Get Liberated

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In the 27 years since taking up my needle, one woman's influence has been a constant in my work. Gwen Marston impressed me early on with her knowledge of quilt history, her reverence for traditional quilts, her methods for designing custom applique, piecing and quilting patterns and her ability to throw out the rules and encourage us to create original quilts of our own.


As Gwen’s designs and freeform construction techniques become more mainstream, it is easy to forget the tremendous impact her work has had on quilt making the world over. Her “liberated” methods for sewing blocks and composing quilts revolutionized the way many of us quilters work. Read more about Gwen Marston HERE and HERE.


This “Black and Bright” quilt was made during one of several Beaver Island Quilt Retreats I attended over the years. It exemplifies Gwen’s “liberated” quilt construction techniques: bold color, irregularly cut fabric, intuitive block construction, miniature “compositions” in the sashing, all tied together with a unique quilting design. This quilt couldn’t be more different from my usual style. But it taught me a lot and has become one of my favorites!

Gwen’s book, Liberated Quiltmaking, which outlines her novel construction techniques, is currently out of print. Tonya Ricucci, from Lazy Gal Quilting, has approached the publisher about reissuing this pivotal book. If you or someone you know would like a copy of Gwen’s book, please visit Tonya HERE, read her post, and leave her a comment or e-mail. The deadline for expressing your interest is the end of June.

Memorial Day

Shiloh Battlefield, Tennessee

1995

To all our men and women in uniform,

Thank you for your service and sacrifice!

ABC's of Me

I don’t usually do these meme things, but found this one intriguing. It's a cute way to learn a little something about someone. I love all things alphabetical: ABC books, cross stitch samplers, dictionaries, calligraphy and fonts, letterpress printing, library card catalogs, monograms, old typewriter keys, Scrabble... My husband doesn't share my predilection, and has mentioned, on more than one occasion, that he doesn't want to see alphabets all over our house. I try to be subtle. Here are some of my favorites.

Accent: Midwestern with a hint of Chicago nasality.

Breakfast or no breakfast: I eat the same thing every morning ~ yogurt with oats stirred in. I’m not particularly health conscious, just lazy.
Chore I don’t care for: DUSTING!
Dog or Cat: I grew up with both but have neither as an adult.
Essential Electronics: My computer!
Favorite Cologne: Clinique “Happy” ~ It smells clean and citrusy.
Gold or Silver: Gold. I'm allergic to other metals.


Handbag I carry most often: A small brown leather “Fossil” ~ a glorified wallet, really. I stick with one bag till it wears out.
Insomnia: All too frequently!
Job Title: Stay at Home Mom, in its most literal sense.
Kids: Two wonderful sons, ages 20 and 17.
Living Arrangements: My family lives in a far western suburb of Chicago ~ an old river town but with new amenities.
Most Admirable Trait: Endurance
Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Tattling on my brother (he was the naughty one).


Overnight hospital stays: Two for childbirth and two for MS testing and treatment, including the entire month of December, 2007!
Phobias: Creepy crawlies of any kind. The more legs they have, the more frightened I am.
Quote: “I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.” Shakespeare’s Richard II. It stuck with me when I read the play in high school and I now see how very true it is.
Reason to smile: My children.
Siblings: I grew up with three brothers. The oldest died in 1994 and I miss him very much. Another is estranged from the family and I miss him very much. The youngest lives in Ohio and I miss him very much.


Time I wake up: 5:30 A.M., but not by choice. I need help getting up and that’s when my husband leaves for work.
Unusual Talent or Skill: Nitpicking.
Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Black Eyed Peas.
Worst Habit: Procrastination.
X-rays: Do MRIs of my brain count?
Yummy Stuff: CHOCOLATE!
Zoo Animal I Like Most: Elephants ~ They’re slow and plodding, like me but also intelligent, sensitive, and excellent mothers.

Little Faithy

I've won a blog giveaway! Lucy at Quilting with the Past made a twin to her own doll, Little Faithy, and sent her to me all the way from the Netherlands. Apparently, the pattern for the doll included a poem describing Faithy's origins, so I wrote a poem to thank Lucy for her generous gift.

The Face of Faithy

As Lucy stitched this prairie doll for me,

From bits of cloth stained brown, as if by age,

Her thimbled finger, needle, and fine thread

Shaped more than playthings from an olden day.

A flowered frock of unassuming form,

An apron fashioned out of muslin plain,

The bonnet sewn from madder calico,

Did more than clothe a humble faceless frame.

For with each stitch her expert fingers took,

A bond between two faceless women grew.

A friendship formed from stuffing, cloth and thread,

A seaming of two lives through friendship new.

So, when I look upon this prairie doll,

Imbued with love and generosity,

Instead of visage blank and features plain,

It’s Lucy’s face that gazes back at me!

© Diane Burdin, 2008

Thank you again, Lucy, for drawing my name in your blog raffle. I love Little Faithy and think she'll be happy in my home.

Happy May Day!

If April showers bring May flowers,

What do May flowers bring?







Inspiration for quilts!

Folk Art Flowers

24" x 30"

© DJB, 1995

Thank you jmbmommy for allowing me to use your amazing flower photos. Please visit Jessica's blog HERE.

Spring Has Sprung ~ Sort Of

"Possibly God knows that if spring came all at once, we should die of it."

Gladys Taber
Stillmeadow Sampler


Yesterday was my first outing in four months. The day was cold and damp, so I dressed in a turtleneck sweater plus a jacket to keep out the chill. As we made the awkward transfer from wheelchair to car, I wished I had grabbed a pair of gloves as well. It's funny, our weather seems to have changed little since the day I came home from the hospital in December.

We've had some shorts and tee shirts weather, but it's been interspersed with overnight frosts, blustery winds and plenty of rain. Guess that's the nature of spring ~ fickle.

Our trees, bushes and grass are just starting to green up. I love spring's first green! It's such an in your face color. It's bold and loud and tart and assertive. It will not be ignored! But it lasts such a short time. I'm glad I chose this week to venture out.

This is the springiest quilt I have in my collection. In spite of its pastel colors, it seems loud and tart and assertive too. Quilts made using Gwen Marston's Liberated Quiltmaking techniques all end up with a bit of attitude.

The fabrics in this quilt are scraps of 1940's prints that my friend, Betty, gave me. I was able to eke out a few Shoo Fly blocks but near the end, I found myself rummaging through the trash for enough scraps to make a sawtooth border, or as Gwen would describe it, minimal sawtooth.

Shoo Fly

29" square

© DJB, 1997

All Shook Up!

Early yesterday morning, we woke to the sound of doors and windows rattling. Strange, I thought. Was it thunder? A tornado? The rumbling only lasted a few seconds but was disconcerting nonetheless. As it turned out, an earthquake in southern Illinois sent tremors as far north as Wisconsin! 

In tribute to this rare occurrence, here's a quilt I made called "All Shook Up."

It's a variation of the classic Streak of Lightning design made from half square triangle units offset to create the lively zig-zag pattern.

Enlarge photo for more detail.

I don't recall which came first, the bright colored solids or my choice of backing fabric. Either way, Milly Churbuck's hand-dyed cottons and Michael Miller’s “Dysfunctional Family” comic strip fabric were a perfect pairing!

"All Shook Up"

18" x 24"

2005

In other news, an exciting package is on its way here from the Netherlands! I'm the lucky winner of “Little Faithy,” the prairie doll made by Lucy van der Sluis of Quilting with the Past II. I'll be sure to introduce you once she settles in.