Artist Statement: The chrysanthemum titled 'Tiger Roaring' brought visions to me of Chinese New Year parades with long paper dragons, tigers and banners flying in the wind. Tiger Roaring is the 9th in a series using vases based upon ancient Chinese and Japanese pottery. The vase is made of vintage kimono fabric and machine appliquéd on the background, which includes raw-edged appliqué, fusing and piecing. Quilted with metallic thread.

After several years of making traditional quilts, in 1997 my focus moved entirely to art quilts. The freedom of expression and techniques used in designing and making art quilts is what motivates my creation of each piece, while the boundaries forced on me by color and pattern of fabric are challenging and result in each one being unique.

Collecting fabric, threads and embellishments and then working their images into my own is the challenge I accept each time I begin a new quilt.

After finishing a series of quilts based on embellishments from Africa, I am currently working on a series I call 'Vases.' Each vase is designed using the shape of an ancient Japanese vase. I then use vintage Kimono fabric to complete the vase. The vase is then appliquéd to a background created with hand-dyed, batik or oriental-theme fabrics. Flowers are then appliquéd to the background. I love working with the vintage Kimono fabrics - it's as if I have a piece of Japanese history in my hands as I work.

Chinese Chrysanthemum Series: Fu Xiao

Materials & Techniques: Vintage kimono silk, cotton, ribbon. Piecing, appliqué, machine quilting with metallic thread