The quilts on this page are samples of
"traditional" quilts I've made over the
years, with an emphasis on quilts that may
stretch your impression of "tradition" a bit.
From my perspective, a traditional quilt is
primarily geometric and tends to be
abstract
rather than figurative. Some of these quilts use old-timey, named blocks and patterns. The
quilt above is an example of that, generally known as a Lone Star or Radiant Star, its
probably my all-time favorite traditional patchwork pattern. The quilt to the right,
however, is a contemporary design by Birte Hilberg that is reminiscent of tile patterns.
Traditional quilts make lovely gifts for non-traditional people. The geometric forms
lend themselves well to quirky designs and the use of novelty fabrics. This curious
swirled design (a Virginia reel variation) highlights a fabric patterned with flaming
skulls, while the Lone Star, above, includes celestial and sci-fi themed prints.

Please note that I'm not a photographer and many of these are merely snapshots taken
before sending the quilts to their new home! My apologies for the blur.
One of the lovely things about these old patchwork patterns, is that it can be very
satisfying to combine traditional blocks to create new designs. I consider these
variations, rather than originals.
These two quilts are variations of traditional patchwork designs. They both contain
portions of a block I know as Ohio Star (although I'm sure it has other names). The
black includes a Drunkard's Path variation and the red a Jacob's Ladder variation.
Another Lone Star variation - I really do make a lot of these. Not a great snapshot, but I
want to point out that quilts don't need to be rectangular. There's a quilting tradition of
making large bed quilts with the corners cut out so they drape well over the ends of the
bed. An octagonal quilt design can do much the same thing for a large bed quilt - the
supersize king, in particular.
Okay, okay, I know I said "geometric and abstract" but this really is a
traditional type of patchwork known as the "crazy quilt". Its a style
that lends itself well to simple organic designs, in particular - suns,
moons, stars, trees - as well as more random layouts.
It doesn't get much more traditional than this! Not only a nine-patch but made with rescued blocks
that were hand-sew once upon a time from scraps of clothing. Of course, I've done log-cabins and
double-wedding rings and Irish chains - the whole quilters primer, if you will, and am happy to make
any traditional pattern you like.
Tradition!