Quilting on the Edge

Hand Dyed Fabrics Project: FINALLY

Look at this bin of my hand dyed fabrics!  I haven't dyed any for over a year, but for about three years prior to that I was really busy doing hand dyeing and trying different techniques. I decided this was the year to deal with these fabrics.....out of the bin and into a quilt.  So, I began by cutting the fabric into two inch strips.

The next photo shows all the strips I cut laid out on the bed in a spare bedroom.  I decided to create nine patch blocks, by sewing three strips together, cutting them into 2 inch sections, then sewing together three two inch sections to create  nine patch blocks.

Each block measures about 4 1/2 inches in size.

The next photo shows the sections I created from the strip piecing, and final photo shows a few of the completed blocks.  I'm thinking that when I finish all the blocks, I may sew them together with a narrow white sashing as it appears in the few blocks I picture here on the design wall.  So this will be my project for 2012,     FINALLY USING MY HAND DYED FABRICS!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Weekly Wednesday Haiku

This is a Sailboat Lap Quilt I photographed by the shore in Florida....one day I decided to take a bunch of my quilts and take photos of them in unusual places around  Anna Maria Island.  This was a few years ago......

Today's haiku:

     

Things clutter your space

Padding the view from within

Hiding the answers.

SAQA Indiana Art Quilt Exhibit Postcard

Portions of my  quilts are shown on this card in the top center and top right, it was a neat surprise

to see them!

SAQA Indiana Exhibit coming in December

Indiana's SHOWCASE OF CONTEMPORARY TEXTILE ART

EXPLORING THE SURFACE - SHOWCASE OF CONTEMPORARY TEXTILE ART

By members of Indiana’s Studio Art Quilt Associates and Surface Design Association

December 9-31, 2011

Eighteen textile artists will be on display throughout the Indiana Humanities during the month of December in downtown Indianapolis. Please join us for a showcase of artists who specialize in surface design on textiles, art quilts, mixed media, hand-dyeing, hand-painting, stamping, hand embroidery and beading.  Over 30 works of textile art will be on display and available for purchase.

SAQA/SDA Exploring the Surface Artists

Peggy Brown

M. C. Bunte

Iran Dorofeeva

Tommy Fitzsimmons

Karen Hampton

Larry Hampton

Caryl Rae Hancock

Linda Witte Henke

Joan Hershey

Judie Huss

Mary Jane Keys

Judy Ireland

Jane Lee

Kate Lenkowsky

Christine Predd

Daren Redman

Stephanie Lewis Robertson

Caryl Schuetz

Mary Strinka

EXHIBITION RECEPTION

Meet the artists- Friday December 9, 5-8 pm

1500 N. Delaware Street, Indianapolis, Indiana

HOURS

Weekdays- 10 am – 4pm

December 9-31, 2011

(317) 638-1500

For more information write Daren Redman –darenredman@gmail.com

 

"Trees in Winter" Art Quilt

I've been wanting a picture of bare tree branches for the wall above my couch in our sun room, and after looking online and at several stores,  either the size, frame, or cost was prohibitive.  So, I decided to make an art quilt of the picture I had in my mind.  The branches are raw edge appliqued onto a silk fabric background, and extensive quilting was then done on the interior of this quilt.  Final size is 27 by 36 inches.  It is mounted onto a frame of styrofoam framed by a wooden edge.  Here it is: Below is a photo of it hung above my couch in my sunroom.   

Art Quilt: Sea Star 2004

Here's another oldie but goodie in my art quilt journey.  There were a lot of firsts for me in this piece.  My husband took this photo of me holding the sea star I found in the Gulf of Mexico in Florida in the winter of 2004.  Wow, it's almost 8 years old!  It was the first time I tried  making hands, first time I worked from a photo which I enlarged to create the pattern.  And, I used an actual shirt I bought at a church resale store for the cuffs on the hands. I saw another quilt somewhere that used this technique, so I wanted to try it too.  It's not so bad, but I can see where I would improve on it today.  I remember being so pleased when I had that fabric I used for the seastar in my stash....it was a great likeness to the actual seastar.  Boy, this brings back memories.  It is 23 by 33 inches.   It's amazing what I remember about  it all, just by looking at the quilt.   

Finishing Finally!

Finally a post about quilting.....it seems I have so many inspirational sources that sometimes my quilting entries here take a back seat.  Here's a piece I made several months ago and finally quilted.  It's 28 by 29 inches.  Click on it to see the quilting which in my opinion really adds to the piece.  I  had quilted about a third of it a long time ago, then it languished on the UFO pile for no good reason, except perhaps laziness.  Last week I finally finished it, except the binding, and I'm happy with it after all.  I forgot my intent in making this piece.....seems I was going for points of light away from the hand dyed color section, I honestly don't recall. Did I ever have a name for it?  I don't recall now.  Does it hit a note with you?  Does it suggest a name to you?   Let me know, if so, by posting a comment here or emailing me with your suggestion for a name.  I need help on this one!

Same Fabrics, Same Size......Different Impact!

Which wall quilt would you prefer on your wall?  Calm, orderly.....versus energetic and random? Both of these quilts have the same fabrics, same size of about 36 inches square.....the difference is the placement of the small rectangular pieces.  Side by side, you can really see the different impact they make on a space.  If you only saw them individually, you could not appreciate their impact. It's only when together than you can feel how different they are.  Just some observations along the way.

The Story of a A Quilt: Baker's Dozen

This 12 inch square quilt was made for a challenge in 2008.  I don't remember the topic of the challenge, but I assume it had something to do with a dozen.  I chose spoons.  I like the design created by the spoons in alternate positions lying on the table top.  They were fused in place then machine appliqued.  This piece I had mostly forgotten about until I found it in my stacks of completed quilts. Don't know what I'll ever do with this one, but I guess it's all part of my growth process in quilt making. 

 

The Story of a Quilt: Clearing the Decks

So here's another one of my old gems.  This one is 14 by 16, called Clearing the Decks, made in 2006.   I remember that I was thinking about people ending their work weeks on Friday, clearing their desks of papers, finishing off their work, sort of getting rid of stuff before the weekend.  I imagine a person brushing papers off the top of her desk, and that's what the inspiration for this piece was.  It's funny how I remember theses older quilts so well, just by seeing them again.  I remember also really liking the striped border and the quilting you can see better if you enlarge the photo with a click on it.