Welcome to Sally’s Quilts, a website for sharing a selection of the quilted artwork of Sally Eklund, a quilter and textile artist who has been creating original works of textile-based art in New England and the Caribbean for more than 40 years.

“Myth,” a quilt by Sally Eklund

Sally Eklund’s quilted creations are organized in six non-exclusive categories: Animals, Geometric, Man-made, Nature, Plants, and Clothing & Accessories. One example of each is found in today’s post, as well as in the individual photo galleries arranged by subject in the upper left-hand corner of the browser page.

“Blueberry,” a quilt by Sally Eklund

A Place To Be Inspired

This site is a place where quilters and textile artists can come for ideas and examples. The artist, who went by Sally Snow and Sally-Snow Eklund earlier in her professional career, used a variety of materials, techniques, and inspirations over the course of producing hundreds of original textile creations from the 1970s to the 2010s.

Asian-Caribbean fish applique with Batik border by Sally Eklund

How To Start: What Are the Typical Steps Needed To Create a Quilt or Article of Clothing?

The process of creating a quilt or any type of quilted garment or bag often includes: selecting or creating a pattern, selecting and/or dyeing the fabric, and then, depending on the type of quilt, either sewing the individual panels, which are then stitched together to create the quilt, or directly sewing the quilt or quilted piece of clothing (e.g. jacket, vest, or skirt).

vests with flower design created by Sally Eklund

Many first-time quilters find attending a group class is a good place to start, both for learning new skills and for developing friendships and useful contacts in the greater quilting community. The latter is especially helpful for sourcing the necessary materials and equipment at the best prices available.

a quilting class conducted by Sally Eklund

Alternatively, these days many excellent DIY and how-to publications including magazines, books, and online resources can help to get a newbie pointed in the right direction. A quick search on the Web will yield plenty of results. A modern-day book of patterns (which often include ample color pictures, detailed step-by-step instructions, and sometimes even the patterns on CD or at an associated website–one example is the 2012 publication from Moya’s Workshop, Purses, Bags & Totes) will launch a budding quilter on the right track.

a selection of popular How-To books at a quilting show in Santa Clara in October 2013

And here’s one more piece done in recent years dedicated to the Scandinavian heritage of Eklund’s husband.

A Norse-themed quilt drawing inspiration from family history by Sally Eklund