Being a quilter I was anxious to visit the Latimer Quilt & Textile Center in Tillamook, so after we saw the murals we went out to the center,
and though they offer groups and classes in weaving and spinning as well (one lady was actually carding and spinning the cotton from pill bottles…creative reuse!!!), we were there to see the “doll” quilts (very small sized) of Andrea Balosky in a show called “Small Wonders” (which I first read about here). Here are a few of the very nice small quilts, all hand quilted
but here was the big surprise for me:
When Cynthia and LeeAnn and I were in Sisters a couple of summers ago I bought a quilt top which I’ve been quilting on and off
I read in the show label that Andra Balosky had lived in Bend but now was studying the Buddhist lifestyle somewhere in the far east, so I guess I’ll never know if she made this top and cut off a section for her doll quilt, if she bought the top used part of it, or just what..fascinating splice, no?
On The Way 
Oh my gosh! You might have to bring your quilt and ask the Willy Wonky guy about it. Thanks for the close ups of the show. Next best thing to going myself.
great quilts! how exciting! love the last drunkards what a fun block to play with! fun fun!
Bon, what’s the scale on the doll quilts? Dimensions, I guess I mean. Hard to tell in the photos without something to compare them to. I had a doll quilt made by my mother and grandmother that I gave to my childhood best friend’s little girl. My friend, who is a quilter herself, made it be a wall hanging instead of a plaything. (She had also known both of its makers.) I was pleased it went to such an appreciative home. It was about two feet by two feet with alternating ninepatch squares of family dress and apron prints, and plain yellow squares on which my Mom quilted teddy bear shapes. My sister’s was the same except the plain squares on hers and the backing were pink.
Wow! Beautiful quilts! Leeann is right, you might want to ask some historian like Willy Wonky about this. I love your quilt!
wheee, envious you got to see all these beauties. marvelous!
Wonderful to meet you in Sisters, hear the story, and just now discover this blog! I will make sure Nyima Lhamo aka Andrea Balosky sees it, and we shall find out more!!
Hello, Bonnie!
Well, I am simply drunk with delight in reading your story, and stealing a peek at your Drunkardʻs Path quilt! Pink elephants be darned … this unfolding is even more delirious.
The backstory: “Miriam”, the doll quilt, came straight out the bag. A plastic bag of vintage treasures: loose blocks and accompanying scraps, which I found at Goodwill in Bend, Oregon. (Timeline — maybe late ʻ90ʻs. This century. Probably 50 cents or less.) In surveying the contents, I liked what I saw as is; found no need to alter anything visually. My only design accommodation was making them fit the size of a doll quilt. I believe I used up nearly all the contents. If I had any leftovers from the leftovers, I would have converted them to potholders — potholders to sell at the (famous, but now defunct) Pine Needlers Quilt Shows, of Camp Sherman, Oregon.
I liked the contrapuntal rhythm established by the drunkardʻs path and the 4-square blocks. Hence, the tribute to Miriam Makeba, whose scintillating music offered us a similar splice.
Thank you, Bonnie (and Bill) for expanding the joy of these little sweet-nothinʻ doll quilts.
Smiling from the Himalayas,
Nyima/Andrea