Christmas around the world: US (Ohio)

Sue Spargo was born in Zambia and grew up in South Africa before moving to England and, in 1989, to the US. Her folk-art imagery reflects her multicultural background and her fascination with "primitive" arts and crafts from around the world. Inspiration comes from memories collected during her African childhood with its animals and grasslands, a sojourn in the green South of England and time spent in Connecticut, Tennessee, Utah and Ohio. Here is Sue's joyful "Crimson Tweed" for Christmas.

Crimson Tweed, 39 x 51", by Sue Spargo at Sue Spargo Folk-Art Quilts

This quilt was inspired by a few holiday cards which Sue bought in Italy. The backgrounds are wonderful tones of gray and taupe hand dyed wool interspersed by different textures using many Japanese cottons. The blocks are then appliquéd using a fun combination of wools, cottons and hand dyed velvet (a kit is available). A few stitches add dimension to many of the blocks.

About her fabrics, Sue says:  "I love to use solids as they are restful and lend themselves to layering and endless creativity. Adding colors of hand dyed wools and velvets add subtle textures you will never find in cotton fabrics."

Crimson Tweed was featured in the December 2011 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting (see the announcement at Sue Spargo and Twee's Blog). The Crimson Tweed book also includes patterns for 4 holiday projects: a table rug, holiday birds and snowflake pillows.

Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of Sue Spargo.