Salli McQuaid: #101: Tweety's Dwagon, 41"w x 31"h, 2009-2011.  R-detail.

Artist 's Statement

We all have our dragons, and, like Tweety Bird, I prefer to walk mine in the sky.

I worked on Tweety's Dragon off and on for two years. After I designed the Tweety embroidery and sewed it on the "cloud" background, I was told by a sewing machine sales person that I shouldn't use the image because it is copyrighted. I put the top "on the back burner," adding to it occasionally. This year I tried to correspond with Warner Bros. to get permission to use the "Tweety" image before finishing the quilt, but wasn't able to get a response. Waiting for a response slowed the process down again, but I finally finished it anyway. The quilt may just be doomed to anonymity. Ironically, I believe it's one of my best quilts --  partly because it took so long to complete, giving it time to evolve; partly because it is outstanding technically; and partly because of its adorable subject: Tweety bird.

This quilt is #2 of of what became The Tweety Triology, pictured below:

Salli McQuaid: The "Tweety Trilogy 55.5"w x 31"h, 2009-2011.

Materials: textiles, specialty threads (metallic, haloshimmer, variegated, cotton, rayon, invisible, poly), ⅛" metallic braid.

Techniques: machine piecing, appliqué, couching. Original embroidery design. Long-arm free-form quilting.