Lady Hawk Designs

This quilt was a tribute to a dear departed friend, who lived down the road from me. She was the first 'quilting friend' I made when I moved to the desert, and at her invitation I joined her guild, of which I'm still a member. She had a wonderful Saguaro cactus in front of her property, which, at Christmas time, would be covered with thousands of tiny twinkle lights. (Her family loved her very much, to decorate a very large prickly cactus! Count your blessings next time you have to decorate a tree - at least it isn't covered with sharp needles!) This cactus was a sight to behold - you could see it from miles away..... This simple design is quick and easy to make for the holidays or any time. Simple bonding techniques create the wall and luminaries in no time. I’ve taken the guesswork out of the 3-D looking wall and luminaries with carefully designed full size templates and instructions for laying them out. The cactus are understated ‘Christmas’ – a simple serene embellishment of tiny crystal ‘lights’ adorn the cactus on this piece. These crystals are just fabulous – they come with special ‘glue’ already on the crystals, so you just place them where you want them and press with a hot iron or 'jewel' tool to adhere in place. These crystals reflect light beautifully.

It was inspired by our evening walks in the desert.... Each evening when we walked our dogs, we'd try to go just as the sun was going down, so we could see what color the mountains would turn that evening. One evening my dear hubby, Jerry, suggested, "You should make a quilt of that." This was the beginning of LadyHawk designs.... the first quilt in my line of original designs. It features easy 2 layer chenille techniques which are clearly explained and illustrated in the pattern. This design is stitched together using raw edge appliqué - a fast and super easy method that creates lots of texture in the design. Also included in this design is an introduction to free-motion stitching to 'draw' plants and embellish the quilt.

One of my favorite things about the desert is the lizards - I just love the little creatures! Many of them have such beautiful markings and sheen, which I prefer to think of as 'embellishments'. So I created this quilt with some very unique embellishments, to mimic the 'flash' you see when one of these guys dash by.

This striking design is surprisingly easy to create. It was inspired by a particularly spectacular sunset in the desert. Anyone who visits or lives in the desert quickly learns that all that 'dust' makes for some incredible sunsets. It features raw edge appliqué and my simple ‘thread drawing’ technique. All the trees and bushes are created entirely from thread! This pattern contains complete instructions on using water soluble stabilizer and your sewing machine to create these versatile plants. When the trees are completed and the stabilizer is washed away, you attach the trees to the quilt where you like them. This technique is one of my most popular, and is the perfect way to practice your free-motion stitching in a non-threatening environment! The saguaro cactus is made realistic with the use of a twin needle to create pin tucks (ridges) in the cactus.