"Keep in Touch" by Andrea Balosky

"Keep in Touch" 2012 by Andrea Balosky

The latest batch of Andrea Balosky quilts came up for sale this week on the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) web site, and the one I really had to have was called "Keep in Touch". It's a colorful little gem, all hand quilted with a slightly skewed grid. The patchwork relates back to Andrea's early AAQI Quilts, "Blue Skies" and "Green Tangent"(below) - the whole quilt is like a "log jammin'" block.

However, the grid quilting is something new, and Andrea has brought new things to each batch of AAQI quilts. If you don't know why I'm so enthralled with Andrea Balosky's work, there are many posts about her throughout my blog. Just find the "Search This Blog" box to the upper right, and type in Balosky. But don't do it when you're in a hurry- there's lots to read!

ephemera includes letters, photos, show ribbons and scraps from her studio

Here are the other quilts and some of the "studio droppings" in my collection. I also have letters, pictures, show ribbons, a signed copy of Transitions, a copy of the Quilt National 1983 catalog, and other ephemera. This collection spans her whole career and includes several of the highlights. The "studio droppings" may be from the doll quilt years, and I count the catalog from the "Small Wonders" exhibit and the photos of the front and back of each quilt as part of my collection.

Night Flight, 1982, was included in Quilt National 1983

"Jerry's Garden" 1995, from the Transitions book

small quilt top found in a bag of "studio droppings"

small quilt top found in a bag of "studio droppings"

"Cross Currents Study #3" 1995 from Transitions

"Cross Currents Study #2" 1994 from Transitions 

small quilt top found in a bag of "studio droppings"

small quilt top found in a bag of "studio droppings" 

small quilt top found in a bag of "studio droppings"

"William Lloyd Volckening" 2011

"Enigma Variation" 2012

"This Is It" 2012

"C is for Curiosity" 2012

"Sealed with a Smile" 2012

I've certainly enjoyed learning about Andrea's quilts, but I've especially enjoyed getting to know her. She follows my blog and comments often, and we e-mail back and forth whenever there's news, something humorous, or just to say hello. We've kept in touch, and when she was here last summer we got to spend time together. Mom got to meet her, too. It was a highlight of our visit to Sisters. I've collected Andrea's quilts, curated an exhibit, published a catalog, and the more I've learned the more impressed I am. That's the whole reason why "Keep in Touch" was the quilt I wanted. Keeping in touch is what I plan to do!