Inspired By The National Parks

You might remember from past posts where Sue talked about being involved in a quilt project honoring the 100th anniversary of the National Parks. This exhibit and book project was put together by Donna Marcinkowski DeSoto.  Some of the quilts debuted at the International Quilt Festival in Houston last November, and now that the book has been published, we can share photos of our quilts.  You can find the book on Amazon if you're interested in a copy.

The book is spectacular! It is not just a picture book of quilts, it includes a narrative about each of the 59 parks represented, written by a ranger who works at that park. They bring a familiarity and perspective to each of the parks that complements the quilts and artist statements.

Each park is interpreted with 3 quilts - a landscape which could be either vertical or horizontal, and a flora and fauna specific to that park. Sue's contribution was flora for Mesa Verde, the scarlet globe mallow.  Having visited Mesa Verde in 2006, this was her first choice of parks to create a quilt for.

Here it is on page 192!

There are 177 quilts in all, and even though many were seen prior to publication, it is absolutely wonderful to see them all together. 

This landscape quilt for Arches is one of Sue's favorites. Here are some other flora and fauna examples.

This is a book to be digested slowly and savored, both for the information about the parks and the quilts themselves. It is a visual and inspirational delight!

All of the quilts will be exhibited at the Quilters Unlimited annual show June 3-5 at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia. They will also be exhibited at the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg, VA, beginning July 26 thru September 10.  If you live in Virginia, we hope you will be able to see the exhibit at one of these venues.