Like the ‘Everyday Balloons’ quilt, Round Bales was inspired simultaneously by the frame in which it is housed and the then-recent find of numerous types of fabric remnants containing all kinds of circles and dots. The frame for this piece and for Everyday Balloons were originally intended to be components in a woodworking project. However, as we moved along in that project we decided that these elements no longer fit the look of the piece. But we didn’t want to waste such beautiful Peruvian walnut pieces or all of the work we had put into their cutting, planing, sanding, and so forth. That is when I decided that I would use them as quilt frames. Their small size gave me a new limitation to help focus my work. And having just raided the remnants bin at my local fabric store, and having returned with scads of circles and dots to work with, I set about creating ‘abstract’ designs to fit these two small frames. But the abstract part of the mission didn’t last very long. As soon as I began experimenting with fabric combinations, I began to see ‘realistic’ pictures. Round Bales was born. It is a sort of ‘prototype’ quilt, as I was inspired enough by the idea and the outcome to start planning a larger (if more toned down) version. This quilt is made of spandex and nylon and measures 14” x 8 1/2”, squeezing out a bit from its frame, which measures 12” x 12” . The frame is Peruvian Walnut, with lap joints affixed by White Oak dowels, all with a polyurethane finish. The ‘backer’ behind the frame, measuring 12” x 15” is made from microsuede. All of the stitching is by hand.