"Thankful"

"Thankful"

I happened to be looking at the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) web site last week, and discovered a gorgeous little quilt by Kristin Shields of Bend, Oregon. The quilt is called "Thankful" and is AAQI quilt #12,678. Earlier this year, I bought another one of Kristin's quilts, "Shhh...", the 10,000th quilt received by AAQI.

"Shhh..." by Kristin Shields, AAQI #10,000

(left to right) Nyima Lhamo and Kristin Shields in Sisters

She and I met for the first time at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, in a little coffee shop, along with Nyima Lhamo, Lori DeJarnatt, and my mom. Later, we were both part of the Gwen Marston and Sue Spargo Folk Art Quilting Retreat and Gwen's Liberated Medallion workshop the day before. That's where Kristin came up with "Thankful" - I loved it then, and love it even more now.

When I flipped the quilt over to look at the back, there was a surprise, and it made me smile. There was a big bird perched on a branch, with the inscription in the center with the title, her name, location and year. In her artist statement, Kristin said, "This is a sketch that I made during a class with Gwen Marston. I will always be thankful to Gwen for pioneering the concept of Liberated Quilting." I, too, am thankful.

For more information about the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative, click here.