David Taylor Quilter

Thursday evening was Pride of the Prairie guild meeting. Our speaker was David Taylor of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. WOW!  He is a passionate AWQ (Award Winning Quilter)  designer of the most amazing art quilts. I was blown away.

This a picture from his slide show about his quilts.

The newest of his quilts.  The detail is perfection.

Look at the back, the thread detail is wonderful as well.

He is funny, and charming.  I did not really know of him before.  Once I saw some pictures of his quilts, I recognized them immediately.

Saturday, I got to take a class from him.  He showed us the process he uses to create his beautiful quilts.  Most are from photos that he likes and feels the need to make into a quilt.
The picture is blown up to the size he want to create it. He draws the detail on tracing paper,and numbers each piece, then all is put on to freezer paper in reverse.  He showed how the individual pieces are numbered and then cut and ironed to the piece of fabric he wants to use . He will turn the edges with starch and iron down, then bag that section until he is ready to applique it.
The process takes time, but the rewards are fantastic

Here is my start!  I did get three pieces appliqued by the time the day was done.  Everyone in the class was having such a great time.

This is the pattern we were working on for the workshop. It is a columbine, and we had our choice of colors. He gave us so many tips on his process and technique, everyone had to come away with something new.  

He finds the perfect piece of fabric for each feather, each piece of barn wood.  One of his quilts will take months to complete. If he does not have the correct piece of fabric, he will halt his work until he has it. Plus, he does not have a problem of cutting a piece from the middle of the fabric if it suits what he needs.
David has several works in progress. One of them we could not take pictures of. I can say that when I saw it, it brought tears to my eyes.  It is incredible.

What a great day.

Mary