The Distoriated Quilter ~ Janice Paine-Dawes

Karen's Challenge - Sticking a Fork in it...Which orientation do you prefer?

2012-02-14T17:04:00.000-06:00

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Apx. finished size is 18 x 24 inches. Off the wall to have an even number of blocks with apx. equal spacing. I think it is balanced by one block being very busy and the other with larger spaces. I won't be squaring this up. I like to let an art quilt find its own edges.

Samplers

2012-02-12T10:43:00.000-06:00

I adore vintage samplers. I'm not sure how vintage this one is but I LOVE it. It will be pressed and framed for my studio. The photo with my hand is for size reference.

I am a feminist from way back and have always tried to live this motto. It was also something I instilled in my daughter. You can be pink and feminine like the flowers here but sometimes you have to be hard as wood like the brown in the lettering.

Arts In The Cards: The scarlet letters

2012-01-30T10:13:00.000-06:00

Arts In The Cards: The scarlet letters: I was really at a loss for an inspiration and then I thought of the "Scarlet Letter". I was going to do a big "A" for everyone for 'a...

karen's Challenge #2

2012-01-18T09:45:00.000-06:00

Here is some of the cutting and stitching I accomplished yesterday. I see similar elements coming forward in the work that has been done so far.

I used my favorite Inktense pencils on the ugly fabric, picking up some of the hues from the scraps. "Well, I never really thought it was ugly, but I like how this looks with the added colors." I'm not sure how it will be used but the raw fabric is in small pieces in the other blocks, too.

I've worked this way before so it isn't really anything new for me. Those who know me, know that I don't follow rules well and usually work serendipitously. Maybe I shouldn't have joined Karen's challenge since even following any of the non-rules in the book seems like rules to me. It did get me back to the sewing machine and design wall, so its a good thing.

Karen's Challenge

2012-01-17T14:40:00.000-06:00

I am imposing a rule on myself that wasn't one of Karen's for the challenge. I will only use bits and bobs that have been stashed in the basket by the cutting table. Here are some of the fabrics I've pulled out to start cutting and stitching. I LOVE scrap quilts and if you look closely at antique ones, you will see no reason or color wheel rules. I'm hoping that with Rayna's techniques, I can have a similar result from this mish mash.

I've had a tough day. I purchased an expensive lot of weaving items on Ebay, paid for them and now the seller is trying to hold me hostage for more shipping so she can avoid paying Ebay's fees on the shipping charges. Completely against Ebay's rules so I have had to ask for my money back and reported her to Ebay. I hope I can get my money back in a reasonable amount of time. So to relieve my frustrations, I plan on sitting in front of the design wall and stitching sets and blocks. Stay tuned for more in a few day.

The gauntlet is thrown

2012-01-12T18:22:00.000-06:00

Karen Musgrave offered a challenge on her blog using Rayna Gillman's New Book Create Your Own Free Form Quilts. Rayna says it is a stress free way to work and Karen has been having a lot of fun with the technique on her blog. She is really making some wonderful pieces.

This is the fabric I received from Karen today to work with for the challenge. This should be fun and I can always do with some stress free activities. I'm sure I can come up with a scrap or two, maybe a UFO and some hand dyed that I can throw in the mix.

Stay tuned for photos and progress!

Organized and standing at the Ready

2012-01-08T10:07:00.001-06:00

What a great way to start the new year. I am not an organized person at heart and out of sight means out of mind. This was a pantry between the kitchen and sitting room so we took the door off to make open shelving. I may come back later with a glass pantry door just to protect the warping threads and yarns from dust but still be able to see inside. But I love, love, love seeing these colors all together. They are happy colors, I think.

I have details of my economically challenged purchases on my other blog Quilting on the Cheap and Weaving, Too! if you are interested. I couldn't possibly afford any of this on a retail budget.

The loom is cleaned and polished, the apron has been made and attached and it is ready to weave. We will use the warp on the loom for practice before starting a 'real' project.

The spinning wheel has been oiled, the wood has been finished and it is ready to spin away.

I have some wonderful ideas for incorporating some of these fibery things into art quilts. I am giving myself a year to master these new skills and just play without too much pressure on myself. So don't go away, check back often and I will keep this updated with my progress.

Oh, and I will be posting about quilts and art, too!

Word for 2012

2012-01-05T14:16:00.001-06:00

I was really going to pass this by for 2012. But when I read Wen Redmond's post about her word this year something clicked. I think I will have to choose "Anticipation". I'm sure some of you may not see this as an action word, but I do.

I will anticipate everything new and wonderful that comes my way.
I will anticipate the coming of each and every sunrise.
I will anticipate adventures.
I will anticipate letting new and old endeavors play themselves out and letting pass away the ones that don't bring joy any longer.
I am anticipating where my weaving, quilting and spinning is going to take me. And lastly,
I am anticipating that I will be successful and my art will begin to sell before the end of the year.

Another year passed by

2012-01-01T11:34:00.000-06:00

I promise not to be maudlin but I wanted to say a few things. This has been one of my most trying years for a number of reasons. It has seemed that my life has been in a state of flux. Many days I didn't know if I was standing upright or laying in a gutter beside the road of life.

I really believe in Karma and that we all eventually get what we are deserving of in this thing we call life on earth. I also believe that the bad things will assault us when we least expect them and try to derail us permanently from our path. I woke up smiling this morning with the knowledge that I have come through the assaults with only minor singeing on my coat tails. I know that I will always survive and that good Karma will find its way back into my life.

I am looking forward to a wonderful productive year to come full of happiness and laughter. I wish all of you the same for yourself in 2012.

More Fiber toys

2011-12-22T12:42:00.000-06:00

Here are pix of our little Ashford Spinning wheel getting all cleaned up and soaking up Howard's Feed and Wax. Peeking around the back at you is PeeWee who Ron rescued after the Joplin, MO tornado.

Just like the loom., this had been in storage and the wood was dry. You can see that in the last photo. After one more feeding it should be ready to buff out. Then we will put it all back together, adjust the tensions and give it a whirl.

The plan is that we will upcycle fibers into art yarns to use in weaving. We are planning contemporary pieces that will stand on their own or some will be used in art quilts.

Its Beginning to Look Like Christmas

2011-12-12T12:54:00.000-06:00

This is the little Charlie Brown tree in the family room. The Arts in the Cards flat Santa exchange pieces are displayed here. Santa hasn't made it from Hawaii yet, must have gotten caught in the Santa Anna winds.

I purchased a baggie of hand made tin ornaments for 50 cents at a thrift shop that had these delightful tin ornaments that included the skeleton, the monkey and the frog. There were a couple of other more traditional pieces, but these are my favorites. I'm just always amazed at what other people toss aside but I'm always so grateful that I am given the chance to rescue them and enjoy them.

Miniature Quilts Dollhouse Size

2011-12-04T12:31:00.001-06:00

For our little Priyanka's Christmas. Grandpa made the beds and I dressed them. There is a pillow and a tiny quilt for each bed. The big bed has a glitzy Indian embellished bedspread fit for a princess and our little Princess Ms. P. The turquoise rug is a felted wool sweater and the white rug is from a felted wool jacket. I think she is going to have a very well furnished dollhouse, don't you?

Now I have a few other things to finish today and hopefully these will go in the post office tomorrow.

Its a HO-HO Christmas

2011-12-01T18:19:00.001-06:00

My Arts in the Cards artist trading card group is having a voluntary trade this month. A few of the artists are taking the month off and taking a breath.

We are doing a Flat Santa swap, something I've wanted to do for awhile with a group. If you know Flat Stanley, this is sort of the same thing...after all, if Flat Stanley can travel the world then Santa can't be too far behind.

The atc size body is cardboard covered with antique wallpaper. His arms and legs, boots and mittens are all made from leather. He is articulated with brass fasteners so he can dance and be posed. He has an antique button and his face is done with colored pencil.

I hope he brought a smile to your face and I wish you a Merry Christmas!

col

Assemblage Art Supplies

2011-11-28T10:48:00.001-06:00

On one of my many scavenger hunts last week I found a bag with all of these rolls of cool Mirrorflex tiles. Each tile is about 1/4 inch square and is really sticky. I searched online but it looks like this company is making large sheets of this for walls and back-splashes..which would be cool.

I'm not sure how it will show up in an art quilt but I'm glad to have it in my bag of tricks.

SAQA Regional Show 2012

2011-11-25T19:56:00.001-06:00

For Sale $200

I posted this small piece when I finished the quilting earlier this year. I have been mounting some pieces on painted canvas. Using acrylics in the colors in each art quilt, I splash and blend the canvas. Then when the quilted piece is mounted, it all comes together into a mixed media piece, or assemblage art.

I entered 3 mounted pieces in the SAQA regional show that will be in Little Rock in 2012. This piece was 'released' but the other two were accepted. Honestly, I think this was the best of the three. But in the world of juried shows, there will be another one that this will be accepted to, unless it is sold first.

The size of this canvas is 9 x 12 inches. It comes with hanging hardware installed. Please let me know if you are interested in a purchase.

Being grateful and thankful

2011-11-23T18:18:00.001-06:00

I don't have any pictures to share today. This is only about words and feelings and the place I find myself in my life.

Last year my mother passed away so there has been much time spent with my father being his sounding board for where he finds himself in his life. I am thankful that I have been able to be there for him, even though most of the time it is long distance. I am grateful that he was well enough to travel to Denver with Ron and I last summer to visit my oldest son's family and our newest [at the time] grandson. I am thankful that he was able to spend a few weeks with us in Arkansas over Christmas and New Years. His health has taken a decided down turn so I don't see any more trips together in our future.

I had the chance to spend a few days with all of my children, their spouses and all the grandchildren this past summer. We got to see the newest grandson then. That may not seem like much to people who's families live close, but mine are scattered to the corners of the USA and sometimes corners of the world. I am thankful we all were able to be together at my dad's. It is a rare occurrence to find us all under one roof.

It am thankful and grateful for a husband who is just as likely as me to throw caution to the wind and take on new ventures. And I am blessed that there always seems to be enough to eat on the table, health care expenses are paid and there is enough money in the bank to care for all our basic needs...and a little left over for those spur of the moment things that make life so interesting.

I am thankful for 3 small fur babies who wake me every morning with slobbery kisses and then cuddles on my lap after their morning constitutional.

And most of all, I am thankful and grateful for all the friends and acquaintances I have met online through groups that I belong to. Like pen pals of old from grade school, these people play an important part in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you as you count your own blessings.

Karen Musgrave's Thankful Tuesday

2011-11-22T15:27:00.001-06:00

My dear cyber friend, Karen Musgrave, used some of my ATCs on her blog post Thankful Tuesdays. You can read about it here: http://connectionsbykaren.blogspot.com/ . I love Karen's offerings for our small ATC swaps. They are always interesting and thought provoking and a joy to receive in the mail. You can see many of them HERE.

I ran out of room in the studio....

2011-11-19T13:29:00.001-06:00

So the new to me loom has a home in the sitting room at the end of the dining room. My DH and I used to weave but gave it up about 12 years ago. With my RA I thought we might give it a try again. I had faithfully watched the paper and asked around thinking I might find a table top loom for a reasonable price. I had no luck so I placed my own classified ad. I got a phone call, the man said it was a large loom, I envisioned a really old mountain hand made rug loom. It was located in my same small town, so I said we would come look.

He had it stored in a utility trailer so I still wasn't expecting much. Then the door went up and I saw the gorgeous Canadian maple. My heart took a leap as I made my way inside to look at it. There on the side was the unmistakable LeClerc label. I won't even tell you what the ridiculous price was, just know that I am one very happy lady.

You can see it is really dirty and in need of a lot of clean-up. DH will go through all the parts and order any we might need to replace.The man who sold it to me has offered to make a loom bench for it. It came with boat shuttles and other misc. parts.
I can imagine you might see some weaving migrate into my art quilts. Endless possibilities.

Light Up My Life!

2011-11-06T08:43:00.000-06:00

OMG...this is what my studio looked like this morning after installing a picture window in the north facing wall. Be still my heart...no more fighting to find the right light so I can simply have task lighting if I need a little help for my aging eyes. After the wooden framing is painted I can put things back into place so I can play. What a joy it will be when the rose of sharon blooms outside my window.

I had resisted a window in the room since I didn't want fabric fading. Boy was I wrong! I can keep the covers pulled on the shelves to protect the fabric. But I need the drapes open to put joy in my heart and light in my studio.

Black Walnut Dye #2

2011-11-01T12:35:00.000-05:00

Since the walnut dye pot was still on the stove I pulled a couple of previously dyed fabrics from my stash to see what happened with an over dye. The blue is from an indigo vat, the print was dyed with MX dyes and the one piece is rust dyed.

I also put a piece of hot pink cotton, some cheese cloth and a piece of white cotton batting in the pot. I put them all in at the same time which was a leap of faith but probably not something I should have done. I'm not a dyer, I only play once in awhile if the occasion arises.

I think either the indigo or the rust piece still had residue from the original dye. Which ever one it was, and I suspect the indigo, saddened the dye. So instead of a nice soft brown in the white areas, I got a soft gray. You can see it in the last photos.

I think I like the rusted piece the most but there are no ugly fabrics. They all have a place in a piece that isn't created yet.

Fall Days to Dye for

2011-10-30T13:22:00.000-05:00

With all the talk about black walnuts on the Quiltart list I decided that since I live where they are plentiful that I would dye some cotton. Thanks to my DH who picked all these up on our last camping trip.

The first photo is the start of the pot. I decided to do the direct mordant method since I'm not a dyer. I have soft water so all I did was add Alum and Cream of Tartar to the pot.

Of course the fabric was scoured first. Also, the cotton I use is a pima cotton with a slight gray cast to it. Hey, it was a monster roll at a yard sale for $5 so I always use what I have.

The bottom photos are the results of this dye pot. I tried different rinses according to my book "Colors From Nature" but there was no noticeable difference in the pieces when they dried.

I also wasn't concerned with even color since I really like the little oddities that come about from not stirring the pot. Now I have added some previously dyed fabrics to the pot along with cotton batting and some cheese cloth. They will come out tomorrow and I will post the results.

More Circle Stitching

2011-10-24T18:05:00.000-05:00

I am in awe of the Internet. While checking my stats for this blog I saw a link to this blog in Croatia. CLICK HERE. You may have to translate the page , which Google Chrome asked me about and I clicked yes. I was amazed at this ingenious way to stitch circles on your machine. No attachment needed, just a thumbtack and some tape. Check it out and give it a try!

Friendship; Eye of the Quilter

2011-10-20T09:08:00.000-05:00

I took this photo at dusk at the Huntington botanical garden in Pasadena. I loved the play of sizes, lines and circles of the various cacti. It seemed fitting as an entry for Houston's annual photography exhibit. I was honored that it will be there!

So how does it relate to friendship? The title is "Friends Stick Together". Without the entire artists/photographer statement, it is based on the fact that friends come in all shapes and sizes, some have large circles of friends, some have only a few and no matter how 'prickly' we are, true friends stand by us.

"Out of the Bag" Challenge

2011-10-12T10:36:00.000-05:00

I participated in a challenge with Holly Knott, Didi Salvatierra and Mary Hinkle. We paired up and sent each other a bag of fabric and goodies to be used in quiltlets. If we could, we were asked to make 2 pieces so one could be donated. These are the two pieces I made from the goodies Didi sent me for the challenge.

What will I call myself and branding.....

2011-10-08T16:58:00.000-05:00

I am working on new business cards and branding. I don't want to make a costly mistake. I need to take what I do to the next level in the new year. A friend asked me today why don't I just use fiber artist or mixed media artist and also why does it matter so much. Below is my answer to those questions.

I think people don't understand fiber or mixed media artist.....and they certainly don't understand quilt art. It seems that when I am out and about looking and purchasing odd items to use in my art the subject seems to come up with " what do you do with it?". If I say I make art quilts they look totally perplexed since why on earth would I want a bag of hard springs for a soft quilt. Then I have to try to explain the difference in the quilt forms. If I say mixed media...almost nobody outside the art world has any idea what media means...they think it is TV, print media or Radio. So then it gets really confused. And as I found out in a fine art show, the judge expected mixed media to be a mix of drawing and painting media, not found objects or fiber. And then is fiber fabric or basketry? Way too much open interpretation and frustration for everyone.

If we are trying to connect with buyers and clients, shouldn't we use terminology that describes exactly what we do in simple terms? Most everyone can understand assemblage...the act of assembling. And everyone has some idea what art is. So, if we aren't talking to people about what we do, it isn't important. If we are talking to people and promoting ourselves it becomes really important. I'm really tired of feeling like I can't talk about what I do because it turns people off when they don't understand what you are saying. Makes them feel dumb and that is not a good thing.

If you are a painter, basket maker, candle stick maker, weaver, tinsmith, jeweler....there is no problem. If we don't use a term the public understands then we fit into that no man's land of crafters. I'm still working on it, but I think I have decided what terminology to use as the subheading after artist.

Assemblage Art, Mixed Media or Art Quilt

2011-10-04T19:00:00.001-05:00

Springs for Sale, I won't be using them

I was going to participate in Maxine's UCM [aka unconventional materials] challenge. I even had the materials lined up. My ATC group was already doing a Hardware themed swap so it was a chance to work with UCM. I found out something important about myself....it isn't for me. Doing the atcs, which you can see in the previous post, reminded me of all the reasons my art uses softer materials but still incorporates paint, dye and embellishments. It also started me thinking about some of the tags we like to use for our art...especially mixed media.

I ask a question on the QA list. How do YOU as a fiber artist, quilter, art quilter or artist determine how to describe a piece that uses more than fabric and thread? If it has added beading would you call it mixed media? Where do you personally draw the line in the sand. Is there a line you cross that your piece is now assemblage art rather than an art quilt?

I only got a couple of responses which was sad. I think it is an important question for our community to ponder. I will give you the links to a couple of assemblage art definitions. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/39194/assemblage and also http://painting.about.com/od/artglossarya/g/defassemblage.htm. If you read these you will hopefully understand why I asked the question. The contemporary use of assemblage art is a kind of Mad Max art, which I love. It just isn't the only interpretation.

As we struggle to describe what we do as artists and the medium we choose to work with, I think it is important to use correct terminology. At an art show last year, I entered a couple of pieces into the mixed media category. Sounded right to me. The other entries in that category were pencil/ink/acrylic or some such combination. Yes, that is mixed media but not what those of us in the art quilt community think of as mixed media. Or the cloth, paper and scissors set either.

I am simply trying to decide if I will continue to use the term art quilt or even fiber art for my artwork. I really like the Britannica definition and think it is going to require a lot of soul searching. Certainly to take my art past the level of people thinking it is for a bed by using 'quilt' should be a good thing. This has been talked to death on the SAQA [Studio Art Quilt Associates] list. But not one person even referenced the definition of assemblage as a viable option.

Let's All Join Together Now....ATCs

2011-09-30T15:48:00.000-05:00

This month's ATC swap on Arts In The Cards was hardware. This is the same unconventional materials challenge that was announced on QA list...but we were first, lol.

Everything here came from the workroom except the numbers. I couldn't find my stencils so made the substitution...of course I found the stencils when these were done.

They were fun to do but a little frustrating trying to make it work. This stuff just doesn't behave like fabric.

Texas Quilt Museum Donations

2011-09-25T17:29:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of the pieces I am shipping off tomorrow for the new Texas Quilt Museum. I am sending 4 total pieces for Karey. I hate that some people are making negative comments about the call for donations. If you don't want to donate... don't. I think it is a tremendous opportunity to help the museum and to get a few of my pieces out from under the bed and into the public eye.

This was made for the Quilting Arts magazine's Rock On Challenge a few years ago. It is all silk with hand quilting and embellishments. It is now mounted on a 12 x 16 canvas that has been painted and textured to enhance the quilt.

This piece is 11 x18 and was an experimental piece made in a workshop with Lucky Shie at Arrowmont Craft School in Tennessee.

I think our diary theme that day was 'eggs'. Certainly not my normal way of working. One of the other pieces from Arrowmont is posted on this blog. It was turned into a baby quilt for my newest grandson Tristan.

I am also donating a more traditional watercolor technique topiary quilt hanging and the "Roy Orbison Memorial Highway" that was in Quilting Arts magazines. You can see a photo of that on the side bar.

Masters Art Quilts Vol. 2 Review

2011-09-13T13:52:00.002-05:00

I know I'm a little late to the game for this review. There has been so much flurry over the blog hop and the giveaways of the book. I hope more people have the book by now and are enjoying it as much as I am.

When my copy arrived I couldn't wait to open that fat padded envelope. It was heavy and promised many hours of enjoyment. I haven't been disappointed.

What struck me on my first go through wasn't just the high quality of the book and the obvious high quality of the artists. It was that each artist who is spotlighted has a definite voice. As artists we hear that term bandied about and many wonder just what is that elusive term and how do I get mine. If you need a lesson in what it is, this book will show you in no uncertain terms.

As you progress from one artist to the next there is no mistake that you are seeing a different voice. Just as each artwork is distinct and original so is the artist's voice. We also hear about having a cohesive body of work to submit for jurying. If you doubt what that means, the book will show you that, too.

There is another thing that made an impression on me. I noticed how many of the works had hand stitching. But for me it isn't hand stitching vs machine work....it is that the artist is so attuned to their medium that they know which technique will convey their message to the viewer. That is true for whatever process they are using.

Make no mistake that the artists in this book are truly masters in their field. The field of art quilting, textile art, visual art or whatever term you choose is a richer place with these people in it.

Oh, that voice thing? You are just going to have to keep working until you find yours.

Mystery solved

2011-09-09T11:46:00.001-05:00

Thanks to everyone who gave ideas to help solve the mystery. I have decided that these are Elephant earrings. Really.

CHECK IT OUT Watch an elephant being dressed. Notice the earring in one ear.

Here is a photo showing an earring that has a similar top to the ones I have. This one is much larger than what I have, though.

I have no idea how these items came to northern Arkansas. This area is close to Branson, MO so I think they might have been used in one of the shows there. How ever they came here, they are mine now and I can't wait to try some rubbings with them.

What is it?

2011-09-07T15:49:00.001-05:00

I'm stumped at what these two great pieces are. They are photographed on top of an 18 Inch square Pottery Barn quilted pillow. So you can see they are huge. They are very heavy with brass chain links connecting all the engraved plates. The top pieces are cast and the little charms at the bottom are also cast. The designs on the plates are birds. I'm guessing they are some kind of ceremonial pieces that hang from a belt or sash????? To make this art quilt and quilt related, I plan on using the plates and top piece for rubbings on fabric. If you know what these are, where they originated or have any information, please leave a comment.

I'm a Lunatic!!

2011-09-03T08:34:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to be featured on Ellen Anne Eddy's new blog. I am officially a lunatic. How cool is that? If you missed her post on Quiltart list, you can read about it HERE.

We have a Winner!

2011-08-31T04:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a comment for the Masters Art Quilts book giveaway from Lark. I really enjoyed reading all the comments...and there were many from people who had seen my blog for the first time. A heartfelt thank you for visiting and come back soon!

The first time I generated a random number I forgot to include the number '1' so I had to do it over. Geesh, nothing like a newbie at the controls.

The winner of the book from my blog is Jenny Bowker. Please send me an email with all of your mailing information so I can forward it to Lark. Your signed copy will be coming directly from them

SAQA Auction Dream Collections

2011-08-27T16:04:00.000-05:00

SAQA members were invited curate dream collections from the art donated for the auction. I am honored that my piece was selected by Linda Jean Strand, curator. The theme she chose was the colors of sunrises and/or sunsets. Pretty spectacular pieces. Great job Linda! You can see the collection HERE

Masters Art Quilts Giveaway

2011-08-23T12:50:00.000-05:00

I was asked to participate in a blog hop giveaway for the newest Masters Art Quilts book. I'm so happy to be included to help promote this wonderful book. Each blog listed here will be giving away a signed copy of the book!
Leave a comment on this blog and I will choose a winner on August 30, 2011. You will need to send me your email and contact information if you are the lucky winner. Your book will come directly from Lark.

Then, visit the other blogs listed here for another chance to win! How cool is that???

8/16 Larkcrafts.com kickoff!
8/17 Terry Grant: http://www.andsewitgoes.blogspot.com/
8/18: Linda Teddlie Minton: http://fiberreflections.blogspot.com/
8/19: Cheryl Sleboda : http://blog.muppin.com/
8/22: Terri Stegmiller: http://stegart.blogspot.com
8/23: Stephanie Forsyth: http://thefibernation.blogspot.com/
8/24: Janice Paine Dawes: http://thedistoriatedquilter.com/
8/25 Karen Stiehl Osborn: http://stiehlosborn.blogspot.com
8/26: Kathy Loomis: http://artwithaneedle.blogspot.com/
8/29: Diane Lochala http://dianedoodles.blogspot.com
8/30: Sue Bleiweiss: http://www.suebleiweiss.com/blog
8/31: Gerrie Congdon: http://www.gericondesigns.com/weblog/
9/1: Marilyn Wall: http://www.marilynhwall.blogspot.com
9/2: Laura Wasilowski: http://artfabrik.blogspot.com
9/6: Sherryl Buchler: http://skb2000.blogspot.com
9/7: Cheryl Lynch: http://www.CherylLynchQuilts.blogspot.com
9/8 Deborah Boschert: http://DeborahsJournal.blogspot.com
9/9: Brenda Gael Smith: http://serendipitypatchwork.com.au/

Reflections

2011-08-20T09:11:00.003-05:00

I was reading my friend Michele's blog today about new beginnings. I met Michelle in person when she was vacationing in my area last year. I'm also in some online groups with her.

She said something in this post that struck me as something that I need to remember...."those of us who are optimistic romantics, who believe that if you work hard, life will treat you fairly and reward you accordingly."

My former husband always said I was a pessimist. I would sit and look with puzzlement since I never felt like a pessimist. That is someone who gives up, only finds negative in life and is more comfortable sitting in front of the TV letting life pass them by. How could that be used to describe me when I look forward to every day, find joy in the tiniest wonders of nature, laugh at my fur babies playing, keep active and love to be around people? I can see now that for years I lived in a conflict from how I feel inside and what I was told.

Thank you Michelle for turning a light on in my world. I love your terminology. I am an optimistic romantic. Life may get me down once in awhile but it can never keep me down for long. I find good in most things, accept what I can't do anything about, distance myself from people with terminally negative attitudes and get busy with the business of living and art.

Episode 1: Quilts 101 – Antique and Contemporary Quilts

2011-08-15T18:26:00.000-05:00

Episode 1: Quilts 101 – Antique and Contemporary Quilts

I'm in awe of this program. Watch the trailers and you will want to buy the DVD and encourage your own PBS station to carry this program.

Arty Mail day

2011-08-14T13:51:00.001-05:00

My mail today was all about art. I got my new SAQA journal and 3 fantastic atcs from this month's trade over at Arts In The Cards. The link is at the top of this page.

Now am I the luckiest girl on the block today or what?

Sati Quilt

2011-08-08T17:09:00.000-05:00

Here is the quilt in SAQA's Beyond Comfort. The title is Purification No.02.

It is constructed of hand dyed fabrics, reclaimed silk saris that are crazy patched and burned with a blow torch. The piece was also painted over the quilting at the bottom.

The subject matter is the eastern practice of Sati. You can look it up if you are curious.

I was blown away with the catalog of the exhibit. I am humbled to be included with the marvelous body of work by such outstanding international artists.

SAQA Beyond Comfort

2011-08-02T18:21:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to have my quilt, Purification #02, juried into this SAQA exhibit that will be at the Festival of Quilts, the Butler Museum of American Art and the Henry Ford Museum. I have been waiting for the catalog to become available for purchase. I can't wait to get a copy! Hurray! Its finally here! Here is the link to purchase it on the SAQA website in the store:

http://www.saqa.com/store-detail.php?cat=9&ID=4

Surgery of Art Quilting

2011-07-30T12:33:00.001-05:00

Does it look like I shopped at the local doctor's office? Yep, that is exactly what I did. One of our country doctors passed away suddenly a couple of months ago at a young age. Her daughter is here and having an estate sale. The fabrics I bought will be over on my other blog Quilting On The Cheap. I almost didn't go to the sale, I had no idea that she was a quilter! I purchased these 3 rolling pieces for a grand total of $14 for all three! My favorite pieces are the tall table with a removable tray that has adjustable height. The cart in the back holds trays in the top rack. I plan on using the tall piece next to my cutting table so I can roll it either to the machine or design wall with all the little quilt parts on it. The rolling one with the trays I will put embellishments and beads on so I can roll the project to the machine or to my chair to watch TV at night. The cart in the foreground just fits under my sewing station to hold my thread organizers...simply roll it in view when I need different thread. I love finding things like this that look smart and make my life easier.

Lunch!!....or not....

2011-07-28T11:18:00.000-05:00

This was a fun challenge for the newest Arts In The Cards trade with the theme of opposites. What can be more opposite than the cat inside the cage and the bird free outside the cage. It leaves you wondering who is lunch? The only fiber in this one is the used tea bags on the backside. No Stitching.
The background is two different layers of scrapbooking papers, cut out and layered. The cage and bird are clip-art that is colored, cut out and mounted on foam squares for dimension. The backside has tea bags applied with gel medium that I thought was going to be the front but it was too dull for the way I wanted these to look.

Next Traditional quilt

2011-07-14T09:59:00.000-05:00

This is the Kaffe Fassett quilt I am in love with. I'm not good at doing lots of similar blocks but I like the graphic appeal of this quilt. Since he uses color stories rather than saying 'buy this much of this fabric" the quiltmaker has freedom in choosing fabrics.

I have been collecting for this one for about a year and finally feel like I have enough to get started. This graphic square piecing is pretty mindless and fits my mood right now. I need to work on some structured piece since my muse has left the building as far as art quilts are concerned.

The bottom photo shows the full range of fabrics. The flash burned it out a little but I hope you can see the lights and darks.

Floating Art Quilts

2011-07-07T08:14:00.000-05:00

Chris Predd recently completed a great pictorial art quilt that you can see HERE . She and I chat often about our art and life in general. It is one of those online meet-ups where we found how much we have in common.

She wants to display her quilt on a table top and she was thinking of matting it. I suggested that she consider a plexiglass mount for the piece. I was introduced to floating artwork between glass in college. Mounting art quilts on a single piece of plexiglass gives this same gallery look.

I searched the net to find who gives a tutorial on this and found Melody Johnson's blog post with a tutorial. http://fibermania.blogspot.com/2005/07/how-to-mount-quilts-on-plexiglass.html . She does a wonderful job of showing how the technique looks in different settings.

I would also suggest velcro dots to plexiglass if you have really small pieces to display. I'm thinking of using this to display some of the ATCs I trade.

Vintage Singer 328K

2011-07-03T16:47:00.001-05:00

I have an affinity for vintage sewing machines. They are such work horses and I know how to clean and repair them myself without having to pay big technician bills.

I found this 328K ...the K means the machine was built in Great Britain. It is what is called a 3/4 size machine like the steel Singer 99 but the 328 is a lightweight aluminum machine like the Featherweight. It will do a zig zag and decorative stitches with the cams that load in the top.

I thought it was a great deal at $23 !

Half Way Point 2011

2011-07-01T08:50:00.000-05:00

The question was asked today about how we are doing on our WORD we chose for 2011. I have been so busy putting my life back together that my art and my word were forgotten.....but just maybe it was ingrained. Thank you to the person on the QA list who reminded me of this. When I went back and read my own post I think maybe I need to read this every day. Here is what I wrote about it way back in January:

Last year was the first time I chose a word rather than making a resolution. So simple, so easy to stay on track and nobody to measure my success besides me. Last year my word was "Acceptance". I chose that word for many reasons associated with my personal life as well as my art. It surprised me how many times through 2010 I actually remembered and reminded myself to accept the situation for what it was and to accept my art for what it is. For the most part I stopped trying to fix things.

That word was really important because of my RA. I did have a life before RA and it was different. Acceptance would not have been tolerated by my inner task master. It took me nearly 6 years of living with RA to know that Acceptance is the only way I am going to be able to pace my energy. Acceptance is the only way I can have priorities without guilt. I gave myself permission to not even try to multi-task.

This year my word is Persevere. Do you see the progression here? I think I do and I'm happy with it. I can accept my limitations but I will persevere to do the best art I can do within those limits.

New blog is UP!!!

2011-06-27T14:24:00.000-05:00

I was so excited about this idea that I got right to creating this new blog. Here is the address if you want to take a look. http://quiltingonthecheap.blogspot.com/

Here is one of the fabrics in the Cheap Fiber Thrill page on the new blog. I paid 10 cents for this piece. I plan on either using it to make my granddaughter and apron or else a funky tote.

Does it get any better than this?

It's a thought.....

2011-06-27T10:47:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty tired of negative come backs when some of us quilters either can't financially afford or don't want to pay $12+ dollars a yard for our fabric at quilt shops. I LOVE to search out bargains and have built a substantial stash and never paying over $1 a yard for quilt shop quality fabrics. And before you start that you think I don't know the difference in fabrics, I owned a quilt shop and I know the difference. I'm a discriminating fabric buyer and have been since my mother taught me to sew in grade school.

If you can afford to shop only at shops then go for it. If you can't, stay tuned for an announcement next week. I am starting a new blog devoted to my passion and I will welcome you to email me your treasures to spotlight, too. Or better yet, I would like to see a circle started of blogs showing ONLY recycled, thrift shop finds and free fabrics [sorry, Walmart and warehouse sales don't count]....and the projects done with them. I am kicking around names for the new blog so I will let you know and announce it here and on Facebook.

When Life gives you lemons, plant sunflowers.

2011-06-17T15:24:00.000-05:00

My original plan for this Arts in the Cards trade bit the dust so you might say I had to make lemonade from the lemon. I was not impressed or motivated when I started this idea. I quilted commercial cotton with a summer garden print. then I fused stylized sunflowers on the front. It was getting better. Then I added the funky rick rack grass and granny butterfly. When I started the backs, I decided to leave a pocket for a surprise inside. I searched for a quote or a blessing but couldn't come up with anything I liked. So I made up my own quote to fit the trade, wrote it on construction paper lemons and tucked it inside the card. Photo quality isn't great because I scanned this in. I hope the recipients like them when they sprout in their mailbox.

Guilds and Quilt History from my view

2011-06-15T17:55:00.000-05:00

A conversation took place recently about how many art and contemporary quilters feel they aren't accepted by their local guilds. Some even put their LQS [local quilt shop] in the mix, too. I have to say that sometimes what we art quilters do isn't the norm and sometimes leaves others scratching their head with a quizzical look on their faces. On the flip side of that, I have that look when someone doesn't understand what I'm doing and treats it like it is from another dimension. A few people thought some us of feel that way because we want adulation and applause for being so clever. That couldn't be further from the truth. That's why I'm writing this post.

Whether you lean towards what we now call traditional quilting or contemporary quilting, it is really all the same. We use time honored techniques such as piecing, applique and whole cloth in our art quilts just like traditionalists do. And quite a few of the traditionalists are making quilts with fusing and raw edges just like the art quilters do. When I thought about this I imagined that the Baltimore Album quilt artist were looked at a little strangely...after all, why would you want to make a quilt pictorial? Or horror of horrors, write on your beautiful quilt with India Ink? And then later, Marie Webster developed and produced her own patterns and designs that didn't match the pieced and whole cloth quilts others were making. Maybe some of the local quilting bee looked down their noses at these people but now those quilts are considered traditional fare, not art quilt fare.

Tanis quilt Commission

So the more things change, the more they stay the same. I think the art quilters and contemporary quilters are just a step or two ahead of the pack. Give it a few more years and just like long-arm quilting, it will all be accepted practices. If you belong to a guild and have been less than welcoming to an art or contemporary quilter, please think about what I wrote. Nobody expects everyone to do the same thing, just respect the diversity and embrace it.

Just for fun, here is a photo of a very traditional quilt I made for a commission.

Vintage Quilt Top Find

2011-06-10T10:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday on my way home from exercise class I stopped at a thrift shop and one estate sale. The thrift shop coughed up this vintage Brick Road pattern quilt top for $3. It was a long skinny piece that I split and stitched together to make a lap quilt that will measure apx. 42x55. Plenty of room to get cozy this winter.

The estate sale had some sewing things and a cotton batt for $1 decided to go home with me. Since I finished my mindless crochet throw I needed some easy hand work to do while I watch trash TV at night. I think this will be wonderful when it is done for only $4. I took a few photos of some of my favorite fabrics in the piece. Oddly enough I have had some of these fabrics in the past. I really love the deer and they remind me of Jay McCarroll's Woodland Wonderland line of fabric from FreeSpirit. Find it here

Old Friends Reconnected

2011-06-08T14:57:00.000-05:00

Through the magic of the internet and social networking I got a friend request from a college buddy I had lost track of. She and I were the non-traditional students so that was our first reason to get to know each other. But that is never enough in a friendship so we soon discovered other traits we had in common: she is artistic, intelligent, a good conversationalist and we both strongly disliked the main instructor for our course work. We will just say that the instructor was younger than we were and had no clue how to relate to non-traditional students who were there to learn rather than chat about boyfriends and pregnancies.

I am thrilled that Joanna Kay found me and that she even took the time to loo. Check out her blog: http://sceamingyawndog.blogspot.com/ . She is a delightful person and you will enjoy her art on her blog. Here is a quote from an email she sent me as we were getting reacquainted that will tell you a little more about her:

I do art regularly but feel little sense of an art community around here. I was the (paid) cover illustrator for a literary journal for 12 years but there was recently a hostile takeover by young tech-savvy photshop "artists" who called my work "too primitive"! I will do art no matter anyway. Collage is not considered legitimate art by a lot of galleries and shows, and I do prints of my collages and usually just distribute them as gifts. Keeping my day job(s).

Free form Scrappy Crocheted Finished!

2011-06-06T17:14:00.000-05:00

The piece I started last month is finished....I ran out of cotton yarn! This was therapy for me, mindless hand work, no pattern and no plan. It finished out approximately 45 x 60 so it is large enough to cuddle under. There isn't anything as comfy as cotton in my mind.

I have always loved the Rastafarian clothing. This isn't the traditional colors,but it still has the Bob Marley look to it, also the qualities of scrap quilts made from whatever was in the rag bag.

These are photographs of a few of my favorite areas of the coverlet.

Now I have to get the sleeve on my quilt for SAQA's Beyond Comfort exhibit and get it in the mail.

Toad Hollow

2011-06-05T12:21:00.000-05:00

Here is this morning's visitor. Well, it isn't a toad, it is a Pickeral Frog. I wonder if it is the extreme heat we are having in this area that is making the usually silent and hidden critters become visible.

I knew this guy was living in the trashcan enclosure. The other day when I moved a pot he and 2 siblings hopped away. I wonder if he is stunned by the heat? My remote thermometer says it is 102 in the shade today. YIKES!

Here's Looking At You

2011-06-04T16:35:00.000-05:00

When I stepped out to get the paper today there was this amazing pair of eyes looking up at me! Last year I was treated to a Luna moth and now this huge beauty came to visit.

Bandit and Little Lulu wanted to chase it so I had to quickly close the door. I carefully opened the door again after I got my camera to capture its image.

The two kids stood in the living room looking at me like I am the meanest mom in the world...I'm used to it!

Fabulous Fakes ATC challenge

2011-05-25T12:02:00.000-05:00

The Arts in the Cards atc group's challenge for this trade is Fabulous Fakes. Karen Musgrave is our hostess.

I have to admit to being totally stymied and every kind of fake I came up with just didn't fit the bill. When I started thinking about things that we value that turn out to be fakes, I thought of gold and how easily we can be fooled if we aren't careful. So my cards are "Fool's Gold".

I used gold lame and two different golden ribbons on the background. The center golden pieces are the circle with a dot n the middle, the alchemist's symbol for gold. This gave me a chance to tryout some of my powders I showed you in a previous post. They were wonderful! I used the brown powder and dusted it over the ribbons. It stuck the most where some of the fabric glue had come through but it still blended very nicely. I finished them off with a coating of workable fixative. As my way lately, I will leave the edges raw.

On the back is this quote:
Gold is one of the seven metals of alchemy. For the alchemist, it represents the perfection of all matter on any level, including that of the mind, spirit and soul. The symbol for gold [ a circle with a dot in the middle] could also be used to represent the sun in astrology.

New Work - Emergence

2011-05-22T12:41:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time coming for any artwork being done. I just finished this piece and wanted to share it with you. The name is "Emergence" for a few reasons, the most important for me is that it signals my emergence from a long block and it symbolizes the sprouting of a new life for me from the tangled seed of my past.

This piece measures 9 x 6 1/2 inches. It is tiny compared to most of my work, but that too is symbolic since we all have to start with tiny steps before we flourish.

The shape came from a piece of rusted fabric. The amoebic form was highlighted with Inktense pencils. The crochet center was stitched down and accented with embroidery which was also highlighted with Inktense. I have no idea how many little seed beads are stitched down but I like to think they are all the ideas swirling in my head that have been set free. The long outside perimeter stitches use some of my hand dyed floss. Hope you like it!

More on Stitching in Circles

2011-05-14T09:29:00.000-05:00

I was searching on the web for more information on this attachment and I plan on taking some time to play today. HERE is a wonderful article with things to do with this.

As things on the internet go, one thing leads to another and I found this SAMPLE ISSUE for Workshop on The Web. I don't know how I missed this before. I looked at the list of back issues and I realized that those moist spots on my keyboard were dripping from my mouth that was grossly hanging open..how unsightly!

Give it a look and maybe like me you will soon be a subscriber.

Stitching in Circles

2011-05-13T14:36:00.000-05:00

Since my life has been going in circles I thought I would show you a new attachment I got for my machine. Those who know me can already guess that I got it at a thrift shop along with other wonderful sewing things for a paltry $5. Even with gas prices I could afford this.

Attach it, drop the feed dog and put the pedal to the metal.
Perfect flowers and eyelets every time. I can't wait to use this on a meaningful project. These are not my projects, I lifted the photos from sale sites.

Search for Flower Stitch Attachment if you are interested. They are roughly $15 US.

And Still I Rise

2011-05-05T18:26:00.000-05:00

And Still I Rise

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Maya Angelou, copyrighted

Using it up or My new sketchbook/Journal

2011-04-29T15:52:00.000-05:00

I found a couple of these binders at a local thrift shop. Do you remember the kind that the continuous computer paper went into? Do they still use these in the business world?

At any rate, I also had a huge stack of this taupe colored art paper that I bought for $1 from another sale. I'm still trying to pare down my stuff and get it in some kind of order so that I can do something useful with all of it.

I have sketchbooks that go unused and journals you write in that don't trip my trigger. Maybe it's the stark whiteness of the pages that scares the heck out of me.

Last night I cut those huge art papers down to size. I punched holes in them and used my deckle ruler to rip the ends. Now I have this wonderful book with heavy weight art paper and it cost me a huge $1.25 total. I think I'm going to love it. Even with thick pages, it will expand to accommodate whatever I want to do on them.

Maybe as I start this new phase of my life, this hand made journal will become an integral part of me and get used on a regular basis.

Why you should just DO something

2011-04-26T12:29:00.000-05:00

I'm going through some major life changes right now. It would be super easy to just sit back and do nothing. Unfortunately that isn't in my nature. Maybe it would be good to be able to disconnect for a while, but it isn't something I've ever learned to do. I've never seen the point of it.....can you tell I'm a type "A" personality?

While destashing and going through the huge pile of supplies that came back to Arkansas from Texas when my place sold there, I came across this basket of cotton yarns. Lots and lots of little pieces and nothing with enough to make a planned anything.

It would have been easy to pitch this stuff and not have to deal with it. Unfortunately, pitching stuff in the trash isn't in my nature either. There will be a monstrous pile of donated things before I"m done, too.

I got out some of my pattern books thinking I would just start something, but there wasn't enough of anything for any patterns. So, I just started crocheting. Odd that with RA I can do the motions needed for this. I think I'm going to call it free-style crochet and I think it will look a lot like a crazy quilt when it gets done. I guess if it serves the purpose of keeping my mind quiet in the evenings and gives me something creative to do, it is a good thing.

More Spring for Inspiration

2011-04-12T09:02:00.000-05:00

Inspiration at my back door

Snow? Or What is that white stuff all over the landscape....

2011-04-08T18:27:00.000-05:00

View to the Lake

A Little Closer

Closer still

Dogwoods are blooming!

Today's Estate Find

2011-04-06T10:07:00.000-05:00

Today's estate sale find was $3 for a plastic bag with these items in it. The set of oil pastels is unused and new. The Shading Powder is also new and unopened. These are vintage and I haven't a clue how to use the powder. since there are no instructions. The box says "For delicate shading from light to dark. Gives professional looking results. Fun for figurine painting and all crafts." on another part of the box it says "Non-firing" and "Just Buff on with Cotton". So it looks like these are simply what we would call today pigment powders that can be used in stamping and embossing and used like the Jacquard powders.

They will be fun to play with. I'll try mixing them with water to see if they mix and I'll brush some on painted whole cloth pieces dry.

If you have ever seen these I would love to hear from you!

Swamp Hoe Down for Tristan

2011-04-05T12:06:00.000-05:00

I have a new grandson who is going to make an appearance soon. His due date is Easter but he is going to be a big boy and they think he may have to come a little bit early.

I needed a baby quilt for him. His mommy, my DD, is the display manager for Anthropologie in The Woodlands, TX. so she usually appreciates my wonky art and sense of humor. Because of that I decided to use a piece that I painted in a Susan "Lucky" Shie workshop at Arrowmont Craft School in TN a couple of years ago.

I don't remember exactly what our theme was for the day I painted this piece. I do remember that I was perplexed that I did something that was more cartoonish than my normal work. I put the pieces aside when I returned home and had done nothing with them. I guess I just needed the final inspiration to use this.

The baby's nursery is being done in a woodland kind of motif. I haven't seen it and I don't know for sure how swamp creatures will fit in but I suspect the quilt will be appreciated and loved.

The borders I added are dark and swampy and the firefly trails are folded bias fabrics. I think babies like to have textures to run their little fingers over. I like to add something like this to their quilts. I also don't think baby quilts have to be pastel and cutesy...that should be obvious here.

One part of fiber art that I don't like is putting labels on the backs.
It seems they are never permanent enough and can be ripped off and lost. I decided to paint a square on the back of the quilt and add a little more of the story that goes along with it. I used India Ink for the text and put a coat of acrylic varnish over it. It should hold up under lots of washings.

As a further nod to Lucky's workshop, I quilted this with her wonky grid style of quilting. A wonderful, freeing way to make this quilt sturdy and finished!

Who says a seam allowance has to be 1/4 inch and WHY?

2011-03-27T11:18:00.000-05:00

It seems [or seams] I started a lively discussion on the Quiltart mail list when I posted how disappointed I was with an art quilt program on PBS yesterday morning. I really expected to have a lot of opposing opinions and made it known that I had my flame proof undies on. What a pleasant surprise to find that the majority of responders either publicly or privately agreed with my assessment.

But of course, all good things change and this morning we have people making comments who haven't read the conversation from the beginning and are taking many things said out of context. To jump into a conversation that way is sort of like being a teenager without all the knowledge of years' of learning to get there.

I was and still am disappointed that an art venue devoted so much time to matchy-matchy fabric packets and how to construct a perfect quarter inch seam as well as the ***correct**** way to press. Truth be told, that nasty seam rule has bugged me for a long time and I don't think any creative person should live by rules that really have no basis and that continues to be perpetuated by the quilt police.

Here is how and why I think this ever became a rule. When quilts of all kinds were made to keep us warm they had to hold up to laundering or airing on the line with prairie winds whipping them about. Too small of a seam might come apart. Too large of a seam used too much precious fabric and it made it difficult to hand quilt through so many layers. So I can envision finding a seam allowance that was just right.

If you study vintage quilts and antiques, you will find all measurements of seam allowances whether they are pieced by hand or by machine. Have you ever tried to put together a quilt with blocks from many different piecers? Each of them will be off but the maker will swear they are a perfect 1/4 inch seam...even if they used the same ruler!! Oh my, how could that be? Did one use the left side of the ruler line and the other used the right side of the line? Did one use a Bernina, another a Pfaff and yet another a Singer? What about thread and needles, could that make a difference?

The part of this equation that I always taught my students many years ago when I had a quilt shop is ***consistency***. Whatever measurement you use, be consistent if it matters in the final product. Matching points and seams need a consistent seam allowance so the puzzle fits together. It doesn't always matter, folks. Who really cares if your seam is a little bigger than 1/4 inch in an art quilt? It might matter in a garment and sure would matter if you cut all your fabric before you started construction of a quilt using someone else's pattern...and that pattern maker drafted the pattern for a specific seam allowance.And do you know what? Many of my students went on to win big quilt show awards. Nobody took their quilt apart and measured their seam allowance. Even I have gone on to win awards and not one judging comment ever said my seam allowance or pressing was off. Imagine!!

Like most of our American lives, a retail industry is dictating how quilters do what they do! It would throw the entire industry into a tail spin if this rule wasn't followed. Just think of the products that wouldn't be sold: quarter inch tape, tiger tape, seam bars, quarter inch machine attachments, templates and on and on. People overseas would loose their jobs!

My post never was about denigrating the quilt magazine industry as some people suggested. It was about respect for who we are as art quilters. I respect traditionalists and their magazines/how-to shows. If I want to brush up my construction skills and feel it is needed for a specific project, there are multitudes of magazines out there to choose from. I simply expect anything with the name "Art" in the title to be a step above the quilt police.

Final thoughts? If it isn't going to be hung on a line to whip in the wind or laundered to death the way I press a seam [if there is one] and the width of that seam has absolutely nothing to do with the way I construct my art. That my friends, is as relevant as telling me my brush strokes of a painting are too big or too small even though the end result is just right.

My New Rays of Sunshine

2011-03-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

It is a dreary, dreary day outside. The little bit of springtime we had has retreated. This girl needs sunshine!

This is the light I got at our Salvation Army store last week for $7. I was thinking I would use it for photographing quilts...if it worked. Well it works, I tried photography with it and it was okay but the LIGHT!
OMG I thought I had died and moved to Florida.
When it is on, it is like a window in my windowless studio space. I almost expect to hear birds singing.

Here it is next to my machine this morning. Of course you can't get the real feel of the sunshine but I can tell you this is one of the best thrift shop finds I have ever made.

Ron said when the bulb burns out I can toss it....uuuuhhhh...not likely. I can't see that I will ever get tired of soaking up the rays from this baby!

Iron Frustrations

2011-03-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

So.....I wanted a new iron for Christmas. Right before the holiday there were many discussions on the Quiltart list about them. The general consensus was that the most expensive ones didn't last and people talked about replacing them on a regular basis. I won't mention brands but you can guess which ones I'm talking about.

So I picked out and DH bought me a middle of the road iron for a gift, $60 with a stainless sole plate. 1600 watts of power. Sounds great, right? It lasted long enough to be turned on about 6 times and then it would NOT turn off at all. I had to unplug the thing every time.

Back to the store and I exchanged it for another brand ; 1500 watts with a stainless sole plate. That was January 11. You guessed it....quit working today. This one quit steaming unless I hit the burst of steam.

Back to the store again to get my money back. I came home and dug out my old Black and Decker. Great heat, steams like a charm it just has the annoying habit of turning itself off when it shouldn't. With any luck it will limp along until the tag sales start in full force and I can buy a drawer full of gently used irons that maybe were made in the USA. The terribly frustrating part about our global economy and all these products made overseas??? This is just my personal opinion...the companies are saving huge dollars farming our work overseas but they aren't passing anything along to the American consumer except second rate products.

Happy Birthday to me

2011-03-20T16:08:00.000-05:00

This says "Grandma"

Picture of Lulu and Bandit my puppies

My birthday is tomorrow. No, I won't be telling you how many years that is, not a chance!

This is the birthday card from my granddaughter in Denver that came yesterday. She is just learning how to write and draw. The front is her writing and the inside pictures are my two little shih tzus.

What better gift can a grandma ask for?

Indigo ATC

2011-03-16T10:18:00.000-05:00

The latest ATC challenge over on Arts in The Cards is "Indigo". We had to use the color or word/name in our card. Mine are on paper rather than cloth with indigo mulberry paper, oriental writing and oriental brush painting.

I tried using gel glue to make a raised brush painting of bamboo that I was going to rub with indigo stamping ink. It didn't raise enough when it dried. So I painted over it with the thought of doing something different. Imagine my surprise when the glue areas became opaque with the wash of cream acrylic. Happy accident!! But, the glue didn't flow well enough to do a great brush painting but I think these have a soft calm look to them anyway. I could see this done on a wall in place of wall paper....maybe in my next life when I have lots of time.

SAQA auction quilt

2011-03-14T10:44:00.001-05:00

This is my first year as an active member of SAQA [Studio Art Quilt Associates] so I wanted to do an art quilt to donate to the yearly auction. My piece is on page 1b HERE

I haven't heard from anyone that these are secret until the auction opens, so I'm posting it here. This measures 12 x 12 inches. This isn't top notch photography so it's a little wonky. I'll photograph it again before submitting it to SAQA.

I seem to gravitate to hot colors in most of my work, maybe because I love the sun and heat so much. One time on a Fast Friday Fabric Challenge, Cynthia Morgan challenged me to use any color I wanted EXCEPT oranges and aquas. Wow, that was a tuff one, I met the challenge but soon went back to my own color ways.

Fast Friday Redux

2011-03-10T10:27:00.000-06:00

Lots of times I start something for one of these challenges and post it on the Fast Friday blog just to have something started. If I feel it has good bones, I might take it further until I feel it is a good composition. This was one of those pieces. It was done for the curvilinear perspective challenge for this month and I was the host.

I added 2 overlapping layers of circles done in perspective as the original photograph is. I pulled some of the color from the surrounding batik into the photo transfer and pulled some of the light colors into the batik. I like the depth and perspective this finally has.

My word for 2011 is Persevere....this piece is one of the reasons I chose that word. It is too easy to just chuk it into the trash, but really nothing is a failure if you are willing to take the time to analyze and work with it. Just my quarter on the subject and it works for me.

Reduce Reuse and Recycle ATC

2011-03-09T17:42:00.000-06:00

I forgot to post the latest ATC from our Arts in the Cards trade this month. I reduced my stash with a bit of batik, I reused some postcards that were damaged for the backs and I recycled the colorful bird feathers that have lived in a drawer for 6 years.

The quote says, " Day after day and all my days falling like leaves upon the lessening time, fluttering away." That expresses how I feel sometimes at this time of year when my birthday is less than a month away.

Fiber Art Jewelry

2011-03-01T10:52:00.000-06:00

I finally got some of my fiber art necklaces photographed and for sale in my Etsy shop. (There is a link at the top of this page if you want more information).

The first one is one of my favorites and it took many hours of pains taking work to embroider and bead this antique crochet piece.

There is one listed with an image of Christ's Sacred Heart on leather. The other one is an image of my silk quilt, Angel Trumpet Splendor, applied to leather. The images on leather is a technique I discovered recently and I'm sorry to say I won't be sharing the 'how to' for a while. I hope you enjoy seeing these.

Miniature Colored Pencil Paintings

2011-02-19T11:18:00.000-06:00

I love to create little miniature drawings and paintings.

These little pieces are colored pencil and India ink on acid free mat board. I started doing these a few years ago when I had little bits of mat left from openings cut for larger works. Since they were never a standard size, I started cutting them into 2x2 inch pieces. These are small enough that I can carry them and the high quality pencils with me where ever I go.

I sit them on shelves, next to baskets or where ever. They are a nice unexpected art surprise.

These are just small enough that you could even add a pin on the back to wear for Spring! They are listed in my catalog of Etsy art. There is a link to a page at the top of my blog. If you click on any of the images it will take you to the Etsy site.

Another experience passes into memory.

2011-02-18T17:48:00.000-06:00

Our little park model mobile home in McAllen, TX sold today. That part of our life experience is now memory.

Ron and I sat here last night and listed some of the things we would not have done or seen if we hadn't been there for a few winter Texan seasons.

I would never have experienced the Ropas and been able to have all the wonderful ethnic textiles I have in my stash.

We would never have experienced the Mexican Flea Markets where there might be a stall of chickens next to a stall of fresh vegetables.

We wouldn't have seen the desert cacti in bloom as far as we could see while driving back from South Padre where the beach that day was full of man of way jelly fish.

We couldn't have gone to the Killer Bees Hockey Games or the farm team basketball games.

We met some wonderful people from all over the northern hemisphere and enjoyed many dinners and fun times. We experienced mariachi bands, ballet folkloric, a boys choir from Mexico City, art walks and galleries and too many other things to mention.

We will miss all of this, but there will be new experiences waiting for us around the next bend.

Squishy Stash Swap for ATC group

2011-02-15T09:53:00.000-06:00

This was so much fun. The Arts in The Cards artists did a swap of things in our stashes that we could pass along and share. Each envelope [5x7] was completely different and they all contained wonderful things. See some of the stash I received in the photos below.

Remaking a mannequin

2011-02-14T09:09:00.000-06:00

Here is the finished mannequin displaying some vintage jewelry. I have been working on some art jewelry since the smaller pieces are easier on my arthritic hands. My hope is to sell some of the pieces on Etsy.

I needed a model for photographing since I didn't think my aged neck was a good background and for sure my DH's neck wouldn't work, lol. The bottom photos are the beginnings of a $3.75 plastic form. I soaked muslin strips in gesso and applied them randomly. When it was dry I applied numerous coats of paint to make my lady look antique. I think it was a great project that saved me big dollars.

Valentine in my mailbox!

2011-02-11T13:50:00.001-06:00

My good online friend, Linda Wyatt, sent me this amazing trifold valentine! How cool is this? Only Linda could take girly colors with hearts, flowers and bows and make it so artsy.

She explains how she made these on her blog.

CHECK IT OUT!

PIF ( Pay It Forward )

2011-02-10T09:41:00.001-06:00

This is my PIF.

I was the recipient of a full set of Rapidograph pens on Freecycle. I have given away fabric in the past when it became overwhelming.

When I moved things into my new studio space I knew I had way too much in the form of art supplies. I had kept extras for 2 reasons: one was to have a traveling set and the other was that I periodically gave free lessons to someone who wanted to learn painting basics.

A mom who home schools her teenage daughter posted on Freecycle for art supplies. After a couple of emails back and forth with her, I put together this beginning art kit. The table top easel, brushes, artist box and pan watercolors are lovingly used...the acrylic paints are a new student set. The book is an old one, but good for a beginner, too. The mom is picking this up today and is very excited!

If you have PIFed recently, I would love to hear about it in the comments.

Will the Magnolia ever bloom?

2011-02-09T09:57:00.000-06:00

This was the what I woke up to again this morning. this is a rare sight where I live. I didn't think I could capture the motion of the snow coming down. I thought I might get a photo of flakes like stop motion. I was completely surprised to see the torrent of snow in the image.

It shows no sign of stopping soon.

Guess it's a great day to get into my studio and see what I can create.

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge #53

2011-02-03T10:57:00.001-06:00

For Sale at Etsy

I had just decided that I wanted to go in a totally abstract interpretation direction with my art and along came Chris's challenge for photo realism. No way to abstract that one. I first thought of simply scanning a painting from the past, print it on fabric and pump up the volume with paints. After I gave it a lot of thought, I decided that the challenge really demanded my full attention. I have been striving to design some simple pieces.

The result is one of my most favorite things in the world...a chocolate sundae dripping over the bowl and sweet maraschino cherries on top. I drew the sundae on white muslin with inktense pencils and then shaded the ink when I applied water. I applied fusible web, cut it out and applied it to the white table top. For the shadow, after I cut out the sundae , I held it over the white background with a light source on the right. That gave me the correct shadow for the bowl. I quilted the wall in a wood grain to make it recede and the table and sundae come forward. The hard part was the foreshortened spoon. What was I thinking??? The table top was intentionally left without quilting since I felt it would make the piece too busy.

So here it is, I hope you like it. Comments are always welcome and appreciated.

Etsy Treasury

2011-02-01T15:47:00.001-06:00

Well, this can become terribly addictive. I have created a couple of treasuries on Etsy. It's a great way to learn your way around the site, check out what others are offering and analyse the photography. This is a link to my newest treasury. Ice is-nice-blue-is-cool

Creating these is also a great way to practice your artistic eye. You get to compose the page with the color and style you choose. It's almost like painting a picture. Take a look if you're interested.

Wabi Sabi and my 2011 word

2011-01-24T09:45:00.000-06:00

I will be working in my studio today, attempting to get something creative accomplished. My word for 2011 is Perseverance. This has recently been difficult because of a severe RA flare that began before the holidays. My father was visiting and I had no choice but to persevere through the pain. I decided to destash with Etsy and have been persevering getting started but it has a long way to go.

That brings me to how my Word andWabi-Sabi relate. If you aren't familiar, here is a definition of Wabi-Sabi:
" Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It's simple, slow, and uncluttered-and it reveres authenticity above all. Wabi-sabi is flea markets, not warehouse stores; aged wood, not Pergo; rice paper, not glass. It celebrates cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time, weather, and loving use leave behind. It reminds us that we are all but transient beings on this planet-that our bodies as well as the material world around us are in the process of returning to the dust from which we came. Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace liver spots, rust, and frayed edges, and the march of time they represent."

I read an article that compared Wabi-Sabi personalities to NOT Wabi-Sabi personalities. I discovered that in the entire list given, I am Wabi-Sabi. Because of a few acquaintances who couldn't possibly relate to this concept, I had been trying to accept their way and persevere. There I was in black and white! Maybe that makes me the odd man out, but that's okay.

My word last year was Acceptance. I have finally accepted that some of the activities I was involved with simply weren't working for me. I was persevering and trying to make them work but finally had to accept defeat. I don't do that willingly.

My life will be much freer now that much of the toxic emotional clutter is gone. I am feeling great relief that I can get back to my creative life and continue to be Wabi Sabi.

Neither Rain nor Snow

2011-01-21T07:07:00.000-06:00

Can keep the puppies from their duties....and the husband, too!

Technical Pen Updates

2011-01-20T09:37:00.000-06:00

I was not able to get most of the pens clean that I purchased on Ebay. Some even had broken wires that were only discovered after they were somewhat cleaned out. What a bummer. However, Ebay has a buyer protection program so I reported the seller for a false listing. I offered to pay a small amount for the pens that worked as well as the shipping. I wanted to be fair, after all. Customer support decided to give me back all of my money so how cool is that?

I belong to the Freecycle network so I posted a want add for Rapidograph or any other technical pens a few months ago. I guessed it didn't hurt to ask. I got an email last week that someone had found an old set if I would come pick them up!!! That set was also very dirty, but hey it was free so if I could get only a few of the pens cleaned and working I would be good to go. I soaked them in ammonia for many days and the wires were shaking. So I was part way there.

At the Salvation Army I found a sonic jewelry cleaner that Gary Simmons writes in The Technical Pen book will also work in place of a $100 Koh-I-Noor sonic cleaner. I am happy to report that I now have a full set of pens in working order. I am excited that I can now use the metallic acrylic Speedball inks that have been sitting on a shelf. I hope to be able to post a few sketches and things for you to see in the next few weeks.

What's Inspiration Got To Do With It?

2011-01-18T04:59:00.005-06:00

I'm Chris Predd and proud to be able to make a guest post on Janice's Blog, thanks for that, Janice.

I'm very interested in the topic of inspiration, so I decided to share a few of my quilts and explain how I was inspired to create them. Maybe along the way you'll see your own sources of inspiration, or maybe even have a new idea for your own work.

Photos, or course, are a major source of inspiration. Not only photos of your world, but even of your own quilts. Using photoediting software allows you to crop, change colors, and many other techniques that can present you with a whole new picture that may inspire your work. Crop out a section of a favorite quilt and you have an idea for a new direction in a smaller piece. Or crop out several sections, combine them, and maybe a whole new quilt presents itself.

My quilt here called Forest Floor was inspired by a photo I took of the ground at an area state park in early spring. One bright green sprig of leaf struck me as a sign of hope.This quilt was juried into IQF Elements Journal Quilt Exhibit Elements a few years ago and hung in Houston.

I love words, phrases, especially in song lyrics. The quilt pictured called Moments was juried into A Sense of Time SAQA Exhibit in 2008. When I heard the name of the exhibit, I thought about time……then seasons…..then colors of seasons…I decided to make narrow strips of fabric in colors representing the seasons, moving from winter to spring to summer to fall across the quilt.

Then I added the white triangles to indicate the individual moments along the way of our lives through the season, and also to give movement to the piece. This quilt was subsequently in other juried exhibits.

Do you have a scrap box? Sometimes that is my source of inspiration for an art work…..I may set up a few 'rules' I must use, like only reds with a few bits of an accent color, or only geometric shapes, and I create as I respond to each piece I place on my design wall. Sometimes this may work out as the trigger for another different project, but this simple act was the impetus.

How about emotions? Anger, joy, sadness. Colors and shapes come to mind.

Jagged lines and bright colors sounds like anger to me, while soft tones and a horizontal landscape feels mellow.

Life experiences can lead to unexpected places in your art. I remember walking around in early evening once and noticing how lights were being turned on in homes as I passed them. I used this as an inspiration for an art quilt I made back in 2006, in which I used fabrics that reminded me of night time. I called it NightFall.

It has taken me some time to realize that inspiration is all around me all the time, and with a little bit of closer observation of our world, it's just waiting to be found. And somedays, when I don't feel like creating, I stroll through my photos and see where they take me!

Guest Blogger Christine Predd

2011-01-17T04:19:00.001-06:00

Last week I was the guest blogger on my friend Christine Predd's blog Quilting on The Edge . It was a fun experience and I was honored to be asked. I've known Chris for a couple of years after meeting her online. We have a lot in common besides art quilting since like me she is also a traditional quilter. Beyond that, we both have international families and children about the same age with our youngest grandsons having very similar names of Niam and Nayan....born just a few months apart to our sons and their wives. How odd is that?

Chris is also a respected SAQA member and does wonderful art quilts. She recently started weaving so I might have to get out my loom and give it a go again to try to keep up with her. I'm thrilled she is taking time to share on my blog.

She is going to be the guest blogger here tomorrow so I hope you check in to read what she has to say.

What I've been up to

2011-01-12T12:47:00.000-06:00

I have decided to try my hand at Etsy. Wow, this is a lot of work and just like Rome, my shop won't be built in a day. Photographing for Etsy is different than the flat, what you see is what you get photography I do for Ebay. Geesh, gotta learn how to pull out all the stops, use props, write the story behind the item and anything else that will help it stand out to buyers. There is a big learning curve.

Why am I doing this you might ask. Ebay raised their listing fees and the commission they charge when something sells. This is great for the power sellers who run a full time business and who also get discounts but not so good for the little artisans who are trying to get noticed. It is simply too expensive.

I love to find vintage linens, vintage fabrics and unique one of a kind fabrics. I have an extensive collection but I need to move some of it along so someone else can give it TLC. I plan on trying to list 3-5 things a day from this stash. There will be ribbons, buttons, fabrics, linens, saris and whatever else I might come across in my explorations.

When I have a decent inventory of vintage fabrics and supplies, I will start to list some art and artisan crafted jewelry. Maybe even an art quilt or two.

Hope you visit me, send some friends and if there is something you are looking for along these lines, send me a note and I will let you know if I have it.

Guest Blogger

2011-01-10T11:24:00.000-06:00

I was asked by my good friend Christine Predd to be her guest blogger today. How cool is that? You can find the post on her blog Quilting on The Edge. I've known Christine for a couple of years as a great online friend. It's too bad I didn't know her when I lived in Sarasota, Florida because she lives just up the coast in Bradenton. It would have been a lot of fun to know her in person since we have so much in common. Thanks Chris, and looking forward to you being a guest blogger here next week.

Technical Pens

2011-01-07T10:22:00.000-06:00

I purchased a set of Rapidograph technical pens on ebay. The seller said this was an unused set of pens. YIKES! this was definitely a case of buyer beware. The pens were not only used, but frozen from dried ink. The ink contains a shellac and they are next to impossible to clean when that happens. The box smelled like old stale cigar smoke. The entire thing was NOT a pretty picture. I could ask for my money back and instead I asked for half of my money back.

I will always go to great lengths to save a buck or two if the end result gets me what I want. The first photo shows how dirty the pen points were. The book it is laying on is "The Technical Pen" by Gary Simmons. I didn't know when I bought this book at our Salvation Army [new condition] that it is the bible for technical pens. I paid $3 for the book and I saw it on amazon for $55-$150. My mom always said I could fall into a pile horse manure and come out smelling like a rose.

The second photo shows what the inside cartridges looked like. This is actually a cleaner one. The last photo shows the dried carbon pieces I was able to break out of the cartridges before I could even think about cleaning them.

It has been 2 days since I started the process. I soaked the pens in a 20% ammonia solution and all the refillable cartridges came clean along with the pen bodies. So far so good. I could hear the weight and wire moving around in only one pen. I figured they weren't going to be useable unless I got them clean so my next step was to take a more radical approach.

I soaked them in straight ammonia overnight. This morning 4 pens are finally rattling. 3 pens are still frozen. They will go into a straight ammonia solution for another 24 hours and I'm hoping for the best.

I have a set of these pens that uses the capillary cartridge. I want to be able to fill these with acrylic inks to use on my fiber art. My dear husband Ron has asked if he may take over the cartridge set to do a little drawing and sketching. I want to encourage him to do that so I HAVE to get this other set clean and useable. He has done pyrography in the past and liked it. I think the pen drawing will be a more immediate source of gratification for him. Wish me luck!

2011 New Year WORD

2011-01-01T17:57:00.000-06:00

Last year was the first time I chose a word rather than making a resolution. So simple, so easy to stay on track and nobody to measure my success besides me. Last year my word was "Acceptance". I chose that word for many reasons associated with my personal life as well as my art. It surprised me how many times through 2010 I actually remembered and reminded myself to accept the situation for what it was and to accept my art for what it is. For the most part I stopped trying to fix things.

That word was really important because of my RA. I did have a life before RA and it was different. Acceptance would not have been tolerated by my inner task master. It took me nearly 6 years of living with RA to know that Acceptance is the only way I am going to be able to pace my energy. Acceptance is the only way I can have priorities without guilt. I gave myself permission to not even try to multi-task.

This year my word is Persevere. Do you see the progression here? I think I do and I'm happy with it. I can accept my limitations but I will persevere to do the best art I can do within those limits.

Did you choose a word this year?

2010-12-28T14:45:00.001-06:00

I have been absent from the Fast Friday Fabric challenges most of the year for many reasons. One of those is that I have been working on a specific path and some of the challenges were too far off that path. I hope that means I am finding my voice and personal style. I have been moving away from representational work to only abstract form.

I love loose edged pieces, letting the work define itself.I lean towards more organic work and adore Jackson Pollock.

This piece is composed of multiple layers of silk and silk roving that form the shapes. I like the loose edges at the bottom that take on different depth of color dependent on the color behind the piece. This is photographed against black but looks totally different against white. To square up any of these edges would box in the forms and the piece would no longer be free form. The layers are stitched with large embroidery stitches of hand dyed cottons and the finished piece was splashed with paint to add more color and another dimension.

Ending the Year

2010-12-22T14:59:00.000-06:00

This is always a time of reflection for me. What did I do right, what did I do wrong, did I make some new friends, did I honor my maker? But most of all it is a time to look forward. I won't make goals even though I have in the past. Those nasty little buggers just seem to plague me with stress.

I joined the SAQA Visioning project because I thought I needed help with direction and keeping on track. So far it isn't working out so well for me. I identified a need and I thought I was just the person to fill it. Not. Now I need to decide if I will take a new direction.

What ever direction I decide to take I hope I can keep my art fresh, unique and full of soul. My RA is flaring in these cold winter days so I am limited in what I can do right now. It is making me approach the pieces for Sacred Threads differently than planned. Sometimes those pieces turn out the best so we will see this time.

If I don't get back here before Christmas, have a wonderful peaceful day.

Watercolor Poinsettia

2010-12-14T08:41:00.000-06:00

I'm in a small yahoo group of like minded artists. We have respect for each others talents and knowledge, we critique each others work without fear of being slammed. When we defend our artistic position of a piece, we are listened to and the others may understand the piece more...or not.

We've been having discussions lately about painting and sketchbooks. I think that's because we have all signed up for the online workshops at Strathmore Artist Studios. Sorry, I tried to do a link on this for you but it will only take me to my sign in page for the workshops. Give it a Google if you are interested.

Back to the subject at hand. Here is the first watercolor I tried after giving it up in school. The important thing for me with this piece is that I threw out ALL THE RULES from school. This would have simply been a muddy mess. I was pleased enough with it to do some other watercolors.

Besides throwing out the rules, I also discovered that like the oriental brushwork I was doing at the time, it takes a gentle delicate hand. I can't do this kind of work if I'm stressed or uptight. I must take deep breathes and relax all my muscles to have control of the medium. HMMMMM, sounds to me like this should be a daily activity.

Artist or Seamstress

2010-12-04T18:05:00.000-06:00

There was a brief discussion the other day on the Quiltart list about others appreciation for our artistic talent. Please note that I did not say others appreciation for our skills as a seamstress. Of most of the categories of the arts, fiber seems to be one of the most misunderstood by the general public as well as our friends, extended family and neighbors. Much more misunderstood than a 2-D painter or a weaver or a woodcarver.

You might think this is because of the utilitarian history of quilts, but weavers got their beginnings with utilitarian items as did woodcarvers. Most of the arts and crafts have a foot in history as utilitarian crafts. So what makes quilting and art quilting have a different perception in the public’s eye? Or is the misperception to some degree in our own eyes ?

I’m going to venture it is that most art quilters and quilters in general are women. Women’s work is less valued than men’s work even in America’s culture. We as women artists need to ask ourselves if some of this is our fault. I had a piece outdoors photographing it. Later that evening I was talking to a male neighbor who is over 65. He surprised me when he said he saw me photographing some of my ART..not quilt, he said art. My misperception was that he wouldn’t have known much about art, but he did.

Fiber artists, textile artists, quilt artists, or whatever we like to label ourselves other than simply artists are mostly women. The men who label themselves one of these, seem to have no problem expecting their work to be respected and accepted. So, who’s problem is this? A new year is about to begin so maybe there is some soul searching and a little kick in the butt in order.

Apron making

2010-11-29T15:36:00.000-06:00

My son and daughter-in-law requested aprons for my granddaughter, Priyanka. She is beginning to help them in the kitchen so they thought she should be dressed for the occasion.

I looked at patterns and didn't find one I liked that would cover up both her tops and bottoms. I used a vintage child's art smock pattern and modified it so it could be slipped over her head. The original tied up the back. Since the back is one piece I had to cut the neck opening larger as well. To be certain it wouldn't fall off her thin little shoulders, I added a tie at the back of the neck to snug it up if needed.

I will make her a couple more and I think the next one will have some elastic at the back rather than the ribbon. Or I might just cut the neck square...I think that will work.It is reversible so the double thickness also gives a little extra protection to her clothing. Now that I have the pattern figured out, the next one won't take that one.

Studio organization

2010-11-19T13:38:00.000-06:00

I was running out of wall space and had no place to hang a cork board. Since Ron had just painted the walls I figured he wouldn't be happy if I started sticking pins in it or taping things to it.

The answer was this 6 ft. long piece of crown molding. He anchored it to the wall behind my sewing chair. That wall was wasted space since I couldn't put shelving there and this is flat enough to not bump into it. Next we nailed in picture hooks and using metal clips I can hang up paperwork of things I need to remember. I will have one hook for show prospectus that I'm thinking about, one for shows I want to enter, one for entries done, one for things that need shipped after acceptance is received and one for paperwork of quilts that have been shipped. This will stay up until my baby comes back home. This is wide enough that I can still put post-its along the top.

I'm hopeful that this will keep things front and center rather than at the bottom of a stack of papers out of mind.

SAQA Beyond Comfort

2010-11-17T13:07:00.000-06:00

This is a closeup of Purification No.02 which is one of my Sati quilts. I learned this morning that it was juried into SAQAs Beyond Comfort exhibit.

The link will take you to the listing of international quilt artists who had worked juried in. The exhibit will premier at Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK August 2011. There are 30 quilts from 26 artists chosen by juror Marci Rae McDade.

Just wanted to share my good news!