My Story
The subject matter of my work is far ranging, intended to provoke a smile or introspection. My designs are conceptualized through weeks of rumination and carried out with a good dose of improvisation and whimsy.
I attended the Beaver Island Quilt Retreat for many years and it was there that Gwen Marston learned of my work. Gwen was my mentor and inspired me to be true to my own personal style.
Photo credit to the beloved Susan Shipstead
Contact me by email at [email protected]
Follow me on Instagram @karenbduling
I attended the Beaver Island Quilt Retreat for many years and it was there that Gwen Marston learned of my work. Gwen was my mentor and inspired me to be true to my own personal style.
Photo credit to the beloved Susan Shipstead
Contact me by email at [email protected]
Follow me on Instagram @karenbduling
Newspapers
My quilt "Catnado" was featured
in the Los Angeles Times.
Exhibits
""United Stripes" has been juried into the Maximalism Exhibit at Modern Quilt Guild's QuiltCon 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
"Gwenny's Wood Pile" and "Don't Commit Too Soon" have been selected for the exhibit Personal Expression: The Legacy of Gwen Marston, showing at the New England Quilt Museum through the end of 2023.
"Weathering the Storm" was included in the Fiber Art Now "Excellence in Quilts" exhibit, Fall of 2022 at the Iowa Quilt Museum
"Languishing Looks Like This" was selected to travel with the "Best of QuiltCon 2022".
""Liar, Liar, Coal on Fire" was accepted for the exhibition "Quilt + Resist: Art, Politics, Storytelling" at the Woman Made Gallery, Chicago Illinois, November 9-December 1, 2018.
"Catnado" was shown at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in Sisters, Oregon, 2016.
"Catnado" toured the country with the Best of QuiltCon 2016 Traveling Exhibit.
My work was exhibited at the "Art Quilt Invitational" exhibit at the Bonifas Art Center in Escanaba, Michigan-- Fiber Arts and Making the Cut, January- March 2014.
"Fish Squared" was included in an exhibit featuring medallion-style quilts curated by Gwen Marston and shown at the American Quilter's Society show in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012.
"Gwenny's Wood Pile" and "Don't Commit Too Soon" have been selected for the exhibit Personal Expression: The Legacy of Gwen Marston, showing at the New England Quilt Museum through the end of 2023.
"Weathering the Storm" was included in the Fiber Art Now "Excellence in Quilts" exhibit, Fall of 2022 at the Iowa Quilt Museum
"Languishing Looks Like This" was selected to travel with the "Best of QuiltCon 2022".
""Liar, Liar, Coal on Fire" was accepted for the exhibition "Quilt + Resist: Art, Politics, Storytelling" at the Woman Made Gallery, Chicago Illinois, November 9-December 1, 2018.
"Catnado" was shown at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in Sisters, Oregon, 2016.
"Catnado" toured the country with the Best of QuiltCon 2016 Traveling Exhibit.
My work was exhibited at the "Art Quilt Invitational" exhibit at the Bonifas Art Center in Escanaba, Michigan-- Fiber Arts and Making the Cut, January- March 2014.
"Fish Squared" was included in an exhibit featuring medallion-style quilts curated by Gwen Marston and shown at the American Quilter's Society show in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012.
Contests
"Klee for a Day", "Mutant Marigolds" and "Linear Clouds" have been juried into the Modern Quilt Guild's QuiltCon 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona
"Friends" was named a Semi-Finalist in the American Quilters Society contest in Grand Rapids Michigan 2024.
"Stuffed Crumbs", "Upside Down" and "United Stripes" have been juried into the Modern Quilt Guild's QuiltCon 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina
Stuffed Crumbs, Weathering the Storm, and Languishing Looks Like this are named Semi-finalists in the American Quilters Society contest in Grand Rapids Michigan 2023.
"Languishing Looks Like This" and "Ella's Pride" have been juried into the Modern Quilt Guild's International Show, QuiltCon, in Phoenix Arizona 2022.
"House of Cards" and "View from the Sidewalk" are named Semi-finalists in the American Quilters Society contest in Grand Rapids Michigan 2022. "House of Cards" has been awarded First Place in the Modern Quilts category.
"Equal but not Equal" has been juried into the Modern Quilt Guild's International Show, QuiltCon, in Austin Texas- February 2020.
"Equal but not Equal" was named a Semi-Finalist in the American Quilters Society contest in Paducah, Kentucky, September 2019.
"Sunup", "A Herd of Turtles on a Drunkard"s Path" and "Green Flowers" were named Semi-Finalists in the American Quilters Society contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 2019.
"Buzzen Dutter Rolls" and "Bee in Lavender" were named semi-finalists in the American Quilters Society contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan, August, 2018.
"Save the Fishing Cats", "Dog Census", and "Celebrate Diversity" were named semi-finalists in the American Quilters Society contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan, August, 2017.
"Catnado" was a semi-finalist in the American Quilters Society contests in Paducah, September, 2017 and Des Moines, October, 2017.
"Kitty-cat Plaid" was a semi-finalist in the American Quilters Society contests in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jan. 2015 and the AQS Syracuse contest, July, 2015.
"Catnado" and "Gwenny's Woodpile" were accepted by a panel of jurors to be shown at the Modern Quilt Guild's QuiltCon 2016 in Pasadena, California. "Catnado" was judged a winner and awarded 2nd place in the EZ Quilting Triangle Challenge.
"Gwenny's Woodpile" was a semi-finalist in the American Quilters Society Show in Grand Rapids, 2016.
"Rockslide" was judged a winner and awarded 3rd place in the category "Wall Quilts- Home Machine Quilted" at the American Quilters Society Show in Chattanooga, September, 2016.
"Languishing Looks Like This" and "Ella's Pride" have been juried into the Modern Quilt Guild's International Show, QuiltCon, in Phoenix Arizona 2022.
"House of Cards" and "View from the Sidewalk" are named Semi-finalists in the American Quilters Society contest in Grand Rapids Michigan 2022. "House of Cards" has been awarded First Place in the Modern Quilts category.
"Equal but not Equal" has been juried into the Modern Quilt Guild's International Show, QuiltCon, in Austin Texas- February 2020.
"Equal but not Equal" was named a Semi-Finalist in the American Quilters Society contest in Paducah, Kentucky, September 2019.
"Sunup", "A Herd of Turtles on a Drunkard"s Path" and "Green Flowers" were named Semi-Finalists in the American Quilters Society contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 2019.
"Buzzen Dutter Rolls" and "Bee in Lavender" were named semi-finalists in the American Quilters Society contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan, August, 2018.
"Save the Fishing Cats", "Dog Census", and "Celebrate Diversity" were named semi-finalists in the American Quilters Society contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan, August, 2017.
"Catnado" was a semi-finalist in the American Quilters Society contests in Paducah, September, 2017 and Des Moines, October, 2017.
"Kitty-cat Plaid" was a semi-finalist in the American Quilters Society contests in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jan. 2015 and the AQS Syracuse contest, July, 2015.
"Catnado" and "Gwenny's Woodpile" were accepted by a panel of jurors to be shown at the Modern Quilt Guild's QuiltCon 2016 in Pasadena, California. "Catnado" was judged a winner and awarded 2nd place in the EZ Quilting Triangle Challenge.
"Gwenny's Woodpile" was a semi-finalist in the American Quilters Society Show in Grand Rapids, 2016.
"Rockslide" was judged a winner and awarded 3rd place in the category "Wall Quilts- Home Machine Quilted" at the American Quilters Society Show in Chattanooga, September, 2016.
Magazines
"Weathering the Storm" has been selected to appear in the 2022 Fall issue of Fiber Art Now featuring Excellence in Quilting.
Stuffed Crumbs was selected to be one of the dozen or so quilts from the 2024 QuiltCon show in Raleigh NC to be featured in the QuiltCon magazine.
|
"Klee for a Day" has been selected as one of the show quilts to be featured in the 2025 QuiltCon magazine.
"Languishing Looks Like This" was selected to be one of a dozen show quilts to appear in the 2022 QuiltCon Magazine. This quilt is going on the road with "The Best of QuiltCon 2022" and will appear at shows across the country.
|
The Spring 2024 issue of Quilting Arts magazine features an article about the contributions of older quilters to the modern quilt movement. The article is written by Frances O'Roark Dowell and includes tributes to Gwen Marston and photos of a couple of my quilts. "It's time to honor the contributions of older women to the modern quilt movement. After all, they're the ones who invented it".
The August 2012 issue of The Quilt Life Magazine features my early work and my "Quilting for the Paws" project in an article written by Darra Williamson.
Issue No. 5 of Simply Moderne features my quilt, "Catnado" in an article about the Modern Quilt Guild's QuiltCon 2016.
Books
Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century- "Gwenny's Wood Pile" and "Catnado" are included in this collectible, hardcover book which honors the genre's past, present and future. I am honored to have my work included in this book. The book is published by the Modern Quilt Guild and is available from the Modern Quilt Guild shop or on amazon.com .
Liberated Medallion Quilts- My work is shown in Gwen Marston's book on medallion-style quilts, published by the American Quilter's Society. It's a fish quilt!
Free Range Triangle Quilts- Two of my quilts are shown in Gwen Marston's book featuring triangle shapes.
Quilting for the Paws- This book is full of my early work.
Liberated Medallion Quilts- My work is shown in Gwen Marston's book on medallion-style quilts, published by the American Quilter's Society. It's a fish quilt!
Free Range Triangle Quilts- Two of my quilts are shown in Gwen Marston's book featuring triangle shapes.
Quilting for the Paws- This book is full of my early work.
Published in 2014 by the American Quilters Society, my book features patterns for canine and feline shapes. It is out of print and no longer available commercially.
Our dog, Merle, was adopted from the Ingham County Animal Control Shelter. Merle is now somewhat famous, being the creator of "Merle's Tips" in my book "Quilting for the Paws". Merle is no longer with us, but his memory and quilting tips live on.