I am very excited to be attending Studio Art Quilter's Association's new exhibit, Contemporary Fiber: Breaking Tradition. It is opening tomorrow (Sat) evening. Somehow I was fortunate to be invited by one of the artists to join them all for dinner before the opening. Today is the first day I could wrap my head around it. Most of the artists are quite familiar to me, although I haven't met any of them personally. But I will be. And they will discuss their work. It is a heavenly anticipation for an extra special experience. Less than 24 hours to dinner. Butterflies.
We had a wonderful Easter, we had dinner at the rib joint with the family and most of our beloved. Good food and love and laughter! I came home refreshed and ready to continue quilting Cloister Garden:
Only the stained glass is quilted so far. Next up is to even out the black edges of the stained glass, then switch to jade green for the center quilting. I have decided on lines radiating from the center for the green.
I found this watercolor hiding on the side porch and rescued it from certain death. I painted this about 1999, while I was still in MI.
After my husband died, I first took an acrylic painting class, then moved to PA and taught myself a little watercolor and color theory. It was in 2000 that I realized painting wasn't satisfying me and I stumbled on the idea of miniature quilts. Bought a magazine, made a quilt for my Grammy all in purples ( I immediately colored out of the lines when I began, it was a traditional 2 color 9 patch and I bought 10 different purples to vary it). Then I started to learn about traditional quilts...and contemporary quilts...and art quilts....now 'modern' quilts. After 15 years I still can't get enough.
Here are some things I'm studying on the living room walls, etc, right now.
Fractured Iris, 2012. Hand pieced and machine quilted:
The small striped hexi centers (pupils) are from a thrift store shirt that was $3. The background is from a yard piece hand dyed by Katy Widger. Her hand dye method was one of the first I learned from, along with Ann Johnston and Paula Burch. The border and all triangle shapes are from Katy's fabric. I hoped to add a sense of the hexagons hovering by using it as bckgd/border fabric, purposefully using low contrast. All the other colors I used were chosen from that length of Katy's fabric. The fractured iris are all from my stash.
This is a doll bed quilt that I made in 2001:
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I made a couple of pink and brown quilts. After that time I made quite a few quilts utilizing 'patience' blocks, or a simple log cabin block with set in seams. It is also my first free motion quilting, in the large border. The rest is stitch in the ditch.
This last one on the living room coffee table is factory made and has a larger companion that I hang on the porch. It was in the sweet little cottage that came when we bought the adjoining property along with a similar factory made 2 pc quilted schoolhouse block set. Lots of good stuff in that cottage! There is real linoleum from the bauhaus movement! Don't get me started because we are on the way out of here and I won't see how the cottage fares. It is loaded with vintage goodies, and stuff. I know someone will come here and love these things, and this place.
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I'm thankful Spring has sprung:
I planted snowdrops in a few places but this was the first flower spotted by John last week.
These crocus were washed into the yard 3 years ago with the the flash flood accompanying the Leo-Irene hurricane combo of 2011. Now they have given us a lovely display for the 2nd spring in a row! There are more but one or two straggled about and I can't find them. Here they are before the deer ate them for Easter dinner:
Looks like a memorial with the brick I used to keep from squashing them as we walked about. I got right down on the ground with my back to the late afternoon sun to get this shadow effect. R.I.P.
I was struck by the notion that if there had been a nuclear blast, those shadows would be permanently emblazoned on the face of the rock.
Sue
I'm hooking up with Nina-Marie and Off The Wall Friday
Thanks, Nina-Marie!
We had a wonderful Easter, we had dinner at the rib joint with the family and most of our beloved. Good food and love and laughter! I came home refreshed and ready to continue quilting Cloister Garden:
Only the stained glass is quilted so far. Next up is to even out the black edges of the stained glass, then switch to jade green for the center quilting. I have decided on lines radiating from the center for the green.
I found this watercolor hiding on the side porch and rescued it from certain death. I painted this about 1999, while I was still in MI.
After my husband died, I first took an acrylic painting class, then moved to PA and taught myself a little watercolor and color theory. It was in 2000 that I realized painting wasn't satisfying me and I stumbled on the idea of miniature quilts. Bought a magazine, made a quilt for my Grammy all in purples ( I immediately colored out of the lines when I began, it was a traditional 2 color 9 patch and I bought 10 different purples to vary it). Then I started to learn about traditional quilts...and contemporary quilts...and art quilts....now 'modern' quilts. After 15 years I still can't get enough.
Here are some things I'm studying on the living room walls, etc, right now.
Fractured Iris, 2012. Hand pieced and machine quilted:
The small striped hexi centers (pupils) are from a thrift store shirt that was $3. The background is from a yard piece hand dyed by Katy Widger. Her hand dye method was one of the first I learned from, along with Ann Johnston and Paula Burch. The border and all triangle shapes are from Katy's fabric. I hoped to add a sense of the hexagons hovering by using it as bckgd/border fabric, purposefully using low contrast. All the other colors I used were chosen from that length of Katy's fabric. The fractured iris are all from my stash.
This is a doll bed quilt that I made in 2001:
I made a couple of pink and brown quilts. After that time I made quite a few quilts utilizing 'patience' blocks, or a simple log cabin block with set in seams. It is also my first free motion quilting, in the large border. The rest is stitch in the ditch.
This last one on the living room coffee table is factory made and has a larger companion that I hang on the porch. It was in the sweet little cottage that came when we bought the adjoining property along with a similar factory made 2 pc quilted schoolhouse block set. Lots of good stuff in that cottage! There is real linoleum from the bauhaus movement! Don't get me started because we are on the way out of here and I won't see how the cottage fares. It is loaded with vintage goodies, and stuff. I know someone will come here and love these things, and this place.
I'm thankful Spring has sprung:
I planted snowdrops in a few places but this was the first flower spotted by John last week.
These crocus were washed into the yard 3 years ago with the the flash flood accompanying the Leo-Irene hurricane combo of 2011. Now they have given us a lovely display for the 2nd spring in a row! There are more but one or two straggled about and I can't find them. Here they are before the deer ate them for Easter dinner:
Looks like a memorial with the brick I used to keep from squashing them as we walked about. I got right down on the ground with my back to the late afternoon sun to get this shadow effect. R.I.P.
I was struck by the notion that if there had been a nuclear blast, those shadows would be permanently emblazoned on the face of the rock.
Sue
I'm hooking up with Nina-Marie and Off The Wall Friday
Thanks, Nina-Marie!
Your dinner today sounds very exciting. I hope you have a wonderful time. I really like Fractured Iris - glorious colours.
ReplyDeleteGlad you get to see the SAQA show. Let us know how the dinner went.
ReplyDelete