Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill :: MMF & MQG Winner!

Hello everyone! I am incredibly honored to both be a guest blogger today and one of three winners of the recent Modern Quilt Guild/Michael Miller Fabric Challenge using the Petal Pinwheels collection.

*Me and my partner-in-crime (my dog, Whitney) in my studio

Having majored in graphic design in college, I have always been drawn to all things design. I remember first seeing quilts by Gee’s Bend and Denyse Schmidt in publications about 10 years ago. I purchased modern quilting books and always told myself “one day I’ll make a quilt”. At the time, I was really intimidated to just dive in. Fortunately, the books didn’t just collect dust on the bookshelf. An interactive children’s exhibit I designed about five years ago was heavily influenced by the patterns and stitching in many modern quilts. Those books were a major source of inspiration.

About two years ago I had a strong urge to find something to focus my energy on outside of my full-time job. I decided one day, after a co-worker showed me a quilt he just finished, that it was time to dive in. That night, I went home, cracked open a quilting book and made a list of materials I needed to purchase the next day so I could get started. After that, I was hooked.

My full-time hobby is now quilting and I try to spend at least an hour each day in my studio (one of the converted bedrooms in my home). Quilting is a source of therapy and mindfulness for me. It keeps me in the present moment and quiets my mind. I am grateful to have discovered it and the modern quilting community. 

*Me sewing at a recent quilting workshop 
*Photo credit: Parthena Wollen

What’s next? As a designer at heart, I’ve always been drawn to patterns and color. I have started to design and create my own quilt and fabric patterns. I always carry a sketchbook with me and then finalize designs in Adobe Illustrator. 

*Picnic Petals Quilt

*front: detail

*back: detail

The inspiration for my quilt, Picnic Petals, was the Petal Pinwheels fabric collection as a whole, but specifically the Tile Pile pattern. Going into the challenge, I looked at a lot of photos of pinwheels, flowers and sketched elements of these objects to study how I could convey organic shapes and movement in my quilt. As a relatively new quilter, this was the first time I worked with curved elements. This challenge encouraged me to work with fabric patterns and techniques I might not normally work with. Many thanks to MichaelMiller Fabrics and The Modern Quilt Guild.

~Sheri

 BrainCraftDesign