The Graffiti Cherrywood Challenge eBook by Cherrywood Fabrics

eBook BONUS FEATURE: All 385 Submissions Included!

Imagine handing a Quilter some spray paint and turning them loose in an alley. Or asking a Graffiti Writer to express themselves with fabric and thread. What would they create? How would they make their mark? The answer lies within these pages. This is the seventh in a series of challenges, with more than 300 submissions! These quilts are made entirely from Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics - a cotton fabric dyed with a secret technique that makes it look like suede.

The Cherrywood Challenge 2022

“Blank walls are a shared canvas and we’re all artists.” Carla H Krueger

Banksy

“Creative people don’t have a mess. They have ideas lying around everywhere.” Unknown

The Cherrywood Challenge 2022

“If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission”

GRAFFITI

A quilt challenge sponsored by Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics

The Cherrywood Challenge 2022: Graffiti Published by Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics, Inc. and Cherrywood Challenge LLC Concept and Design by Karla Overland Photography by John Overland Jurors: Lisa Ellis, Cyndi Zacheis, Nathania Apple Editor: Trisha Frankland ISBN: 9798364546456 Contents ©2022 Cherrywood Challenge LLC

The quilts shared in this book are original creations of the contributing artists who created them, based on and inspired by graffiti. Artwork is for inspiration and personal use only. Every effort has been made to ensure all the information in this book is accurate. However, due to differing conditions, tools, and individual skills, the publisher cannot be responsible for any injuries, losses, and other damages that may result from use of the information in this book. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. All photographic images are the property of Cherrywood Challenge LLC unless otherwise noted.

Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics, Inc. 7882 College Road Baxter, Minnesota 56425 218-829-0967 www.cherrywoodfabrics.com

The Concept What can you create with limited color? Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics challenged artists to create a unique piece of art with a limited color palette. Giving them simple rules, we encouraged them to push themselves creatively to design an original quilt, taking inspiration from the graffiti we see around us. Street art is a form of expression that happens in public spaces. Art quilts are another form of expression in fabric and thread. The cohesive colors, size, theme and texture of Cherrywood make the collection unique and untamed. These quilts are stunning, and we hope you can appreciate the artistry and emotion that went into their creation!

Each person started with these eight colors.

The Rules 1. Quilts must measure 20”x 20” 2. Use only the designated eight colors of hand-dyed fabric 3. Quilt must be original design 4. Any embellishment may be used 5. Any technique may be used

The Jury Process Three digital images of each quilt were uploaded to a website for review. A panel of jurors voted on the quilts using a numbering system. They were “blind jurors,” meaning they did not see the artist’s names. Jurors had a few key responsibilities: 1. Select examples of the best use of color, composition, originality and overall workmanship 2. Choose the entries that most closely followed the guidelines of the Call for Entry 3. After careful thought, pick the widest possible

The Techniques

variety of examples or expressions of the theme 4. Watch out for possible copyright issues 5. As a team, agree upon a cohesive body of work

Here is a basic explanation of common techniques used. Machine work could be on a domestic (home) machine, embroidery machine, or long-arm (professional) machine.

• pieced - The basic construction is created by joining pieces of fabric at the edges to create seams.

• appliquéd - Shapes cut from one fabric are layered on top of a different fabric and secured. Edges may remain raw or be turned under. Stitching, fusible adhesive or glue may be used to hold the pieces in place.

• embroidered - Thread is stitched densely to create

designs created solely from decorative fibers. Sometimes also called “thread painting” when many colors are used.

• embellished - Beads, laces, trims, charms, etc. are added to enhance the fabric composition.

• quilted - The three layers of the quilt (top, batting and backing) are held together with stitches.

• painted - May include the use of fabric paints, colored pencils, acrylic paints, and oil sticks.

In the scoring system, an above-average score determined whether an entry made the cutoff number. Finalists were selected and winners were chosen after viewing the actual quilts. Three Traveling Exhibits were formed:

The TheFinalists Finalists Adamietz, Lori....................18 Antinucci, Julie...................19 Aubin, Chandra..................20 Bahn, Terri.................... 10-11 Baitzel, Karen.....................21 Bajtelsmit, Vickie................22 Bartlow, Sue.......................23 Bauer, Julie.........................24 Beck, Suzanne....................25 Bedell, Vicky.......................26 Berry, Amberlee.................27 Beskow, Judy......................28 Birkholz, Cathy...................29 Brand, Anne.......................30 Brasfield, Eve......................31 Brooks, Shelley...................32 Brown, Earamichia.............33 Budd, Elizabeth................ 8-9 Ceesay Landree, Laurie.....34 Conway, Lorraine...............35 Cranford, Jill.......................36 Currie-Vicario, Ann...... 14-15 Dahms, Karla......................37 Dain, Sauni-Rae..................38 Davis, Elizabeth..................39 Dean, Clarice......................40 DeGrandis, Denese...........41 Delbridge, Alexis...............42 DeLuzm, Roberta...............43 DenHerder, Judith.............44 Denney, Rhonda................45 Dodge, Erica......................46 Donovan, Janice................47 Dossman, Katherine..........48 Duckert, Arlene..................49 Duffy, Linda.........................50 Duggan, Lisa......................51 Dugosh, Mel1.....................52 Duhe, Angela.....................53 Edwards Brumley, Susan...54 Enselein, Betty...................55 Finn, Kerry..........................56 Fisher, Karen G...................57 Fleig, Mandy......................58 Foster, Bernice...................59 Foutch, Michelle................60 Frankland, Trisha................61

Frisk, Kim............................62 Fromherz, Marilyn..............63 Gentry, Carole Paradis.......64 Giesfeldt, Lisa Anne..........65 Gilbride, SuZanne L...........66 Giles, Karen........................67 Goedert, Kristin.................68 Goepel, Gwen....................69 Graham, Malia....................70 Grover, Karen.....................71 Haley, Rebecca...................72 Hamilton Jackson, Marilyn...73 Harrington, Connie............74 Havrilla, Jill.........................75 Hawker, Lisa........................76 Hawks, Marcia....................77 Hay, Charlotte....................78 Hill, Nikki............................79 Hockett, Sherrie.................80 Holec, Beth/Doty, Abby....81 Hollingsworth, Ben............82 Hollingsworth, Kathleen....83 Holmes, Jeanne.................84 Homerding, Sara................85 Hudgens, Lindsey..............86 Humphries, Miyuki.............87 Hunt, Maia..........................88 Hurt, Stacy..........................89 Jamison, Tanya...................90 Jensen, Barb......................91 Johnson, Victoria...............92 Johnson, Leslie................194 Josiak, Claire......................93 Junek, Denise.....................94 Kase, Mami.........................95 Kerns, Debra......................96 Kerr, Claire..........................97 Koraly, Naida......................98 Kornbaum, Jenni...............99 Krupka, Frances...............100 Kuck, Pamela....................101 Lamphere, Joy.................102 Lanak, Jennifer.................103 Lane, Julie........................104 Leisering, Stephanie........105 Leupen, Tish.....................106 Lile, Laurie........................107

Locknane, Teresa.............108 Lyseng, Brenda................109 MacFarlane, Nora............110 Marcotte, Christa.............111 Mariano, Susan................112 Marquardt, Janice............195 Marsh, Ann.......................113 Matsos, Patti.....................114 Mazunik, Linda.................115 Mccann, Christina............116 McCarthy, Ellen................117 McCusker, Annette..........118 McFarland, Etta................119 McKenney, Larry...............120 Milkovich, Debra..............121 Miller, Laurie.....................122 Miro, Anne-Marie.............123 Moosey, Cynthia..............124 Murtha, Diane L...............125 Musial, Lexi.......................126 Myers, Cindy................ 16-17 Nausley, Kathy..................127 Nelson, Laura...................128 Niswander, Nancy............129 Onishi, Tomiko.................130 Palgon, Laura...................131 Paradis, Paula...................132 Parker, Jaya......................133 Patterson, Deb.................134 Peña, Victoria...................135 Penney, Jerri.....................136 Peters, Barbara................137 Piasta, Dawn.....................138 Pighetti, Laurie.................139 Poko, Cynthia...................140 Porter, Robbie..................141 Powell, Jo Anne...............142 Price, Betty.......................143 Pyles, Teri..........................144 Quinn, Carol.....................145 Raines, Jarod....................146 Ramsey, Florann...............147 Randall, Lynn....................148 Rather, Summer...............149 Reed, Rita.........................150 Ricci, Shelli.......................196 Rickman, Tim....................151

Rivera, Monica M.............152 Roberts, Jennifer.............153 Roberts, Megan...............154 Rose, Heather..................155 Rozycki Hiltner, Maggy....156 Russell, Grace...................157 Sayler, Connie..................158 Schillig, Beth....................159 Schmidt, Elizabeth...........160 Schultz, Deb.....................161 Scott, Gayle & Coleen.... 12-13 Shannon, Betsy................162 Simpson, Beverly.............163 Sitterly, Anna....................197 Slota, Lynn........................164 Smith, Patrice...................165 Smith, Jackie....................166 Soules, Jan.......................167 Stevens, Rhonda..............168 Strickland, Laura..............198 Sullivan, Nancy.................169 Sutherland, Betty.............170 Swearingin, Pam..............171 Takahashi, Chiharu...........172 Thompson, Cindy............173 Thomsen, Sharon.............174 Thurston, Eileen...............175 Ticotsky, Lynn...................176 Trundle, John...................199 Turley, Ann........................177 Unin, Marie.......................178 van Welzen, Marijke.........179 Vogel, Susan.....................180 Vono, Nita.........................181 Walters, Janet..................182 Ward, Maggie..................183 Wassell, Vickie..................184 Watkins, Machelle............185 Weichselbaum, Enid........186 Wells, Julie.......................187 Wiginton MFA PhD, Andy...188 Williamson, Rosanne.......189 Wilmot, Sara.....................190 Wilson, Cindy...................191 Zeleznik, Barb...................192

Graffiti Let’s talk for a moment about the parallels between street graffiti and an art quilt challenge. While the scale might be different, the idea of a constrained project is the same. You use the space you’ve got (a 20” square or perhaps a rail car), and you use the materials at hand (spray paint, a fabric bundle). You may wish you had a different shape to work within. You may wish you had a different color to use. And you may even wish you had fewer flaws to overcome before you begin - but a can-do attitude and the NEED to create ultimately conquer those issues.

Technically, anything scratched, written or painted (usually illicitly) on a public surface is graffiti. Which means, truly, as a form of expression graffiti’s nothing new. Consider cave paintings. Ponder the Pompeiian street art preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius. Wartime soldiers have been leaving graffiti in their wake forever. We also could include the damaging doodles of bored schoolchildren throughout time!

The invention of spray paint in the 1960s brought a new dynamic to the form, and the modern era of graffiti is intrinsically tied to urban hip hop culture of the 1980s. In the

Make your mark

decades since then, graffiti has been legitimized as art and even is sanctioned in special urban districts today.

Here are references to a few famous artists you may wish to learn more about: • UK artist Banksy has stealthily stenciled social commentary around the globe, yet remains unidentified. Their work typically uses dark humor to draw attention to social and political issues. www.banksy.co.uk

• Commercialism may have tamed some bite from ‘80s phenom Keith Haring’s political work, but his ubiquitous blocky dancers, babies and animals still are easily identifiable more than 30 years after his AIDS-related death. www.haring.com

• Also known as SAMO©, African-American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat painted all over New York (but also did studio work) until his 1988 death. A 1982 untitled canvas broke records in 2017 when it sold for an unprecedented $110.5 million. www.basquiat.com

All photo credits: John Overland

FIRST PLACE

Elizabeth Budd Lewisville, Texas Escape One of my favorite quotes about art is by Pablo Picasso: “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” For me, art is my escape from the everyday. When I’m working on a project I forget about everything going on around me and immerse myself in my work.

SECOND PLACE

Teri Bahn

Baxter, Minnesota The Tourist The Tourist was created to show how we often act silly for a photo opportunity when we travel. Whether we are posing with a statue or imitating a graffiti painting on a building, we really are just having fun and enjoying art.

THIRD PLACE

Gayle & Coleen Scott Redding, California

“Wildflowers for Buffalo” Tribute In the 21st century, graffiti has become part of the modern art movement. Street artists like Shepard Fairey and Miss Van began their careers doing paste ups and illegal art, turning this deviant work into careers creating commissioned public art and headlining gallery exhibits. This quilt is based on “Wildflowers for Buffalo,” a public art mural by the street artist Ouizi. Her natural subject matter beautifies an urban environment; a perfect composition to use a multitude of embellishment techniques in combination with the fused Cherrywood fabric including: fabric paint, beading, embroidery, felting, couching, thread play, Inktense pencils and graphic pens.

FOURTH PLACE

Ann Currie-Vicario Prosper, Texas

Quiltfitti Alley As a quilter, we follow patterns, use exact measurements cutting and sewing. As a graffiti artist, we have no rules of patterns, size, or perfect seams. After creating and starting to implement my challenge idea, I now truly can appreciate why people create graffiti. It’s very freeing and addictive. In creating a sign, your mind thinks of another idea. A different way to accent or showcase. It’s difficult to stop. There’s definitely more graffiti in my future. Thank you for the challenge Cherrywood. 15

FIFTH PLACE

Cindy Myers Ontario, California

Quilt Breaking Through I envisioned a colorful quilted parallel universe and a quilt breaking through to bring color and excitement to a gray world.

Lori Adamietz Jordan, Minnesota The Heart

I sat down one evening with a cup of tea - the tag on the teabag read: “The heart sees deeper than the eye.” I pondered the events of the past two weeks of the Ukraine war, and I knew immediately this quote would be the subject of my graffiti challenge. The eyes only see the physical things in life. Our heart (spirit/soul) can see what truly matters in life - emotions and feelings are only understood by the heart.

Julie Antinucci Arnold, Maryland

Hip Hop Quilt Top I’ve always loved graffiti! When this challenge came along, I knew I had to get creative and wild. I also love to make people laugh, so it was fun coming up with quilt-related graffiti. I took a “map quilts” class with Valerie Goodwin that just opened up a brand new world of creativity for me, and I was able to apply what I learned to this graffiti quilt. I used my Cricut to blend all of the techniques together, cutting out fun fonts, fusing them, and then using hand and machine quilting, along with some paint to really make things POP!

Chandra Aubin St. Charles, Missouri Notorious RBG

I have long admired Ruth Bader Ginsberg and wanted to make a quilt to honor her. I was inspired by the Notorious RBG graffiti images, so it seemed like a great subject for this contest. I used a laser printer to create a background of some of her quotes, and layered it with several different appliquéd graffiti fonts and her image. RBG boxing gloves image adapted from Nigel Buchanan, with permission.

Karen Baitzel

Glen Mills, Pennsylvania Let It Bloom I was pondering what word I wanted to place on my newly finished brick wall. I found myself looking outside my studio window, in the dead of winter, searching for some inspiration. Still searching for a meaningful word, I began to wish for an early spring when everything would start to bloom and instead of brown and dormant, the view from my window would be an explosion of color. And, there it was, my word – Bloom. Oh, the promise of spring: when the world comes alive with color.

Vickie Bajtelsmit Timnath, Colorado Stronger Together Art is a medium that unites the world. Graffiti and quilts can be used to spread the message that we are all one earth, and we are stronger together. If all nations unite around the goal of conservation, rather than destruction and war, we can leave a better future for the human race.

Sue Bartlow Madison, Alabama

To the Moon and Back Huntsville is known as the “Rocket City” because it is where the rockets were developed that put men on the moon initially. My husband has been working at NASA for more than 35 years and currently is working on a piece of the Artemis rocket that will take men back to the moon and beyond. This quilt is dedicated to those who work to make all of this happen.

Julie Bauer Ogden, Utah

Nice Matters

I created my graffiti as a wall full of positive messages of encouragement. I started with the brick wall. I drew my words with different styles of letters that reminded me of graffiti. I loved using the bright colors with grays and black to make the colors pop. And I added a hand spraying a can of spray paint. I also added my own initials in the right-hand corner like a graffiti artist would to sign his/her artwork.

Suzanne Beck Chesterfield, Missouri Boys Being Banksy I am a fan of Banksy’s street art, which combines captivating imagery with a concise statement. I chose to convey my message and pay homage in this quilt.

Vicky Bedell Lincoln, Nebraska Quilted Bee

I am not very familiar with graffiti, so this was definitely a challenge! A friend told me to think of something meaningful to me. Thus, my Quilted Bee came to life. Bees have a significance with my family and maiden name of Beezley. My brother was known as “Beez” and my mother was known as “Grandma B.” Both have passed and I see this piece as a memorial to them.

Amberlee Berry High Point, North Carolina Peace Love and Rescue Animal rescue is near and dear to my heart, having volunteered in some fashion for years. The people I work with are more like family, with a common goal of finding loving forever homes for homeless pets. Featured is my dog, Abraham, who was found on the street in pitiful condition at an estimated 11 years of age through Ruff Love Rescue. Abe brings me so much joy daily and, yes, he has his own sunglasses and wardrobe.

Judy Beskow College Station, Texas My Love Story My husband and I were high school sweethearts when he was 18 and I was 15, beginning in 1968. We got married when he was 21 and I was 18. This piece tells our story and the things that a madly in love high school girl would write. Also key phrases from the ‘60s and the ‘70s. This year we will celebrate our 52nd anniversary.

Cathy Birkholz Madison, Wisconsin Which Way? The one-way sign is a ubiquitous part of the urban environment, instructing that there is only a single direction allowed. However, the graffiti writer subverts this expectation by challenging authority and changing the sign’s intent with their own instructions. The slap tag “ART IRL” recognizes this creativity is all around us in real life.

Anne Brand Holland, Michigan Evolution

Inspiration came from Carnarvon Gorge, Australia. The red ochre hands on the stones were described as ancient graffiti. This piece hoped to capture the evolution of the art form. It was important to me that no machines were used in the assembly of this piece as graffiti is done without the aid of machinery; it is impulsive, and alive, and dynamic ... and has always been such.

Eve Brasfield San Jose, California

If Keith Was A Quilter I took a recent cross-country road trip with my sister. In Cheyenne, Wyoming, I was awed by the creative and artistic murals painted throughout the city. Cheyenne is “America’s Railroad Capital.” On my walk alongside the tracks, nearly every train car had such a variety of graffiti colors, fonts, and artistic styles that I was riveted to the spectacle. With this Cherrywood challenge I was inspired to combine the beautiful fabric with the graffiti art of the trains and the style of colorful street art of one of my favorite muralists, Keith Haring.

Shelley Brooks Moyock, North Carolina She Lives Dangerously After researching graffiti art, I landed on some elements that interested me. I chose Mona Lisa, and then my imagination bubbled. I imagined Mona was a sassy rule-breaker. Word on the street was, she didn’t pre-wash. Yes, she lived very dangerously, indeed.

Earamichia Brown McKinney, Texas Brooklyn Girl I love my Brooklyn roots. I loved growing up in NYC during the ‘70s and ‘80s where graffiti lived and breathed. I have always been a fan of the true art form of graffiti with vibrant colors, whimsical imagery, and stunning artistry. That style of graffiti is easily found in my works. I had to pay homage to my childhood and honor the Brooklyn girl that is me.

Laurie Ceesay Landree Menoninee, Michigan ‘80s Ladies

I was inspired by 1980s neon colors, which got me reminiscing about the permed bob hairstyle, Flashdance tank with sweater off one shoulder, rainbow eye makeup, large earrings, the geometric motifs I used to wear, and my daughter’s crimped high-side ponytail. I used a bubble-shaped graffiti font similar to the lettering I see locally as I wait for the train to go by, as well as the local graffiti wall people can spray paint to be creative while not ruining property.

Lorraine Conway Albuquerque, New Mexico Urban Rose II A rose is usually depicted as soft, sweet, delicate, beautiful, and fragrant. This urban rose is gritty and tough, while still beautiful in its own right. Based on an original photograph, the rose is done using a trapunto appliqué process with three value levels. I chose to use the colors as the background and the black/grayscale fabric for the rose, making it stand out more. The wall was achieved using silk organza, with the wonkiness adding to the overall feel of graffiti done quickly in a less-than-optimal environment.

Jill Cranford Ottowa, Illinois

I Am the Piecemaker Peace is a theme often found in graffiti. My street art, on a stone wall, is a play on words that expresses a symbiosis between peace and piece making. I am at peace when quilting and that peace is shared with quilt recipients.

Karla Dahms Mora, Minnesota 2 Dogz Tagged This is Thor’s and Jake’s happy place, on the edge of urban but breaking out into nature. They are on the corner of Trail Dr and Pleasant St, busting out into the wide-open world of Quail Dr and Pheasant St. They are dreaming of a day in the fields, doing what they were meant to do: scouring the swamps, nose to the ground, and heading into the wind, free to revel in the hunt. Buildings will crumble and concrete crack up, but nature will survive.

Sauni-Rae Dain Fullerton, California I Am Frog

Graffiti – leaving a piece of yourself in a public place. My nickname in high school was frog, so it seemed only fitting to leave a frog as my signature on the wall. I fashioned my artwork after street artist Arlin Graff, with his beautiful animal illustrations paired with splashes of color. This red-eyed tree frog was created with rough-edge appliqué, thread painting, and quilting. Tsukineko inks darken the blue fabric to fashion the artist’s retreating pant leg.

Elizabeth Davis Stratford, Connecticut

Good Morning, New York! This piece was inspired by the striking view of the New York City skyline from Liberty Island, based on a photo I took in 2019. The graffiti style is a perfect match to illustrate the vibrancy and vitality that flows through every part of the city, and the opportunity and hope each new day brings to the lives of the millions of people who live, work, and visit. Our New York City skyline has changed dramatically over the course of history, and even throughout my lifetime. It is a view that always touches my heart.

Clarice Dean Las Vegas, Nevada Live Lucky

This quilt is a remembrance of my wonderful Boston terrier, Lucky. Lucky was loyal and dedicated. His official name with his titles was BISS GCH O’Mellie’s Lucky Utah Boy. I consider myself to have been so LUCKY to have had him in my life. Lucky lost his fight with cancer at 10 years old in 2017. He fought to live until his last breath, and he taught me so much about life. I miss him every day. I try to “Live Lucky” every day.

Denese DeGrandis Thornbury, Ontario, Canada Sue and Sam Did What?! For more than a century Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Sam have been cheerfully depicted in appliqué quilts, working, playing, or in this case, being graffiti artists! The beautiful Cherrywood fabric was perfect for making the inked outlines around flat areas of solid colours to create a cartoon-like result. My goal was to bring a smile to those who look upon it.

Alexis Delbridge Henrico, North Carolina King of Brooklyn

I chose to highlight graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose artwork was sold at auction for $110.5 million to a Japanese collector. He was a trailblazer in the ‘80s, elevating the outlawed street art into its current museum-worthy status and paving the way for England’s Banksy. Die cut, fused, and machine stitched cutouts of the iconic images of Haring, Warhol, Diaz, and Banksy are represented in my quilt. Absent from Basquiat’s portrait is my signature embroidery work - it only appears with graffiti messages, paired with the banana symbol, butterflies, and a dragon.

Roberta DeLuz Benicia, California Mission Warrior The San Francisco Mission district, founded by Franciscan priests and built by indigenous people, celebrates its Mexican roots in street art. This Aztec warrior graces an alley for all to see. As the city changes and neighborhoods gentrify, the Misson District keeps it unique flavor alive by celebrating with alleys and buildings covered with murals and graffiti. Tour groups regularly come to enjoy the artworks. The people of the Mission District proudly proclaim, “We Are Still Here” in one of the liveliest parts of San Francisco. Still my favorite to visit as often as possible.

Judith DenHerder Zephyrhills, Florida Zephyr Winds

My artist statement needs to be recited as rap: Here’s a little ditty, ‘bout my hometown city! There’s pure water flowin’ and oranges growin’ Roosters are crowin’ and Zephyr Winds blowin’ Sky divers - oh they’re gritty, in the blue skies - so pretty Talkin’ bout all the thrills Livin’ life in Zephyrhills!

Rhonda Denney Emporia, Kansas Happy Cat This piece is inspired by our cats, who are full of fun and light-hearted expression - valuable lessons for all of us! I wanted this to look like street art painted on a brick wall. A fun challenge!

Erica Dodge

Fernandina Beach, Florida Who’s the Boss My first thought when I heard graffiti was my son’s artwork. As a teenager, he would spray paint (tag) anything he could. With his permission I went through several of his old sketch books and used his art to create this piece. I enjoy adding heavy thread painting to projects. I want the viewer to spend time searching my art and finding surprises.

Janice Donovan Longmont, Colorado Remington Remington, bursting in to save the day! The sole male rhino of its kind, ready to help the population grow! The Northern White Rhino is very close to extinction, with only a mother and daughter remaining. Remington is my artistic rendition of the way to save the species from its utter demise. Remington was collaged using only Cherrywood fabrics and acrylic paint. Save the Rhinos!

Katherine Dossman Belton, Texas Lem I incorporated several things I really love into my challenge piece: snything lemon, music to quilt by, and art quilt challenges. I thought about my project for several months, and I knew I wanted a humorous theme. I hope this piece will make the viewer smile.

Arlene Duckert Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Look Up ... Look WWAAYY Up When I see a picture of a giraffe, I am reminded of the adage from the 60’s television program, “The Friendly Giant”: “Look up, look WWAAYY up.” To me, a giraffe is a friendly, gentle, generous giant. When I saw a garden sign of a giraffe with a flower in its mouth, I felt it would an appropriate image to brighten up an otherwise dull building. The Cherrywood colors brought out a bright version of this yellow giraffe sharing a vivid orange flower.

Linda Duffy Medford, Oregon Brave & Wild

This quote has been pinned to my studio wall, clipped from a paper sack my husband brought home. Inspiration to enter this challenge came from taking Karlee Porter’s “Graffitti Quilting” and looking to challenge myself beyond my practice pieces. Appliqué was inspired by Lea McComas’s portrait quilting method. A winter’s drive through Southern California/Arizona, seeing real-life graffiti, got me over angst of cutting into this bundle of vibrant soft fabric. I decided to make an art piece for my wall, to replace the paper clipping.

Lisa Duggan Centennial, Colorado Piece for Peace The rich colors and plentiful street art in Columbia inspired me for this challenge. My piece is set at an outdoor quilt show. Overnight, someone partial to a more traditional look spray painted their preference for piecing (and tie dye) on the quilt.

Mel Dugosh Hondo, Texas

Flights of Fancy

Flights of fancy did goose with my head, Till I sewed them down, Misty needle and thread. I beg you proFusely,To interpret them loosely: “You worry too much” Karla said. Moths are unseamly - quilt bees do repair, Iron butterfly steam crisply what once was threadbare. The scissor-tail hummer, with Machine fly in summer, Bug bobbin bright blooms in the air.

Angela Duhe Coppell, Texas Take It Easy This quilt depicts the late Glenn Frey of the Eagles as he encounters street art on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Here is my graffiti-style tribute to a great song and a great band. “Take It Easy,” written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey, was released by the Eagles 50 years ago, on May 1, 1972, and sends a valuable message about living in the moment.

Susan Edwards Brumley Garfield, New Jersey Blue Sky

The poem, written by our son, hung on our refrigerator for 11 years. I always marveled at the deep intellectual thinking of a 5th grader, already wondering what’s it all about, in his young life. Graduating from college this year, we toured the campus. Taking a rest on a bench, sipping his coffee and looking off into the blue sky in contemplation of his future, I couldn’t resist snapping a photo, which is interpreted into the quilt. On display is my infatuation with old and rickety walls, as new life burst through the cracks, portraying new birth and an orchestra of opportunities in life.

Betty Enselein Eldersburg, Maryland GraFoxi This piece was inspired by my nephew’s wife, who is an accomplished tattoo artist in Minnesota. The fox represents spirituality, and the butterflies represent hope. The colors are specific to a red fox. I created the wall of art focused on the flowers of joy and butterflies of hope. Graffiti artists are working together to finish up all the details and the ivy brings the piece together to include teamwork and friendship. The daisies on the fox represent new beginnings, which is for Jake and Cody and their life together.

JUDGE’S CHOICE Kerry Finn

West Fargo, North Dakota Sewing Is My Superpower! Graffiti, just like sewing, is a visual art form. Sewing gives me a voice and a way to express myself creating unique pieces with fabric. I used some common graffiti symbols along with some of my favorite sewing tools to create this challenge.

Karen G. Fisher Tucson, Arizona

Beads and Buttons and Quilting, Oh My! A selection of some of my favorite techniques to create the dense look of actual wall graffiti: skinny, curvy piecing to make my letters, tucks, and lots of beads and buttons. Paintsticks were a way to add over-all pattern to the background. Buttons were altered as needed to give me the colors and shine I wanted. Blanket stitching set off the edges of the letters, and gold beads add the final sparkle.

Mandy Fleig San Jose, California Fierce Frangipani

Frangipani flowers are sometimes given as a gift to someone who has endured hardship because this plant will not catch fire until heated to 500°F. As I contemplated the theme, I knew I wanted to paint my metaphoric wall with something beautiful and hopeful. Through the last two years we have all endured hardship. I created my entry to give all viewers frangipani flowers and a hope for endurance through life’s challenges.

Bernice Foster Redlands, California Riding the Rails By the light of the moon, in a sleeping train yard, she risked it all, knowing that in the light of day her message to quilters would be viewed across the countryside. Inspired by the cryptic lingo left by hobo train riders from the past to the colorful spray-painted artwork made by the boxcar graffiti writers of today, here is my passion for fiber art done in graffiti. The secret symbolism of the letters and numbers on the train represent my quilt guild, Citrus Belt Quilters, with 125 members in Redlands, California.

Michelle Foutch Eldora, Iowa

It Is All About Love

The inspiration for my quilt is my granddaughters’ chalk board art, which they were so proud to have drawn as a tribute to me. I decided to recreate their art in graffiti-style art quilt form as a tribute to them, using their words in their writing style, as well as the hearts they drew. I added a likeness of them in the center. I also included my initials as a tag. Their message is so heartwarming and uplifting.

Trisha Frankland Lodi, Wisconsin

$110.5 Million or a Misdemeanor You’re a talented artist, so you roll the dice: Will it be fame, fortune, and stacks of cash at the art house auctions, or will it be an arrest for property destruction? I’m fascinated by conversations around value and worth concerning artistic expression. A modern “hoodie” walks past an art-covered wall that’s a timeline mashup of references to Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, Combo, Keith Haring, WWII Allied Forces soldiers and more. I couldn’t resist adding my own tag!

Kim Frisk

Green Bay, Wisconsin Prayers for Ukraine With Kyiv landmarks in the background and sunflowers, the national flower of the country, on the wall, this quilt is an expression of my support for Ukraine.

Marilyn Fromherz Calimesa, California See My Soul This is a vision of those things I love to use in many of my creations: I choose a cartoon style to emphasize simplicity of the graffiti style, with bold handrawn flowers, bricks, and letters. I used threads to decorate my bold circles, and washers added in some metal embellishments.

Carole Paradis Gentry Tallahassee, Florida

An Homage to Home

Growing up a daughter of a career Marine, we moved quite a bit in my younger years. We finally settled in Pensacola, Florida, the place I will always call home. Graffiti Bridge is one of Pensacola’s historic landmarks, seen by many people as they travel to and from the beaches.My bridge highlights what makes Pensacola special to me - the beautiful beaches, and the Blue Angels and its military influence. The military award ribbons pay special tribute: to my father’s Marine service in Vietnam, and my sister’s Navy service in Iraq, The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

Lisa Anne Giesfeldt Sussex, Wisconsin

Graffiti Got Quilted I wanted to create a piece that showed graffiti art done on the side of a quilt shop, and how quilting terms could be interpreted by a street artist — “PhatQ” for fat quarter, a pair of “Dog Ears,” J-Roll for jelly roll, etc. Part of the fun was to see how many terms I could incorporate into my quilt. My husband even helped create a design that used my “Cherry Wood” take on the theme. And, of course, I just had to tag it with my initials.

SuZanne L. Gilbride Cypress, Texas

The Girl In Gray The hippie dippy flowers raining down are to put a smile on your face and bring happiness to us all. Peace on earth has been an ongoing theme in my life. The girl in gray represents all the people who want to live in a peaceful world.

Karen Giles San Antonio, Texas Blue Roses My father used to call my sister and me his blue roses because he said we were rare and beautiful. I miss his unconditional love, and this quilt is to celebrate his (too short) life.

Kristin Goedert Pleasanton, California Lisa G. Was Here

I was inspired by Leonardo daVinci’s “The Mona Lisa” and graffiti artist Banksy’s rendition of the same, and decided to make Mona Lisa the focus of my quilt. In my research I learned that Lisa Gherardini, the assumed subject of the painting, was married at 15 - as was no doubt the custom in the late 1400s. I thought about what her life would be like at the same age if she lived now, and reimagined her as a young graffiti artist.

Gwen Goepel

Emerald Isle, North Carolina Peace of My Heart While creating “Peace of My Heart,” I kept hearing so many song lyrics from my childhood referring to peace and love. One, in particular, continues to come to my mind: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” And I cannot help but wonder, what if the world were covered in graffiti with images of peace and love?!

Malia Graham Denton, Texas

Remembering Roots

This piece honors Makaha, Hawaii, where I grew up and learned how beautiful the love of family and friends will always be. I included my favorite flowers and Hawaiian proverb which translates to “I give my love to you, you give my love to me” because, if given the opportunity to actually put spray paint to a wall, this is what I want others to be reminded of as they pass by. I used fabric paint to add dimension and “messiness” - because I can’t imagine myself creating a piece like this without imperfections - and I machine quilted the florals for more of a rough appearance.

Karen Grover Rockford, Illinois Life To get a feel for doing graffiti, I first painted this design. Once I was satisfied, I used the painting as my pattern. It was interesting how the brush strokes began and ended. I envisioned the paint going into the mortar between the bricks. Because of that, I only quilted the mortar. Life springs eternal, and the birds and flowers of spring represent that very well.

Rebecca Haley Porterville, California Fractured

The title of this piece is fractured, as depicted in the human form. During the past two years our way of life has been fractured, changing the routines and realities of our daily life, partially ruled by mandates out of our control. The forced isolation has created some of this fracturing, represented by the squares of fabric surrounding the face. After researching graffiti art on the web, I decided I could do anything - therefore I wanted to make a statement about our present Covid condition.

Marilyn Hamilton Jackson Springfield Gardens, New York Dance Drippings I was born and raised in New York, so I am a product of the “concrete jungle.” But, from a very young age, dance was my creative outlet to joy and fulfillment. I am a professionally trained dancer/instructor/choreographer who has flourished in the dance community for more than 40 years. So what better inspiration to use to express on my quilt than my life’s breath: DANCE!! Through movement, all things are possible.

Connie Harrington Porter, Texas

Look Mabel!

While on a road trip, my husband and I visited the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. My husband left his OU tag and I left my signature “big hat girl” tag from my high school days. We knew our artwork would be overwritten by end of day, so we asked a nice elderly lady to take our picture. To thank her, we passed along a can of yellow paint. Despite our encouragement, she assured us she “couldn’t possibly.” Yet as we walked away, I heard her gleeful call to her friend, “Look Mabel, I’m doing the graffiti!”

Jill Havrilla

Barre, Massachusetts Imagine Peace You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

Lisa Hawker Bellaire, Texas Sew Peace!

Street artists and quilters often share a similar goal: to use their creativity to bring more color into the world. I love to tour street art for inspiration when I travel, so I was very excited about this year’s graffiti theme. Personally, I am at my most peaceful when I’m sewing. “Sew Peace!” channels my wishes for the world – that everyone can live surrounded by art, kindness, and peace.

JUDGE’S CHOICE

Marcia Hawks Irons, Michigan Metropolis As I pondered this challenge my mind kept returning to graffiti as primarily an urban experience, so I designed a cityscape and included a globe to represent this as a worldwide occurrence. The question remains though, do you consider it art or is it vandalism?

Charlotte Hay Missoula, Montana Teach Peace

We all yearn for peace: peace of mind, peace in our family, community and world. Peace and harmony begin in the heart of each person. We learn to find peace and choose joy through lessons in mindfulness, conflict resolution, cooperation, empathy, compassion and respect. The greatest gift we can give our children is to teach them to find inner peace so they have the skills and energy to work for a peaceful world.

Nikki Hill

St. Augustine, Florida Catisse - Urban Furvism Henri Matisse helped pioneer Fauvism, an art form dominated by vivid, undiluted colors and bold strokes. I believe he would have embraced today’s urban art and graffiti wholeheartedly, and as a renowned cat lover, he might have reimagined this art form as Furvism.

Sherrie Hockett Sunnyside, Washington Who Let the Cat Out? It was a dark and stormy night. I had locked the cat door to keep the kitten inside. When I got home, I asked …

Beth Holec & Abby Doty Minnetrista, Minnesota

Love Conquers All Things Central to our design is the Minneapolis skyline, under which we lived most of our lives. As we layered more and more rainbows, our quilt became an expression of love for all. Look closely at the binding for a secret: hand-embroidered messages in Morse code around the edges. Design by Abby Doty, machine and hand embroidery by Beth Holec (daughter and mother).

Ben Hollingsworth Alpharetta, Georgia Use It or Lose It This graffiti expresses my view of creativity. It is absolutely true that the more you use it, the more you have.

Kathleen Hollingsworth Alpharetta, Georgia The Lady Says My 50-year career as a a hairdresser has taught me great respect for the strength of ladies. The message of my quilt is to combine kindness with that strength to be a woman with a voice of influence in the world.

Jeanne Holmes Union, Missouri Sewist Power I’ve always been intrigued by 3D graffiti that utilizes the existing surface, so it seemed natural to create a biggerthan-life sewing machine busting it’s way through a brick wall. I also appreciate graffiti that draws attention to unrecognized, unappreciated, underserved groups of people. And I believe sewists are one of those groups.

Sara Homerding Las Vegas, Nevada Friends Forever The concept of graffiti is so abstract, which made this project especially daunting. I wanted to create a faux neon effect seen with many wall murals, and what better subject to use than my beloved Boston terrier, Bubba? Bubba has become a frequent subject in every art project I do. Sadly, Bubba passed away during the process and this quilt has become a memorial to my best friend. My life will never be the same without him, but the creation of this quilt brought me such joy and gave me a little bit of peace.

Lindsey Hudgens Altoona, Iowa

The Solution Is Love

Graffiti is often a tribute to someone who impacts your life and the world around you. Every generation since Queen hit the scene in the 1970s has formed a connection to their music and frontman Freddy Mercury. His voice captures my imagination and makes me feel powerful. “Under Pressure” is an anthem that helped me get through the last two years. “Why can’t we give love one more chance?” Freddy could see our salvation is love. The world’s love for him gives me hope that one day, love will see us through.

Miyuki Humphries Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan Tropical Tagging I changed the spelling of my name from K to Q and tagged it. The location of tagging is the back streets of the city of Hawaii. I made a wave with some of the letters painted to get bananas and pineapples to surf. By the way, banana and pineapple are meant to be the English letter “I”.

Maia Hunt

Madisonville, Louisiana Quilt Life Graffiti artists aren’t afraid to put their work out there for the public to see and spark commentary. Participating in this challenge is a way to share my work, and while it isn’t going to start a fierce debate it does give people a glimpse into my world. For my piece I wanted to capture something in words dripping off the background. I love what quilting has brought to my life - the creative outlet and peace it provides me. I enjoy a colorful Quilt Life!

Stacy Hurt Orange, California California Native I wanted to celebrate our dear Marilyn Monroe. Placing her iconic image among our beautiful native wildflowers seemed appropriate to me. She remains the queen of Hollywoodland and our hearts.

Tanya Jamison Houston, Texas

Girl On Brick Wall - Ode To Banksy

Inspired by my travels, including cities like Lisbon, Los Angeles, and London, where various graffiti artists have achieved legendary status: the elusive Banksy is the pinnacle of those artists and “Girl with Balloon” is his most renowned. I decided to put as much focus on the bricks in my presentation, rather than simply being a canvas for the graffiti. I pushed myself to show many different techniques in this quilt - collage, piecing, decorative stitching, rouching, fabric painting - in order to make a piece that was truly my own.

Barb Jensen

Rochester Hills, Michigan Quilters Gone Rogue I wanted to try to link quilting with graffiti, so I came up with this idea of a group of wild and crazy quilters who use quilt graffiti to treat the community to some visual fun! I just love quilters who stretch the rules!!

Victoria Johnson Stockton, California I Heart Quilt Life

This is was a project that was done with an old family friend who is ill and aging. It was a good way to have a little piece of him when he is gone. I came up with the idea of what I wanted it to say, and he did the lettering and background. I did the color selection, placement and the rest of putting it together. Thank you to Rory Pentecost for his fabulous art work - you are a true artist, and I love all of your hard work.

Claire Josiak

Calgary, Alberta, Canada Graffiti I first designed the word “quilt.” My grand-daughter Brielle said “Grandma, you can’t use that word because it’s spelled correctly. In graffiti, you have to use a word that is not spelled correctly, but sounds like a real word.” That’s when I came up with CREE8. After all, quilting is about creating. I loved this year’s choice of colors and - along with the challenge of understanding graffiti art - that compelled me to want to participate in this year’s challenge.

Denise Junek

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada If Not Now, Then When? This quilt was inspired by its title and the joyful and vibrant color. The fun and freedom of this quilt are my wish and inspiration to all of you to explore your creativity, have some fun, and enjoy the moment.

Mami Kase

Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan Quilter’s Daily Life It would be fun to see such graffiti! Japanese characters say we can’t get out of this circle anymore. But it’s actually a happy life for quilters! I also scribbled on the wall under the graffiti. The wishes we have now and the scribblings I’ve been familiar with since I was a kid. Amabie is Japanese folk monster that drives away infectious disease. Graffiti can’t be seen in the city where I live. I’ll hang it on the wall and enjoy it at home.

Debra Kerns Lafayette, Indiana

Bees On the Beat On 7th Street My version of “Save the Bees” street art on the side of an old brick building in a seedy part of town.

Claire Kerr Peoria, Arizona If I Were A ... Although I love public art, I never thought I would have the opportunity to be a graffiti artist. If I were a graffiti artist my inner quilter would come through. I’ve always loved the precision of traditional quilt blocks (I’m a foundation-paper piecing fan) and the fun and freedom of raw-edge fusible appliqué. So yes, that is me: spray can in hand, painting traditional quilt blocks on a wall.

Naida Koraly

Cape Carteret, North Carolina Vintage Women Rock

Graffiti “painted” on an old brick building showing the wear of time portrays an older, but not less beautiful, woman with white and gray flowing hair. The lace embellishments are truly vintage, for they were cut from my own 1968 wedding dress. My theme is inspired by the accomplishments of “vintage women” and by an organization I support called “She Rocks,” which promotes ovarian cancer awareness and research. And by the way, I’m still married to the same man from 1968 and he agrees that “Vintage Women Rock!”

Jenni Kornbaum Little Falls, Minnesota

View From the Backseat As a child in the ’70s our family took some long car trips. Before cell phones, iPads, and DVDs we had whatever was outside our windows to look at for entertainment. I remember this popular meme in graffiti and always liked the happy, positive image. It reminds me to be grateful for the trucks and trains that bring our goods to market every day.

Frances Krupka Maunaloa, Hawaii The Protector Inspired by a daughter’s drawing, the dragon Saphira protects this urban neighborhood. Though sidewalks are cracked and stucco needs repair, people make their lives in these buildings and care for their surroundings.

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Pamela Kuck Shawano, Wisconsin Bubblicious Fun and light-hearted = bubbles at sunset, right? When I received the fabrics, the colors made me think of a child blowing bubbles into the evening sky. And what could be more fun? Using 6,400 quarter-inch squares of bright neons and then embellishing them with painting, quilting and embroidery, I envisioned this scene on the corner of a building or walled courtyard to add color and whimsy to any downtown street. Now all I need are some cans of paint and I’ll be good to go!

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Joy Lamphere Muskegon, Michigan

A Toast To 3 Dog Night

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Inspired by the modern graffiti movement, especially the early days during the 1960s and ‘70s, I turned to music as my second inspiration. The song “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night became my theme as our world needs more joy in these post-pandemic days of polarization, unrest, and war. V.R. Lamphere (my daughter) designed Jeremiah for me and I used Inktense pencils, acrylic paint, Anglina fibers, and thread painting to give the design depth. The wall is quilted using one of Karlee Porter’s Graffiti digital designs.

Jennifer Lanak Orange, California

Destination Kindness If there is one message that I could shout from the rooftops, it is “Be Kind.” Kindness doesn’t have to cost anything and makes everyone feel good. Don’t let imperfection shadow a cheerful scene - mistakes happen, just strive to be a better person. With each opportunity, will you allow your capacity to be kind to grow? Or will your train arrive at the station empty and alone? Choose to be kind. Graffiti it on your heart!

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Julie Lane Utica, Kentucky

Peace of the Wall Graffiti art has always appealed to me. Even though it is sometimes considered vandalism, I still enjoy seeing the artist expressing themselves. I chose to express myself with the words love and happiness, and the peace symbol. That’s the way I choose to live daily, and I hope someone else will view my self-expressive graffiti and feel the same.

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Stephanie Leisering Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Modern Spray Can #2 I wanted to push myself to use more than just fabric in this mini quilt. Inspiration came from a Roy Lichtenstein painting “Spray Can” from the 1960s, influenced by comic book art. Since the paint sprays out in tiny dots, I choose to paint on tiny circles and then hand embellish those areas with beads. For the brick background areas I added textures by coloring and shading with Derwent colored pencils and then smudging charcoal to give it a grungy, old look. This was a fun experimental project that got me thinking outside of the box, and I’m very proud of the finished piece.

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Tish Leupen

Waterdown, Ontario, Canada Spring Has Sprung I looked for a word that makes me happy with more than one meaning. The spring season is so welcome after a dreary Northern winter and spring also refers to something that adds bounce to life. The word spring even sounds happy.

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Laurie Lile

Gardnerville, Nevada Cherrywood 4ever Sewer or sewist, I don’t care which one you call me as long as I can on keep sewing with Cherrywood Fabrics! A nod to Laura Wasilowski’s “tomb of the unknown sewer,” embellished with ink, fabric paint and string bits. Rock on Cherrywood!

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Teresa Locknane Wausau, Wisconsin Press On I wanted to represent something quilting-related in my piece. In researching graffiti designs, I really liked a lot of designs that incorporated flames and thought this would be a great use of the challenge fabric colors. I felt the idea of the iron was a good way to incorporate them into my piece and this inspired the words “Press On.”

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Brenda Lyseng Eagan, Minnesota Enough. I was contemplating what kind of statement I wanted to make with my quilt - how art and graffiti overlap and collide - and getting nowhere. Luke and Nicole Haynes were virtual guests at our local guild and shared their collaboration of creating affirmation quilts. That sealed it. I decided to make an affirmation quilt for myself as a reminder that what I create is for myself and I don’t need to over-analyze. Done.

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Nora MacFarlane Cincinnati, Ohio

Crumbling Blocks

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After visiting Oakley’s Graffiti Alley and going on a graffiti scavenger hunt in Northside (in the Cincinnati area), I decided to do three things with my graffiti challenge. First, I wanted an element of traditional quilting but with a twist: turning tumbling blocks into crumbling blocks. Second, I added a bit of whimsy, much like some of the light-hearted and quirky art I saw in both Cincinnati trips. And third, I tried to keep true to the graffiti style: free flowing and colorful.

Christa Marcotte

Torquay, Saskatchewan, Canada Weapon of Mass Creation This is my second submission for the graffiti challenge. My little featherweight is my therapy. Together we create so many pretty things. It looks so innocent and simple, yet when you add some creativity and beautiful fabric, it is mindblowing the things that come off the bed of this little machine. If this machine could talk for all the past creators whose hands have passed under her throat - the stories it could tell. The lives it must have touched. This is the SECOND story of every quilt!

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STAFF CHOICE Susan Mariano

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Hope Abounds

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Hope is a universal dream, while graffiti is recognized globally as a tag of self-expression; both vital to the concept of this piece. The background is gray Cherrywood on which the word HOPE is “graffitied” in numerous languages. Images are hand drawn with Prismacolor pencils and Sharpies on an old concrete wall littered with trash. “Hope Abounds” as new life blossoms in a foreground of optimism, with colorful and creative graffiti-inspired machine appliqué. Additional interest is created through discarded embellishments and a variety of quilting and mixed media.

Ann Marsh

Hartford, Wisconsin Find Your Voice I am thankful for this challenge as it gave me an opportunity to take classes with several graffiti artists. I realized graffiti is a fantastic art genre that conveys how the artist not only identifies, but topics that are important to the artist. In this case, I love quilting and identify as an art quilter. Thread painting is only one piece of the art quilting puzzle, but it is my favorite. It was a real challenge to integrate graffiti and quilting.

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Patti Matsos

Bluffton, South Carolina Terribly Territorial My idea came from a question: what does graffiti mean? Other than artwork, of course. It says territory! Guarding territory. My territory is my quilt room in our house and it means do not touch my scissors.

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Linda Mazunik Lone Tree, Colorado Graffiti Gallery Inspired during a walk with our five-year-old grandson, we discovered a recently completed pedestrian tunnel lined with only gray, concrete panels. I imagined colorful art on each one - the peace symbol of a dove flying over a blossoming earth, nature’s graffiti of a tropical rainbow eucalyptus tree whose bark naturally looks like dripping paint splatters, a random color wheel, and a sunflower nod to our Ukrainian family heritage. I hope this art piece reminds us all how we need splashes of color to surround both younger and older generations in our often-too-dark world.

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Christina Mccann Depoe Bay, Oregon Frida I chose to celebrate Frida Kahlo as an artist and woman who persevered despite great physical injury resulting from an accident with a trolley. She painted self portraits while bedridden with her monkeys as her companions. Her marriage to Diego Rivera was stormy, claiming it as the second difficulty of her life.

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Ellen McCarthy Santa Cruz, California

Homage to Graffiti Artists Everywhere Dedicated to all the talented graffiti artists/writers whose works were often shortlived and underappreciated, including Trixter, Dondi, Lee, Mare 139 and Zeph, Lady Pink, Shy 147, Kos 207, the Wild Style Crew and of course Keith Haring. Thanks to Zeph White for enthusiasm, education, design help and support.

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Annette McCusker Glendora, California Voyage!

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Graffiti writing on trains inspired Tracy McCusker’s design, a porthole view of a spaceship lifting off to new adventures as it rockets past the Martian landscape to destinations unknown. The letter “A” is transformed into an iconic space shuttle orbiter. The big outlines, the dots and drips, and the fun, open cloud shapes of the rocket exhaust are done in a playful, graphic style to contrast against the solid shapes and straight lines of the structure behind them. The writing is splashed across the view, challenging us and beckoning us to undertake new journeys, missions, and discoveries.

Etta McFarland Byhalia, Missippi

Tagging the Retirement Home “Tagging the Retirement Home” is an homage to my generation, the baby boomers. We can look at aging with a sense of humor our parents didn’t have. I love the thought of a group of senior citizens being handed cans of spray paint and creating these images. “Age isn’t a number, it’s an attitude.”

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Larry McKenney Villa Hills, Kentucky

Save the Elephants

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While on a trip to Thailand and Cambodia in 2019, we went to an elephant preserve. We were able to get up-close and personal with the recued elephants, many of which had been overworked and injured. The elephants are free to roam the preserve, living out their lives and being looked after in a safe environment. It is important to protect these majestic beast for future generations.

Debra Milkovich Columbia, South Carolina Wild Style My project is fan art celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1982 movie “Wild Style,” which captured the early days of hip hop and graffiti culture in New York City. The original mural was designed by Zephyr. (There is SO MUCH holographic thread used throughout this piece. In person, it has a lot of sparkle, but it sadly is nearly impossible to capture in pictures.)

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Laurie Miller Rolla, Missouri

Everett’s Dragon My graffiti quilt was inspired by my four-year-old grandson, Everett, and his love of dragons and dinosaurs. I enjoyed using Inktense pencils and Mistyfuse, which were new techniques for me.

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Anne-Marie Miro Tiger, Georgia Get Lost North of Atlanta on Interstate 985 is a little-known place called the School Bus Graveyard. Graffiti artist from near and far come to do their art on retired buses. The graffiti artist Nash inspired me with his “Get Lost” bus. At first I thought he was telling people to stay away. But what if he wasn’t? What if he was really trying to tell us to just enjoy the moment, go for it, do what makes you happy. I often “Get Lost” in Fabric: what do you “Get Lost” in?

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Cynthia Moosey Sturbridge, Massachusetts History of Graffiti

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Took me more time to come up with the design than to complete it. I wanted to show the history of artists and what it was they were trying to portray. From current life to mystical beliefs, all on a wall so old no one then nor now could build one that would last as long. So I think I got at least five different artists in, if not more. Thanks for the challenge - glad I was able to accomplish my plan.

Diane L. Murtha Bettendorf, Iowa My Art I doodled graffiti-style all through high school, so this theme was especially fun for me. I wanted a positive graphic statement about my art. The intentionally faceless image expresses how art is open to individual interpretation, and the wild hair depicts the unbridled creatively of art.

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Lexi Musial Evans, Colorado Blenny

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This piece represents growth, self-confidence, and the idea of never giving up. An angler fish is a great representation of this, as this fish is definitely not the most attractive, yet I wanted to create something that came across as beautiful! I based this piece off “Finding Nemo.” The name Blenny comes from a lesser-known character, the only other fish in the “fish are friends, not food” scene: Blenny is terrified, but ends up eating the angler fish at the end of the movie. Blenny was collaged using the Cherrywood fabrics, and then hand painted to add depth and detail.

STAFF CHOICE

Kathy Nausley Festus, Missouri

Graffiti Dog: Tucker While sketching some ideas for the graffiti challenge, Tucker, our five-year-old lab, cuddled up next to me. Before I knew it, my sketchbook was filled with Tucker drawings. What better way to express this sweet, full-of-mischief puppy than with graffiti! The simple design with the Cherrywood suede-looking fabrics portray Tucker’s outside beauty, while the bright colors and dog-favorite words of graffiti explode with Tucker’s inside energy. A quilt filled with fun!

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Laura Nelson Ham Lake, Minnesota Being Myself I taught my three daughters they are individuals with the strength to be themselves and the freedom to decide their own futures. This quilt is my nod to these three, who are now adult women who have done just that. I am the woman in the picture.

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Nancy Niswander Turtletown, Tennessee Be Colorful I decided to graffiti myself because I love bright colors and I thought it would be interesting and fun. The words I chose (faith, family, friends) are the things most important to me. My Krylon spray paint earrings recognize the tool of the graffiti artist.

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Tomiko Onishi

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan Lucky I have a Chihuahua; his name is Lucky. “LUCKY” graffiti is drawn on blocks and containers. Look at the poster: The amount of the bounty is this year’s number.

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Laura Palgon Johns Creek, Georgia Art Is for Everyone Graffiti and street art often convey an important social message. I feel strongly that art is for everyone: rich or poor, young or old. Art is universal and should be inclusive to all. The figures in my quilt honor the famous street artist Keith Haring, who elevated graffiti to a contemporary art form.

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Paula Paradis Wesley Chapel, Florida Time Flies

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My sister and I used our hometown Pensacola, Florida’s iconic Graffiti Bridge as the backdrop to our designs; each entry represents half the bridge, which changes daily as people add their painted messages. After finishing the book “4,000 Weeks” (the US average lifespan), it struck me I have 984 weeks remaining if I live to the average age. How fleeting is time! In the blink of an eye, it flies by. Spend it intentionally: pursue your passion, live your life, be kind in the process. Time is our most precious commodity. What will you do today with it?

Jaya Parker Hermann, Missouri

Room 103B - The Face in the Window and the Writing on the Wall 103B was the makeshift ICU room in our small rural hospital where we isolated Covid patients. As a hospitalist, I spoke to family members through the window on a phone. The worst part? Watching children cry for a dying parent. Asking what vaccines they’d received - or avoided. I explained treatments, respiratory equipment, then maybe a ventilator for transfer to larger hospitals. They cried. They whispered, “I love you. Don’t talk. Breathe.” Some days I told them there were no ICU beds available, here or in nearby states. Their world collapsed as we spoke of “Do not resuscitate.”

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Deb Patterson Minnetonka, Minnesota Building Whimsy

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Banksy is the most well-known street artist in the world. His art I have chosen to share here made me smile for their clever and artistic flair. As you follow the crosswalk up to the building you see the “Yellow Lines Flower Painter” and “Valentine’s Day” images on the same wall. The building is 3D in a nod to the original flower art. The artist has left some of his tools behind in haste to remain anonymous.

Victoria Peña Henderson, Nevada Love Is Everything My quilt was inspired by my two sons, with the overall theme of love. I wanted this quilt to serve as statement for them to continue living life fiercely. I created a stamp of my two boys, which I placed on fabric to echo the technique of the graffiti artist Banksy. The rest of the quilt is foundation-paper pieced to look like paint splatter on a wall overlooking the city of Las Vegas, our hometown. I hand quilted with pearl cotton, embellished further with beading, French knots, and lastly, words I hope they and others can live by.

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STAFF CHOICE Jerri Penney Wylie, Texas

Seeing the Invisible

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Renowned French graffiti and street artist Christian Guémy, known as C215, believes “if you look deeply enough into a person’s face, you will see their life unfold before your eyes.” This quilted tribute to his work utilizes painting through hand-cut stencils, minimal quilting and heat-pressed embossing to create a 3D brick pattern with colored pencil highlights.

Barbara Peters Burbank, California Why I started out with the question of why people do graffiti. Is it for fame, or art, or just to say “I was here?” Then it became: why do people make art? It’s not necessary for survival, but it makes our lives so much more interesting. Just as music does. I guess we humans just have the need to create.

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Dawn Piasta

Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada Be Kind 2 UR Mind

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Good mental health is a journey. It takes bravery, faith, forgiveness, and time to heal from the suffering of broken dreams and trauma. Let go of the darkness. We are all deserving of love, joy and happiness. Be kind to your mind. The statement is bold and the words are decorated with the glorious sparkle of gifts we have within. The dragonfly reminds us we can shine and share our light with others as peer supporters.

Laurie Pighetti Lakewood, Wisconsin

Peace, Hope and Love What a fun challenge! I began by layering the sidewalk gray with artist ink sticks, creating a brick grid, fabric spray and stencils of splatters. The remaining fabrics were used to create iconic old-school graffiti images.

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Cynthia Poko

Manchester, New Jersey Wall of Hope and Love

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This quilt reflects support for those standing and fighting for freedom in Ukraine. The wall is made of bricks and words of encouragement and feelings. Colors of the Ukrainian flag are used in the peace sign as a wish for hope and a peaceful future. The little girl, a nod to Banksy the street artist, offers a heart as a symbol of love to the people represented by the crying sunflower.

Robbie Porter Batavia, Ohio Shine The story behind this quilt began on a fabric shopping expedition with three other quilters. We always celebrate our adventures with selfies along the way. One selfie from that day included us modeling wildly fun sunglasses in blue, yellow, green and orange. When I saw the colors in the graffiti challenge kit I just knew that selfie was a perfect starting point! I used the word SHINE because I see us as Very Vibrant Women.

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Jo Anne Powell Centerport, New York Fight 4 Street Art

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I picture the Statue of Liberty as a lefty who is spurring the viewer with her thumb to “fight” for quality street art. By portraying an iconic portrait alongside a familiar (if obscured) half-square triangle pinwheel, contrasting with the more in-your-face text and boxing glove, I’ve tried to draw the viewer to look again - perhaps to rethink art quilts, as well as street art! (Interested in street art? Google “Kobra” - you’ll be amazed!)

Betty Price

Sheboygan, Wisconsin High Hopes My entry focuses on passionate hope a cure for cancer is found through research. Being a breast cancer survivor, having a husband who is a colorectal cancer survivor, and being owner/handler of two therapy dogs bringing hope to hundreds of patients, I chose to highlight this topic. I used fabric ink to add brick coloration, acrylic paint to spatterpainted the colors. Solvy enabled me to take scraps of Cherrywood to create fabric for squiggles. Steam-a-Seam Light on the cancer awareness ribbons and Mistyfuse elsewhere fuses pieces to internal batting.

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Teri Pyles Tipp City, Ohio

Stuck in Troy, Ohio The idea came from the many times I have been caught by the train on Main Street on my way to pick up grandkids from school on time. The train cars are the best place to see all styles of graffiti in a small town. As I sit there, I always wonder what the symbols mean, who painted them, and in what big city the cars where painted.

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STAFF CHOICE

Carol Quinn Rochester, New York Gerry the Giraffe Using a design drawn in perspective, my quilt illustrates the contrast between the dark, run-down buildings and the brightly “painted” street art. The giraffe with its long neck was a natural for the stair art subject.

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Jarod Raines San Jose, California Color! Graffiti brings color to a gray world of cement and concrete. It springs up, surprising the observer, like a flower in a crack in the sidewalk. My grandmother told me about this challenge, which gave me the chance to extend my interest in “street art” to fabric.

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Florann Ramsey Los Angeles, California Love & Basketball I learned of Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s tragic passing while attending the Road to California quilt show to see my Prince challenge quilt. Since my family has been long-time Laker fans, I immediately felt the impact of this loss to our city. I thought, what a great way to honor his legacy and that of his daughter Gigi, in this year’s Graffiti challenge! He loved his family and dedicated his time in retirement to girl’s youth basketball. May this quilt be a tribute to their memory and legacy.

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Lynn Randall Dunlap, Iowa

Parallel Universe? When I got the fabric bundle for this challenge, I knew right away what I was going to do. This piece depicts sidewalk graffiti. A portion of the sidewalk has fallen away, revealing that the center of the earth is a parallel universe. Techniques used include fabric paint and colored pencils, beading, crystals, raw-edge appliqué and machine quilting.

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Summer Rather Orange, Texas

Quilted Dreams Graffiti has always been an inspiration in my life. From tagging to 3D images, I am in awe at what artist can do. “Quilted Dreams” is a tribute to those artists. When you think of graffiti, you can’t help but think about the spray paint they use to make works of art, so a spray can with quilted wings on a brick wall felt so right. No matter the artist, we should all fly to our dreams. Making this piece was definitely a dream of mine!

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Rita Reed Columbus, Ohio

Mayhem 2022 Style

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Seeing in color, dreaming in color, playing with colors - what an unending challenge. The world is a wonderful place to share my ideas. Graffiti: An urban way to express ideas, feelings and thoughts before the internet with all its information. Mayhem: A violent or damaging disorder. Chaos. These years the virus has been a violent and damaging disorder to state, country, and all the world. The masks represent the people and loss of freedom. Hopefully these years are the beginning and end of this mayhem.

Tim Rickman

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Love Wins Inspired by some American Sign Language graffiti I saw online and being hearing-impaired myself, I created this art quilt with its simple message: Love Wins. Everyone is deserving of love, and “love” is the theme of much graffiti.

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Monica M. Rivera Carmichael, California Quizás

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Quilter Monica Rivera and artist Janis Akuna collaborated on this quilt, searching for a theme that would provide a glimpse of hope. The word “perhaps” came to mind, and Monica translated the word to “quizás” in Spanish. We thought perhaps the pandemic would end soon, perhaps the situation in Eastern Europe would end soon, and perhaps there really is hope for the best. Janis came up with the design. Monica executed the design into a quilt - both felt the other had the harder job. Yet both felt the project was fun and look forward to working together again.

Jennifer Roberts Calwell, ACT, Australia Strings “Strings” is an art quilt inspired by a painting by my niece, Rose Wilde, and by the bold fabric colors of the Cherrywood challenge 2022. The quilt brings together the arts of painting, music, graffiti, and quilting. The quilt is pieced, appliquéd and free-motion quilted.

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Megan Roberts Charlotte, Michigan

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Tag This is a tribute piece to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This is my interpretation of how a graffiti artist would capture the essence of RBW as a women’s rights advocate, as well as representing some of her famous quotes.

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Heather Rose Sunol, California City Heart Two layers of art meld together synergistically to form a greater message: art is proof of life. With the contributions of letters from street artist DR and silhouette from tattoo artist Chandra Wimmer, these two pieces work together to remind the viewer art in any form comes from a living person hoping to be seen and remembered. I thought a lot about Oakland, California while working on this piece, in all its diversity and liveliness. Moving through that city and seeing everything from sculpture to tagging is a reminder of the many ways people make art.

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Maggy Rozycki Hiltner Red Lodge, Montana Memento mori

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I envisioned stencil graffiti on an urban rollup door. The featured colors inspired me to depict marigolds and forget-me-nots, and the bright yellow reminded me of caution tape. Forget-me-nots are a symbol of remembrance, while marigolds symbolize the beauty and fragility of life while also attracting departed souls back to their place of rest with their vibrant colors and scent. This piece is a memento mori, warning the viewer to be careful with their life while also remembering those who have been lost to death.

Grace Russell Houston, Texas Rule-breaker This quilt embraces the beauty to be found in thinking outside the box, being spontaneous, and rejecting rules (and rulers) in quilting. Who says a quilt can’t have holes, that thread ends must be buried, or that all edges must be the same? Much like graffiti and other street art, this quilt features texture, color, contrast, and imperfections that combine in unexpected and delightful ways.

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Connie Sayler Eugene, Oregon Adios Dad

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While I was planning my quilt, my father passed away from lung cancer. We were all able to be with him, and he was home when he passed. It was the best it could be, for what it was. As my Dad said, “It was all good until it wasn’t.” My father had an amazing outlook on life and I am blessed to be able to call him Dad. This quilt represents some of the wonderful adventures he took us on. They are some of my fondest memories. I shed many tears while making this. I LOVE YOU DAD!

Beth Schillig Columbus, Ohio 2-For Tucson! Wanting to escape the cold Ohio weather, a friend and I took a three-week road trip to Arizona and New Mexico. It revolved around Tucson. We kept noticing graffiti and decided to enter the challenge. I wanted to dedicate my piece to the memory of our great “Thelma & Louise” trip of January 2022.

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Elizabeth Schmidt Englewood, Florida Make Art Not War

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The background of this piece was inspired by a larger improv quilt which I recently finished. The text (and title) came from Shepard Fairey’s mantra “make art, not war” used in a print he made in response to the Iraq War. Although my work is nothing like Fairey’s murals, I fully support the need for creative rather than destructive acts. Now if only I could find a large building to paint this on!

Deb Schultz Pinedale, Wyoming Bee Happy “Bee Happy” is a light-hearted roll-up door that hangs (a small pun intended) somewhere between spray can graffiti and street art. I know that if I saw this roll-up door on the street, I’d say “cheesy” but then I’d smile, pull out my phone, and snap a picture. I hope you do the same: we all need a few more smiles given our world these past few years. As for inspiration, I have no idea where this came from. All of my sketches were left behind and this just evolved. Do smile - it’s CHEESY.

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Betsy Shannon Minneapolis, Minnesota Love Love comes in every color - it speaks to the hopes, wishes and needs of ending racism, bigotry, bias, discrimination and injustice in all forms around the world.

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Beverly Simpson Burlington, Kentucky A Quilter’s Tag Of course, the plume of Cherrywood paint would not be a single color, but instead a rainbow of colors that livens up the concrete on which it is applied, in much the same way the Cherrywood competition brightens the days of both those who participate and those viewing the results.

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Lynn Slota Chantilly, Virginia Unconditional My graffiti quilt is based on the unconditional love our pets freely give to us. I have included my pets that have passed over the rainbow bridge (RIP Teo, Sam, Max, and Min), along with the current pets in my life (Zeus, Molly pop, and Pumpkin).

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Patrice Smith Livonia, Michigan Rise Up! I search out the murals and graffiti when we travel and never fail to delight in turning a corner and having some colorful art bless my day. I strove for that sense in my flowers rising up!

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JUDGE’S CHOICE Jackie Smith Bend, Oregon Create In making this quilt my aim was to use fabric and thread to express my love of quilting, in a classic graffiti style. I used thread to add texture and designs to the pieces of the quilt being made in the bottom half and added freehand embroidered sewing-related graffiti tags. This quilt is entirely traditionally pieced: no appliqué or paper piecing.

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Jan Soules

Elk Grove, California The Water Tower Graffiti can be found everywhere. Is it to be condoned? There are many views: oftentimes it is considered vandalism. In some instances, the artist paints a positive message that can be seen by all and uplifts their spirits. Water towers have been scaled and used for these purposes. Dream big, but stay safe! Let your voice be heard!

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Rhonda Stevens Farwell, Texas

Tagged for Learning

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I teach junior high struggling readers. Most have never passed the state assessment throughout their education. Graffiti usually has a statement within: Mine is for my students to know reading gives you knowledge and knowledge gives you POWER. The quilt starts with reading and knowledge a little higher up the wall. But POWER is so strong it burst through the facade down to the brick foundation leaving the walls cracked. My students’ original tags are on the design (they loved tagging it and being creative). I pray they all become powerful!

Nancy Sullivan Phillipston, Massachusetts To The Point-PEACE The purpose of art, of any kind, is to provide a portal for human emotion. Right now, in our unfolding history, the one word that is not universal is peace. Out of many design conceptions this was the most important design to the artist, and my hope to bring a feeling of peace to others.

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Betty Sutherland Lavigne, Ontario, Canada

Brush Strokes on Barn Boards

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Living in a rural area, I was inspired by the barn boards with woodgrain and weedy grasses. Using these as the background, the painted trees are enhanced by the organic textures of woodgrain. This rustic graffiti art tries to imitate nature using bold colors, while maintaining the natural texture of the wood. Inktense and acrylic paints were used to add more dimension to the graffiti with the dips of paint and the intensity of the wood knots. Fabric threads and frays were used to maintain the natural element of dimension to the grasses.

Pam Swearingin

Sunset Beach, North Carolina Welcoming Roads What is on the other side of the tunnel? Do you make a wish as you go through? We all go through life not knowing what is ahead of us - hopefully it is full of hope and inspiration.

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Chiharu Takahashi Chofu-shi, Tokyo, Japan Ninja Ninja’s main role is generally espionage, but their true role is said to mitigate combat and prevent war. My graffiti slipped back in time to the Edo period and designed “Kunoichi,” a mysterious female ninja who can be seen in the dark night, along with the Japanese scenery.

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Cindy Thompson Chowchilla, Callifornia Viva La Vida Graffiti - whether it’s art or vandalism - can be found mostly anywhere. While driving on Highway 99 in Central California where I live, I see rail cars with colorful tags and graffiti. I was inspired to share Frida Kahlo on a rail car and the words Viva La Vida (Live the Life) as my graffiti tag.

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Sharon Thomsen Naperville, Illinois Arise

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I was inspired to use “arise” as it is a favorite first daily Wordle attempt at our house. The definition of arise is to emerge, and what better representation than a butterfly. In this bold graphic, the “I” rises from the other letters to become the body of the butterfly, which is constructed from raw-edge fused appliqué and free-motion quilted into place. The background bricks are created using torn-edge strips as the appliquéd mortar base and heavy free-motion quilting to create the illusion of depth in the mortar and dimension of the bricks.

Eileen Thurston Hingham, Massachusetts Peace For my graffiti, I chose an enduring message that is always relevant, decade after decade. To make my “paint” appear a few years old, I aged it with Inktense pencils (in the challenge colors of blue, green, orange and yellow) and roughed up the edges a bit.

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Lynn Ticotsky Cincinnati, Ohio Wallflower

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In my exploration of graffiti, I was drawn to circular flower-like images, the kind suggestive of mandalas. The color palette was indicative of this Asian image. My favorite graffiti artist is Banksy, who is known to use stencils in some of his “illegal” artwork. My stencil search came up with the perfect one. After aligning the color separations in the fused circle to coincide with the design elements in the stencil. I applied the stencil image using Pitt pens (India ink) and IDentiPens (Sakura dyes). The neutral fabrics were used for brick images and the quilting done to enhance these.

Ann Turley

Fallbrook, California Sew What! Artistically and creatively added to a brick wall is what every quilter is thinking: sew what?! Along with some of the tools of the trade, there are small images referencing iconic quilt blocks such as flying geese, Ohio star and ninepatch. I was inspired by the wide variety of graffiti-style lettering seen throughout the world.

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Marie Unin

Cottonwood, Arizona New Awakening I have enjoyed seeing graffiti in my many travels: whales in Anchorage, Alaska, and images in the beautiful state of Arizona. I looked forward to combining my love of art and quilting, as I have for many years, and the idea of new beginnings as well.

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Marijke van Welzen Vlaardingen, Z-H, Netherlands Shattering the Glass Ceiling Shattering the Glass Ceiling The glass ceiling still exists. Breaking through. Elation when it finally happens. Trepidation for what the future will bring. We need each other to cheer us on and to keep us strong.

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Susan Vogel Baar, Zug, Switzerland La Vida es Chula This cheeky urban girl, Chula, was a dear and beloved companion who left her paw print on my heart. Her silhouette lends itself well to this stencil graffiti technique. “La vida es Chula”- Life is Cool!

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Nita Vono Ogden, Utah

Human Graffiti: Decorated Marine Certain styles of tattoos make me think of graffiti. JT (my son-in-law) has tattoos that are a perfect example of this He had a few done while he was an active duty Marine, and he has added extensively to his collection since being medically discharged. I interpreted his graphic tattoos, combined with an equally graphic portrait of him. Originally I planned for the challenge colors to mainly be in the shirt, but when I realized I could not add any flesh tones, I turned the color scheme around.

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Janet Walters Sedona, Arizona

La Catrina de Monarcas

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The inspiration for my graffiti Cherrywood challenge quilt was the famous 1912 print “Catrina La Calavera Garbancera” by Mexican lithographer and caricaturist José Guadalupe Posada. Now imagine a present-day graffiti artist paints a simple image of La Catrina on a block wall, and her admirers adorn Catrina with fresh, colorful marigolds. Mother Nature further enhances the design with monarch butterflies. La Calavera Catrina becomes la Catrina de monarcas.

Maggie Ward Warrenton, Virginia

For a Fun Time, Call Cherrywood! The first image that popped into my head when I heard about the graffiti challenge was a ‘60s-era flower power VW bus. So why not make it Cherrywood’s own vehicle? Of course, nobody but Karla would be driving. Naturally she would have some friends with her, the bus bursting with fabric as they bounce down the highway.

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Vickie Wassell Steger, Illinois Rural Graffiti

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I chose a light-hearted look at graffiti in a rural setting. I tried to evoke the feel of driving down a country road, warm summer breeze floating in through the partially open window. Using only the challenge fabrics, I used colored pencils, markers and acrylic paint to create the silos, grain bin, barn, tagging and graffiti fill, outlines, 3D and drips. The JoJo and Mz. V images are references to me. Other graffiti images and tagging were intended to be humorous while still honoring our farmers. A fun topic, it was a challenge to reign in all the ideas!

Machelle Watkins Jefferson City, Missouri Machelle with an “A” As any person with an unusually spelled name will tell you, it’s a constant struggle.

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Enid Weichselbaum Rochester, Minnesota

1967: Summer of Love I was 13. “Laugh-In” was on TV. There were riots in Detroit and war in the Middle East. Sgt. Pepper was on the radio. More than 100,000 hippies converged in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco. It was the summer of love, peace, hippies, and flower power. This little quilt celebrates these themes on a cinderblock wall full of messages.

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Julie Wells Cadiz, Kentucky

Fantastic Voyage When I saw the yellow and two shades of orange, I immediately thought of a school bus. I frequently listen to disco music when I’m quilting and the song “Fantastic Voyage” popped into my head. “Come along, pack your bags, get on up and jam. Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage.” Acrylic paints and paint pens, along with thread painting, embellish the quilt.

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Andy Wiginton MFA PhD Flanders, New Jersey Pop Can

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I began by cutting 1,000+ spray cans to create a new background fabric. After laser cutting, I had a pile of “negatives” leftover from the process. Stacked up, this would-be garbage was reminiscent of the beautiful layers of graffiti I’ve seen all over the world; like layers of paint representing years of expression, passion, and social commentary that often interact with each other in surprising and beautiful ways — connecting the past to the present. Like graffiti, Pop Art helps us see mundane, mass-produced objects (in this case the spray can) in a new ways.

Rosanne Williamson Warrenton, Virginia Graffiti House Graffiti House: Civil War Hospital, Brandy Station, Virginia Circa 1861-1864 The Graffiti House is a two story frame structure, built at the intersection of two railroad tracks that, in the mid 19th century, connected points North with much of Virginia. While the outside of the house looks quite ordinary, the walls inside contain a treasure of charcoal and pencil drawings and signatures left by soldiers from both armies during the Civil War. This quilt art is representative of the house and its graffiti, but not intended to be historically accurate.

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Sara Wilmot

Claremont, New Hampshire That’s So Beta I start all of my quilts by letting the fabric inspire the design. These colors remind me of the vibrant colors of beta fish. The fins of the beta are reminiscent of the spray from the spray can. The tail and curves nod to the swooping motion of the arm while creating.

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Cindy Wilson Elysian, Minnesota Flamazing! The industrial gray was the perfect background for a bright and colorful flamingo. The “stringy bits” allowed for paint splats to bring in additional colors. Additionally, it is as if the energetic and vibrant flamingo had just flexed its wings, sending more paint splats out and away from itself. The colors were a bit of a challenge for me, as was the streetart concept. But once I adjusted to the colors, they were a great deal of fun to work with. This challenge was ... flamazing!

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Barb Zeleznik

Detroit Lakes, Minnesota My Graffiti Story

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I’ve always wanted to tag a train, but never had the nerve to do it until now! Graffiti has fascinated me for years and I’ve taken dozens of photos of tags, symbols, and murals in that time. “My Graffiti Story” represents my journey with Cherrywood as a finalist in the last three challenges; Prince, Bob Ross and Diana are represented. Creating my own personalized tag – BAZ – was a blast! I used both colored pencils and ink on the fabric. Most of the quilting was done by machine, but I did a little hand quilting on the train.

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The History of The Cherrywood Challenge

Leslie Johnson Brush, Colorado

Cherrywood Cacography I imagined Cherrywood’s store with a graffiti advertisement on one outside wall, encouraging people to come in and see their wonderful hand-dyed fabric. The elements of the bolts of fabric, thread, thimble, needle, pins, bobbin and tape measure all point to the joys of quilting.

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Janice Marquardt Van Meter, Iowa Graph-iti Upon seeing the theme, my geeky self quickly thought of a play on graffiti with “graph-iti.” But what to graph? I decided to make a bubble plot of the Cherrywood challenges. The x-axis is the year, the y-axis is the number of different exhibits, and the radius of the circles is the number of entries received. I enjoyed experimenting with thread painting, graffiti quilting, and Mistyfuse!

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Shelli Ricci

Apple Valley, Minnesota My Favorite Things All of my favorite things are jam-packed into this quilt: inside jokes, crazy sayings, and things that make me smile. All six of the previous Cherrywood Challenges are hiding somewhere --- Wicked, Lion King, Prince, Van Gogh, Bob Ross, and Princess Di. Can you find them? (Note: Kitchen sink not included.)

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Anna Sitterly

Charlotte, North Carolina A Look Back in Time A look back at the previous years’ Cherrywood Challenges: Wicked, Lion King, Van Gogh, Prince, Bob Ross, and Diana. Imagery includes silhouettes, lettering in what is typically associate with graffiti, and more simple tags. Each year’s challenge is represented by a silhouette as well as a symbol of the theme in the graffiti: a clock, a cub, sunflower, dove, a happy little tree, and a rose.

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Laura Strickland

East Moline, Illinois A Witch, A King, An Artist, A Musician, A Pop Icon, & A Princess Dear Ms. Overland, We accept the fact that we have to sacrifice six months in our studios to create a challenge-worthy quilt. But we think you’re crazy to make us create a quilt telling you what we think graffiti is. You see these quilts as you wish to see them, in the simplest of terms and the most convenient of definitions. But what we found over the last seven challenges is that in each of our Cherrywood quilts; there is a witch, a king, an artist, a musician, a pop icon, and a princess. Does that answer your challenge?

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Sincerely yours, The Cherrywood Graffiti Challenge Crew

Editors Note: Inspired by the movie “The Breakfast Club”

John Trundle Clermont, Florida All You Need Over time, a wall worthy of graffiti attracts other things as well – road signs, playbills, posters for concerts and art exhibits, etc. Tags by one gang get painted over and tagged by a rival gang. Eventually, a fault may occur in the foundation causing a crack in the wall. I’ve attempted to capture all this using a combination of machine embroidery, machine and fused appliqué, and with media including thread, acrylics, art pens, watercolors, chalk, and tulle.

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The Graffiti Challenge had 386 Submissions!

The Traveling Exhibit can accommodate 186 quilts. The following pages are the additional submissions. Images may be cropped, but are otherwise untouched photos submitted by the artists themselves. Artists were required to photograph their quilt with two rulers showing the compliance with the 20-inch rule.

Mary Abby

Tanita Abrahamson

Holly Anderson

Jennifer Anderson

Mary Arter

Lisa Arthaud

Susan Austin

Helen Bailey

Michelle Baker

Jennifer Ball

Penni Barger

Erica Baron

Mary Barrette

Sandy Barron

Sharon Baughman

Diane Bennett

Judy Berg

Melissa Binkley

Doug Birkholz

Gay Bitter

Ann Black

Christina Blais

Carolyn Braun

Carrie Burden

Kathy Burgmeier

Elly Burian

Mary Byberg

Phyllis Campbell

Kathleen Carmona

Carin Carr

Nancy Causey

Mary Clark

Karen Cleary

Susan Cleveland

Kerry Cohen

Cheryl Connelly

Ramona Conques

Dawn Conrad

Jennifer Conrad

Lori Cook

Linda Crandell

Marguerite Crum

Karen Cukrowski

Cherese Currier

Mary Ann Dahmen

Mary Kay Davis

Mary Davis

Irene DeLay

Carolyn Devine

Rebecca Dickson

Karynn Dittmar

Janet Dolan

Colleen Duke

Jude Edling

Susan Elder

Luanne Ellingsen

Lin Elmo

Kerry Faraone

Heidi Farmer

Linda Feikema

Marlene Fenoglietto

Christina Flores

Susan Foot

Lori Forsythe

Rachel Forward

Darcy Fox

Caroline Frey Mounier-Vehier

Joan Fulton

Darla Gallentine

Dianne Gates-Anderson

Angie Gohn

Nita Goldman

Angela Harder

Elizabeth Harris

Pamela Harris

Kathy Harvey

Lorraine Heath

Sylvia Hernandez

Mary Hoag-Wilkes

Lorrie Hockett

Trish Hodge

Pam Holt

Rose Hosford

Kimmie Humrichouser

Penny Hurst

Nancy Hutchison

Mary Kay Hymes

Jennifer Hynes

Dawn Johnson

Joyce Johnson

Eileen Jonat

Karen Jordan

Karen Binkow/Laurie Bird

Cindy Keck

Darlyn Keller

Melanie Kemble

Donalee Kennedy

Jennifer Kerr

Arlene King

Kim Klocke

Cheryl Koehler

Robin Koenig

Carol Krause

Mary Kuehl

Tammy Kuse

Laurie Laetsch

Barbara Larson

Linda Lasich

Lynne Lauer

Helen Anne Lemke

Rebecca Lemke

Kathy Lincoln

Ka-rin Lipchik

Julie Luoma

Ruth Manny

Christa Marcotte

Barbara Marquette

Diane McCormack

Ruth McCormick

Kristyn McCoy

Neani Mee

Lori Mehnert

Diane Mezerkor

Carolee Miller

Kathleen Mitchell

Stacey Mitchell

Gwen Mitsche

Pam Moore

Jill Mortensen

Linda Muehring

Kim Muller

Laura Nedeau-Owen

Andria Niles

Charlotte Noll

Jill O’Malley

Gail Oliver

Jeff Omodt

Susan Owen

Jenny Parks

June Pederson

Susan Pere

Irene Borys Petsche

Brandy Pettit

Devon Pfeif

Jeri Polizzotto

Patricia Polyniak

Elaine Poplin

Barbara Pozek

Jennifer Ramsey

Ellen Rhyne

Keril Reiger

Tara Ritacco

Scarlet Rose

Elaine Ross

Diane Roubal

Tracy Rucka

Elleda Rule

Dana Ryan

Laura Ryle

Elisa Salas

Kathryn Sandner

Deborah Schindall

Amy Schliwa

Jana Shreiner

Liliane Sklenarik

Lisa Smith

Ann Somers

Trish SoRelle

Michelle Sposito

Gail Steward

Danielle Stimpson

Teresa Stoller

Cindy Stowe

Sarah Sullivan

Dawn Taylor

Elaine Theriault

Joan Thomas

Heather Thormodson

Alexandra Tsubota

Lili Turnell

Stacy Turner

Sue Turnquist

Heather Villareal

Marian Voorhees

Sarah Wagoner

Linda Wallin

Virginia Walton

Debbie Wambaugh

Marianne Watada

Jackie Watkins

Joan Watkins

Kim Whitis

Carollee Williams-Schuegraf

Helen Willis

Karen Winther

Lynda Wolozanski

Robin Wortman

Congratulations to ALL the artists who took the challenge and finished! Cherrywood would like to thank you for your support and encourage you to keep growing!

Sally Wright

Thank You! I would like to thank every body who participates in this annual contest. This includes the quilters who buy the bundle with excitement and inspiration, the artists who pour their creativity and uniqueness into making the quilts, the quilters who don’t finish but still understand the importance of having tried, the jurors who spend hours pouring over the submissions and making tough choices, the artists who are humbled and honored to the chosen, the artists who graciously accept the fact that not everyone CAN be chosen and understand that they still got something out of the experience, the fans that appreciate the quilts, and the customers who buy our product to keep the business healthy enough to sustain the challenge. The Cherrywood Challenge has grown so much and we have tweaked things every year to try to make it the fresh, fun and fantastic. We continue to handle all the details with a tiny staff, on top of all the other duties of making and selling our own product. I believe this personal touch is what makes the Cherrywood Challenge so special

and we will continue the journey as long

as we can. The topic for this year’s Challenge came from my daughter, Elsa. I knew it was in my best interested to listen to her 18-year-old ideas about what was “cool.” I wanted neon colors to capture the feeling of mainstream 1980s graffiti (think “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”), so I experimented with different dyes, paints and powders to achieve the intense colors of spray paint. I also had a great time matching my hair color to the bundle! - Karla Overland, Owner of Cherrywood Fabrics

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Inspiration credit: Elsa Overland

C H A L L E N G E F U N FA C T S Due date: May 1, 2022 Number of entries: 386 Number of finalists on tour: 186

Other Book Titles from Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics Available at cherrywoodfabrics.com or Amazon.com

www.cherrywoodfabrics.com Cherrywood is cotton quilting fabric that has been hand dyed to look like suede. Our exclusive gradations are the inspiration for quilters, designers, and wearable artists all around the world. Photos do not do justice to this luscious fabric, but once you see it and feel it, you will understand why Cherrywood has such a dedicated following. We start with high-quality muslin and use procion dyes to mix hundreds of colors. These unique formulas are painstakingly developed by our colorist. A team of experts oversees the multi-step process and assembly of the beautiful bundles that have made us famous. We have perfected our exclusive technique to produce a beautiful tone-on-tone texture that reads as a solid, but has depth and variety that can never be replicated by mass-production. Cherrywood is proudly made in the U.S.A. by women who sew, create, and dye a little every day.

7882 College Road Baxter, Minnesota 56425 218-829-0967 info@cherrywoodfabrics.com www.cherrywoodfabrics.com Facebook.com/CherrywoodHandDyedFabrics

The Cherrywood Challenge 2022

“Blank walls are a shared canvas and we’re all artists.” Carla H Krueger

Banksy

“Creative people don’t have a mess. They have ideas lying around everywhere.” Unknown

The Cherrywood Challenge 2022

“If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission”

GRAFFITI

A quilt challenge sponsored by Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics