More Discoveries

Finding the blog for Elizabeth Barton was a true delight, because she takes the time to write really thoughtful and interesting reflections on quilting arts.  She also led me to Nick Cave and his soundsuits, Unbelievable designs to be worn. The discussion of Nick Cave on Barton's blog is quite informative too.   He also has a series of youtube videos.

Peace and love to visitors

HQ 16

        I have been putting my time into the 10,000 hours ( a la Malcolm Gladwell) toward becoming a master of this machine.

         And surfing the web for new and awesome quilters and groups that lead one to new discoveries.   I've found several.  I discovered by accident the site, Black Art in America which houses a group for African American Quilters.   The art and artists there are awesome!  It was there I discovered the portrait ,fabric and paint artist Wycliff Lincoln Bennett.  His fabric collages and fabric choices create really  unique portraits.  Check them out.   You'll be glad you did.
Peace and love

Class Registration closed

     I'm so disappointed because I'd wanted to take class at QU on Still Life from Ruth Blanchet and found out that registration is closed already.   Class begins Oct. 1.   Now, I'll have to wait until Jan.  

SLIDESHOW !!!

Glory Alleluia !!!!

I got the slideshow up and running.

See below.

Pillow Back or Bind edges??

Now that I got the top finished and ready for next part, I find myself in a quandary.  Would it be better to do the pillow back or should I bind the edges?   I'll need to sleep on this for a few nights.  But any suggestions would be helpful.

Mountain Mama's Garden

In the song "Country Roads",  John Denver refers to WV's Mountains as Mountain Mama.   I've been working on a series of post cards, wall hangings, and now a bed size quilt with that theme.  I used crazy quilt patches to do design, which is my own.   My process included drawing picture on grid paper, then making blocks 13 x13, on a foundation of very light weight gridded foundation fabric (from JoAnn's).   I had been collecting flowered fabrics for a long time because I simply loved them.   Using very small flower prints and graduating to very large ones.  I was attempting to show a garden that started back up in the mountain and came forward to viewer.  The mountains too were constructed to show distance with darker ones closer to viewer.   I plan to do some quilting on this once I add the batting and backing.   For the backing I'm thinking of using a pillow back, no borders, not binding.  The actual size of this top is currently around 87 by 87.

And here is a sketch of the portrait for my friend's son with his new bride.  It's been blown up to 24 x 36.  She wanted a larger one and I've finished fabric selection.   My next step is to trace this onto freezer paper and then cut out the individual pieces and iron them to the fabric chosen.   I plan to add more pictures of the process I follow in this construction as I go along.  I am not happy with the mouth of the male, and will be reworking when I get to that part.   I think making the teeth so specific, I made a mistake.   When I redo it for the pattern piece, I will just outline the sections of the mouth and not individualize the teeth until they're more right than wrong. In other words, I'm going to simplify that part of the drawing until I feel it better portrays the young man's smile.

Apple Butter Festival

     I've completed top for "Mountain Mama's Flower Garden" (changed name to allude to WV mountains) and will post picture as soon as I download pics from camera ( tomorrow).    I've stopped progress on portrait project to prepare some items for the Apple Butter Festival which is coming up around the end of this month.   I already have pillow cases, shopping bags, and a couple of purses, so I plan to add a few more items--wall hangings, throws, and another purse if I can get to it.   There will be another Winter Festival in November, and  I plan to make several other smaller projects for that.   I found two different fabrics with the Walt Disney Princess on it in lavender and purple.   I have idea to make pillow cases and a matching towel set with that fabric and the lovely lavender towels I found the other day.
       The portrait is still on my mind and I've been collecting fabric for a month now.  I think I have what I need but I won't be sure until I sit down and begin to put the faces together.   Because it is two faces and one is slightly pink and the other has more peachy coloring, I'm worried about making them distinct enough.  Deidre Scherer and Ruth McDowell both use patterned fabric in their faces and I love how well it works for them.   As a result, I've been trying to find the perfect pattern for this portrait's faces, and that is one of the reasons fabric selection has been taking me so long this time ( it is always a little trying for me).   Using monochromatic color  choices was easier, but still took some time to find values that worked effortlessly with one another.  Once fabric selection is done, the actual 'piecing of the face' goes easily, reminds me a lot of paper piecing which is basis of this process actually for me.   Will get pics downloaded first thing in the morning.

Inspired

There seems to be a lot going on these days.   I can't believe it's been a month since my last post already.    I've been on vacation, at a youth camp, to family reunion and on a spiritual retreat.  And busy, busy, busy at home with quilting, homemaking and entertaining between the other.   THERE!    Apologies and excuses done.

New crazy quilt, "Mountain Haven" (WV Mountains Series) has been occupying most of my time lately:

In truth, I've finished the blocks, but didn't take picture of the finished blocks.  I'm in the process of squaring up blocks, then I will join them and post top.  It's been an interesting and challenging process so far.  I just hope my interests in this type of piecing doesn't wane before I'm finished with the quilting which I'm looking forward to at this juncture.  I haven't used my Handi-quilter (16) much and I need the work and practice on it.   Of course I have a couple of other smaller projects that will require quilting  and will afford me practice too.

Another project I've been working with is the ART GAWK Walk in Huntington.   I have six fabric portraits in the project.  Here are examples of those portraits:

Jan

Sandee

Beth

Carolee

Currently, I'm working on another portrait of a young man and his fiance.   The ones above are all 8 x 10 size.   The engaged couple is going to be quite a bit larger.   I'm hoping that it works in the larger framework.   In recent Quilting Arts magazine there was an article on Deidre Scherer and her series of portraits of elderly people.   She is a master and an inspiration for me.  I find I have several who inspire me in this genre.  Among that group would be Marilyn Belford, Maria Elkins, Leni Wiener.