Helen Keenan

Gallery

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Gallery 1 Colour series

 

The quilts in this gallery are all made using free-cutting and piecing methods which have evolved over several years to become my preferred way of working.  Colour has always been of primary importance to me, and indeed is the first thing which draws me to a quilt. I find freely cutting my fabrics both liberating and exhilarating, and above all it allows me to experiment with fabrics of a wide variety of colour, scale of design and texture.  I enjoy the discipline of incorporating unusual and challenging fabrics, and indeed it is often these which give the final piece it’s zing.

 

Gallery 2 Horizons

 

The first of these quilts, Horizons – Desert, was made several years ago.  I wanted to make a wall-hanging use every scrap of a very precious piece of striped silk. Cutting it carefully into strips, and mixing it with a few choice fabrics, I was able to create just the quilt I was after.  Since then I have used this method to make many quilts, some of which are pictured here.  Over time I have become much bolder in my choice of fabrics, have used raw edges to great effect, and a mixture of hand and machine quilting to engage the viewer on a more intimate level.