Laughter

Laughter

I am excited (and honestly a little nervous) to share that my small art quilt Laughter has been submitted to the Quilting Arts magazine challenge, ‘The Culture of Giving’.

Putting a piece out into the world always feels a bit vulnerable and now comes the waiting to see if it is accepted for the magazine. The challenge size was just 9” x 6”, which sounds manageable… until you realize how much emotion, detail, and storytelling has to live in such a tiny space.

This piece did not come easily. I scrapped about four little quilts before this one finally clicked. Each attempt taught me something new, even when it felt frustrating in the moment. I learned that surprisingly acrylic markers exist and I had no problem adding them to fabric, and they can be magical at this scale. I learned that tiny faces demand thinner thread, that I can stitch really little feathers, and that small does not mean simple.

Most importantly, I was reminded why I love working this way. When I am thread sketching at this scale, the outside world fades away. I disappear into a quiet little place that lives in my head, my hands, and my heart… and honestly, that alone feels like a gift.

Fingers crossed Quilting Arts connects with this piece, but even if it is not chosen, this challenge gave me so much. Memories, growth, lessons, and a deeper trust in my process are wins all on their own.

(Making patches allows me to work on the subject and then audition the background. I’m not a yellow fan but this yellow spoke volumes)

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My Statement that I entered:

“Laughter”

Laughter is a gift in itself… one we could all use more often. When it appears, stress loosens its grip, walls come down, and breathing becomes easier again. Laughter is generous, healing, and wonderfully contagious.

This piece uses my patch-like approach to thread sketching paired with watercolor pencils, techniques I teach because they encourage mindfulness and presence. I used appliquéd fabric, watercolor pencils with aloe, 100-weight polyester thread, and acrylic markers to build soft layers and expressive detail while keeping the focus on the emotion of the moment.

The closeness of the figures captures that unstoppable, snort-laugh kind of joy—the kind that leans you forward and pulls people closer. This quilt carries found memories of my mother and sister, whose shared laughter often dissolved into forgetting what started it at all, leaving only warmth behind.

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Until later, keep creating!

~ Angela McPherson