Quilter’s Name: Libby Christensen from Wetumpka, Alabama
Type of Quilt: Wall Hanging
Name of Pattern: Original Design
Featured Date: 6-15-23
Hi, I’m Libby! I’m a college English instructor who retired and became a quilt designer in Wetumpka, Alabama (known for HGTV Town Takeover 2019). I rarely make other people’s designs because I always have my own ideas. I’m owner of a very very small business called Christensen Creations, creating quilt/craft patterns and selling small items in craft fairs.
Since I’m also a photographer, I’ve been involved in art shows in 4 different counties around Montgomery, AL, for the past 25 years. I’ve also made it my personal campaign to bring fabric art to the attention of the guilds and public. I’ve won 150+ awards in shows and the Alabama National Fair, and in the past few years have won multiple awards at juried art shows for my wall hangings. It’s always a challenge to work with a different technique or push myself to a more complex design. This wall hanging, one of my most recent works, took a 2nd place in Multi-Media at the Elmore County Winter Art Show.
The wall hanging has a fun story. I had a booth in my friend’s store, called Poppy Layne Vintage, in Wetumpka–unfortunately, she has since closed it to seek another type of venue in her BARN. Yes, she has a barn. For years, I’d been thinking about doing a backyard scene with quilts, but I added her and her barn. She also raised little girls, so I put one on the swing. Of course, I had to add poppies. And the funniest thing is that she has a donkey, so I put him INSIDE the barn doors. She screamed in delight when she saw that!
The quilt itself is a mishmash of techniques. The house and barn are appliqued, using specialized fabrics looking like wood and shingles, with pebbles in front of the barn. I used bias tape to form the windows, pleated the shutters, and added a cat for fun. (I originally had plastic on the windows for “glass,” but when one “pane” accidentally tore, I had to remove all of it.) I found interesting, streaked fabric for the background and a field of wheat. The tree is made with tiny leaves of various greens I fused in place, adding the sunlight on the top leaves. The grass underneath is “quilted” with free-motion stitching, adding darker thread for the shade. The poppies are free-motion embroidery. (I looked them up online to make sure I got shape of their stems, leaves, and blossoms right.)
I set up a clothesline with jute string and hung a REAL quilt on the left–(it actually had won 1st place as a miniature on its own). To make the smaller quilts, I actually took photos of my quilts and adjusted them on the computer to show perspective, then transferred them to fabric, sewing on a backing and doing a little quilting on them. The clothing I just cut out and made free hand, much like Barbie clothes, complete with pockets and flaps, and I added some little clothespins (not quite in proper proportion) for fun. I used finer strings for the swing. Both figures were fun–I had to find appropriate “hair” fabric and just hand-cut them and their clothes to fit, using paper-back fusible web again. I like to add 3D embellishment, so I added the 3D barn doors along the way, and the last touch was to fuse the donkey behind the doors.
I’ve been a Nancy fan for about 30 years. I used to watch “Sewing with Nancy” when I could, and I mourned her passing. So I really hope you enjoy seeing my Christensen Creation wall hanging.
Libby J Christensen
To hear more from Libby and see more of her work, check out her website, SewGoCreate!
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