Bike Boys

This piece is inspired by a photo of The Fowler Sextuplet, the first bicycle ever built for 6 riders, found in the archives of the History Museum in Denver, Colorado. The team of the Fowler Sextuplet was a sensation at the first Denver Cycle Show held in 1896. Bike Boys is a tribute to that long tradition of cycling, innovation, physical fitness, and competition that is life in the American West. This complex composition of 11 figures incorporated 91 different fabrics in the fused applique base and was stitched with 114 different threads, an estimated 13 miles of thread. The color scheme is generally neutral, but accents of red give it energy. The buildings and onlookers were created with cool, grey tones while the road and cyclists were done in warmer, beiges and browns. This creates a sense of depth and visually separates the background from the foreground.

Winner of "Master Award for Thread Artistry," International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas, 2014