Elizabeth Crisfield

Elizabeth is a classically trained violinist who turned the violin into a fiddle after contra-dancing for years. While living in the Miami, FL area her collaborations included a contra dance band, Arch Creek, and a Celtic duo, Rivergrass, with a charming Scotsman, Murray MacLeod.

Elizabeth and Nick met in the spring of 2002, at a beautiful venue in Homestead, FL, the Main Street Cafe. With Nick, Elizabeth plays contemporary folk fiddle and mandolin, dipping lines between Nick's words, and occasionally running a traditional tune between the songs and stories. Photo: Elizabeth Crisfield

Elizabeth teaches physics at Lord Fairfax Community College and violin at Ellsworth Music in Charlestown, WV.

She was honored to be selected for The Climate Project, a corps of 1000 presenters trained by Al Gore to help educate the public on the climate crisis. For more information about this project, please visit ecrisfield.googlepages.com or www.theclimateproject.org.

Handmade Quilted Wallhangings

"Antique Fiddles"
(27 x 27 inch wallhanging)
"Antique Fiddles" was the first, a prototype that promised possibilities for the fiddle quilt. The fiddle coloring was meant to give the impression of an old fiddle, whose finish was uneven. Was the asymmetry of the finish an intention of the maker? or years of being held by a musician's warm hand? or some other cause?

The quilt was machine-pieced and hand-quilted during the winter of 2004 alternately at home in Washington, DC and in the evenings while working in South Florida. I distinctly remember some stitches that went in after a meeting at Vero Beach (not on the beach... at the Fish and Wildlife Service office!) Intended as a wall hanging, the quilt measures 27"x27" and has a sleeve for a wooden dowel rod which rests on nails in your wall. It is made mostly of 100% cotton fabrics with a lofty polyester bat and brass fine tuners.

"Red Violins"
(29 x 29 inch wallhanging)
"Red Violins" is in part a reaction to "Antique Fiddles" - answering the subtlety with more contrast and almost a gilt appearance. The movie of the same name follows one instrument through many owners and around the world. The violin becomes an accomplice to exaggerated passion (love and life) through the journey, and I think I've captured that here.

The quilt was machine-pieced and hand-quilted during the fall of 2004 in my mom's house and in mine. Intended as a wall hanging, the quilt measures 29"x29" and has a sleeve for a wooden dowel rod which rests on nails in your wall. Fabrics include gold satin in the background and glistening red fiddles, over a thin cotton bat. Brass fine tuners are stiched to the tailpiece of each fiddle.

"Bluegrass Fiddles"
(32 x 32 inch wallhanging)
"Bluegrass Fiddles" uses a mix of greens to capture the color and textures of grasses in the western appalachians, but uses denim fiddles to reflect the comfort and ease of that truly homespun music. The fine black accent border reminds me of the precision practiced by today's bluegrass fiddlers.

The quilt was machine pieced and quilted during the winter of 2005 in my mom's house and in mine. Intended as a wall hanging, the quilt measures 32"x32" and has a sleeve for a wooden dowel rod which rests on nails in your wall. Fabrics include 100% cotton prints (with some gold printing) and worn denim, over a thin cotton bat, quilted with yellow thread.

Venues Promotional Elizabeth	Elizabeth Crisfield Elizabeth is a classically trained violinist who turned the violin into a fiddle after contra-dancing for years. While living in the Miami, FL area her collaborations included a contra dance band, Arch Creek, and a Celtic duo, Rivergrass, with a charming Scotsman, Murray MacLeod. Elizabeth and Nick met in the spring of 2002, at a beautiful venue in Homestead, FL, the Main Street Cafe. With Nick, Elizabeth plays contemporary folk fiddle and mandolin, dipping lines between Nick's words, and occasionally running a traditional tune between the songs and stories. Elizabeth teaches physics at Lord Fairfax Community College and violin at Ellsworth Music in Charlestown, WV. She was honored to be selected for The Climate Project, a corps of 1000 presenters trained by Al Gore to help educate the public on the climate crisis. For more information about this project, please visit ecrisfield.googlepages.com or www.theclimateproject.org.
	Handmade Quilted Wallhangings
		"Antique Fiddles" (27 x 27 inch wallhanging) "Antique Fiddles" was the first, a prototype that promised possibilities for the fiddle quilt. The fiddle coloring was meant to give the impression of an old fiddle, whose finish was uneven. Was the asymmetry of the finish an intention of the maker? or years of being held by a musician's warm hand? or some other cause? The quilt was machine-pieced and hand-quilted during the winter of 2004 alternately at home in Washington, DC and in the evenings while working in South Florida. I distinctly remember some stitches that went in after a meeting at Vero Beach (not on the beach... at the Fish and Wildlife Service office!) Intended as a wall hanging, the quilt measures 27"x27" and has a sleeve for a wooden dowel rod which rests on nails in your wall. It is made mostly of 100% cotton fabrics with a lofty polyester bat and brass fine tuners.

		"Red Violins" (29 x 29 inch wallhanging) "Red Violins" is in part a reaction to "Antique Fiddles" - answering the subtlety with more contrast and almost a gilt appearance. The movie of the same name follows one instrument through many owners and around the world. The violin becomes an accomplice to exaggerated passion (love and life) through the journey, and I think I've captured that here. The quilt was machine-pieced and hand-quilted during the fall of 2004 in my mom's house and in mine. Intended as a wall hanging, the quilt measures 29"x29" and has a sleeve for a wooden dowel rod which rests on nails in your wall. Fabrics include gold satin in the background and glistening red fiddles, over a thin cotton bat. Brass fine tuners are stiched to the tailpiece of each fiddle.

		"Bluegrass Fiddles" (32 x 32 inch wallhanging) "Bluegrass Fiddles" uses a mix of greens to capture the color and textures of grasses in the western appalachians, but uses denim fiddles to reflect the comfort and ease of that truly homespun music. The fine black accent border reminds me of the precision practiced by today's bluegrass fiddlers. The quilt was machine pieced and quilted during the winter of 2005 in my mom's house and in mine. Intended as a wall hanging, the quilt measures 32"x32" and has a sleeve for a wooden dowel rod which rests on nails in your wall. Fabrics include 100% cotton prints (with some gold printing) and worn denim, over a thin cotton bat, quilted with yellow thread.
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