July 2003, 31" wide by 36" high, © 2003 Maria Elkins, All Rights Reserved.

I decided to make the quilt in the shape of the state of Ohio because I liked how the bottom edge reminded me of a rippling quilt. Naturally the "quilt" wrapped around her had to be made with an Ohio Star block! The girl was painted with Tsukineko All-Purpose Inks on commercially printed tone-on-tone fabrics. She’s resting her elbow on her knee, so I painted the inside seam of her blue jeans so it will look more like her leg and not a river.
The background was dyed with Procion dyes and overpainted with Setacolor. The ferns are "sunpainted" using Setacolor’s heliographic properties. The text and trillium were hand painted with Jacquard textile paints. Other techniques used include fused applique, painted washes, and free motion machine quilting with 100 wt. silk, Brilliance®, Reflections®, and variegated metallic threads, all by YLI. The batting used is my favorite, Hobbs Heirloom Washable Wool.