Quilt Canada 2026: a new quilt, an award and a sale – 2026.07.17

Posted on July 16, 2026 by TerryAske

Quilt Canada was held in Winnipeg in June this year. I didn’t attend, but two of my art quilts were there in the National Juried Show. Click on each image to see the Instagram and Facebook accounts that kindly posted these images.

Cosmic Explosion
Blossoms Squared

‘Cosmic Explosion’ was accepted in the Abstract & Improvisational category. I’m happy to say it won the 2nd place award in that category. [You can see all of the award winners on the Quilt Canada website here.]

My artist statement says: ‘Cosmic Explosion’ captures a massive burst of energy as a star explodes into a supernova. Shards of color and pattern radiate outward, expanding across the universe. 

Scroll down to see more information about how I designed and made this quilt.

‘Blossoms Squared’ was accepted in the Landscapes, Still Life category. I’m happy to say this piece was sold at the show. I made this in 2025; you can read about it here – https://www.terryaskeartquilts.com/Studio/2025/03/16/blossoms-squared-2025-03-16/

.

I started designing ‘Cosmic Explosion’ in late 2025. This is my initial fabric pull and design concept. The original concept was to have part of the background black and part of it black & white prints. It was going to be a full explosion in a square format. This gradually evolved as I played with colors and shapes on my design wall.

.

Late in January, I decided to show only half of the explosion, mostly because I really like the long narrow format. I changed the background fabrics from my original plan. Below you can see how my design evolved. I pieced the background and quilted it, then started positioning the shards on the background.

design for background
auditioning shards
background quilted, auditioning shards

Each shard is fused to black felt, trimmed so a sliver of the black shows around the shard. I just kept creating more shards in different colors and pinned them in place. After rearranging the shards several times, I eventually finalized the arrangement. Then I unpinned the shards from the background and started sewing them in place.

shards waiting to be sewn to background
even more shards!

I finished it just in time to submit to the National Juried Show. I was very happy when it was accepted, and then thrilled when it won an award!

.

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.

. . . .

Posted in Art quilts, On my design wall, Quilt shows | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

‘Alphabet Soup’ – 2026.05.07

Posted on May 7, 2026 by TerryAske

I meant to post this a while ago, but got distracted by other projects. This mini quilt is my entry to Fibre Art Network‘s newest boxed exhibit ‘TEXTure’. A “boxed” exhibit is designed to be loaned to quilt guilds and small venues such as libraries. Each piece must be 8 inches by 10 inches in either orientation.

This is how the exhibit organizers described the theme:

Texture is an important element of art which engages both the sense of sight and touch to create depth, evoke emotion, and add visual interest. In visual arts, texture is the surface quality of a work referring to how an object feels (the actual texture) or would feel if touched (the implied visual texture). Implied Visual texture is an illusion created on a 2-dimensional surface through techniques like brush strokes, lines, patterns etc.

As fibre artists, actual texture is one of the primary reasons we love our medium but in this challenge we would like you to also focus on implied visual texture. To make things a little more challenging each piece should include at least one element of text which supports the overall theme of the piece. There is no restriction on script or language so, if you want to use Egyptian hieroglyphs or Norse runes, feel free.

I had a lot of ideas related to text and texture, but realized that most of them would not work for such a small piece. I started looking at all of my text-themed fabrics. I considered making a text collage like the photo below on the left, but it seemed too cluttered. Then it occurred to me to make a circle quilt using the text fabrics. I selected the design on the right, which would allow me to use many of my text fabrics in a more organized composition.

.

Once I finalized the layout, it came together quickly. I pieced the fabrics and used skinny black bias tape to define the circle. I fused the top to black felt and quilt a tilted grid in red thread in one direction and gold in the other. To ensure my lines are straight, use 1 inch tape as a guide. In this case, I quilted additional lines so they are just over 1/2 inch apart.

.

After quilting the grid, I fused another layer of felt to the back, which hid and anchored all of the thread ends, and gave it more body. I left a tiny sliver of black felt showing at the edges, and stitched 2 rows around the outer edges.

I wasn’t sure what to call it. My sister Joan suggested a great title ‘Alphabet Soup‘.

.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts, Quilt shows | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

‘Rippling Reflections’ – 2026.05.04

Posted on May 4, 2026 by TerryAske

I have long been fascinated by reflections in water. Reflected images are fragmented by the movement of the water, forming abstract patterns of shifting colours that appear to float on the gently rippling surface of the water.

I take a lot of photos of reflections and several of my art quilts are based on this theme.

When the FAN exhibit ‘Sacred Waters’ was announced, I immediately thought of reflections in water. I reviewed my many photos of reflections and found a few possibilities.

I was initially going to use this photo taken in 2023 at the Hullo Ferry boarding dock in downtown Vancouver. I cropped and enhanced it, but realized it was still too complex for a piece measuring 16 x 20 inches (the required size for this exhibit). I cropped it even more but it still seemed too complicated. I really like the small circular reflections. I may use this photo as inspiration for a large piece in the future.

I went back to my photos and found these three, taken in Croatia in 2013, Salt Spring Island in 2012 and Florida in 2025. (the middle photo was used in 2013 to create this mini quilt.)

I traced the elements I wanted to use and created a line drawing. The large green and blue sections are hand dyed fabrics given to me by a friend. The appliqued reflections are commercial prints that reminded me of water. I started cutting and positioning the applique reflections from the top. When I got to the bottom third, I decided to change my design. I continued the center light blue reflection to the bottom and added some of the circular reflections from my 2023 boarding dock photo.

.

I quilted wavy lines with a variegated blue shiny rayon thread. It is 16 x 20 inches. The title is ‘Rippling Reflections’.

‘Rippling Reflections’ by Terry Aske

.

Thanks for joining me on my trip down memory lane.

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

.

Posted in Art quilts | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

‘WOW Westminster Remembered’ – 2026.05.02

Posted on May 2, 2026 by TerryAske

I recently had cause to review some of my blog posts about the WOW Westminster public art installation. My 2016 piece ‘Dramatically Diagonal’ has been accepted for the Grand National Fibre Art travelling exhibition: Textures of Canada, and I was asked to provide information about my inspiration for it. I was inspired to write a blog post about it.

The WOW Westminster was a public art installation on the bank of the Fraser River located in New Westminster BC.  It was 140-foot installation, comprising four 40-foot shipping containers precariously cantilevered to form a W-shape.  It was designed by Brazilian artist José Resende and was installed in 2015. Sadly, in September 2020, the pier was destroyed by fire, and the big W installation was demolished.

I’m fascinated by the diagonal lines and perspective of this piece of art. I’ve taken many photos of it, and used many of them as inspiration for my art. Here are a few of the many photos I’ve taken during the 5 years it existed (2015-2020).

I enjoyed looking back at all of the artworks I’ve made based on WOW Westminster. I made at least one every year from 2016 to 2020. Click on the links below to see the original posts about them.

After re-reading all my posts about these quilts, I was motivated to create another art quilt inspired by the W!

I used the same line drawing as the 2020 mini quilt and increased it to 16 x 16 inches. I pulled out all of my fabrics in the ‘red oxide’ range – which I refer to as ‘rust’ – eliminating the ones that were too red or orange or brown. I discovered I still had some of the fabrics I used in the previous versions.

I constructed the W on a piece of black felt, fusing the fabrics in place then stitching them with black thread. Then I trimmed the felt closely around the W.

.

The background was constructed separately and the final step was to attach the W to the background. I mounted it on a 16 x 16 inch black canvas frame. Its title is ‘WOW Westminster Remembered’.

‘WOW Westminster Remembered’ by Terry Aske

.

Thanks for joining me on my trip down memory lane.

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

.

Posted in Art quilts, Inspiration, Mini quilts, Modern quilts, Quilt shows | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Cherry Blossom Fragments’ – 2026.03.28

Posted on March 28, 2026 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. This will be the 17th annual exhibition of textile art inspired by the cherry blossom. The exhibit includes over 30 beautiful & intricate works of art in a variety of mediums & techniques including quilting, embroidery, dying, felting, sculpture, applique, weaving & more.

The exhibit will be on display Wednesday, April 08 through Sunday, May 03, 2026 at the Silk Purse Arts Centre, 1570 Argyle Ave., West Vancouver. The Opening Reception will be on Thursday, Apr. 9, from 6 – 8 pm.

I tried something completely different this year. I arranged scraps on an 18″ x 18″ piece of fusible interfacing, starting from the outside edges and working in to the center.

Then I created 2 cherry blossoms outlines by fusing black bias tape to parchment paper over a line drawing. I peeled the bias tape off the parchment paper and fused it over the scraps. I fused the blossom centers in place. Then I fused the whole thing onto green felt with 1.5 to 2 inches of felt showing around the edges.

I quilted a grid of curved lines (using a freezer paper guide) and pulled all the thread ends to the back. Then I fused another layer of felt to the back, which hid and anchored all of the thread ends, and gave it more body. I stitched 4 rows around the outer edges of the felt following the edges of the scraps, then cut the felt edges to follow the stitching.

Here is ‘Cherry Blossom Fragments’ which will be on display with the exhibit at the Silk Purse Arts Centre.

.

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.

.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts, Quilt shows | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Online artist talk from January – 2026.03.14

Posted on March 14, 2026 by TerryAske

On January 22, I participated in a virtual talk about the SAQA Canada exhibit ‘Renewal’ which is currently on display at Bruce County Museum in Ontario.

The session was led by Sue Sherman, co-chair of SAQA’s Canadian Regional Exhibition Committee, and three of the exhibit artists Terry Aske, Helena Sheffer, and Kit Vincent, sharing insights into their processes and materials.

At long last, the recording of our artists talk has been posted on the website of the Bruce Museum. Enjoy! (You can skip the first 4 minutes while we struggle with the technology.)

https://www.brucemuseum.ca/event/renewal-artist-talk-view-online/

The session was led by Sue Sherman, co-chair of SAQA’s Canadian Regional Exhibition Committee, and three of the exhibit artists Terry Aske, Helena Sheffer, and Kit Vincent, sharing insights into their processes and materials.

My submission to the exhibit is ‘Witch Hazel Magic‘. You can read more about how I made it here. https://www.terryaskeartquilts.com/Studio/2024/03/17/witch-hazel-magic-2024-03-17/

.

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.

.

Posted in Art quilts, Quilt shows | Tagged , | 2 Comments

‘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!)

.

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.

.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts, Quilt shows | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

‘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.

.

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.

.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Pattullo with Rainbow Bubbles’ – 2025.09.28

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts, Quilt shows | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

‘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.’

.

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.

. . . .

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment