Linda's Art Quilts: 10/01/2013

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

From Remnants a Story Grows

A few months ago I "gifted" two large bags of fabric remnants to a local group and decided to try to emulate Eleanor Burns by tossing out small remnants but, try as I might, I just couldn't bring myself to throw beautiful snippets into the trash. Oh, woe, within the year I had two more bags of remnants but this time, I rolled each leftover piece of fabric, tied it with string, and once again started to save these little treasures. A couple of weeks ago I pulled out the bags, sorted the remnants, cut them into swatches with parallel sides and started stitching them to 6" blocks of cut newspaper.

Here is what is developing.

In the second row from the left, 2nd block down, I inserted netting instead of a block of strips and then stitched a mini quilt onto the netting...and here it is :-)

What is seen through the netting is the end of two storage shelves that sit behind the block so this picture does not adequately show the transparent quality of the netting. When I make the quilting sandwich with batting and backing, 6" holes will be cut in those layers, also. How I will finish the edges, I am not quite certain yet, but I'm sure that a refined finish can be accomplished. Ah, the challenges. They just keep coming and I relish them--well, most of the time I relish them. At other times I pull my hair.

When I hung the piece to see how it was developing, I liked it but it lacked a story and I knew there was a one hidden in it that need to be told so...

Out of my hand dyed fabric stash I selected a piece that might suggest a sunset sky, drafted a circle from brown craft paper to use as a pattern and then cut a circle from the hand dyed fabric. I then fused it to Heat-n-Bond Fusible Iron On Non- Woven Stabilizer* to give it stability. Next I cut a smaller circle from the quilt top so that it would overlap the edges of the hand dyed fabric circle and affixed the circle with satin stitching. And now, dah-dah, here is that element...

The story is beginning to develop--at least in my story telling mind. I plan on creating either an appliqued or a free motion embroidered element into the circle and linking it somehow into the mini-quilt that is set on netting, but that will be in the near future. As it develops, I will add pictures, but at the moment I have three other projects on the work table that are crying for my attention. Isn't that just the way it goes with artists--especially those who are also quilters?
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* It might be worthwhile to note that the Heat-n-Bond Iron On Non-Woven Stabilizer is very soft and does not, even slightly, alter the hand of the fabric.
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Friday, October 18, 2013

My 6"x6" works in Chait Galleries Downtown "Small Works" Show

I'm elated to report that three of my 6" x 6" works have been juried into the Iowa City, IA, Chait Galleries Downtown "Small Works" show that will run from November 8, 2013 through January 6, 2014. The selected works are shown below. This will be the second out-of-state gallery venue where these works will have been shown. Oh, happy day for the little things in life...

"Water Spirit"

" Soaring"

"Blowing in the Breeze"

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Slide Show of "Maps" Exhibit at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA

As I was perusing Alex Anderson's and Ricky Tims' The Quilt Show blog, I found that their August 10, 2013 featured a Smilebox slideshow of "Maps", the Quilts on the Wall exhibit at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, California. It was gratifying to see my Vetruvian Man show up on this little show. For a slice of fun, check out The Quilt Show blog post. The art work that centered on an interpretation of the "Maps" theme were varied and quite stimulating.

Here is the post card that went out to advertise the "Maps" exhibit. The image was taken from the outstanding interpretation of the theme by Trish Charity, artist extraordinaire.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

"Maps" Exhibit Now at Quilts Inc. in Houston

I'm happy to report that the Quilts on the Wall (QOTW) Exhibit, "Maps" is now at Quilts Inc. in Houston. If any of you happen to be in Houston between October 31 and November 3, be sure to take in The International Quilt Festival at the George R. Brown Convention Center. This is my work that will be hanging with the QOTW exhibit.

"Body Map In Honor of DaVinci's Vetruvian Man"

"Soar, Fly, Rise" - A New Art Quilt

For the longest time I've been telling myself that I really must finish some started, but never finished works. This is one of them.

It all started with remnants of collaged newspaper images that were printed onto white fabric and was used in my work, "Grey Matter Unveiled" for the Quilts On The Wall exhibit, "Magnified Views" that traveled throughout the United States with the Mancuso Shows.

Closeup of Newspaper Collage

The fabric became the background for "Soar, Fly, Rise"

I first over-painted part of the newspaper printing with orange Setacolor transparent fabric paint (purchased from Dharma Trading Company) and then used acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium to paint a stylized sun and words.

Next came the binding and hanging sleeve and, wa-la, one more UFO was complete and that makes me happy. This gives me hope that more unfinished works will one day be complete.

Revisiting old friends can be very fun. Do you also have unfinished works that one day started with great creativity and gusto only to find their way into a stash of "...one day...one day I'll finish this"?

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Book Light - Another Use for Fiber Artists

When thread matches fabric (especially on black and other deep, dark colors), have you ever found it difficult to see the stitches as you are sewing? I have a goose-neck lamp that illuminates the back side of the stitching line but I still have trouble seeing where the thread is going with dark colors.

Last week it dawned on me that I might need to light the needle from the front of the sewing machine and came up with an idea that worked quite well. I taped a book light to the machine with painter's tape and wa-la, I could see my stitching.

Here's what it looks like...

If you ever experience the same kind of problem, you might want to try this "fix" to see if it works for you.

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