Meet Debra Jalbert

I have been a guild member since 2013 (serving two terms as Vice President) and have been quilting for 23 years. Wow, that’s awhile. I leaned how to quilt by following patterns in books for 19 years. In 2012 I challenged myself to go an entire year making my own designs. Never thought I’d get through one quilt - never mind a whole year. Well, it’s been 4 years and I’m still going. I find it gives me so much freedom as well as a serious mind challenge.

My absolute favorite quilt is always the quilt I am just finishing. Never fails.  So I asked my daughter her favorite, it is this double-sided quilt that’s been washed to soft.

Currently I’m working on an Art Deco Quilt Project. I just finished piecing the second in the series and I’m now debating about making a third in all solids.  Here is Art Deco #1

Inspirations. Well, for  ‘Sewlebrities’ I enjoy the work of Jacquie Gering, I appreciate both her quilts and admire her leadership of the MQG as she is a constant encourager.

I also love Love LOVE looking at quilts by other Orlando MQG and MQG members at meetings and at Quiltcon.  The internet and Instagram are cool and all to look at quilt photos, but nothing beats seeing it in person! Funny Story; I voted for the same quilter for People’s Choice at Quiltcon both in 2015 and 2016 without realizing it. Katherine Jones of the Tasmania MQG made ‘CPU and ‘Thoroughly Modern Jacquie’, so she is an inspiration to me. One more quilting inspiration is Cath Brough, (cumbrianlongarmer on IG) as I continue to learn to longarm.

Creative process? Well, pretty simple really, sometimes I take a photo that inspires me to make a quilt.  But generally I take out a pencil and some graph paper to sketch out some ideas.  My notebooks are a hot mess! They are non sequential and sometimes one quilt plan is in different notebooks. Many times while I’m walking Bear (our humongo Golden Doodle), is when an idea takes more vivid shape, so I go home to sketch it out.  I also like to sneak Bear into some of my quilt photos.

What’s next, well hopefully as I am writing this my Madeofhonorquilts blog is magically turning into a website. I want to do much more longarm quilting and sewing quilts from wedding dresses.  I have an idea to combine a wedding dress and a red prom dress if I ever get to it.