Inspiring Quilting: Elly's blog to boost your creative IQ

Archive for the ‘Art + Quilt’ Category

Opposing Forces = Art

Wednesday, July 30th, 2014

Looking for a zen-like, meditative haven? How about an intense and heady tour of some of the most riveting and revolutionary sculpture ever created? I found both experiences at the Isamu Noguchi Museum in Queens, NY. You will, too.

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Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) was one of the twentieth century’s most important and critically acclaimed sculptors.

I am struck by all the opposing forces in his life, which found expression in his work:

His mother was a Scottish-American writer; his father was a Japanese poet.
Noguchi spent most of his life and had studios in both Japan and New York.
That East-West tug on his identity made him fully comfortable in neither place.
He was inspired by the lyricism of nature, and the boldness of Brancusi’s reductive, powerful forms.
Noguchi created huge stone monoliths and delicate paper lampshades, mass-produced furniture and fine art, public gardens and theatrical set designs.
He said,”The best is that which is most spontaneous or seemingly so.” He also said, “Brancusi made me realize that what I had learned previously – the quick ways of doing things – was all wrong. It is a search you have to enter – into yourself.”

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In my art-making, I am constantly struggling with opposites:

I want to produce work that is both subtle and bold.
I covet simplicity but I want to convey complex ideas.
I strive for the sophistication of abstraction but always seem to end up with pictures–still life, landscape, recognizable figures.
I admire the purposefulness of working in a series, yet I flit — from one sort of style, group of materials, and type of end product to another.
I know I should put in the time, but I am, at heart, a quick-and-dirty worker.
I seek popular success for my books and patterns and presentations and workshops, but I think it’d be awesome to be accepted into the lofty echelons of the serious fiber art world.

My sewing room, aka my studio, reflects the dualities. I have two sets of projects calling to me:

Baby banners, pillows, and Skinny quilts/table runners for gifting and patterning for my recently launched EllyLdesign line on Craftsy and Etsy (another dichotomy, as I haven’t committed to just one quite yet).

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Psst–You can check out my Craftsy Shop or my Etsy Shop. I’m proud to say that the instructions are 100% reliable and user-friendly and full of how-to photos –just like my books. Let me know, in the comment box below, what you think!

OK, the commercial message is over, so let me switch over to the other side of my brain. That is focused on the constantly evolving arrangements on my design wall. Here are a few of the iterations. Once again, I welcome your comments: Which one appeals most? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6?

I definitely dig Noguchi’s aesthetic. He was lucky to have good critics and great supporters — he hung out with Arshile Gorky, Willem de Kooning, and a lot of other abstract expressionists. He found ways to nourish and bridge the different aspects of his identity and to address many different interests, putting the tensions of opposing forces to work in his favor.

Me, I often feel like Dr. DooLittle’s pushmi-pullyu, that crazy, two-headed unicorn gazelle, trying to go in two opposing directions. Still, I’ll get there, wherever there is, somehow, sometime! Thank YOU for the criticism and the support. Heck, thanks for reading this!

Posted in Art + Quilt, Exhibitions, Gift-Making, Personally Speaking | 5 Comments »

Whoop-TEA-doo! It’s Earth Day!

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014

In honor of Mother Earth, I just added a new piece to my ReUSE series.

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I don’t know how long I’ve been stalking the idea of a Tea Roses piece, that is, roses made out of tea bag envelopes. Last year, I took lots and lots of pictures at a rose garden in Florida. Then, meaning to get rid of one horrid picture of me, I mistakenly deleted all my shots. That’ll teach me to put on my glasses when reviewing my shots!

Starting again, I found a photo of a yellow rose that I cannot now find–I think it is one of Sammie Moshenberg’s lovely images. I traced the picture, numbered the pieces, and prepared to do a cut and glue sort of applique with tea bag envelopes.

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The “kit” of materials I assembled sat by the TV for months. Turned out this method that was waaaay too complicated for me. I’m more of a slap-dash kind of quilter.

Last week, an online quilt class taught by the extraordinary Pamela Allen of Canada featured an assignment for a fantasy fabric garden. That was the impetus to go back to my Tea Rose project once again, and substitute my trash stash for fabric prints to dash off some flowers. Following the lead of my sister students, I cut petals freehand, and worked in rounds. In this series, I simply adhere shapes with glue-stick over patchwork. White bags that once held ground coffee gave me bigger pieces and a quiet background, too. I cultivated plots of assorted tea bag and coffee packaging to sort of fence in my garden.

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Due to the foil-lined packaging that holds a crease, I was able to fold back some of the petals like a real flower. But even with the silver backing peeking up, the flower heads looked too dense, and the petals weren’t readable as separate shapes.

Back to the drawing board, I tried out an open design, like an arts & crafts style stencil or stained glass design.

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Better! Then on to layering over woolfelt (wool and rayon blend), preshrunk for a thick, sherpa-like quality. Quick quilting and trimming with passementerie and ball fringe gets everything sown so I can reap the rewards before Earth Day ends!

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My garden is a bit messy, and even though the bottom edge is angled, the whole thing should still hang straight and true. Not the case, not even close. But as they say, DONE is better than perfect.

Hope everything’s coming up roses for you! And that you ReUSE, RECYCLE, and REPURPOSE trash or found objects to REDUCE your carbon footprint. Oh, and RECONSIDER the many ways of creating quilted art!

Posted in Art + Quilt, Flowers, Inspiration, Recycled Art, Uncategorized, Unusual Materials | 4 Comments »

Guilty Pleasures, Quilty Art: Part II

Tuesday, March 25th, 2014

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Hurray! Art Quilt Elements (AQE) 2014 opened this weekend at the Wayne Center for the Arts, just west of Philadelphia. This biennial juried show of 43 works–chosen from hundreds of entries–commands the well-deserved respect of the quilt world, and SHOULD command the respect of the comtemporary art world. Let me share my snaps, which in no way represent the grandeur, the texture, the tactile delight. Note that I’ve linked each artist’s name with her website–go and learn more if you have the time. Above, my picture of the Best in Show, Zeitgeist (fondly nicknamed Grumpy Cat), by Kristin LaFlamme. I think it’s got a real pop art meets 70s vibe meets anime, with a bit of Missoni stuck in. About 7 feet high, so it commands the space. Click on Kristin’s name above, and check out the personal musings, including her response to winning Best in Show, plus her thoughts on the Snyderman Works show which I reviewed in my last blog post.

On to other highlights of the show. There are MANY, and I don’t want to test your patience, and will also limit this show ‘n tell to those works of artists who were present and granted me permission to share. Again, let me urge you to click on the link of anyone whose work resonates with you, and get to know these amazing and innovative talents a little better.

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Marianne Burr explains her lavish use of hand-stitching and layering, as evidenced so richly in “Eleven 3 Thirteen,” above.

Below, Cynthia L. Vogt, “Otaru Winter” is elegance incarnate, with an Asian accent. Silk log cabin blocks set off the lines that represent Japanese rooftops peeking through in the snow.

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Quite possibly the largest piece in the show: Elizabeth Brandt‘s Random Thoughts,” 130″ x 81″. Part of her Karma series, and for me, the karma is abstract expressionist art that rivals any work at MOMA. BTW, her improvisational process is followed by lots of free motion stitching — on her regular sewing machine. Did I mention the dimensions–130″ x 81″? Rolled into the harp of a regular machine?!?

I took a day off to bask in the community of my creative betters, having signed up for a Studio Art Quilts Association (SAQA) symposium. Fascinating to see how quilt artists work fiber into their lives, peering by way of PowerPoint into a few studios to understand how they live and work. It was such a nurturing environment of artists who share the results of their struggles, experiments, and relentless journeys from perceived failure to success. I am absolutely in awe of those who make it their business to make art.

Joy, joy, lucky me, I got to sit at a table of uncommon women, all whose work has been celebrated in major shows:

Dianne Koppisch Hricko, the mistress of transparency
Amy Orr , the high priestess of used credit cards and other post-consumer ephemera (see my post about FiberPhiladelphia 2012–which Amy directed, and specifically my visual rave of her House of Cards)
Katherine Knauer, whose art quilt, “Fracked,” went deep to make a powerful environmental statement
And the tres charmante Benedicte Caneuill — her piece in the show, “Jungle Fever,” had me begging her to teach a workshop where I, too might drag combs, rubber styluses, and trowels over wet painted cloth, then cut it up, trade with other students, and compose away. She is waaayyy too humble.

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AQE and SAQA events fill my head with inspiration and aspiration. Why am I blogging….and cooking and cleaning and catering to loved ones and doing volunteer work and…..when I could be playing with cloth? How do you set aside the mainstays of living for art as a pastime, and find the time to create? How do you lose the guilt to quilt?

And who am I to kvetch, when I get to see such glorious creations up close and personal, and meet the unique talents behind them?!

Posted in Art + Quilt, Exhibitions, Inspiration | 3 Comments »

Guilty Pleasures, Quilty Art: Part I

Monday, March 24th, 2014

Hold onto your soft, cushiony seats, folks. Over the next month, Philly is a contemporary quilt-lover’s paradise, but if you cannot get here, I’ll guide your armchair-travels via this blog post and the next one.

Here, I’ll share three of my faves from the Fiber Biennale, now showing at the Snyderman Works in Philly. Think fiber is a field for females? Think again. These pieces are all by men, and each is a legend in his own time.

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I’ve never seen a John McQueen that wasn’t a shapely vessel. But this sculptor/basketmaker bar none has created a comparatively flat piece from poplar, pine, and birch bark. For me, I’m reminded of a contemporary applique quilt…just not soft. “After Dark Comes Calling,” 2011, 36″ x 42″

Warren Selig, professor in the Fibers/Mixed Media program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia–who calls Rockland, Maine home– insists on redefining textiles. Just as quilting stitches produce a play of light and shadow, so do the stainless, intersecting rods with clear acrylic spheres that extend 5″ from the wall. Titled “Shadow Field/Crystal Path,” it extends to 83″. Gallery co-owner Ruth Snyderman stands alongside for a sense of scale.

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Finally, no show, no collection of top-tier quilted art could be without a piece from Michael James. Professor in Textiles at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, James gives a nod to the traditions of cloth, piecing, and quilting stitches. Yet he soars by using digital textile printing to play with pattern in ways that reference dreams and memories. What a calm feeling washes over me as I study “Lands End: Quiet Hour,” 2014, approx. 51″ x 54″. Full view and detail:

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Neither my photos, nor the greatest, most professional photography can come close to seeing these pieces “in the cloth”…er, or steel, or bark. Go to snyderman-works.com for more info. I must caution you, seeing only makes you want to touch, and you can’t touch–unless you buy. And these masterworks will cost a pretty penny. And why not? For all their humble materials, these pieces, and dozens of others in this extraordinary show that is always two years in the planning, represent the best contemporary art. The fact that it’s categorized as fiber art doesn’t make it less worthy of our esteem as any of the fine arts. In fact, for me, it holds a much greater interest. This show will challenge you to question what is fiber? What is art? And leads to that perennial discussion (and my next blog post) of what is a quilt? Man, oh man, oh man, we’re having fun in Philly.

Posted in Art + Quilt, Exhibitions, Inspiration, Memory, The Moon, Unusual Materials | No Comments »

Art-i-culture

Tuesday, March 4th, 2014

Horticulture inspired by the arts–that’s the theme of the 2014 Philadelphia Flower Show.

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Picture frames invite you to see the floral designs as art forms.

At its most exciting (for me), the floral arrangements immediately call to mind the work of specific celebrated artists. For example, spheres of blooms may appear as Seuss-ical celestial systems. But step directly in front of the frame, and Wassily Kandinsky is in the room.

Bet you can guess whose work inspired the following vignettes…

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For some reason, I’m not quite sure why, the priceless fine art masterpieces cannot be exhibited alongside the arty horticulture. I do think that showing printed images of signature artworks would help folks make the parallels, give this show many teachable moments, and make fine art accessible to a new crop of viewers! After all, you might go Mmmm at these compositions, but the satisfaction is so much greater if you are familiar with Mondrian, Monet, Matisse, and Magritte.

So how great is it when the actual painting that inspired the floral design can be and IS exhibited alongside it. Paintings by students at PAFA–the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts have mood and color palettes picked up by the floral designer. Sooo cool.

As always, I loved being at the Philadelphia Flower Show–especially just after yet another snowfall and with wind chill temperatures dipping down to the ridiculous.

In a future blog post, I hope to point up with my pics how floral designers in this show successfully use the elements of art: color, texture, line, rhythm, balance, unity, and so on.

But I can’t sign off ’til I touch on quilting! Don’t wanna get into that timeworn debate of quilts as art vs. craft. Except to opine that taking a traditional craft form and infusing it with all the elements of art takes it to a different realm. Whether your palette is paint, or flowers, or fabric, all you need is inspiration!

Do add your comment! I’d love to hear how ART is at the heART of what you do, and if you draw on fine art as inspiration for your quilting.

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Posted in Art + Quilt, Flowers, Inspiration | 5 Comments »

Do your quilts look like you?

Monday, July 15th, 2013

It’s often said that people look like their dogs. Undoubtedly, when folks you look for a pet, on some level, mostly subconscious, they look for something that is a bit like them…in physical attributes or personalities.

At the opening reception of Sacred Threads art quilt exhibition on Saturday, I asked lots of the artists who attended to pose with their pieces.

Susan Leonard with her “Silken Masks”

And in reviewing these photos two days later, I am struck by the similarities of the woman and her work. On some level, this is a well, duh! conclusion. Of course our art is a reflection of our essence, the depths of our emotion—from buoyant joy to the darkest depths of grief, our memories and dreams. Of course we choose the colors and patterns we love for making quilts for our walls as well as for clothing for our bodies. I would go so far as to suggest that creative self-expression calls for an acceptance one’s self and a confidence to share: This is who I am.

Pollution in the Gulf, by Marianne R. Williamson

Marianne with her granddaughter, Sabina

Karen S. Riggins and her piece, “The Feminine Embraces”

Linda K. Bell with “Life is Change”

“Shabbat Blessings,” Susan L. Robbins

“Welcoming Doors,” with Deborah Sorem

French Canadian Dominique Ehrmann was invited by the Sacred Threads organizers to share her very large and dimensional installation, “Come and Follow Me.” It’s easy for me to see this artist in the folk-art figure of the girl as seen from the back. There’s an upbeat, bright, positively Pollyanna attitude about every layer of this stage-set, with many backstories to tell. And it certainly matches my impression of Dominique.

“Come and Follow Me,” with the artist, Dominique Ehrmann

Detail, “Come and Follow Me”

I suppose it’s only fair to show my quilt and me (below), and ask if you see any similarities? That smokey gray aura around the pot and my face, the oval neckline and neck of the pot. A shape that’s currently more rounded and bulbous than I’d prefer, but at least good fortune has given me a richness of experiences, and filled me with ideas and inspiration.

Yours truly, Eleanor Levie, with”Vessel”

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What do you think? Do we look like our art quilts?

Does your creative expression reflect your physical as well as psychological attributes? As we are created in the divine image, do we—subconsciously or consciously—replicate aspects of our own image or ourselves?

Posted in Art + Quilt, Inspiration, Personally Speaking | 12 Comments »

The Very Quilty State

Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013

Nope, I’m not talking about a state of mind. I’m talking about one of the United States of America. And no, it’s not Kentucky, even though the AQS show in Paducah turns the quilting demographic on its ear for one week out of the year.

I’m talking about a state where all year ’round, fabric hunters and gatherers treat their quiltmaking as a way of life. I’m talking about Alaska.

I’m pointing out details of Seasons at Denali, by Ree Nancarrow; scroll down to see the whole tour de force.

I was invited by two guilds in the Anchorage vicinity to present trunk shows, fashion shows, and workshops. The husband joined me after my week of teaching trip, and we traveled to Denali and Seward. Seemingly everywhere I went beautiful quilts hung on display. I admired how they occupied walls above or alongside a window, so the endless sun of summer solstice could not wreak havoc with the fabric dyes.

The charmingly rustic Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge featured them high accompanied with other trophy items:

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I saw quilts in restaurants: most noteworthy, the Snow Goose in Anchorage. Owner Jane Klopfer customized her wall hangings not only to the waterside site with its wonderful view of Sleeping Lady Mountain and the Cook Inlet, but also to each space, including a piece in the shape of a carpenter’s square–an “L” shape to fit around the restaurant store.

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It’s hard to choose a favorite among Jane’s many wonderful chef d’oeuvres, so instead I simply tried to choose a favorite among the local brews. Hmmm, better try one more, with a side order of pita chips and hummus!

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I found quilts hanging in bakeries, book stores, and government buildings. Little quilts were sold at the SeaLife Center in Seward, as well as in half the gift shops I browsed through.

And every other quilter told me not to miss the four-paneled masterpiece at the Eielsen Visitor’s Center at Denali National Park and Preserve, and holy mackerel, were they right. The exquisite work by Ree Nancarrow depicts the awe-inspiring crescendo of life from the sub-zero, nearly dead of winter to the thundering herds and horticultural richness of the warmer months. An eloquent guru named Kevin who guided us through the park on a school bus (I heartily recommend the Kantishna Wilderness Trails road trip) challenged all his passengers to find the mosquitoes in the quilting. They’re there!

Seasons of Denali, by Ree Nancarrow

The crown jewel of this quilt and of the park is Denali, the highest mountain in North America; it’s alternatively known as Mount McKinley. Located in Alaska’s interior, it does seem to get the climate extremes.

Of course, no matter where you are in Alaska, it’s frigid and snow-blanketed much of the year. Any sane person given half a chance would wanna stay indoors and make quilts. When the weather warms up, many folks–women as well as men, go hook, line, and sinker after salmon, halibut, and cod. But if you’re like me, the only fishing you do is for compliments. In which case you’re apt to be a fabric-lover of a landlubber, sailing home from the quilt shop with precious booty, launching your latest project from the deck of your cutting mat, and steering it along with your sewing machine close at starboard. Though come to think of it, I did meet at least a couple of quilters whose fishing boats are outfitted with a featherweight.

Anyhoo, it’s no fish tale: there are a LOT of savvy quilters in Alaska, and they’re kept happy by a goodly number of very good quilt shops. Each of them had a slightly different flavor, fabric inventory, and quilt samples for upcoming classes to lure in customers. I got to visit:

Dina’s Cozy Cabin Quilts in Eagle River

Sylvia’s Quilt Depot in Wasilla

Just Sew in Palmer

The Quilt Tree and The Quilted Raven in Anchorage

(Geri and Maryellen–Did I miss any?)

Getting to see some gorgeous scenery was certainly a high point of my trip to Alaska. But even that was topped by the experience of getting to know some fabulous women. Whether at the top of their quilting game or not, all of them had hearts as big as the 49th state.

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Participants at my workshops each took a leap of faith, went on a wild and crazy adventure with me, and created highly individualized, striking work, reflective of their singular personalities. I’ll soon be putting up pictures of the work they did on my workshop pages. Just scroll down past the description and supply list to view these creative geniuses in process.

Nine Patch Goes Wild

Weave a Skinny Quilt with Me

An Unforgettable Tote Bag

and Stretch Your Creativity

Check back here at these links later this fall to see if they’ve sent me pics of the finished projects! Maybe by that time, I’ll be ready to post my own quilty reflections of Alaska in cloth. Sounds all soppy and cliche, but it really was the trip of a lifetime, and I’ve got enough visual memories and digital images from this trip to inspire quilts for the rest of my life.

Do you have a summer adventure planned to inspire your quiltmaking?

Posted in Art + Quilt, Inspiration | 3 Comments »

The MOMA of Lisboa

Friday, June 29th, 2012

I know, I know, looking at vacation photos can be such a snooze. But get this: every image I’m going to share from my recent trip to Portugal in flluences the way I approach making art with fabric–and might just inspire your quilting, too.

While Portugal’s cityscapes, valleys, and beaches were frequent wow’ems, The Berardo Museum in Lisbon is a stop that tops the cultural to-do list. Don’t call me Miss Demeanor: Taking photos without flash was permitted here, as in many museums throughout Europe. I’m guessing their managements got wise to cell phone cameras and internet sharing, and resigned themselves to the fact that today’s pic-snapping tourists just can’t be curbed. Modern and contemporary art in this world-class collection—with a small part on view at any one time– were amassed by Portuguese magnate Joe Berardo. Here’s his portrait, painted by Julio Pomar of Lisbon, below. (Quilters may then wanna take a workshop from fabric artist Esterita Austin so they can turn photos into visual biographies.)

While I doubt you’ve heard of Julio Pomar, it’s a sure bet you’ll know many artists in this world class collection. Picasso, Warhol, Joseph Cornell. And mmmm: Magritte, Miró, Modigliani, Mondrian, Man Ray, and more. Man, oh man, most of the artists are men. But I adore this small collage by the amazing Englishwoman Eileen Agar:

This work of 1936 is called Snake Charmer, and I’m totally charmed with the way newsprint text and rickrack help to create a portrait. I have and I will use those elements in my work. How about you? Need more ideas in this direction? Take a gander at Pamela Allen’s collaged portraits in her on-line gallery.

Love, love, love this enormous 1987 painting by Gerhard Richter:

Kinda conjures up the work of artists who use fabric as well as paint in abstractions, such as Cynthia Corbin.

Similarly color-rich, and closer to our medium of choice, is this fine art embroidered piece by Alighiero Boetti. Do you think the title, Positivo-Negativo, refers to the color contrasts, or the nature of conversations between those who speak English, Italian, and other western romance languages and those who speak a middle eastern tongue such as Pashto or Dari? News flash: You can see similar pieces at the MOMA in NYC now. Learn about the concept behind this body of work, which actually created bridges between warring factions in Afghanistan.

On a much lighter note: In the quilt world, we have many folk artists who have a way with words. Mary Lou Weidman often incorporates scrappy captions in her quilts, and Tonya Ricucci readily admits to being an unruly quilter—and writer. Tell me in comments: How do you get letters, words, phrases into your quilts?

It’s so cool getting turned on to an artist who has made a mark in modern art, as Boetti did. Now for another artist who is new to me: This spring/summer, the Berardo is presenting a special exhibition of work by Nikias Skapinakis. Check these out; don’t you think these works with their flattened, but luminous planes, would translate beautifully to fabric homages?

In fact, the landscapes remind me of Karen Eckmeier’s Happy Villages, a book, a body of work, and a really fun quilt workshop.

Just for fun, get a load of some mixed media sculpture at the Berardo: Wrap Around the World Man, 1990, by Nam June Paik (don’t let the middle name fool you, this was a Korean American man) and White Aphrodisiac Telephone, 1936, by Salvador Dali:

And here’s a classic Calder mobile (no date found), and Inhabitable Sculpture by Miguel Arruda, 2010, with me inhabiting it!

Psst: I’ll divulge one more Berardo space I inhabited–you can see its entrance on the right…

Posted in Art + Quilt | 4 Comments »

Tribute to Moms

Saturday, May 12th, 2012

Just in time for Mother’s Day! I’m sharing 3 of my fav art quilts on the subject (plus, one of my own).

“The Stove / Empress” by Susan Shie, 1999. 48”x 74”. An art quilt in her Kitchen Tarot series. Lucky, as she’s affectionately known, describes her piece: “Here the Stove is a big, warm, nurturing Mama of love and feminity! There are real “lucky” bottlecaps along the stove’s front, as well as many moonstones embellishing its surface. The stove clock is a coffee can lid, and the burners are CDs. The stove control knobs are some kind of weird Indian things that resemble shisha mirrors.”

Pamela Allen works her usual magic with enchanting Picasso-esque faces, found objects, and a tap on the funny bone. This piece, “Single Parent Family,” looks back as her hard-working mom returned to Pamela and her sister, latch-key kids at a time when it wasn’t frowned upon.

We can all relate to the domestic crises Moms and other female heads of households face, as illustrated in this quilt by Pauline Saltzman. The title of the quilt says it all; it’s called: “All Stressed Out…No One to Choke…So I Might as Well Eat.”

Here’s a quilt I made for my mother: A tribute to her as a potter and a Torah scholar. The Hebrew is a verse from Jeremiah, which says,

And if the vessel (s)he was making was spoiled,

as happens to clay in the potter’s hands,

(s)he would make it into another vessel,

such as the potter saw fit to make.

Jeremiah 18:4

My mother always says, if a project isn’t going well, I can always mush it down into a lump and start again. And we quilters, if we’re not happy with our quilts, maybe we can make like the potter and cut them up and turn them into something different, right? or maybe there’s a mother- in-law or a daughter-in-law we’re not so fond of ? Well then, we can give it to them!

I love to endow such wacky folk wisdom in my presentations to guilds. Think about bringing me in next April or May for my “Not Just for Mother’s Day” presentation. I wear an “I Love Lucy” get-up that ensures the laughs outweigh the tears of nostalgia.

But as for this year–today in fact, Happy Mother’s Day to one and all!

Posted in Art + Quilt, Family, Memory | 6 Comments »

Moony Over Quilting

Friday, May 4th, 2012

More luminous than any night so far this year: this Saturday, May 5. Yup, we can all party heartier and longer for Cinco de Mayo, and after the Kentucky Derby. Why? Cuz NASA predicts a Super-Moon: as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons of 2012.

Like everyone else, but especially women, artists, poets and songwriters, I get moon-struck, moony-eyed, over-the-moon-thrilled with a big, beautiful moon. It always makes me wax eloquent!

And I’d like to say that was enough to inspire me to make the quilt shown on the right. Alas, sheer desire just ain’t enough for this busy broad. I had two impetuses (impeti??)—Take Two: I had two compelling reasons to make “Blue Moon” (which BTW means the second full moon in a month). One: The Blue Moon auction to benefit one of my favorite causes: my local Planned Parenthood. And two, a place to complete work done in a workshop— a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity to learn from the amazing Roberta Horton. Roberta calls the class Japanese Patchwork, and it involves Yukata cloth, but for my mooney, er, money, it’s visionary—and fun— in terms of working with any large-scale print.

To extend and complement the patchwork, I made a great big circular applique. Starting with a mottled gray fabric, I sponged and stamped white and slate fabric paint to suggest craters and valleys. I cut out a perfect circle from thermal template plastic, and cut the painted fabric 1/4″ larger all around, then pressed the edges under with my iron. Almost as rare as a blue moon: me doing needle-turn applique!

My patchwork sections asymmetrically bookending the moon, I was ready for my favorite phase, other than lunar: free motion quilting. Around the moon: song titles and lyrics referring to the moon. Elsewhere, phrases of a word-play lunatic:

It was worth the frustrating struggles that glitzy thread often poses!

Another frustration was that auction: The auctioneer didn’t know enough to describe it in lustrous terms and started the bidding at an embarrassingly low figure. Attendees were left in the dark as to the amount of work, detail, and customized connection to the cause. My husband was willing to up the bidding and even win the piece, but that seemed looney or smacking of bad-sportsmanship. The following year, this quilt did only slightly better:

Ah well. Winsome, lose some. In quilting, I am an amateur—a lover of quilting who doesn’t sell her work. Charity auctions—especially annual ones—have me working in a series, trying out new ideas, and open up a way of assessing the value of my art. I say, if you don’t have what it takes (read, millions) to be a philanthropist, at least you can contribute a quilt!

That’s my seque into my current project: Just started my quilt entry for the Alliance of American Quilts 2012 contest. This year’s rules require a house shape…and my piece just might have a moon in the window! It’s a great cause, and a good way for those who lack confidence in the value of their art to be a star, show their work to very appreciative, supportive viewers, collect “votes” of confidence , and get a sense of value in what you do, and a sense of achievement, too. The deadline is June 1, so we all better hurry! When the next full moon in June occurs (the 4th), it’ll be too late.

Oh, I forgot to mention–there are incredible prizes for the contest winner. I’m gonna shoot for the moon. How about you?

Posted in Art + Quilt, Inspiration, The Moon | 6 Comments »