Dreams Take Flight

"Dreams Take Flight"

Here is the completed panel from the LEM-4 team, led by Robin Koehler along with Chris Gilman, Katherine McNease and myself.  Chris created the hot-air balloon - man's first venture into the skies, Katherine honored early airplane adventurers with her bi-wing plane, Robin crafted the meticulous Lunar Excursion Module in honor of her grandfather, who was one of the builders of the LEM, and my block, the Space Shuttle, honors today's astronauts who continue to venture up into the skies and beyond. 

This quartet-quilt has been sent to the Dream Rocket headquarters to be part of the massive International Fiber Coalition's project to wrap a Saturn V Rocket from head to toe in quilts.  

There is still time to join this fun art initiative.  Click here for more information on joining the Dream Rocket art project. 

Another LEM-4 quilt

Chris Gilman is one of our LEM-4 Dream Team quartet.

This is her quilt honoring the invention/discovery of hot air balloons.

Looking at this makes me long for a lovely Spring day (or Fall) with crisp clean air and a gentle breeze .....

It is not to late to join the Dream Team project.

You can reserve a spot in 3 different sizes:

12"  x 12", or 2 feet square or 4 feet square

Click here for more information and be a part of wrapping the Saturn 5 Space Rocket entirely in quilts!

Click here to see Katherine McNeese's LEM-f quilt and stay tuned for more images from Robin Koehler of her quilt and the assembled four quilts that make up our group, LEM-4.

USA Space Shuttle

Last October, Robin Koehler queried the QuiltArt list to see if there was any interest in submitting quilts to the Dream Rocket project.  She was dreaming of honoring her grandfather, as he designed and built the LEM.  I learned that the LEM is the Lunar Exploration Module, the vehicle that first landed on the moon. Then I was fortunate to meet Robin during Quilt Market this past fall (click here for that post).


By Market, we were a team of 4: Robin, Chris Gilman, Katherine McNeese and myself.  We named ourselves the LEM-4 in honor of Robin's grandfather's work.  (Click here to read my blog on our group.)  We decided to split our 2-foot square quilt into 4 one-foot quilts (one for each of us) and came up with our theme -- a look at man's efforts to reach the stars. 

My quilt features the US Space Shuttle, honoring this amazing vehicle that travels to and from space regularly, taking astronauts, scientists and many experiments to the International Space Station.  I have been fortunate to meet not one, but two astronauts, both of whom have spent time on the shuttle and at the Space Station.

Chris' block features a hot-air balloon.
Katherin's block is of the early bi-wing airplanes (click here to see it).
Robin is designing a block featuring the LEM.
As our leader, Robin will be putting our four blocks together into one completed quilt.  Stay tuned for more photos & news of our LEM-4 quilt.

Be sure to check out the dream rocket website at

http://www.thedreamrocket.com/ 

Join this fun art adventure...

Sign up to make your own quilt for it!

Quilting Quartet

My newest group of quilting friends includes two that I have not met face to face .... at least not yet.  We're a small group, numbering to a grand total of four individuals, all quilt artists, brought together by our fearless leader, Robin Koehler.  It all started with Robin's wish to honor the memory of her grandfather who helped build the LEM, the Lunar Exploration Module.  (I met Robin at Quilt Market this year - click here to see our smiles.)

LEM on the moon

Robin heard of the Dream Rocket project and wanted to join in -- but how and with whom?  So she posted a query on the QuiltArt list to see if anyone there was intrigued and interested.   Chris Gilman replied first and the idea grew.  I read their posts and joined them, as did Robin's friend, Katherine McNeese.  Our group was formed.  Our plan is to make a quilt together for the Dream Rocket, which is the third and latest project of the International Fiber Collaborative.

Specifically, the Dream Rocket is a zany idea to make one large quilt to cover the Saturn V Rocket standing in front of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center® in Huntsville, Alabama.  This quilt (planned to be 30,467 square feet) will unite the work of individuals and groups from across the earth into one unified piece.

The mission statement declares:
"the Dream Rocket aims to connect art and education through a global collaborative initiative .... The Wrapping of the Saturn V Rocket will recognize the power of global collaboration and in turn, The Dream Rocket hopes to inspire individuals all over the World not only to dream, but also to recognize their power to pursue their dreams"

Anyone anywhere on our planet Earth can be a part of this worldwide collaborative art project!  How cool is this?   Over 8,000 panels will be needed to fulfill this dream. These individual panels, in 2' or 4' squares, will be assembled into the finished quilt.  For 60 days in the months of May and June of 2010, the Saturn V Rocket will be cozily wrapped in this Dream Quilt.  What an amazing sight this will be!  Can you imagine it?  Join us ...

Click here to reserve your spot in this international art quilt project.

Back to my Quilting Quartet led by Robin ....
As mentioned above, Robin's initial idea was to honor her grandfather who helped to build the LEM, the Lunar Exploration Module.  The four of us have named our team the LEM-4.  Our team quilt will be comprised of four smaller quilts, one designed by each member.  We have determined the themes for our four pieces, and are beginning our individual work.  I will post updates as we progress.....

Until then, here is an artist rendering of the LEM on the moon.

Click here for the original source of this image.