Quilting on the Edge

Art Quilt: Marine MoonDance

I created Marine MoonDance from a number of different small art quilt pieces that were lying around from different projects.  I cut different sizes of these pieces and arranged them on my design wall to create this background.  All of the pieces were previously quilted...so they were thicker than just plain fabric.  I joined them to each other with a satin stitch. The I added other pieces over the background...many of these overlays had fibers and other surface designs added.........You can see them here as the gold squares and larger dark blue squares.  I had this great sheer fabric of leaves that I added then to the side and bottom of the piece, adding an extra dimension.  THEN I quilted the whole thing again with blue metallic thread, using the metallic thread in the bobbin and sewing from the back of the quilt with transparent thread.  It reminds me of underwater life, and I noticed bits of brightness, so I call it Marine MoonDance.  What Title would you give this art quilt?

Tuesday's Ten: What We Pray For: Roser Chapel, Anna Maria Island

Roser Chapel on Anna Maria Island Florida is a small chapel attached to the community church.  It has historical value since it was built by one of the founding fathers on the island, and to this day services are conducted in there on occasion. I've been for Good Friday as  well as  Thanksgiving services.   My favorite part about it though is that it is usually open for use.....with a sign out front that says "Open for Prayer".  It is one of my regular stops when I walk.......I like being able to pop in the chapel for a few minutes or longer and sit quietly.  On a lectern near the entrance to the chapel there are lists of prayer requests for each week.......I supposed these are received from parishioners at their regular services.  I always glance at these to see what people are praying for...........so for today's ten, I decided to list ten things I've seen on the prayer list, these are taken from actual lists I've seen:

Dear Lord, thank you for your warmth and comfort.  Thank you for the gift of memories.  AMEN

Pray for Brian's success in finding a job.

Your prayers are requested for 2 visitors for strength to control their desire for alcohol.

For Mike seeking further treatment for an aggressive melanoma.

For a friend in a car wreck last night.

Praise and thanks to God for his unspeakable goodness in our lives, day after day.

I am thankful for everything I have.

Prayers for Sue in hospice.

Prayers for healing for Patty's eye and to keep Marissa safe on the roadways in her new car.

Prayers for peace in the world.

There are always lots of requests for people with illness, cancer. or having chemotherapy.  I think it's a great idea to make the list.......people must have a sense of leaving their request there instead of just thinking about them.  Besides, others read the lists and pray for them too!  Anyway, what would be on your prayer list this Tuesday? 

 

Tuesday's Ten: Things to Do When I Don't Know What To Do

Sometimes I am what I call "Sideways".......this means I don't feel like doing anything in particular.  Every thing I could or should be doing doesn't appeal to me for some reason, and after sitting for awhile, I still need to do something.  That's just my nature.  So today I am listing ten things I do when I don't know what to do:

Read a favorite book....one of mine is "Good Poems".  This way I'm not committed to anything requiring too much concentration.

Play the piano

Drive out by the lake and take a walk or bike ride

Collect things from my closet for GoodWill

Get online and mess with photos on photoshop

Update my iphone

Clean a "JUNK" drawer, usually one in the kitchen

Work in my garden, randomly, pulling weeds here and there

Send emails

Turn on the TV and click through all the channels and decide there is nothing on to watch 

I try to just go with the flow at these times, but I admit it is hard. Sometimes, if I force myself to start a project, and stick with it for about 20 minutes or so, I can get into it and enjoy it.  Sometimes, nothing works to get me out of the funk I'm in, so I just try to make the best of it and take a nap!

 

 

 

Art Quilt: Where The Ragged People Go

There is an interesting set of events that led to this art quilt.   First, I had a piece of fabric I recently painted that reminded me of barbed wire.  I made brown "X" marks on it, and all I could think of was barbed wire fences.  Second, in my daily walking, I noticed what seemed to be a homeless man also walking the streets.  He stood out because of his inapproriate dress, poor personal hygiene, and what seemed to be aimless walking without anyplace to go.  I saw him at least three times in about ten days or so.  The image stuck with me. Third, while walking one day I was listening to Simon And Garfunkel's music, and one of the songs, The Boxer, has a phrase that I couldn't get out of my mind.  The phrase is "where the ragged people go".

One day recently I was motivated to make this quilt, altho I didn't consciously realize where it was going.  I just started with the "barbed wire" fabric and ended up here.  I hope you don't think of this as a sad or dark piece, altho I can see that would be easy to do.  Instead, I try to think of it as an awareness piece..........being aware of the plight of others we encounter.   

SAQA Musings Exhibit at Gerald Ford Museum in Grand Rapids Michigan

Today I awakened to an email telling me one of my latest art quilts was selected to be part of the Musings Exhibit this summer at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids Michigan.  This is so exciting!

I have cut back on my entries to exhibits this year, but this is one I entered and hoped to be accepted by the juror.  And it's close enough to my home that I can actually go and see my art quilt hanging. 

Sometimes, perseverance pays off!  My quilt is called "Passages", and it is made entirely of my own hand dyed or painted and surface designed fabrics.   Wish I could post a photo of it, but I'll do so when the exhibit is up and running. 

Tuesdays' Ten: Sights of Special Moments

Today I decided to focus on ten sights that I've seen in my daily life that I found to be moving or memorable.  Something about these sights made me stop and think, or feel happy or at peace. This shouldn't be too hard.

The photo here is number one.....I remember seeing this Dad and son walking the beach and snapped the photo from a distance. 

A small child's smile as he rides his two wheeler alone.

A baby with cake on his/her face at their first birthday party.

An elderly person holding the hand of a small child and walking in the garden or yard.

A dog and cat sleeping together on the couch or floor.

A bird flapping his wings in a birdbath.

A stately blue heron stalking prey on the shoreline.

A group of preschoolers holding hands while walking on a field trip.

Parents holding their baby at a Baptism or Christening Ceremony.

Little girls in Easter bonnets on Easter, especially the ones with ribbons hanging down in the back.

One more for good measure:  a group of friends visiting another friends' gravesite, all sitting around and talking.

We all see these sort of things as we move about our lives, and often they pass unnoticed.  Sometimes I think taking the time to notice them is worth the extra minute..........maybe you think so too.

 

Northwest Indiana Times Newspaper: Article about IQF and Me!

http://nwi.com/articles/2009/04/09/life/homes/docBD6D932A47ECB4C386257590007423BC.txt

Here's the link for the April 9th article in the Northwest Indiana Times about the International Quilt Festival in Chicago coming up April 16-19, 2009.   I was interviewed for this article since I have two pieces in special exhibits on display at the quilt festival.  Thanks to Marge Kullerstrand for getting in touch with me for this special article!

My pieces are in the Journal Quilts II  Exhibit, and another is in the SAQA "Sense of Time Exhibit".  If you do go and have a chance to see them, let me know!   Here's the pics of the quilts below:  

 

This is "Moments" in the SAQA exhibit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Forest Floor"  in Journal Quilts "Elements" Exhibit

Tuesday's Ten: Textures

Today I decided to make a list of textures I see that make me want to touch them.......not always a good idea, but something about the texture begs me to feel it.  This photo is a good example......all the rocks piled up invites a second look. Here's my list:

a pile of seashells washed up on the shore

Palm bark........many varieties

Braided anything......rugs, hair, bread dough

Pottery with intricate patterns

Hand knit scarves or sweaters

Cactus plants......no touching here!

Pebbled walkways or floors

Large heavy rope, like the kind holding a large boat to the pier

Quilting Patterns on anything

A pile of nails in an old tin can

Texture is visually stimulating.  In some of my quilts I try to create texture by the stitching I use, batting I choose, or even the type of fabric on the piece.  Perhaps today you can look a little closer as you move about your world to see what textures attract you.

 

Art Quilt from Scraps

 Recently I wanted to make something and didn't know what...I think we all know that creative itch that can overcome us and yet, we look around for an idea or focus for our creativity.  When I have that need to create,I try to get cooking with something without overthinking it.........not planning to make my all time best, just planning to make something.  For this piece my intent was to only use leftover scraps from my basket of hand dyed or painted fabrics.  I started by placing a piece of cotton warm and natural batting on my design wall, then begin to design this small quilt.  It wasn't long before the semicircle shape became the most interesting part of what I was creating, so I decided to use that shape as a unifying factor in this piece. So I cut more of those shapes, and then spent an hour or two filling in the blanks.  I liked it when I was done with the fabric placement, but the quilting was the part that really popped this art quilt and made it special.  I call the quilt "Leftovers", and it is one of my favorites.  Don't underestimate the power of using scraps!  and just letting yourself go and see where you land!