SHH! She's Sleeping

It's a good thing there are attentive "white glovers" prowling the rows at quilt shows, because this stunning quilt begs to be touched! Who could resist snuggling such a soft and cuddly baby sea lion.

I had the good fortune to see the quilt in person at Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis this year. This original quilt design by Barbara McKie literally jumps out at you. The disperse dyed polyester fabrics in this quilt were printed by the quilt artist. The piece is machine pieced and appliqued, heavily free-motion machine embroidered, trapunto and finally free motion machine quilted.

While those may be the techniques, the end result is more than the sum of its parts.

The subject of this quilt, the little sea lion pup, was observed by Barbara (and a couple of sea gulls) on a trip to the Galapagos Islands and is one of several sea lion quilts that she has done.

We might not have been along for the trip, but the realism is awe-inspiring, for lack of a better word. The baby seal looks so-o-o very real as you stand in front of the quilt.

Click on this link Shh! She's Sleeping Detail for a close-up of the sleeping subject. The fur is so realistic. You can literally feel the sun warming her as she lay on the rocks.

My dilemma as I stood in front of this quilt, do I try to figure out how the quilt artist did it or just take it all in? I opted for the latter and just let the amazement and appreciation of her quilt artistry wash over me.

To see more of Barbara McKie's truly wonderful pictorial quilts, I urge you to visit her website, www.mckieart.com.

You are in for a visual treat!

Julie says... If you've enjoyed this quilt... Do let the quilter know! To share your comments... Just use the link below!