March 2015   What to do with the mounting pile of quilted landscapes....

I have about ten quilted landscapes at all times in a basket in my house.  My friend Mary has 5 full quilt tops waiting  to be quilted.  Another friend has a drawer full of finished quilts. At the many courses that Mary and I do we often here people talking about how to display or use their landscape quilts.

First of all, I consider these pieces to be art and you should too.  All quilts are art in every sense of the word.  Art can be functional, like pottery, or it can strictly be to beautify a space, like a painting or a sculpture.  Art often makes people pause and think.

I have compiled a list of uses for your landscapes.  I have gleaned this list from listening to quilters chat as they sew.  I want to share it with you.

1)gratitude gifts are gifts that we give out of thankfulness.  Landscape quilts can make a great gratitude gift.  I like this suggestion very much.  One of my favourites.

2)framed pieces either behind glass ( inexpensive Ikea frames) or framed without glass.  Both look great.  If you have a handyman in your life, beautiful frames can be made.  Scan down through earlier posts to see some great framing ideas.  Professionally framed pieces look outstanding too.

3)hung on the wall - I have seen this done by velcroing the landscape to a piece of wood that is screwed to the wall, or by sewing a sleeve or small sleeves onto the back of the landscape.  People sometimes use interesting pieces of birch, beaver chews or other interesting sticks to enhance the art they hang

4)runners or art pieces for a table or flat surface.  I call these table art.  I love the way a lively landscape on a coffee, dining or sofa table can bring colour and conversation to a room

5)cushion/pillow covers to draw attention to a couch or a chair or as a pillow arrangement on a bed

6)placemats - think of making the four seasons.  These are the kinds of placemats that you leave on your table as art.  If you plan to use them to eat off of I suggest prewashing the fabrics and using a polyester batting so that they will wash.
7)join several together into a large themed landscape quilt (see You Tube video on how to join the each landscape quilt together with binding fabric)
8) decorative and functional tea cozies
9) made into bags or totes
10)sewn into the back of a jacket
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Any other ideas?

Email me or leave a comment in the comment section with other ideas for landscape quilts.
tghowell54@gmail.com