Dreams Coming True: Theresa Nielsen and Her Children's Books

My quilt friend Theresa Nielsen is a woman of many talents. Along with creating crazy quilts such as one that was a finalist in the Grand Central Terminal Centennial Quilt Challenge sponsored by the City Quilter quilt shop in New York, she restores vintage quilts and makes quilts, dolls, and other items.

Theresa is also a writer and recently has published three children's books illustrated by Jake Goodgall. When Theresa puzzled over finding an illustrator for her books, young Jake quipped that if the books were for children they should be illustrated by a child!

First to come out was Pickles and Olive, in which an abandoned stuffed rabbit comforts a premature baby.

Mustard and Honey is the story of sibling frogs who frolic in a lily pond. Mustard likes to scare Honey but things take a happy turn on Honey's birthday.

Stormy and Cloudy don't appear until the end of the book bearing their names; a farmer and his wife are warned against bad weather by their cows, whose offspring are given the appropriate names.

The simple stories offer children an understanding of premature baby siblings, the love behind the teasing between siblings, and how relationships between people and animals are mutually beneficial.

Theresa has been talking about her books at libraries and other venues across Southeast Michigan. Her books are available at Amazon.com for $7.00 each. Her stories have appeared in several publications.

Theresa Nielson's Grand Central Centennial Quilt
read more at
https://theliteratequilter.blogspot.com/2015/01/grand-central-terminal-centennial-quilt.html

AQS Grand Rapids 2015: Quilts By Friends, Real and Virtual

It was cool to see quilts at the AQS Grand Rapids show made by people I actually am friends with, or have meet, or who are virtual friends.

Theresa Nielson is a local quilter in my guild and weekly quilt group. Her embellished quilt was in the Quilt Alliance Contest, Animals We Love.

Theresa is a prolific quilter who loves crazy quilts. She is also an author and mother to a houseful of birds, dogs, and cats.

Virtual friend Tim Latimer had two quilts in Animals We Love--based on his beloved companion Teddy.

If you don't follow Tim's blog you have to check it out. Tim is a hand quilter, restorer of unloved vintage quilts, and master gardener. What better way to spend a few minutes than seeing quilts, gardens, and Teddy?

Tim's contest entry was Reindeer-Go-Round, his original hand cut paper snowflake pattern brought to wall quilt size, quilted by hand with trapunto.

Two years ago Tim won best in show for hand quilted wall hanging at AQS Grand Rapids. I was able to meet him at that time. He also has an Etsy store where you can buy the pattern for the Reindeer Snowflake Quilt.

I reviewed Mary Kerr's book Recycled Hexie Quilts earlier this year. Her Quilt Alliance entry was adorable, incorporating vintage embroidery and hexie quilt.

See all the Animals We Love quilts at the Quilt Alliance website here. They will be auction online in November 2015.

We lived for ten months in Norton Shores, MI. I met three great ladies at church who were part of a weekly quilt group and they invited me to join them. The group was founded by Pat Holly. One member was Lynne Osborn whose Caribbean Sangria was in the show. It is a BOM designed by Pat Holly and Sue Nickels.

Grand Central Terminal Centennial Quilt Challenge Finalist

January 5 at the Blair Library in Clawson quilter and writer Theresa Nielsen gave a talk on her art. Nielsen's quilt was a finalist in the Grand Central Terminal Centennial Quilt Challenge sponsored by the City Quilter quilt shop in New York.

The quilt incorporated fabrics designed for the Centennial, including fabric representing the constellation ceiling of the terminal and a picture postcard print with images of Grand Central. The fabrics are still available at The City Quilter's website and store in aqua and ivory colorways.

Constellation fabric represents the ceiling of Grand Central

Grand Central

See more about the challenge at:
The City Quilter: http://www.cityquilter.com/Grand-Central-Centennial-Quilts.html
The Wall Street Journal:
http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304914904579439090413753278?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304914904579439090413753278.html
All People Quilt:
http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/magazines-more/american-patchwork-quilting/grand-central-winners

Theresa Nielsen quilt photograph from All People Quilt

Nielsen's embellishments includes beading and watch parts. Her quilting group friends helped her to collect the embellishments.

Nielsen has had other quilts in challenge shows, including the National Quilt Association's Sew Batik. Her books include stories based on her family life and her many pets, including birds, dogs, and cats.

Nielson had a Redwork quilt on display as well--with presidents and political motifs.

 The library (and city hall!) have quilts on display year round. Some at the library now: