The Reveal

The great reveal.

Perhaps you’ve seen this quilt on the cover of The Canadian Quilter or American Quilter magazines.  Or have you read an article in the International Festival Quilt Scene or Bird Talk?  Maybe you even seen it live in the many quilt shows it has been entered and juried in.  Close to home, you might have seen it at the 2010 Quilt Canada show where it won First place in Pictorial Quilts, as well as the Viewer’s Choice award.  It is appropriately called Ruffled Feathers and was made by Roxanne Nelson.

Kudos to Sheila Inose, who was the first out of the gate with the right answer, followed by Barb Birch, and Karen Macpherson.  Liz, Jane must be snoozing.  Marion, now that you’ve seen the whole piece, you might call Roxanne “Ms. Lova Parrot”.

Rainforest Treasures was the first piece I seen of Roxanne’s at the 2004 Houston show.  I was blown away by her work, and fully drawn to it.  I took many photos of it and very little of any other quilt.  I love birds – particularly parrots – and the realism she captures with itsy-bitsy snips of fabric just stunned me.  Here is that piece that took me into dreamland:

And close-ups:

The write-up about her quilt listed her as being from Calgary.  Yes, Calgary!  I never heard of her or recognized her name as a customer, and I just find out about her in Houston!  How could this be?  We had lots of customers; I knew many quilters; but I didn’t know anything about her.  It was a weird take on having to leave home in order to appreciate what it has.

Another six years pass and I am at the 2010 Quilt Canada show held here in Calgary.  Lo and behold, I turn the corner at the exhibit and there is Ruffled Feathers, made by this mysterious Roxanne Nelson.  I ask around, yet she still remained elusive in the web of guilds and quilting contacts. 

Nineteen months pass, and last December the Sew Together guild that meets in our workroom had a speaker for their monthly meeting.  It was all kept mum, as Corinne wanted this to be a real surprise – for everyone.  What a thrill is was to listen to Roxanne’s journey and process, and to view her quilts right up close and personal.  At long last, the mysterious Roxanne was revealed!

So opportunity struck and I grabbed it.  How happy I am to say that she is teaching Pictorial Quilting for us this summer at the store.  If you would like to know the dates and price, please call us or check on our website under Events. 

I’ll finish off with a picture of Jewels of the Amazon.  Have a great evening.
Linda