andrewvehansen

[andrewvehansen]

Colored Lights & Confetti

I have become obsessed with dupioni silk over the last few years, and this latest quilt is my most ambitious application of this gorgeous fabric so far. I’ve always admired this nubby, raw-looking silk that shimmers in the light and, depending on how it’s woven, can even change colors when you look at it from different angles. But due to its price and my lack of experience, I shied away from…

[andrewvehansen]

what are you afrAId of: Quiltmaking and Artificial Intelligence

[andrewvehansen]

Quilting Process: Behold My Beauty and Weep

I just finished a quilt and figured I might as well blog about the process I went through to create it. Please feel free to reach out with any questions! I belong to the Brooklyn Quilters Guild and ever since the COVID pandemic, we’ve been holding small outdoor quilt shows where we hang our quilts on the rod-iron fence that surrounds the block where we have our monthly meetings. Check out our…

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Behold My Beauty and Weep

This 36″ x 36″ quilt was made for the 2024 Brooklyn Quilters Guild fence show, which is entitled THE STORIES WE TELL: Folktales, Fantasy & Folly. I knew I wanted to do something similar to my O, Beware… quilt with some kind of creature staring out through scales or feathers, etc. While looking for images of feathered dragons, I became intrigued with illustrations of Quetzalcoatl from Mesoamerican…

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My Existence Is Not Political

This 64″ x 44″ quilt is one of a series of three quilts I’m creating in response to the anti LGBTQ+ legislation happening in the country. As of the creation of this quilt in April 2022, Florida and Texas have enacted laws that will harm LGBTQ+ youth. Politicians in other states are trying to follow suit. California and Colorado currently have the most protections for LGBTQ+ youth in the country.…

[andrewvehansen]

O! beware...

“O! beware, my lord, of jealousy;It is the green-ey’d monster, which doth mockThe meat it feeds on.” – Othello, Act III, scene 3, William Shakespeare This 36″ x 36″ quilt was created as part of the “Going Green” Presidents’ Challenge for the 2023 Brooklyn Quilts! show. The only parameters of the challenge were that each quilt measure 36″ x 36″ and feature the color green. I decided to take my…

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Scarcity

This approximately 36″ x 36″ quilt was created for the Brooklyn Quilters Guild Earth Day fence quilt show. I used improv piecing to create a feeling of water gradually disappearing into nothingness. I then used free-motion quilting to outline the word “water” which is only slightly visible, symbolizing how this essential resource is disappearing around the world due to climate change and…

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Community Garden

This 53″ x 46″ quilt was made for the 2023 Brooklyn Quilts! show put on by the Brooklyn Quilters Guild. It was completed in February 2023. It is mostly machine pieced with hand-appliqued triangles sewn on the borders. The middle panel is quilted with roses and the borders are quilted with leaves. The binding is a rainbow patchwork made with the same fabrics as the triangles. Over the last year…

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I Will Not Be Silent

This triangular quilt is 53.5″ across the top and 47″ down the middle. This is the second of three quilts I have created in response to the anti LGBTQ+ legislation happening in the United States. Not only have laws actually been passed in some states that make non-heterosexuality something wrong to acknowledge or speak about in public, there are laws in many other states that are hoping to do the…

[andrewvehansen]

BMQ YouTube Series - Ep. 31: Virtual Trunk Show #19

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 31: Virtual Trunk Show #19

You may have noticed the previous post is a much longer video about this same quilt. That video takes you through the process of making this quilt from beginning to end. But I wanted to provide a virtual trunk show version for those of you who don’t want to sit through a 40-minute video. You’re welcome! 😁 This quilt is called Patchwork Memories and was created for the Brooklyn Quilters Guild’s…

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BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 30: Patchwork Memories

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 30: Patchwork Memories

This quilt is called Patchwork Memories and was created for the Brooklyn Quilters Guild’s fourth outdoor fence show called Recycle Reuse Reimagine. This video takes you through the entire process of making this quilt, from initial idea to hand sewing the binding. Watch the video to find out why this quilt is very special to me!

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BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 29: Virtual Trunk Show #18

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 29: Virtual Trunk Show #18

I call this set of three quilts Jane’s Feathered Friends. My mom commissioned this quilt to hang over my parents’ bed. I designed a set of three panels with appliquéed birds, branches, and leaves. Hopefully the viewer gets the feeling of looking out three narrow windows over the bed to see a tree full of happy singing birds. Watch the video to find out more about this quilt.

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BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 28: Virtual Trunk Show #17

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 28: Virtual Trunk Show #17

This quilt was made for the Brooklyn Quilters Guild’s third outdoor quilt show that took place in October 2021. The theme of the show was “Come Together,” inspired by the Beatles song. I call this quilt Convergence. It is by far the most quilting I’ve ever done on a quilt, so I’m sure glad it was only 36″ by 36″! Watch the video to find out more details about how this quilt “came together.”

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BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 27: Virtual Trunk Show #16

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 27: Virtual Trunk Show #16

Welcome to Camp Coy was commissioned by my friends David and Ryan as a gift for the person who officiated at their wedding. What an honor for me! This is a wall hanging for their friend’s home up in the Adirondacks. Be sure to watch the video to hear all of the details about this reverse applique quilt!

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BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 26: Virtual Trunk Show #15

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 26: Virtual Trunk Show #15

This is my first t-shirt quilt, made from some of my husband’s MANY concert tees. I initially thought making a t-shirt quilt was going to be a huge pain, but it actually went very smoothly, especially once I figured out some tips I share in the video. So I guess that means you should watch the video to find out how this all came together! 😁

[andrewvehansen]

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 25: Virtual Trunk Show #14

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 25: Virtual Trunk Show #14

This quilt was made for the Brooklyn Quilters Guild’s second fence show where the theme was Earth Day. I made his quilt to bring attention to the global water scarcity crisis, and so I named this quilt Scarcity. Please check out water.org to learn more about this crisis that affects us all, whether we live in a water-rich or water-scarce area of the world.

[andrewvehansen]

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 24: Virtual Trunk Show #13

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 24: Virtual Trunk Show #13

This quilt is called Enter the Dreaming. It was commissioned by my older brother and his wife for their king-sized bed. It is officially the largest quilt I’ve ever made at this point. I definitely need a larger workspace before I attempt something this size again! Watch the video to find out about all the details!