‘Trippy Tulips’ mini quilt – 2026.01.24

Posted on January 24, 2026 by TerryAske

This mini quilt is my entry to the annual SAQA Spotlight Auction. The auction will be an online event taking place April 15 – 25, 2026. The auction is an opportunity for all SAQA members to have their work showcased to a world-wide audience. All pieces ware 6 x 8 inches (portrait or landscape orientation).

Here’s how I created this little piece.

Last year I enrolled in Susie Monday’s online course Art on the iPad.  We explored many iPad apps. I used 2 of them to create this piece

With an app called Drawing Pad, I traced the tulips using a stylus, then added colors with Crayons and Markers tools. I removed the photo and saved my colored drawing. Then I used Prisma to manipulate the colors.

I printed the image on canvas, and fused it to purple acrylic felt. I quilted the black lines with black thread. You can’t see the quilting from the front, but it shows nicely on the back.

The intensely saturated hues are reminiscent of the psychedelic colors popular in the 1960s and 1970s, so I called it Trippy Tulips (Thanks Judy for the suggestion. I do love alliteration!)

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Thanks for stopping by.

I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

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‘Pattullo with Rainbow Bubbles’ – 2025.09.28

Posted on September 28, 2025 by TerryAske

I made this piece for an exhibit that will be shown in October as part of the New West Cultural Crawl (October 4-5, 2025).

The Farewell to the Pattullo Bridge Exhibition celebrates the legacy of the iconic bridge as it prepares to make way for its replacement. The artworks—spanning painting, photography, sculpture, poetry, mixed media, and more—capture not only the physical presence of the Pattullo Bridge, but also the stories, journeys, and connections it has supported for nearly nine decades.

I have lived in New Westminster for many years, and I have long admired this bridge. It is a beautiful structure, with its graceful arched shape, intricate angled beams, and distinctive colors. I have made several artworks using the Pattullo as inspiration, and 3 of them will be included in the exhibit.

Here is one of them – ‘Pattullo with Rainbow Bubbles‘. It’s based on a photo I took a few years ago. I enhanced the photo digitally, printed it on fabric and outlined some of the main bridge components with stitching. It is 12 x 12 inches, and mounted on a black canvas frame.

My artist statement: The iconic Pattullo Bridge reimagined through radiant color and circular abstraction, blending the structural with the surreal.

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Thanks for stopping by.

I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

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Sea Life – ‘Frolicking Beneath the Waves’ – 2025.09.12

Posted on September 12, 2025 by TerryAske

The newest Fibre Art Network exhibit is called Sea Life.

The theme: “Our imagination of what Sea Life meant to us, either above or below the water line, let our imagination wander. Each piece incorporates a wet or needle felted aspect, which might be as small as a loonie or as big as the entire piece.”

There are 47 pieces in the exhibit. Each artwork is 8″ x 10″ mounted onto a black 9” x 12” mat board.

I’m looking forward to seeing this exhibit in person at the FAN conference next week.

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Here is my artwork – ‘Frolicking Beneath the Waves‘.

My artist statement: Seahorses dance among strands of seaweed in a colorful blend of motion, texture, and sea life.

Frolicking Beneath the Waves, by Terry Aske

It was inspired by this piece I made in 2020 – Three Little Seahorses. I really liked the colors I used in my 2020 piece, and was very pleased when my scrap bags yielded enough of the very same fabrics for the seahorses!

First I made my seahorses, fusing the fabrics to felt. Then I trimmed the felt very close to each seahorse. The background fabric was another scrap in the perfect colors! To satisfy the requirement for a felted aspect, I dry-felted curly wool roving to the background to represent seaweed. The final step was to attach the seahorses by quilting around the edges of each one.

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Thanks for stopping by.

I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

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‘Glowing with Light’ – 2025.09.07

Posted on September 7, 2025 by TerryAske

Later this month, I’ll be heading to Naniamo BC for the annual conference of the Fibre Art Network. 

As usual, we will have an artwork exchange. Everyone attending is invited to bring a piece for the art exchange. The artworks are displayed during the conference, and each participant receives a piece to take home. It’s a fun and random selection the first evening of the conference.

The theme this year is “Gathering Light: This could be as simple as shining a light on your current art practices or using “light” as the subject of the piece.”

Here is my piece, called ‘Glowing with Light‘. It is 7.5 x 13 inches.

I used a photo I took in 2020 at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver. The sun was shining that day, and all the fall foliage was glowing.

I printed the photo on fabric and quilted it.

My artist statement: ‘On sunny days, Autumn leaves appear to be lit from within. They glow in the sunlight and seem to hold the sun’s warmth.’

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Thanks for stopping by.

I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

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SAQA annual benefit auction – 2025.08.30

Posted on August 30, 2025 by TerryAske

SAQA’s 2025 Benefit Auction will take place online from September 12 through October 5.

Each year, SAQA invites each of its members to create a small 12 x 12 inch piece of art and donate it to the annual SAQA Benefit Auction.  The auction has a dual purpose – to increase the recognition of quilts as art and quilters as artists, and to raise funds to support SAQA’s exhibition programs and education outreach activities.

With almost 400 pieces of beautiful artwork available for bidding, there is something for everyone to enjoy! These artworks have been donated by SAQA artists from around the world. You can see them all on the SAQA website here. Think about which you might want to bid on when the auction opens on September 12th. Or just enjoy browsing through hundreds of mini works of art!

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This is my entry for this year – ‘Wild Curves’.

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This is the thirteenth year I have submitted a piece to the SAQA auction, As you can see below, I like to mix it up and use a variety of techniques.

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Thanks for stopping by.

I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

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It’s bananas! – 2025.08.22

Posted on August 22, 2025 by TerryAske

Now that this has been gifted, I can reveal this fun little fibre artwork. It is titled ‘ripening’ and is 14 inches square. My friend Heidi’s request for her birthday gifts was banana bread recipes or something ‘banana-inspired’. This is how the bananas inspired me.

I wanted the colors to be somewhat realistic and to reflect bananas in various stages of ripeness. I found this image online, which aided in my selection of fabrics for under-ripe, ripe and overripe bananas.

I made a line drawing with 3 bunches of bananas in a bowl.

For each bunch of bananas and the bowl, I fused the fabrics to felt then trimmed the felt to leave just a thin outline. I stitched each component with black thread. Below the components are assembled on the fusing mat.

On the background I fused the word ‘ripening’ using the same fabrics. On the bottom section I added a shadow. After layering and quilting the background, I stitched the components in place.

I’m really happy with is piece. And Heidi liked it too.

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Thanks for stopping by.

I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

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‘Fleur Nouveau’ – 2025.05.30

Posted on May 30, 2025 by TerryAske

Every year the Canadian Quilters’ Association organizes the TrendTex Challenge.  The fabric is donated by TrendTex Fabrics. Quilters purchase the fabric bundles and donate their finished pieces, which are then auctioned off as a fundraiser for the Association.

Here are the five fabrics included in the 2025 packages. 

This is my submission for this year. ‘Fleur Nouveau‘ – an elegant, stylized floral motif inspired by the Art Nouveau school of design. It is 13 by 13 inches.

The TrendTex Challenge entries will be displayed at Quilt Canada 2025 at the International Centre, Mississauga, ON June 19 to 21. This year the auction will take place online only, from June 2 to 21. The entries can be viewed here.

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Thanks for stopping by.

I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

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‘Neptune’s Dream’ – 2025.05.26

Posted on May 26, 2025 by TerryAske

Here is ‘Neptune’s Dream‘. The finished size is 21″ x 41″.

It will be one of my art quilts included in an upcoming exhibit ‘The Planets Within: A Fibre Cosmology‘ at Il Museo, this summer at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver.

I started this art quilt in April. I posted about the fabric selection and fusing process here. https://www.terryaskeartquilts.com/Studio/2025/04/19/taking-shape-on-my-design-wall-2025-04-19/

I set it aside for a month or so while I travelled and worked on other projects. When I returned to it a couple of weeks ago, the next step was to quilt contour lines on the felt-backed planet.

I drew the contour lines on a circle of freezer paper, then cut it apart into strips. I quilted next to the edges of the strips. Below is the contour quilting in progress, quilting completed (front view) and quilting completed (back).

After completing the planet, I attached it to the starry background. I’m thrilled with the finished piece.

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Thanks for stopping by.

I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

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Taking shape on my design wall – 2025.04.19

Posted on April 19, 2025 by TerryAske

Here is my next planet quilt – Neptune, one of the gas giants in the solar system. Neptune’s swirling gases create its characteristic blue color. Its powerful winds create the bands and swirls.

I used several photos of Neptune to create my pattern. I had more than enough blue fabrics to choose from. The challenge was to select the correct values. Since I knew the values were very close and might be tricky, I pinned the pieces to the design wall, as I fused and cut them. When I saw them all together, I could see that the third darkest fabric (number 6 on the value scale) was too dark.

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I was able to quickly find another blue fabric that worked better. It is a bit more purple, but the value is much better. And I like how the purple adds interest.

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Then I took all the pieces off the design wall, removed the backing paper and reassembled them on a horizontal surface. I finger pressed the fabrics to parchment paper, starting with the lightest values. I had traced the design lines onto a transparent overlay so I could easily position the pieces.

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After I fused all the pieces to the parchment paper, I carefully peeled the fused planet off the parchment paper and fused it to felt. Below, it is pinned to the background fabric.

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The next step is to quilt contour lines, then I will attach it to the background.

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I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday.

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‘Blossoms Squared’ – 2025.03.16

Posted on March 16, 2025 by TerryAske

Here is my entry for this year’s annual textile art exhibit Cherry Blossoms: A Textile Translation which will be on display in April at the Silk Purse Arts Centre in West Vancouver.

I reviewed my collection of photos of cherry blossoms, and found this close-up of a blossom and buds with a nicely blurred background. I enhanced the image with a computer program to boost the colors and add an interesting artistic effect with squares. The image on the right is the result.

I printed the enhanced image on prepared fabric at about 13″ x 13″. I layered it on felt and added outline quilting with black thread. It’s mounted on a black 12″ x 12″ wrapped canvas. I titled it ‘Blossoms Squared‘.

The exhibit will be on display Wednesday, April 09 through Sunday, May 04, 2025 at the Silk Purse Arts Centre, 1570 Argyle Ave., West Vancouver.

The Opening Reception will be on Thursday, Apr. 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

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I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday.

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