Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: Rosalie Dace

As a featured "Gallery Artist" for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show 2012, Rosalie Dace of South Africa, and her extraordinary quilts were a highlight of the quilt show this year.

Living halfway around the world in South Africa, Rosalie has been exhibiting and teaching in the U.S. since the early 90's and loves being here whenever she can.

And while my own personal life and schedule, not to mention the demand for her classes, did not make it possible for me to take any classes from Rosalie during the SOQS 'Quilters Affaire' week of classes proceeding the quilt show, just looking at them in the Clearwater Gallery was exciting and so much fun.

However, I did talk to a quilter who had the opportunity to take a class from Rosalie Dace, and she told me "it changed me as a quilter, forever."

When we open ourselves up to new experiences, new creative art visions, fabrics, any of those, we only grow as quilters. So, to me, the entire world of art quilting is one of vision and beauty that has enriched my own life she I began to experiment during the 90's, myself.

And each new artist, each new quilter, and then sometimes..the combination of ALL of them, tells me I love quilts in all kinds, all forms, all styles..they are just a wonderful way of expression of both heart and hands!

And since, Rosalie quilts are so exceptional and unique, I thought I would showcase just them in a shorter post and get it published today. And then showcase the other extraordinary quilts by a variety of other quilters in the same Gallery showcasing, that I also absolutely loved!

Now, I realize art quilts are not every quilters 'cup of tea' but I was flabbergasted to overhear one quilt viewer, during the show, look at this first quilt above, and actually say "That's not a quilt." What? By definition in the simplest of terms, of course it is, but as an art quilt is amazing. The ability to use the creative imagination, instead of simply following some else's pattern and creating something that is made up of multiple layers, held together by stitching that lifts the spirit and fills the soul is far above just making something that keeps us warm or covers our beds.

As they say, there are keepers, draggers, and showstoppers. These are art quilt show stoppers for me, for sure!!

And let's face it...most of us love ALL quilts. Some keep me warm, some are for my walls, some are on my countertops, hanging from my oven door, or in drawers to grab hot pot handles ;) To me they are all so loved and so appreciated.

I, for one, love almost every quilt I see! I just love them for different reasons :)

And just because so many free images are available from google and other search engines, I was able to find so many of her extraordinary quilts that were not part of the Sisters Show this year, but have to be seen to be believed, so I am sharing them as well! Enjoy!

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: 2012...links to all posts listed below in this category

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: So Many Quilts to Want to Make!
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: Two Rivers
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: Small Wonders Abound
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: Wonders of All Kind
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: Rosalie Dace
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: Teacher's Tent
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: Peter and Wendy Quilts

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Shows: 2009 -2012


Michele Bilyeu blogs With Heart and Hands as she shares a quilting journey through her life in Salem, Oregon and Douglas, Alaska and all of her AAQI Quilting. Sharing thousands of links to Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns and encouraging others to join in the Liberated Quilting Challenge and make or donate small art quilts to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) Help us change the world, one little quilt at a time!