Most Surprising

Honestly, the first thing that comes to my mind is how surprising this whole experience has been. When Diane invited me to participate more than two years ago, I just thought it sounded fun. Sure, it's been fun. But, it's been much much more.

I have grown to know, respect, appreciate and completely enjoy every moment with the eleven other artists. A delightful surprise.

Also, I've created a body of work with my 12 pieces that I am very proud of and is a great representation of me as an artist. Who knew I was essentially creating a portfolio for myself? I would guess several of the other 12s would say the same thing. A delightful surprise.

As far as surprising quilts, where to begin?

Surprisingly similar: Chocolate quilts by me, Brenda and Nikki.
Surprisingly realistic: Diane's Shelter quilt
There are other quilts with lots of realism, but several of them include image transfer of photographs (which is wonderful!). I love this image that Diane created exclusively with fabric and thread!

Surprisingly candid: Terry's Chair quilt
Terry shared a lovely story about spending time with her granddaughter and her cousin. This quilt is so evocative of those experiences.

Surprisingly moving: Kristin's Twelve quilt
Surprisingly educational: Helen's Illumination quilt
I was totally unaware of Blackpool or Blackpool rock candy. Helen's original blog post was so interesting and I did quite a bit of internet surfing, "research" and reading about it after seeing this quilt.

I can't wait to see what surprises will come with the next round of "colorplay" quilts!