50' Collaborative Art Quilt Project!

The CT Farmington River Quilt Project is made up of 25 quilt sections created by 25 different art quilters! When displayed together the installation will be 50' long! The premier exhibition will be April 23rd & 24th at the Winchester Center Congregational Church annual Quilt and Needle Arts Show. At the close of the show the installation will be donated to the Farmington River Coordinating Committee located in Squire's Tavern, Barkhamsted, CT. 

The enormous project was spearheaded by MaryPat Leger. She assigned each artist a specific section of the river and provided a map for where each river would intersect the next creating a continuous river flowing across the full 50'. My section is the Black Bridge Pool. MaryPat supplied the fabric for the river and I hand dyed or painted the rest of the fabrics. I gave this project a lot of thought prior to sketching a design. The Farmington River is a valuable resource shared by wildlife and the local communities. I wasn't sure if I should add people enjoying the river or animals frolicking on the riverbanks... what season should I represent?! My heart told me to create a peaceful scene which would allow the viewer to think about the serenity and joy the river brings to them individually. The goal of the project is to heighten awareness of both cultural and environmental forces that affect the river... so, in the end I left out people and animals with the hopes that the viewer focuses on the river and how they can best advocate on behalf of it's needs. 

Please come to the exhibition to see the installation and perhaps learn more about the Farmington River Coordinating Committees efforts!  

Black Bridge Pool - Detail

Black Bridge Pool
24" X 21"

Please "like" the FRCC Facebook page to keep up with the latest efforts to 

maintain a healthy river environment! 

The Southbury Library Presents

   RED – READ

Fiber Arts Exhibit

February 1^st – February 29^th

100 Poverty Road, Southbury, CT

Unique art quilts created by the

Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective

The Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective holds exhibits at various venues throughout the year. If you have a space and wish to host an exhibit, please contact us at: 203-574-5607 or carolreaton@comcast.net

Red-Read Fiber Arts Exhibit

The Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective is gearing up for the February Red-Read exhibit at the Southbury Library. Because the show takes place during the month of February the members brain stormed about what that meant leading to discussions about healthy hearts, Valentines Day, romance and the different symbolism for the color red. We also wanted to incorporate the library setting and how much they have to offer all citizens. Each artist's ideas and concepts are very different from each other... very different!

I'll walk you through my approach and thought processes. First I pulled out some fabric from long ago that was covered with bright red lips. I have no idea where I got it but it always intrigued me... but what to do with it? Lips... I kept coming back to gossiping and rumors. That lead to thinking about how rumors get started and the design turned into a "Recipe For A Rumor". I know it's silly!

A Recipe For A Rumor



1. A Pound of Truth

2. Mix in Exaggeration and Confusion

3. Double the Excitement



4. Stir Ingredients until Well Blended



5. Bring to a Rolling Boil

6. Simmer until Thickened and Reduced

7. Add a Pinch of Calm

8. Adjust Seasonings until You Find the Rumor Tasteful!

The second piece was refurbished from an art quilt I had always meant to tweak becasue it never seemed quite complete. I disassembled it, cut it up and reformatted the entire piece creating something new. I was thinking about my children during the design process and it's homage to them. The text says "There are two lasting bequests we can leave our children: one is roots and the other is wings" by Hodding Carter Jr.



Finally the members were challenged by fellow artist, Roz Spann. Roz gave each of us a bag full of red items in a bag. We had to incorporate each item into our design. It was tough - there were ribbons, beads, burlap and more. I came up with "A Is For Apple". It will be fun to see each artists 12" X 12" challenge piece side by side on the gallery wall!



Fiber Art Office Installations

This 3 piece office installation is titled "Reflections". It hangs in the waiting room of Sharon Colwell APRN, BC at 999 Oronoque Lane, Stratford, CT. The goal was to create a peaceful feeling while retaining a gender neutral design. 

I hand painted the fabrics using cotton for the main panels and hand dyed silk for the brown squares and cream colored strips. Lastly I created a leaf stamp choosing gold ink to tie in all the other colors. The leaves and quilting help define movement in the pieces.  

The above piece is titled, "Painted Ladies" and hangs in Ms. Colwell's inner office. I desigend this piece using hand dyed fabrics for the center panel and geraniums. I created a geranium pattern from a photograph I took of the geraniums in my garden. The border fabric was developed with the discharge method. I scattered buttons onto black cotton and sprayed the cloth with bleach and water. This created the unusual look of a black and tan design.

If you know of a space that needs a customized look please feel free to contact me and we'll come up with a one of a kind piece just for you!