After three days of walking 20 miles each day, camping in a tent city, using porta potties, truck showers and eating food in a tent café with 2,700 other women (and a few men), my friend Carmen Andonaegui (on the right in the photo) and I ended our Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk tired and sore, but happy to have contributed to the fight against this disease.







At the University of Washington closing ceremonies on Sunday it was reported that our efforts at the Seattle 3-Day effort raised $6.9 million dollars and was still counting. Your donation helps the fight against breast cancer. More than 200,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year and more than 40,000 American women and men will lose their lives to the disease. Every 13 minutes, the disease claims another life in the United States.

My mother, Virginia Mae Grooms (nee Capper) died of the disease when I was only 16. I decidated my walk to her and carried a picture of her over the three days. On the flip side of her photo, I carriend the names of other women who were victims of, or survivors of this terrible disease. I also wore my pink "Jake's Plumbing" cap. Jake, and his mom Vivian, were my top corporate contributors and greatly helped in my fundraising efforts. (Jake is a cancer survivor himself, and had to have a leg amputated a couple years ago due to cancer- Jake is also a dog! Good dog!)

Another photo of "Kashmir" in France. It's way in the background in the center of the photograph.

Photography by E. Lomax

Here is "Kashmir" hanging at the Patchwork & Quilt Expo in France.

Photography by E. Lomax

Here is a detail shot of "Kashmir".

Here is my latest "large" work, "Kashmir", 54x24" (2005). It is named after the Led Zeplin song and is intended to evoke the feeling of a belly dancing costume. The sheer circles, which are made of purple silk oganza represent the veil. This quilt is heavily embellished with thousands of crystals, beads, mirrors and copper crescent moons. The quilt actually makes a sound not unlike a belly dancing costume when jiggled. This quilt won a first place at the 2005 IQA show in Houston for small abstract quilts, and was also shown in the Spring Quilt Festival in Chicago. It also was invited to the Patchwork and Quilt Expo X in Lyon, France. It recently returned home after taveling the globe. I usually sell my work, but have decided to keep this one. It is now in it's place of honor in the living room of my home.

"The Wind Cries Mary" was made in 2004 and measures 52x44". This design was inspired by the Experience Music Project (EMP) building in Seattle, which was designed by architect Frank Gehry. The EMP is a tribute to Jimi Hendrix, and the quilt was named for the Hendrix song. It is machine pieced and quilted with rayon thread. It is embelished with pearls, beads and copper. The little squares on the right side and bottom are all individual little quilts, each with its own binding and embellishment.

This quilt won first place in the Wall Quilt Amatuer category at the AQS show in 2004 and was also juried into the 2004 IQA show in Houston. It sold in July, 2006, and now resides in Tennesee.