Christmas around the world: Ecuador

From high up in the Andes mountains, in the city of Quito, Ecuador, Angie Padilla runs her own international business:  Angie's Quilt Pattern Shop. Angie set up her shop in 2003 to pursue her passion for quilting. She speaks English and Spanish (and German, French and Portuguese) and she previously had a successful 16-year career as a translator and interpreter. A creative designer and EQ* expert,  Angie describes herself as a self-learner: "I taught myself to sew and to quilt. And I taught myself how to draw." Her highly original designs are rich in colorful applique work, such as this magnificent Christmas Dove.

Christmas Dove, 34 x 43", design by Angie Padilla at Angie's Quilt Pattern Shop (Quito, Ecuador)

As the pattern description says, this lovely wall hanging is not for the faint of heart -- it has many, many pieces -- but it is definitely for the dedicated applique lover. We can't get enough of this highly stylized design. Here is another beautiful finished Dove:

At Angie's Bits 'n Pieces you can read more about the Christmas Dove here: dove progress, more sewing with friends, and one finished dove.  At her blog, Angie talks about what is personal: her family, friends, life in Ecuador, and her own passion for quilting. We loved reading this recent post about how she and her family celebrate Christmas (scroll to the bottom of the post to read the story).

*Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Angie Padilla. She is an Electric Quilt (EQ) expert and the designer of My Dream House, an EQ CD that allows you to create your own dream house with over 450 pieces. Also, you can learn how to draw applique designs in EQ with Angie's Applique Drawing Book.  Her  wonderful patterns can be found at Angie's Quilt Pattern Shop and you can see a gallery of quilts at Angie's Flickr photostream