Fox Creek Blue, art quilt using cotton fabrics handpainted & monoprinted by the artist. Machine pieced and quilted. 2005. Size: 53"h x 26"w

Astrid Hilger Bennett paints and prints all of her own cotton fabrics using Procion fiber reactive dyes. "I make a point of using only my own dyed fabrics in my art quilts. Occasionally, a piece of suitable, commercially printed fabric makes its way into the arrangement of backing fabrics, and the backing is often artistically interesting. I usually start out with white cotton broadcloth fabric. I employ Procion mx fiber reactive dyes for various techniques: hand painting, monoprinting, screen printing, batik or immersion dyeing. The fabrics are assembled and machine quilted; batting is 100% needle-punched cotton. Most of my works are fairly large in scale. Sometimes I'll work in modular form to achieve an even larger scale."

She is an award-winning fiber artist who makes abstract, painterly art quilts and has been featured in Quilting Arts. Astrid is a color-lover and hopes that her work adds a lively spark to your own home environment. She is a resident of Iowa City, a member of the Surface Design Association and Studio Art Quilt Associates, and has been associated with Iowa Artisans Gallery since it started in 1984.