Connie Betterley

The ever-changing colors, textures, and beauty of nature is the source of inspiration for my art quilts.  Through the characteristics of the fabric, design, and piecing process, I try to capture the essence of nature’s spirit rather than mimic every detail.  As a result, each quilt allows the viewer to use their imagination and make their own connection with the subject.

The fabrics I use most often are cotton batiks and my own hand-dyed fabrics.  The richness of color and variation of design in these fabrics reflects the imperfections in nature’s beauty and brings texture and depth to the designs.  Some designs are meticulously planned at the beginning of the process, while others are more spontaneously designed as I work with the fabrics.

All of my art quilts are machine-pieced to bring structural integrity to the finished art.  With larger works, I collaborate with other machine quilters to choose the thread and pattern of the final quilt stitches, which join my pieced design with the inner layer of cotton batting and the outer back layer of fabric.  This final process always transforms the pieced design into a unified whole and adds a subtle secondary layer of pattern and texture to the quilt.

By tapping into nature’s colors and themes, each quilt presents a challenge to express part of nature’s complexity.  Just as in nature, where time is measured by the quiet passing of seasons, each quilt has the potential to transform the viewer’s moods and emotions.