This quilt features a pair of Saffron Crested Cockatoos, one coming home to roost after a long day of being a bit of a pest (if my Australian friends are to be believed about the personalities of these beautiful birds).  The birds are created via yarn couching with a variety of fibers and sculpted Fimo eyes.  The background is predominantly a hand dye piece of fabric that seemed to evoke the heart of a forest to me.  I completed the background with improvisation piecing meant to hint at a sparkling waterfall and the deep rainforest Gorge of the Three Sisters in South Australia, where I first met these birds.  The quilting is meant to hint at natural elements without being actually representational, like rich earth and sparkling light through the tree tops.  The border quilting takes it’s motifs more from the Aboriginal cultures of Australia, where dot painting, and leaf motifs are common.

Exhibited at MQX Manchester 2019 and Houston IQA 2019