quilters on a rock

By Patricia Belyea 

COUPEVILLE WA  It’s pretty obvious that I’m not and will never be a traditional quilter. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the beauty of a finely crafted quilt that harkens to the legacy of early America.

Last night I spoke at the Quilters On A Rock quilt guild meeting in Coupeville WA. It was a lively event with all the good energy that comes from gathering dozens of quilters in one place.

The last item on the agenda was Show ’n Tell. The shared quilts all made the grade—handsome and well-crafted. With the south end of Whitbey Island known as the largest artist colony in Puget Sound, these quilters showed creativity in their cotton compositions.

One quilt project took my breath away. Anita Smith, the woman who founded The Applique Society, showed some of the blocks of a history quilt she is making called “Captains Quilt.”

Anita went beyond applique, adding inking and embroidery to her fastidious ships of the sea and Admiralty Lighthouse in the middle of her central Compass Rose. I’ll be following Anita’s work on this project at: Anita M Smith’s blog.