In the limelight: Janet Treen

In the Limelight is about quilters and non-quilters who inspire me, teach me something I didn't know, do something I would like to learn, create vision and ideas to flow on and inspire others to do the same, wherever they live. It can be an avid art quilter, somebody who does the most amazing things with fabric, or somebody who is totally into hand quilting, an author or a special blogger. This time the limelight is on Janet Treen.

I met Janet through Celebrate Hand quilting, a shared blog where hand quilters write about their passion. I noticed the posts of Janet and started to follow her. She wrote about her trapunto and her tiny handquilting stitches. She can be a perfectionist like me, and can let go on other issues. And I never even spoke to her, as she is living in Australia and I only met her through blogging. I would love to sit at her kitchen table and discuss our ways of doing things, checking out why the negative space is good or not, and whether mull or organdy is better for trapunto by hand. Hey, some things are important in life!

Let me show you what I mean. See this Coxcomb and Currants quilt Janet designed herself on base of an antique quilt [sorry Janet! More impressed now!]. Done by hand. Not too impressed?

Coxcombs and Currants in progress by Janet Treen

Now look at this. Tiny trapunto, filled with yarn, bit by bit. Took her a lot of time in front of the telly, she wrote. Tiny perfect circles, softly stuffed to create a great contrast in high and low. I love this. This is what quilting is about for me. The yellow you see is just the marking. Don't worry, it will wash out. She proofed that in the other blocks!

Detail Coxcombs and Currants by Janet Treen

And then her hand quilting. This Kaffe Fassett pattern Quilt Romance is just amazing in color. 

Quilt Romance by Janet Treen

But the quilt would not be this beautiful without the amazing hand quilting. Tiny stitches, and the guts to quilt in a contrasting thread, so the stitches stand out, visible for all to see. For me, that was a big step when I did that the first time. Don't know what it means to her, but I think her stitches are gorgeous!

Detail of Quilt Romance by Janet Treen

She is also working on Trailing Vines, where each leaf is built up from several scraps. It's her own interpretation of Susan McCord's vine quilt, and she wrote a pattern for it. If I only could do that! She makes me think that I should at least give it a try once...

Trailing Vines by Janet Treen

And sometimes she writes a post that's not about quilting, but it inspires me a lot. This post stayed with me for a long time after I read it.

She inspires me a lot, just by reading her blog. It's a pity half a world and a 36 hours flight is between me and her kitchen table, so I could help her quilt in a frame and she could help me how to write a quilt pattern. I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do!

Have fun quilting!
Annemart

P.S. Janet does know who I am, but that's it. She didn't pay me, bribe me or asked me to write this. I only asked her for permission to use the pictures from her blog. I could be desert skiing in the Sahara without skis, and she would live happily ever after. It's just that she uses techniques I love to do too and that inspires me. Period.