Keeping with my mini-theme of doing things out of the ordinary I went to an exhibit of part of the most recent Fiberarts International on Saturday with Maureen, Nancy & Dolores. We also had lunch.
The exhibit was at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. The exhibit is on now through January 19, 2014. It is worth going to see. Not quilts, but inspiring in some ways.
I think I mentioned that I joined after a long hiatus of not being a member and one of the benefits was that I got into the exhibit for free. I went there ‘light’, meaning I took no sketchbook, no magazine in case people were late, no book, no camera. Getting in free kind of felt ‘light’ to me, too.
Lung of the City
I almost didn’t go. Going meant not sewing, but then I decided that my machine would still be there when I got back. I think I needed to hang out with some sane people and Maureen, Nancy & Dolores were just what the doctor ordered. It turned out to be good, because there was a piece that I loved.
Lung of the City
The piece was by a Hungarian woman and called Lung of the City. I don’t really like the name, because the word lung evokes pink fleshy bits that should not see the light of day.
This piece was named, because it had to do with the city in which the artist lives and how the parks act as lungs for the city. I am guessing she means cleaning the air that is polluted by exhaust and industrial output.
Lung of the City
The photos do not show the airiness and light that you could see through the piece. The piece was made up of three panels that must have been 10 feet tall. They were delicate, but must have been heavy as well, because they didn’t blow around as we walked by.
One of the things I noticed about many of the pieces was the layering. The one shown in the many photos, Lung of the City by Eszter Bornemisza, was three panels hung one in front of the other. It was made from a grid of thread and newspaper. This was a wonderful piece, partially because of the delicacy and partially because of the way the piece used shadows as part of the work. The photos above do not do the piece justice.
This piece really made me think. Not boring kind of thinking about art, but more about me making art quilts. The piece made me think about maps and place and community and my place and other people’s places. This piece with the foundation of watching Sarah’s video has made me think about art quilts again. I want to use her technique; I just haven’t found for what yet.
I don’t want to replicate what Bornemisza has made, but I want it to inspire me to do something different.
With the beginnings of the above conversation swimming around in my head, I went into the next gallery and saw what is, perhaps, a transition to a piece inspired by Bornemisza’s piece.
Untitled by Rachel Meginnes
A long time ago I made several (3? 4?) woven quilts. I was happy with them at the time and though there could be more in the series, but there was something that wasn’t quite satisfying about them and, as time when on and I learned more, thought more, I, frankly, moved on.
Those woven pieces, however never quite left my mind and Saturday they were back at the forefront, dusted off, rejuvenated, new life breathed into them.
Untitled by Rachel Meginnes
I saw this piece, which is also layered, and it reminded me of those woven pieces. It gave me a new idea for one of those woven pieces. I haven’t thought it all the way through, but I never thought the other woven pieces all the way through, so perhaps that is a good thing? I jut have a clear a few things off my to do list, which I did a bit of yesterday and pick some fabric and then we’ll see.
I love attending county fairs. I make it a point to attend my local county fair every year*. I also work hard to enter something. It’s not like I have a shortage of *ahem* quilts to enter. Also, if you have ever entered a quilt show, entering the county fair is a breeze. It is also really, really cheap, unless you are entering your quilts in the art section.
This year was no exception, though it was a very close call for me. The fair was changed from August to June a few years ago and is usually held the week of one of the major Library conferences I like to attend. As a result, I almost didn’t get to attend AND I almost bailed at the last minute. I was enjoying hanging around the house in my pajamas.
I like the Fair, and most all county fairs, because it shows what is going on in the community. It is a place for regular people to show off what they are making or growing or tending in the privacy of their own home. It shows off what the local organizations are doing. And there are the bizarre vendors (and not so bizarre, too).
I am sad, because my local Fair gets smaller and smaller and more and more expensive to attend. Here is a breakdown of costs:
That is a lot of fabric! I didn’t pay that much however, because the Young Man and I both entered exhibits we each got two free entrance tickets. We also got two parking passes, but I only used one since I can only drive one car at a time. My nephew paid for all but $5 of his carnival wristband. Our cost for the day was $71. I did take two teenaged boys and had to feed them. Still a lot for a day at the fair and out of the reach of many families with a few kids. It is definitely worth the money to enter exhibits. Even if I don’t win, I get $54 worth of entrance and parking right off the bat.
2013 Fair Ribbons
Last year I won a ribbon and was pretty excited about that, but this year I won 4 ribbons! Yes, 4!!!! I couldn’t believe it. I was thrilled when I saw the first one on the A-B-C Challenge quilt I did with BAMQG. I was ecstatic when I saw another ribbon on the Petrillo bag and practically jumping out of my skin when I saw the big, fancy ribbon on Cheerful Baskets. Then I saw the last ribbon on FOTY 2011. I forgot I entered that quilt and couldn’t believe it got a ribbon. Thrilled doesn’t even begin to explain how I am feeling right now. Thisis not a feeling I could ever imagine dealing with nor did I ever imagine I would win a ribbon. I have won two ribbons in the past, an Honorable Mention and a Judge’s choice, but not in the same year, at the same show.
Silly boys with Cheerful Baskets
I know some of you are thinking “Sheesh, it isn’t Houston, what is she getting worked up about?” I know this is a little show with a few hundred quilts and not Houston. I am still excited.
FOTY 2011 with 3rd Place Ribbon
After looking at my quilts, I went back and started looking at all the quilts in a very orderly and calm manner. A couple of the local guilds use the county fair as their guild shows. This saves money and enhances the quilt exhibit at the county fair. There are separate designations and categories of winners for those guilds only. I believe the judging is separate as well.
A-B-C Challenge with 1st Place Ribbon
There were a lot of nice quilts at the show. I enjoy seeing all the different quilts of all different levels. I took my own advice and looked for something in each quilt that I liked. It wasn’t hard as the quilts were so good. There really was some interesting about almost every quilt I saw there.
Julie Mcauliffe
The above quilt is by a local longarmer. She also has a hand in organizing the Fair’s quilt show. I liked this one for a few reasons. First, it is very similar to the EPP piece on which I am working. Second, it looks like the Spin Wheel project for which I am hunting and gathering.
Julie Mcauliffe detail
It also has great vintage fabric. The quilt was huge, thus the weird picture.
Sarah Martin Chocolate Challenge
Sarah Martin Chocolate Challenge
The above quilt is part of a SFQG challenge called “Chocolate”. I like this one a lot. There were a number of different renditions of the imagery of chocolate. I didn’t see any raspberries. I think that there is a lot of opportunity for creativity in a challenge about chocolate.
Kevin Martin
The above quilt is such a fantastic layout. One of the reasons I like it is the way the nine patches go out into the border. I also like it because the crosses are not cut off; they are complete.
Kevin Martin-detail
It is easy to see from this layout how part of the nine patches really are a border. The parts of the nine patch and the blue create the illusion of the nine patches going into the border.
Tin foil dinosaur
One of my favorite parts of the fair is the building that houses the kid exhibits. Entering that building is an explosion of colors, movement and exuberance. Everything is a little wonky, but all of the art has such life. If you have no quiltmaking mojo left, the Kids Building is where you need to go. Where else can you see a tin foil dinosaur?
*2012 visit is chronicled as is 2009. I didn’t go back farther, but you can search in the search box, if you want.
One of my blocks for the QuiltCon challenge made on to today’s blog post: http://themodernquiltguild.com/2012/09/06/quiltcon-block-challenge-graphic-squares-rectangles-boxes/
I wrote about my blocks a few weeks ago and how sad I felt that mine seemed boring compared to some of the others entered by BAMQGers. It makes me happy that one of my blocks was featured. I am also happy that this blog was linked. Perhaps people will stop by and stay awhile!
I knew and meant to tell you earlier, but was really busy. Thanks to Adrianne of Little Bluebell for the reminder!
The last bit of my trip that I really wanted to talk about were the grates and grilles and other metal work. The Art Institute has collected pieces, parts and sections of buildings around Chicago that were being renovated or torn down. As you may have noticed from some of my inspiration photos, I have always enjoyed architectural details. Making a building beautiful (as opposed to striking or memorable) seems to be the greatest gift an architect can give a city.
I never really thought much about grates and grilles until I was standing in the second floor stairwell/lobby area of the AIC. For those of you who know the place, it is outside the Impressionist gallery. There, the curators have displayed a variety of pieces, many of which are metal. I know I have seen them as I have walked by buildings and there have even been a few times when I have ridden in one of those elevators where you have to close the door, but I didn’t really think about them as a source of inspiration until I saw them hanging on the wall. It is interesting how a museum will do that to me.
The Fisher Building Elevator Grille, above, is only the upper portion. I don’t think they had (or maybe I just didn’t photograph) the lower portion. I do think the round part looks like some kind of serpent. Not so great for quilty inspiration, but I could go with the general shape and proportion. What really grabbed me was the background. Those lines and curls would make great background on a quilt.
Manhattan Building Elevator Grille, 1889-91
This is a really elaborate elevator grille. Sometimes I wonder if the artisans or designers felt like they got one chance and went all out. Do you every do that?
I like the spirals in the middle, but in general I think this piece is top heavy. Stand on your head, look at the picture and tell me what you would think of it if the bottom were the top.
I think the spirals would be good quilting designs. I like the way there are different sizes of spirals and they go in different directions.
Manhattan Building Elevator Grille, 1889-91 detail
The close-up shows even more detail within the spirals and you can see the heavy part on top very well. I think it would be a good idea for me to take some kind of architectural history class so I would know what the official names of the various shapes are called. Dohickey isn’t very descriptive or precise.
The other thing about this detail is that it shows one thing I try to do in my quilts: the viewer gets a reward by getting close up. See the little dots and divets in the spirals? Do you see the wing shape in the largest spiral?
Window Keystone, 1872
I don’t know what a window keystone is, but the design would make an interesting piecing challenge. The way the piece is made makes the design seem like there is no ‘block’. I think this would probably be a similar piecing issue to the Spiky Stars piece I designed and created a number of years ago.
Window keystone, 1872, detail
I also like the slight curve of the motifs. I wonder if this is one of those motifs that could be sewed using straight lines, but would look curved? I don’t think so, but I also haven’t put much thought into it since I took the photos. Looking at the detail makes me see real curves in the piecing. I also like the interlocking knot look of some parts of the design. I think I would like a job where I designed useful items that would add to the beauty of everyday surroundings.
Schiller Building Block of Stringcourse
I am kind of partial to ovals, though I haven’t done anything with them in quiltmaking yet. These are really interesting pieces, partially because I have no idea what they were used for it and it fascinates me to think about these being added to a building because they were beautiful.
I really thought there were beautiful buildings in Chicago and it made me lament the dearth of classic (IMO) creativity in building today. Of course, things are a lot more expensive and these types of details may be prohibitively expensive, but I think their lack also makes us poorer.
These pieces would definitely make for interesting quilting designs and some complicated, but interesting piecing challenges.
As I said in my previous post, the quilts were really great.
I like the name of this quilt -Cockscomb, Rose Tree & Pineapple. The words evoke an English garden for me.
I think the quilt, in general, evokes a slightly wild garden. I have to say that I see the Pineapple as more implied than a true rendition of one. I won’t quibble too much, though.
Star Variation Quilt, 1831
I am partial to 8 pointed stars, so this quilt really attracted my attention. This quilt is attributed to Margaret Blean, 1811-1887. The best design aspect of this quilt is the border around each of the blocks. That little border really makes the stars stand out. There could be too much with the border, but the plain blocks really give the blocks space to shine.
Star Variation Quilt, 1831 detail
In looking closely at the blocks, I can see that the border adds a couple of extra diamonds to the block, which, I know, makes some quiltmakers sweat. As I said in the distant past sewing slowly and using the Jinny Beyer Perfect Piecer ruler to help with the inset seams really makes them doable. By the way, Jinny Beyer has a video and a guide to using the Perfect Piecer, which you can look at before you buy. I have been using the Perfect Piecer for awhile and learned a new trick watching the video.
Once you have done a few inset seams a few more make little to no difference. 😉
In the detail photo, the quilting is clearly visible, which looks looser than other quilting in the exhibit.
I would be doing the quilt a disservice, if I neglected to mention the fabric. There are a lot of nice plaids and I like the blue grey colors as well. The other thing I noticed was that the quilt is made from browns/earth tones/neutrals. Not always my favorites, but I like them in this quilt. Of course, I wonder how the quilt would look in brights with hot pink or lime green as a background.
Whole Cloth Quilt, 1819
I had whole cloth quilts on my mind after attending the July BAMQG meeting. Ruth spoke eloquently about the latest challenge – a whole cloth challenge. When I heard about it, I immediately said NO WAY, but I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. Visiting the Art Institute fed the inspiration fire. Don’t Ask.
This is a beautiful example of a whole cloth quilt by Ursula Whittlesey, 1796-1875. Think about Ursula for a moment. She was born just after the Revolutionary War, saw the War of 1812 and the Civil War as well as untold US expansion. And I was at a museum looking at her quilt. Just thinking about that makes my mouth drop open. I wish these women kept journals. If you don’t keep a journal, even just to chronicle your creativity, start. Start NOW.
Whole cloth quilt, 1819, detail
I thought the border of the whole cloth piece was nice. It is not an edge border, but a center border, like the mat of a framed picture. It is elaborate, but also simple with the repetition of the flowers and the wreath-like leaves. Of course, I had to take a photo of the corner. As I have mentioned, corners can be tricky, so I be sure and take note of them so I don’t have to make something crazy up myself. Looking at the corner detail made me notice the pineapple in the corner. I believe that pineapples symbolize hospitality. I carefully took photos and notes and did sketches, thinking that it might work as inspiration for a piece of my own sometime.
Whole cloth quilt, 1819, detail
One thing I like about the frame is that the flowers are simple. Of course, If I tried to machine quilt them, they would be complicated enough, but they are not complicated flowers. They are simple daisies (I guess).
Also the wreath-like leaves are complicated in front and simple behind, which probably made the quilting easier, but also make the front leaf stand out. If you look at the design one might think that the simple background part of the leaf could be attached to the flower. Who knows? It is fun to look at it and speculate.
Whole cloth quilt, 1819, detail
Finally, I have to go back to the pineapple. This is one of the best pineapple designs that I have seen. It is a bit stylized, but not a lot. A person can really tell what it is.
I also notice that it is its own design. The leaves are different from the wreath-like flower-leaf border, but it is connected to the cornucopia by the suggestion of abundance.
I guess the lesson is: go to a museum, get inspired there and pay homage to the woman who made these works and, probably, never thinking that their work would be in a museum.
As I said in my previous post about the Samplers, the textile exhibit was small. Despite being small the quilts on display were excellent. Perhaps not excellent in the that they were the best of the best, but excellent in that they were interesting. There were interesting choices of fabric, interesting corner treatments and interesting block variations. We all seem to go for perfect, especially when we run out of fabric and, yet, I find that antique quilts with an odd patch of fabric are more interesting. I often think “why would she choose that particular fabric?” and that thought leads me into a whole day dream about the woman that made the quilt.
The Star of Bethlehem was a stellar example of a quilt. The museum called it a bedcover. I wonder why? I’ll have to ask a curator friend and see if she knows.
Star of Bethlehem, 1830 detail
The colors are a really good combination. The red, green and yellow are a combination I used to use a lot when I drew and colored with felt pens. The viewer is rewarded with the fabrics when viewing close-up. They are interesting and add a lot of movement to the quilt
The borders are another excellent part of this. In reality, the whole quilt is about the borders. It is kind of a border round robin idea.
Star of Bethlehem, 1830 detail
The detail of this quilt is great. The photo (left) is a detail of the center. I love it that this quiltmaker sewed so many inset seams, not only in the center, but in the whole quilt. I would love to know the maker (or makers).
The other thing is that the points are really well done. I know that points matching is not the be-all-end-all, but when the points matching is well done, it is a joy to behold.
Again, in this detail, you can see the nice combination of the red, yellow and green. I think the tones of the colors are interesting. Not greyed, not bright. Not sure what I am seeing, but it is interesting.
Star of Bethlehem, 1830 corner
One thing I like to do is pay attention to the corners of borders. It is sometimes hard to know now to make a corner meet, especially if your piecing is a bit off. In this example the corner is a bit off where the two parts of the border meet, but the quiltmaker really did a nice job making that flower shape. I really like it. I also like that it is a bit off. It gives the quilt humanity, soul.
Keep in mind that I had to take photos of these quilts with no flash. Thus, the colors in the photo of the corner look more yellow than they were.
Pincushion & Burrs, 1830
I have never heard of this pattern with the name Pincushion and Burrs. It is also, according to the information card, called Square and Swallows, which sounds familiar, but not very much. I am pretty good with blocks, but I haven’t paid a lot of attention to quilt designs that have an all over name. Something to put on my bucket list, I guess.
I really like the border on this quilt, but the overall quilt is a great blue and white quilt. The little bird feet add movement and interest to this piece. I am not a huge fan of two color quilts; I don’t hate them, but I just think there is so much good fabric, why stick with just two? However, when I see a quilt like this, I think about making a two color quilt.
Pincushion & Burrs, 1830, detail
In addition to showing you the birds’ feet in this photo, you can also see the quilting. The quilting includes bunches of grapes, which are difficult in the best of circumstances. These are well done. The thing I like about this quilting is the double row of stitching that border the plain blocks. You may have to enlarge the photo to see them.
I also like the slight curves in the center of pieced blocks (applique’). I think this could be made, partially, like a Drunkard’s Path is made.
Pincushion & Burrs, 1830, corner
Again, here is a border corner. this is an interesting treatment-Flying Geese border and then a kind of Double Four Patch with Half Square Triangles. I like. It works, even if it isn’t perfect. It does look a bit like a butterfly.
The Opening Reception for the Scrap Art exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles was on Sunday August 21, 2011. My quilt, Fabric of the Year 2010 is included in the exhibit. I almost didn’t attend the opening reception. The drive is long and I am lazy about leaving my house on Sundays.
However, I kept publicizing the event on FB and Twitter, and when Deborah Corsini emailed me to say there would be an opportunity for the artists to speak about their pieces, I knew I had to go. I am glad I did. It was an exciting experience. I had lots of support from my DH and my quilt friends. They all said how great my quilt was and how great it looked.
Milling Around in the Gilliland Family Gallery
There were a lot of people at the opening. People in the know such as Maureen and Terri said this was one of the largest events they had seen in conjunction with an opening of a quilt show.
Listening to Roderick Kiracofe Talk
Lots of quilt glitterati, in addition to Terri Thayer, of course, were there including Lynn Koolish, Nancy Bavor (quilt appraiser), Marie Strait (president of the SJMQT Board) as well as my favorite CQFA glitterati. 😉
Rod Kiracofe, author, collector and former dealer was there. He had loaned several of the best examples of vintage scrap quilts tot he exhibit. Ms. Corsini had him speak about his quilts and he told a funny story about bidding on a variety of quilts including the the 9 patch (in the exhibit) against Julie Silber. I felt like I was in the shadow of greatness, because I have read his work and admired it for a long time. He wrote The American Quilt, a book I pored over when it came out. I bought it at Doubleday Books on Sutter Street back in the dark ages.
Nine Patch Variation
I didn’t recognize this quilt as a Nine Patch until Deborah Corsini pointed it out. I didn’t see the Nine Patch. No, I am not a moron, but I was quite distracted and not studying the quilts. Of course, once pointed out to me, I saw it. I love this quilt. It is dated ca. 1925-1950 and was found in Wingo, Kentucky. It is so lively and really different than most Nine Patches. It is an excellent example of why I love blocks: you can do something with a block, your neighbor can also do something and the two will not look the same.
Listening to Sande Stoneman
One thing I enjoyed was that collectors had loaned their quilts. Deborah Corsini acknowledged them equally with the artists. I never really thought about the importance of collectors, but as I listened to Deborah and some of the collectors talk I realized all the ways that collectors contribute to the art world. I thought of all the masterworks of all kinds of art that are loaned to museums (big duh moment, let me tell you!) and how the same must be true in the quilt world.
Ms. Stoneman, with backpack, talked about the quilt she had loaned,which was made by her grandmother. She talked about trying to match fabrics from the quilt in photos.
Ocean Waves from Afar
The Ocean Waves quilt was really stunning from afar. For being made around 1890, it was in stunning condition.
It and a few of the other quilts were made from fabric that was not to my taste up close, but all of the quilts were quite stunning from far away.
Of course, the scrap aspect was a factor.
Trip Around the World
The Trip around the World quilt was my favorite. The sashing/edge of each block was a soft yellow, slightly brighter than butter yellow, but not so jarring as sunshine yellow. I have been thinking of ways to use scraps as I cut triangles for FOTY 2011, over the past few weeks sans machine, and this quilt really spoke to me. The scraps I have would not be large enough for 2″ squares, but they might be large enough for 1.5″ or 1″ squares. The patches in this quilt are all the same in each round, but I might be successful if I used similar values and hues in this block pattern. I might make one block to just try it out.
Discussion about many pieces
The quilt next to the door in the back of the photo is the half square triangle quilt in the collection of Sande Stoneman, discussed above.
Everyone in the photo is looking at a Trip Around the World quilt with about 14,000 postage stamp sized pieces. It was a couple of quilts away from another quilt with 17,000 pieces. WOW!
14,000 Piece Trip Around the World
The quilt with 14,000 pieces also has a jagged edge (you know I like those!). It was made by Minnie Kesler Murray, a native of Boones Mill, Virginia. She and her husband lived in San Jose in the 1950s and 1960s. She called this quilt her masterpiece. Her granddaughter is the owner of the quilt and lent it to the museum for this show.
36 Patch with Chintz Border
I am really glad that not all of the quilts were made from thousands of tiny pieces. The 36 Patch with Chintz Border is another of my favorites and another that could be made from scraps in similar values.
Again, the background was more yellow than gold and really glowed. It is from the mid 1800s. The great great granddaughter of the maker was in attendance.
Crazy Block Quilt
The quilt with the red and black piano key border that Ms. Corsini is showing in the picture was made of tiny string pieced silk blocks. She said that the quilt had some condition issues (what old silk quilt doesn’t?), but that the contrast between the tiny blocks and the bright bold border was fabulous. I have to agree. It was scrappy and, perhaps, string pieced and some of the fabrics congregated in areas of the quilt to make flowing dark and light areas.
I am really liking the idea of a piano key border. I was thinking about it before for another quilt. Seeing it on this quilt made me like it even more. I liked the way the maker joined the corners, too. The colors don’t exactly meet, but they look good.
Ocean Waves & Scrap Top
You can really see Granny Burkitt’s Scrap Top (left of the Ocean Waves quilt) better — well, better than some of the other photos!
I was amazed at how large some of the vintage quilts were. I thought FOTY 2010 was a monster, but it is a baby quilt in sized compared to Granny Burkitt’s Scrap Top and the Ocean Waves quilt. Looking at both of them makes me want to start sewing light and dark half square triangles together. No, I don’t have an idea in mind, but if I come up with 1,000 half square triangles, I am sure I can do something with them!
String Diamonds
Charlotte Kruk spoke about her strapless evening dress, Sugar, which is made out of sugar packets she collected over the course of 2 years. You can see it in the String Diamonds picture right behind Rod Kiracofe. Charlotte had another jacket and skirt piece in the foyer. I really liked the shape of her wearable sculptures. Charlotte is the creator of “Traje de Luces,” “The Reign of the M&M”, a kind of toreador outfit I saw at PIQF some years ago.
Just after she spoke Roderick Kiracofe talked about his String Diamonds quilt (found in Alabama, made ca. 1930-1960). I felt a kinship with this quilt, having just made a diamond quilt. One of the interesting aspects of this quilt was the back. It was made from sugar sacks from Cuba! Not only was the Cuban angle surprising, but the location of that particular quilt near the evening dress (Sugar, 1998) was well planned and a pleasant surprise.
One of the things I liked about attending this event was somewhat less formal than just going to a museum. The artists and owners of the quilts were allowed to show the backs without white gloves.
String Diamonds
A few artists had more than one piece included in the exhibit and Barbara Wisnoski was one of them. She is a Canadian artist from Montreal. Barbara came all the way from Montreal to be at the show, which I thought was wonderful and made me glad I had made the hour drive down to the South Bay!
She makes pieces using strip piecing, but she will cut strips, sew them together, cut those strips apart over and over. The effect of this technique is a lot of little pieces, almost shredded looking. She strives for a landscape look – actually she said that she makes landscape quilts.
Ruth TabancayNo Two Alike, 2010
The quilt by Ruth Tabancay is made from Republic of Tea teabags, which she as well as friends and colleagues use and then save. The teabags in this piece are painted with gouache (lighter colors) and acrylic (darker colors) paint. She started painting the teabags so she could get the colors she wanted. The shapes are reminiscent of Grandmother’s Flower Garden. No Two Alike is inspired by the six-fold symmetry of snowflakes.
Evening Star, 2010, Karin Lusnak
I really love the Lone Star string quilt by Karin Lusnak. I have seen something like it, or perhaps this quilt, elsewhere and admired it.
The quilt is made entirely of string pieced diamonds, which are, in turn, made into larger diamonds. The photo does not do this quilt justice because it just glows and Lusnak has really captured the color of the sky when it turns from the blue of the day to purple-indigo of night. The aspect of this quilt that puzzles and amazes me is that she uses a variety of colors in each of the diamonds. The center diamonds that make up the Lone Star were not limited to gold tones. The same is true for the sky. I think this is an excellent example of the ‘weight’ of color. The artist has used more blues in each diamond for the sky even though other colors were included. This method adds a lot of interest.
Variation of the Snake Trail
I read an article recently about quilts with snakes in them. This quilt immediately jumped out at me as being from that vein.
I was fascinated by the green pieces and how they form a continuous line, except for some of the border pieces. In examining the making of this quilt, I think the maker would have had to be very open to serendipity or have made the blocks as she set the quilt.
I really never ceased to be amazed at how inspired I can be from looking at vintage and antique quilts. I would love to talk to their makers! Still, I look at these quilts and my mind starts spinning with new ideas. These quilts show, in a way, that the discussion of classifying quilts into traditional, art or modern is not easy. These vintage quilts are hanging on the wall. Does this make them art? Will they still be art when they are taken off the wall and put on the bed?
FOTY 2010 with JHL
Julie corralled me and got a picture of me with my quilt. I looked at my quilt on the wall and thought that it looked out of place, but I told the monkey voices in my head to STFU and listened to my quilt board of directors who told me how proud they were of me and how great the quilt looked. Adrianne told me that my quilt was next to a quilt by Jacquie of Tall Grass Prairie Studio.
I have to admit that I was slightly terrified when I saw my quilt on the wall, seriously hung in a gallery. I couldn’t really comprehend what was happening, which I know sounds really strange. I just had no idea what I was I was doing when I submitted the piece for the show. I knew what I was doing mechanically, but I didn’t realize the ramifications, which were that my quilt would be on the wall of a real gallery for two months. I am really thrilled to have a lot of people see my piece. REALLY. THRILLED.
FOTY 2010 with JHL's QBOD
Here are members of CQFA and what I like to call members of my personal quilt board of directors. All the members of my QBoD weren’t there, but these are people who talked to me about the layout, spurred me on and kept me going. I was really excited to have them there. From left to right: Jaye, Dolores, Terri, Maureen and Julie.
I know the photos are not top quality, but the lighting was really difficult to deal with. I hope you can, at least, get the flavor of the event.
If you haven’t seen the Red & White quilts at the NYC Park Armory and you are within commuting distance, go see them! Admission is free!!!! A couple of friends have gone to see them and have said that the exhibit is amazing. It is only there for a few more days. Make the time!
3/31/2011 Update: Here are some (there are many, many articles on this exhibit) news stories about this exhibit:
Financial Times: Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts, Park Avenue Armory, New York. By Simon Schama
NYCtheblog: Amazing Display of 651 Red and White Quilts by Paolo Mastrangelo
New York Times: Finally, Mrs. Rose (and the Public) Can See All Her Quilts by James Barron
“One of the great pleasures of doing anything repetitive by hand, whether it’s knitting, making bread, chopping onions or sowing seeds, is that the rhythm of the action allows your mind to wander.”
I bought this book. The US edition has come out, but I decided to buy the UK edition. I don’t mind those extra ‘u’ added her and there. There is nothing wrong with the US edition. I was pleased to see that the US edition came out relatively quickly after the UK edition debuted.
I bought the UK edition of the Gentle Art of Domesticity and was pleased with the service I received from the Book Depository, so I made my purchase from them again. The cover of the UK edition looks so much better. One fascinating thing about the Book Depository (which LoveAnna turned me on to) is that they have something like a live webcam where you see what books people are buying and where those buyers are from. It is mesmerizing to see people ordering so many books so quickly. I actually saw someone’s purchase of Cello: Grades 1-3 from China!
Embellishments
Anyway, back to ribbon. Somewhere I saw a link to ribbon. I looked at it, which led me to Jane Brocket’s blog, the new book – see above. The ribbon, though was gorgeous. So wonderful for embellishing bags and making markers for journals. LFN Textiles is the purveyor and the website has gorgeous photos. And they have dotted ribbons. What’s not to like?
Pam Rubert of PamDora blog fame recently tweeted a link to Sharon B’s Dictionary of Stitches for Hand Embroidery and Needlework. She has an index on the first page. If you click on one of the links, you see a picture of the finished stitch and where this stitch can be found. She shows step outs of the stitch and gives the reader tips and tricks. If you are browsing, there is a previous/next link at the top of the stitch screen, so that you can just click to another stitch without returning to the index. There are lots of great features of this site and it is great inspiration if you are using handstitching to embellish a quilt.
Journals
If you remember my fit of excitement over the 1000 Journals Project, this information will come as no surprise to you. I found the Artbook Coop via Julie and they are doing a sketchbook project. You can order (and pay for) a sketchbook, which will then be housed in a museum. I am not sure I could finish something like this, but my mind is swirling around it.
Blocks
Brenda Papadakis of Dear Jane fame has a series of block of the month blocks posted on her website for free. It looks like there is an applique’/embroidery block and a pieced block every month.
Media
Last week I had a virus that hit me hard. One day while I was thinking about going back to bed, I stumbled on a blog called Waking Up in Bavaria. It has a really nice clean look and beautiful photography. One of her recent posts is a review of Kaffe Fassett’s Simple Shapes, Spectacular Quilts. It is hard to read a blog from the beginning when you are years behind. Still I read a bit of her posts from last year and my mind spun into imagination land. I spent a formidable time in my life in that area of the world, though in Austria, not Bavaria, so the landscape is familiar. I also like the clean, spare look of her blog. My mind started to wander around the question of what if I woke up in Bavaria tomorrow?
If you need to organize your studio/workroom, the Quilted Cupcake has a podcast and a long blog post with a lot of resources and pictures of her space. QNN TV also has a segment on organization. The January episodes, segments 1&2, 3&4 take on the topic of organizing your studio from different angles. You have to be a member to watch the videos.
I signed up for QNN TV last year and hadn’t really watched the videos. Last week, while I was sick, I was clearing out my email. Some of the messages in there were notices about new QNN TV episodes being posted. Being fit only to lay in bed, I started watching them. I thought they were very entertaining. They have some cooking segments, which I skipped over, but I enjoyed the episode on specialty threads (January episode, Segments 5&6). They have two kinds of links to the shows. Each episode is broken into about 6 segments and two segments are posted each week. This means that you can watch the different segments or watch the whole episode. I have been watching them in segments.
The January episode takes place in Winterset, Iowa, partially at the Fons & Porter store. They also show the Bridges of Madison County, the county in which Winterset is located. I didn’t know that Fons & Porter had a store, so this was interesting to me. I wish they would have done a tour of the store, but they didn’t.
I really enjoyed the November episode. Jodie Davis hosts with Patrick Lose and they report from Houston Quilt Market. They talk about new products and interview people at the show. I was entertained. I think this was shot while Mark was working out the details of his contract with QNN TV. I thought it would be weird, but Jodie Davis handled his not being there with grace. She made it seem like he would be back soon.
I also enjoyed the February Door Knock episode where Mark interviews Liz Porter. It is great to see that she is real and has a real life. I went away from that interview with a lot more respect for her and what she has achieved.
I wasn’t planning to renew my membership, but I may do it. I will definitely watch the episodes as they come out rather than waiting until my inbox is too full before I get to them.
The Alliance for American Quilts had a contest recently called New From Old. They have posted a series of YouTube videos documenting the quilt entries as they arrive. I thought that was very clever! One of them was by Marie Johansen who sometimes reads this blog. I was pleased to see that Yvonne Porcella entered a quilt, which must mean that she is feeling better. There were a number of Dresden Plate entries and two that could be considered Baltimore Album style. Sunbonnet Sue, Grandmother’s Flower Garden and Grandmother’s Fan also made debuts. Some people put a lot of work into their entries and it occurred to me that throwing something together just to enter wouldn’t work for this contest. Then again, it doesn’t usually work for any contest.
If you ever feel like the quilts or ATCs or blocks or paintings you are making are not fit for the fireplace, take a look at the Bad Postcards site. Looking at the works on this site should a) give you a laugh; b) make you feel better about your own work; and c) make you wonder who ever thought it was a good idea to make matching apron, tablecloth and curtains (you’ll have to scroll down the site to get that one). As a bonus for you fabric lovers, there are some interesting fabrics shown in various postcards. It makes me wonder whether people will be laughing about the photos on this blog in 50 years?
Do artists go under Media or Out and About? I don’t know, so here is Michael Cutlip. Mostly I love his website and the way the gallery is laid out. He is the artist who did the picture in the Decor House, which I wrote about in a post a few weeks ago. The picture I took is crappy, but his work is not, so don’t judge him on my photo.
Out and About
You might have heard (or maybe read it here) that the V&A in London has a quilt exhibit up. They have also just announced the release of a second set of patterns, V&A Pattern Series II. “Like the first box set—which included four books arranged by theme and titled William Morris, Indian Florals, Digital Pioneers, and The Fifties—the second series features four books available individually or as a group: Owen Jones, Novelty Patterns, Kimonos, and Garden Florals. In addition to page after page of color images of the textile designs, each hardcover book includes a CD of hi-res images of the featured patterns.”
Being here in the US, it is hard to get to the exhibit, though I am hoping for some kind of miracle (you know free first class tickets, or something), but until then I have been looking at the videos. My favorite so far is the one with Caren Garfen, which I looked at with TFQ. Her quilt is given a bit of short shrift int he book, but this video makes up for it. I wish it were downloadable to iTunes, so I could look at it again without being tethered to my computer.
My sister gets various creative “notions” in her head and her latest is organza flowers. She saw some she loved at Nordstrom. She said that you sew strips of fabric in a circle to a base down the middle of the strip. Have you ever done this? I may try it.
Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy are having a blog tour. There are a lot of new and interesting blogs to look at.
My friend, Kathy, from Everyday Bliss, has a new blog called Everyday Mommy. It is new so I can’t tell you exactly how it turns out, but Kathy writes “Do you want to be a marvelous parent or just like watching others try? Join Everyday Mommy for a wacky and fun experiment! Each week we will delve into one of the parenting virtues, have some fun and hopefully become better parents in the process!” It is fun to watch my friend delve into cyberspace. I know that sounds strange since the web is not new. Before blogs I couldn’t tell how many emails people were sending or what websites they were going to. With all of the cross linking and comments, as well as FB, it is much easier.
Deirdre sent me a link to Woody Campbell’s Photo a Day blog. His photos are a bit large. Still, I like the photo of the refrigerator. I like the idea of documenting normal every day things. I don’t always do it, but I think about it. I read about a guy who took a photo of the same building across the street from his shop every day at the same time for something like 30 years. Do you ever do anything like that? I thought about it when I took a picture out the window of my workroom, but then I never followed up. I suppose it isn’t too late!
The Amish Quilts from the Stephen and Faith Brown Collection will be leaving the DeYoung on June 6. TFQ bought the exhibit catalog and, before even looking at the whole thing, slammed the book shut and made plane reservations to come down. I am glad she came down the weekend of the 15th, because I have been sick as a dog the past few days and if she had come this past weekend, I would have been no fun.
I love looking at exhibits with TFQ. It is fun seeing an exhibit through someone else’s eyes and pooling our knowledge about pattern and design. I also love looking at exhibits a second time. I always see things I didn’t see before. Sometimes TFQ and I see completely different things in a quilt.
DWR Flower
One thing I saw that made my day was a small double wedding ring. It was made with the same color of fabric at each end of the arc. This technique made the piece look like there were flowers all over it. The quilt is in the book (plate 38, pg.88), but the “flowers” don’t glow like they did in the real piece.
Roman Stripe Variation
I am not sure why I didn’t notice the little Roman Stripe Variation (plate 73, pg.123) in the corner of the exhibit the first time I went, but I didn’t. I really like the way the stripes almost match up, but not quite. This would be a great and not-too-difficult quilt to make. However, where we think of the non-matching stripes as charming, anyone making this quilt today would just be considered a poor piecer.
Sketching the Amish
There was a contained crazy (plate 13, pg.620 that had some really nice embroidery stitches. That little bow stitch in the drawing above was in each block. Those arcs were some quilting designs that I also liked.
One unexpected joy was that the exhibit catalog was $10 off. I lashed out and bought it along with a book of postcards of Amish quilts in general. When looking at the book I am struck by how the quilts look the same, but do not have the glow that do in person.
After leaving the exhibit, we went up to the Tower. From the outside it just looks strange, but the view, even on a foggy day, is fabulous and I love going up there. On the way up, we saw a sculpture star in the elevator lobby
Wire Star Sculpture
The lobby had a number of these wire sculptures and I think they were designed with the shadows in mind. This one would be a wonderful Christmas decoration, if an expensive one.
Window Screen
I liked the way the ferns looked through this window screen. It is made of metal and soldered to the window frame. I think they put it there so people in the garden wouldn’t stare inside. TFQ pointed out that they didn’t really think about cleaning the window when the design was being discussed and implemented.
Every year there is a decorator showcase house in my city. This year I was offered free tickets to visit when TFQ was here.
The house is in a neighborhood called Presidio Heights. It was a jewel of a house, not what I would call a mansion, but not small either. The house was laid out really well – the flow was wonderful. The rooms weren’t stupid either.A real family could live there. The ‘bones’ of the house were good: nice details, good sized rooms, plenty of bathrooms, great storage.
I am a big sucker for entry halls.It had a really nice entry hall where people had space to take off their coats and shoes, put their gloves and packages down before being in the house and having to deal with stuff.
It was fun going with TFQ as well, because she has a really rich art background. As we were standing in the dining room, she made a comment about the Rothko on the wall! Yes, indeed, there was a Mark Rothko painting in the corner of the dining room!
Rothko Yellow
I am not sure that this was the painting, but it looked similar.
Bird Painting
The above painting was for sale and the hosts at the house were supposed to have all of the information about them. They couldn’t find the info on this which TFQ was interested in. I am still waiting to hear back. My arm has been bothering me, so I didn’t bring my good camera and the cell camera in combination with the art lighting really makes the bird look skeletal. In reality, this was a very appealing looking painting.
Quilt Block Floor
I see quilt blocks everywhere and this marble floor was no exception. It would not be for the faint of heart, but I imagine the center rectangle being one color and then the elongated hexagons flowing into each block because of the color.
Moroccan Table
This Moroccan Table was in a room at the top of the house, which was described as an aerie. This room was designed by Benjamin Dhong and he was really nice to us. He designs rooms with neutral colors, but we did not find the Aerie to be boring because of the neutrals. He had added some color that added a lot of interest. The colors did not stand out, but really kept the room from being too neutral. I think the man has a gift with neutrals.
Moroccan Table -detail
This detail shows different motifs that could also be used in a quilt. I think it would be another that wouldn’t be for the faint of heart, but perhaps Jane Sassaman’s technique could be used to make the work a little easier.
Moroccan Table -detail
The middle with the rectangles as a circular border is really effective as well.
We went out into the garden because we wanted to see everything and TFQ also loves to garden. I thought they could have done more with the garden, but there were some plants that were interesting colors and shapes.
Perfect Camellia
This may be the most perfect camellia I have ever seen.
Columbine
I have heard of Columbines before, but don’t think I have ever seen one. There were a number of different specimens in different colors. I was really interested in the layering effect of these flowers.
Blank Wall Covering
This piece made a blank wall more interesting. I thought it was a gate, but it really wasn’t. I like the waves.
I volunteered to go and help demonstrate quilting at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco last Friday with the East Bay Heritage Quilters. I took the Chocolate Box with me so I could show how quilts are finished. I had done this “stunt quilting” at the museum before – when the Esprit collection was being displayed at the museum. That experience was wonderful. This experience was MUCH better.
BackStage Pass
Renee and her staff treated us like glitterati. I was greeted at the door and immediately given the above pass. There was a performer’s area away from the hubbub of the event where we could rest, partake of food and drink, and chat.
Children's Quilt Project Quilt detail
One of the things some of the ladies did was work on the CQP quilts. This one was tied with the help of some interested visitors. CQP is project where the guild makes quilts to donate to children in need.
Sewing CQP Blocks
A couple of the ladies worked with visitors to lay out blocks and then sew them. Some of the children were very interested in this aspect of the work and helped quite a bit.
Cutting
We demonstrated all aspects of the quilting process, including cutting. Many, many people had never seen a rotary cutter and were quite fascinated.
Hand quilting
Two ladies brought their hand quilting projects. Jean, working on the attic window quilt, brought several of her quilts. Many of them were a lovely combination of purples, blues and greens.
Tie quilt
This is another of Jean’s quilts in a lovely group of purples, blues and greens. She made this quilt from ties. I think it is one of the best uses of tie fabric I have ever seen. I like the combination of colors and patterns. I also like the block layout.
Godzilla & Mothra
Edi does gorgeous applique’. She had several in progress pieces with animals, which intrigued the children. The Godzilla quilt was a birthday gift for her husband, Jay (we were both a bit confused when we met!). He designed the quilt, Edi appliqued and then it was quilted with different Tokyo motifs by Laura Lee Fritz. This quilt drew in a lot of people in. Edi and Jay told the story of the quilt dozens of times. It was definitely a lot more interesting than my binding!
Hand quilting
This evening was one of the most fun experiences I have had in a long time. My mouth hurt from smiling when I got home. Two readers/friends stopped by: Kathy from Everyday Bliss and Lisa from LisaLizaLou. Some people who talked with me wanted to buy quilts, others wanted to commission quilts. Some were genuinely interested in the process. I even told someone my process for washing a quilt (toss in washer with Dreft and then toss in dryer on very low setting). There were a few people who were really interested in my quilt and the binding. Chocolate Box was, actually, a good quilt to bring with me. It is a pretty modern looking quilt and lots of young people were interested in the fabric and the design.
I went to the Cartier exhibit with my MIL on Friday. The exhibit will be leaving in the next few weeks and I didn’t feel like I had seen enough the last time I went. I wrote about going a month or so ago. My mom and I were scheduled to go, but she worked so much this past week, she wanted to rest before she had to go to her weekend job. Instead of just thinking “oh, I’ll go by myself”, which probably would not have happened, I immediately called my MIL and asked if she wanted to go. I am glad I did, because it was great to go again and it was great to spend time with my MIL. Yes, I love my MIL and she is not, in any way, shape or form, evil like books and comics imply about MILs.
Jaye's Tiara 😉
Ok, I am totally lying about that being my tiara, but if I had a tiara, it would look just like that and I would wear it all the time. This is the tiara of a princess of Belgium. It was my favorite piece in the whole exhibit. The thing that really attracted me to it was the swirls in the center. They reminded me of the P&B fabric I used for Spiky Stars some time ago. I would like to perfect that design for quilting on the longarm.
I felt really inspired by the pieces in the show.
Liz Taylor's necklace
I can’t help but do a lot of drawings when I am at an exhibit: read, look, draw. It is my mantra. I felt especially inspired yesterday as I could really look at things. Nothing was a surprise, because I had been before and I was able to focus on the details.
Different design ideas
One thing I noticed is that all of the lines were doubled. In the the infinity type design above, I didn’t draw the double line in my book. It had a double line where I have drawn one line. I want to play with that drawing a bit and the above work is just a reminder.
Designs from jewelry
The oblong/square I have drawn on the page above was really intriguing to me.It wasn’t quite square or rectangular. I think it was officially rectangular, but I really had to look at it to figure out why it wasn’t exactly square. It had a kind of Trip Around the World look to it and I would like to explore the shape a bit more on some graph paper.
Flamingo Brooch
I was not supposed to be taking pictures, which the guard told me nicely, but in no uncertain terms. The lighting was not conducive to photography, which is why the two pictures I took are so crappy. I posted the flamingo to show the way the artists put the colored stones on part of the piece. This was a good reminder that coloration in a quilt does not have to be symmetrical.
Also, the contrast between the types of pieces shown (tiara above vs. flamingo) was quite striking. It really showed the breadth of work that Cartier did.
I really enjoy seeing other types of work. Not only am I inspired, but feel very appreciative of the wide variety of artistry available in the world.
Jennifer at CraftSanity is running in a race for charity in May. She is part of a special training group called the Road Warriors. The Road Warrior team members get training mentors, have a blog and train together. She has been paired with a domestic violence shelter. In order to be part of the Road Warrior team, she needs to raise a certain amount of money for a charity. Instead of going door to door to gather donations, Jenifer is organizing an apron exhibit. To do that she needs aprons. I decided to make and send her one.
Apron Right (Tarty view)
I had listened to the Patchwork and Pacifiers podcast just before listening to Jennifer’s newest CraftSanity podcast that mentioned the apron contest. The P&P podcast is one to which I just started to listen. On that day, I heard Jennifer Ruvalcaba (P&: host) briefly mention a petal skirt her daughter had. Then, when Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood (too many Jennifers doing podcasts??) mentioned the apron contest an image formed in my mind. Then, I was looking the One Yard Wonders book. That combined with the various other sensory inputs and I was off and running.
The Kitschy Kitchen Apron from One Yard Wonders was a big help with sizing and length of the straps. I had a good time working on it as well, though I found it to be quite a solitary endeavor.
Apron Front (Supermodel view)
One of the requirements of the exhibit is to add a piece of tie fabric to the apron. I wanted to put a flower made from the tie fabric on the apron, so I had to go and find a pattern, which, through the power of the ‘craft’ web, I was able to do quite easily. I found a site, Tip Junkie, which had a number of different patterns. I ended up using Pink Paper Peppermints Rounded Petal Fabric Flower pattern to make my flower. The tie fabric frayed quite a bit, so it wasn’t a particularly fun process, but I learned how to make fabric flowers. I could have used Fray Check, but I was afraid it would stain the fabric.
Apron Side
I spent most of the weekend working on the apron. I had actually been thinking about making one for awhile for no particular reason.. This was the perfect opportunity. It isn’t a quilt, but it may have gotten that particular wish out of my system.
I didn’t take pictures of all the steps. It just didn’t seem right. I feel good making the things I have for charity lately. I feel like I am doing some good in some small way. I hope you will join in and send an apron to Jennifer at CraftSanity as well. If you can’t make an apron read the post to find out other ways to help.
