming  January 31st. You will be able to view this work on the LatitudeQuilt blog page.
...looking forward to a year of friendship and art.

ANN-MARI FRANZEN, Sweden

My name is  Ann-Mari Franzén. I live in Sweden, about a one hour drive from Stockholm in a small town called Mariefred, beautifully situated at the lake Mälaren.  Several months a year my husband and I stay at our summerhouse in Greece.  I am retired for ten years, after a professional career within nursing as a teacher.

I have been quilting since 1985.  After many years of traditional quilting, I wanted to push myself further so, from 2007 - 2012, I completed  the City & Guild Level 2 and 3 Certificate  in Patchwork and Quilting.


DEBORAH WIRSU, Australia

All my life I have loved sewing and craft, having been given my first sewing machine at the age of 5. However, my passion for playing the viola took me into the world of opera, ballet and teaching for many years, as a professional orchestral musician. In 2009 I happened to attend a weekend workshop in art and landscape quilting, and have been totally hooked ever since! I enjoy exploring new techniques, dyeing fabrics and exploring the possibilities of appliqué. As someone who loves to travel I enjoy using photography as inspiration for my work.

GRETA HUSEBOE, Norway

I live in Bergen, on the west coast of Norway.  I have two girls and two grandchildren. I've been sewing since I was a little girl and started quilting in 2000. I also love books, letters, symbols, knitting, crochet and card-weaving . In the beginning I was mostly self-taught from books and the internet, later from Linda and Laura Kemshall at Design Matters. Beside my artwork, I've been working in the Norwegian Broadcasting with audio- and video recording and editing my whole life, and lately I also do the graphics for our local daily news. You can find my blog at : http://buds-of-may.blogspot.no


GURLI GREGERSEN, Denmark

I was born 1952 in Denmark where I have lived all my life. My mother was a dressmaker so I have been surrounded with fabrics since my early childhood. I worked in IT until 2012.  In my free time, I developed an interest in handwork. I have always been interested in patchwork, but different courses really got me hooked on quilting. I use several techniques and am always looking for new ones. I love challenges and wish to share the love for quilting with others; that's why you'll find me here.

HEIDI WULFRAAT, Canada

For as long as I can remember I have been intrigued by plants and animals. That I should work as an artist, each and every day, using natural fibres, is as unexpected as inevitable. As a student of Agricultural sciences I have had the opportunity to examine the natural world from an academic perspective. Today I explore the world as a fibre artist. Hand dyed, hand spun textiles, felting, hooked rugs and quilted work all serve a compulsion to create. Each new piece invites the possibility of challenge, connection, grounding and intimacy for myself and, perhaps, for others.

JANICE STEVENS, Thailand

I am a Canadian who has been living in Asia since 1992. My artwork shows the influence of exposure to the Chinese culture with frequent reference to Taoist and Buddhist concepts and imagery. Through my art I attempt to develop images that visually express emotions or concerns of human experience in areas of personality, psychology and relationship.

All types of needlework have always been my balance between the demands of family, career and life. I completed a Diploma in Fiber Arts in 1992 and worked for several years in papermaking. Recently I returned to fabric and quilting and completed the City and Guilds Certificate in Creative Quilting.


JUDY HAAS, United States

I live on the South Dakota (USA)  prairie on a small ranch with a large view of the Black Hills.   I sewed when I was young, made my clothes for school, trained as a nurse.  I have worked as a nurse, an artist for the SD Arts Council, in weaving, paper making, printmaking  and now quilting.  I am back to sewing again.

My children have inspired me to travel--to Peru and New Zealand--besides the USA.  Having family outside the US has really broadened my experiences as I visited them.

I use the images around me to inspire my work.  Colors, lines, shapes.   The City and Guilds course in Creative Patchwork and Quilting has added to my techniques and patterns of working and has encouraged me to pursue my own style.

JULIA ARDEN, New Zealand

Originally British, I have lived in rural New Zealand for 23 years. I get immense pleasure from working with fabric, and developing my own creative voice, in both abstract and realistic quilts. Although I have experimented with many techniques, I generally prefer to let the fabric do the work, and use design rather than surface treatments or embellishment as the vehicle to express my ideas. Through online quilting arts groups I have made close friends in different parts of the world, and that feeds my other passion, travel. 

KATIE PIDGEON, Canada

I live in Canada and I’m currently sharing my living space with a cat.  I'm not sure if the cat knows she is a cat, as I would probably give her the label of "Diva or Queen".

I have always loved the needle, starting with stitchery around age 8, and moving to sewing in high school, and finally falling in love with quilting in 2000. My favourite type of quilting is by hand, with appliqué being my preference.  Since taking the City & Guilds course, I’m venturing into new techniques, new materials and new themes, which are all very exciting.


LINDEN LANCASTER, Australia

If you could describe me in one word, I think it would be ‘creative’.  I love art, music, nature and reading.

I live on a farm in Northern Victoria, Australia, which provides me with much inspiration.  Though I did not like sewing, I learnt to make traditional quilts when my children were babies. Funnily enough I have now progressed to ‘art quilts’. I have had my work displayed in various media and won a number of awards. I have recently conducted workshops and taken on commissions.  At the moment, I am enjoying working with fabric collage and surface design techniques.  My website is lindenlancaster.com.

LYUDMILLA YANCHENKO, Kazakhstan

I was born in and continue to live in Almaty.  I have been sewing since I was 9 years old, but didn't make my first quilt until I was 30. I have made mostly bed quilts, but a couple of years ago I fell in love with art quilts.

Colors in nature and the joy of life inspire me.  I like colors and I am drawn to the differing textures of various fabrics. I try to convey joy, happiness, and the beauty of life in my art. I like to mix fabrics and sewing techniques, and to combine smooth and rough surfaces. I can’t live a day without sewing.  My website is www.quilts.kz .

MARGY JOHNSON, United Kingdom

Life has seen a lot of changes for our family, having lived in the African tropics, sub Saharan Mmabatho, Cape Town and Johannesburg and currently the UK. In all things I crave bright bold colours. I have stitched since my childhood and explored many different crafts. Currently quilting is my passion and has been for 14 years alongside 6 years of colouring fabrics. I started with traditional quilts in strong bright colours and am now exploring new techniques and art quilts.



PAMELA PRIDAY,  Australia

Living near the Barrington Ranges in NSW Australia fuels my desire to play with Abstraction of Nature. My art-quilts for walls are based on a contemporary rather than traditional approach. I aim to include imagery that is a reflection of the essence of the natural world taken from photographs by my husband or myself. Techniques used are many and varied,
from my hand-dyed fabrics & threads through to incorporating mixed-media. I enjoy dipping into anything inspirational, including the role of tutoring. 


SABINE COURTELLEMONT-MAX, Germany

Originally from Paris, France I now live in the south of Germany with my husband and our three children. I started quilting in 2004 after buying a book about quilting during a Florida trip. An ENT surgeon by profession, I am currently a stay-at-home mom and quilting helps me stay sane while taking care of my little ones.  After making traditional quilts for a while my interest for art quilts started in 2008.  I love playing with colours and fabrics. For a long time I only machine pieced and quilted but while working on my C&G certificate, I discovered how relaxing hand piecing and quilting can be.


VIVIEN ZEPF, United States

I started my quilt journey by learning how to hand piece traditional quilts as respite from a demanding banking career.  Many years later, an art quilting class I took with Jane Davila sent me in a new direction.  I continue to experiment with different styles within my art making, trying to discover what suits me best.  Conversations with my children, reading, writing, and photographs from our family vacations all inform my art, both directly and indirectly. My quilts and photography can be seen on my website: www.VivienZepf.com .

                                                    Winter at London-Wul

                                                  This Beautiful Book

Yoko Saito's Japanese Quilting Piece by Piece has been my go-to " dream of making each and every one of these projects" book of 2012. This year I hope to take the plunge and give it (well at least one project, anyway) a try. This exceptional book features a range of work from sculptural bags, clutches and cases to wall hangings.
Based in traditional techniques and featuring rich earth tones, Yoko's designs are exquisite works of functional art. Generous instruction and a full compliment of paper patterns make these projects accessible and attractive to hand quilters, machine quilters and appliqué fans alike.

Japanese Quilting has been my introduction to artist Yoko Saito. I am enchanted!
Now, where to start?

Japanese Quilting by Yoko Saito

                                Knitting up Those Lovely Little Leftovers

Briggs and Little our great Canadian standard. Always there for us when warmth, durability and reliability must prevail. I have carried Briggs and Little yarn, here in the shop, for 15 years now. Again and again I return to it, passing over Angora, Alpaca and other exotic alternatives. For that classic New Brunswick knit no other will do.

Of course we all accumulate piles of little remnants from this project and that. This year I have decided to embrace the leftover. Grouping like with like I am delighted with the resulting basket brimming over, in this instance, with Briggs and Little wool.

Since we're talking "comfort food" I turned to Nancy Bush and "Knitting on The Road". Though I'm not a traveling sock knitter, at the moment, working my way through my mountainous stash feels like I'm getting somewhere.

                                          Hand Spun Hat from Start to Finish.

 Raw fleece was hand picked and then bundled in cheesecloth for washing. For Arnold I decided to blend Shelly, one of our Jacob sheep with Lolly a Lincoln/Ronmey/Shetland cross and a wee bit of Dottie his Pyrenees/Newfoundland dog. Carding was done on the lovely Ashford 12" drum.

Three bobbins were filled with laceweight singles, ever so slightly over twisted for durability. The Elizabeth 30 was used in the spinning and I can't say enough about Ashford's competition lazy kate for putting together this 3ply yarn. It holds tension just beautifully so that tangled hold-ups are a thing of the past. I doubled this yarn for a dense, warm knit using a modified version of  the Arcadia Hat by Mimi Hill. Not that I didn't love the original but I had a request for an added brim which bumped up the charted pattern and required a new decrease sequence.  And with no time to spare; a wind breaking hat for January.