Copies of my new book have now been sent out to all the quilters who have work featured in it. I was so surprised and pleased by the reactions that the book has received in Brazil. There seems to be a thriving quilting community there.

I have recently joined Facebook, so I have seen postings by all three of the Brazilian quilters. They all have lots of "friends" who "like" their posts (I'm really new to Facebook!) So I asked these quilters if I could show their work on my website and they have all generously agreed to let me do so. In alphabetical order, here are the Brazilian quilters who are featured in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Art Quilting.

This is Maria Lucia Azara of Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She made the following quilt, entitled Sementes do Brasil: Cupuaçu.  The photo is by Érica Marci Photo Studio. Maria's piece is part of a series celebrating the diversity and richness of Brazilian fruits; the title means “Seeds of Brazil.” Cupuaçu is a popular fruit found in the Amazon forest that is used for making juice and desserts.

This is Vivian Wilm Pinto of Petrópolis, Brazil.Vivian made the following quilt entitled Favela – Espaço Aleatóri. The photo is by Marcelo Pinto. Vivian was inspired by the landscape she saw on arrival in Rio de Janeiro: the Sugar Loaf, the Corcovado, and the massive presence of the slums--favela. While the random and unplanned growth of the houses is depicted, the artist also shows the favela as a place where children fly kites and clothes hang on a line—life following its natural course.

Here is Rute Sato of São Paulo, Brazil. Her quilt, featured below, is called Fragments of Reality. Rute was inspired by Brazil's skies at different times of day and in different parts of the country: city, forest, back country and beaches. The openings in the quilt show fragments of reality by drawing the viewer’s eye through and beyond the quilt’s surface.

I am delighted to be able to share the work of these talented Brazilian quilters on my website, and I thank them for letting me do so. I hope you enjoy it!

This wall hanging, entitled Orange Leaves, is going to be exhibited in my gallery at the Festival of Quilts at the Birmingham NEC. The show is on from August 7-10, and I have been given a large gallery there (B30). Entitled "Ultimate Quilt Artists," the gallery will show the work of 27 British quilters who were featured in the book, as well as my own work. Please do stop by and say hello if you are visiting the Festival this year!

Here is a detail of Orange Leaves, showing discharging, fabric painting and beading. I used deColourant to discharge (or take away) the dye from the orange fabric on the left using a carved wooden fern block. I then used a fine fabric marker to delineate each leaf and add the spores. Those are orange bugle beads sewn up the central stem.

The photo above shows how I attached the quilt to the foam board backing on which it is mounted. I finished off all the edges of the quilt, and cut the foam board so it was 3"/8cm larger all around. I then glued a lovely, slubby black linen fabric over the foam board using a spray fabric adhesive. I wrapped the fabric edges over the board and glued them to the back. Then I carefully centered the quilt on the front of the foam board, pinning it to the board as shown here. Using a sturdy needle, invisible thread and a thimble, I sewed the quilt to the foam board invisibly. This took quite some time, but I'm pleased with the result.