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

At play with mud…mud cloth, that is!

August 18th, 2012

Here I am with the hub in Belize–this was taken a couple of years ago. Only photo I could easily locate where I’m carrying my go-to travel tote, an airport purchase, made in China, waterproof, and many-pocketed. But not my own work, and despite the leopard print, eminently forgettable-looking. So NOT worthy of the author of Unforgettable Tote Bags–don’t you think? So I recently went about remedying that.

The process was a cinch, using small pieces of mud cloth.

Bògòlanfini or bogolan (“mud cloth”) is a handmade cotton fabric from Mali, woven in narrow widths and dyed with fermented…you guessed it, mud.  It is a symbol of Malian cultural identity.

Newsflash from Janet Goldner (see below):

Although usually translated as “mud cloth,” bogolan actually refers to a clay slip with a high iron content that produces a black pigment when applied to handspun and handwoven cotton textiles.  Mud is any old bit of earth mixed with water and will not dye the cloth.  Although bogolan is traditionally done on hand woven bands of cotton cloth, the word actually refers to the dye process.”
 Check out this wonderful site from the Smithsonian, called Discovering Mud Cloth. I love the fashions of Chris Seydou on this site, and there’s also a fun little interactive section for making virtual mud cloth–quick and dirty–NOT. Don’t want to actually mess with mud? Do what I did, and buy pieces of mud cloth from  Lisa Shepard Stewart of culturedexpressions.com.  Lisa no longer has the scraps (unless we all “virtually” get down on our knees and plead with her?), but she does carry packets for making mini purses, journal covers, and more on her website.

I removed the tray from my sewing machine, and with the free arm–or shall I say, arm free (like for stitching sleeves and pant legs), I could get the needle into the pockets. It was a simple matter to straight-stitch or zigzag-stitch the edges of the mud cloth to the outsides of the tote’s pockets.  Now, the delicious pattern and texture of the mud cloth tote-ally adds style and uniqueness. A few vintage buttons sealed the deal.

 

 

Click here for another fashion foray in mud cloth for you all. And, if you want to visit Mali and see for yourself how mud cloth is made, then you can do no better than to keep in touch with my friend Janet Goldner.  Janet is an amazing artist, sculptor, writer, photographer who frequently visits Mali– sometimes as an art tour guide. Not to mention, well, here I go mentioning—a passionate activist. And an inspirational model for how white chicks like me can get away with dressing African style! That’s the global trend, friends, for the utmost in style and sophistication.  Read the fashion mags, rags, and you’ll see, it’s clear as, well, mud.

Posted in Quilted Accessories, Unusual Materials | 3 Comments »

3 Responses to “At play with mud…mud cloth, that is!”

  1. Marc says:
    August 19, 2012 at 6:40 pm

    Those mud cloth bags are gorgeous! Love seeing how you craft such beautiful objects from such interesting materials!

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth says:
    August 27, 2012 at 1:17 pm

    Nice bag!

    Reply

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Goodies for the Good Guys & Gals

August 8th, 2012

To my pals in patchwork publishing, the folks who edit your quilt guild’s newsletter:

I’ve got goodies for you.

Poems, prose from a private eye, and a puzzle—all about our passion: quilting.

You deserve it. You’ve got one of the hardest and most important jobs in the guild. Your colleagues in the guild get you articles and info late in the game, with loose threads and participles dangling, with more typos than you can shake a stiletto at. Photos or clip-art are sad…or sadly lacking. There’s the quicksand of copyright to worry about. And layouts? Mission impossible without a graphic design PhD or a teenager in the house. Yet you’re expected to get everything out in time.

So here it is. A zinger, a beam of light, a flight of fancy. Guaranteed to make your guild go gaga when they get next month’s issue.

Number ONE goodie is Quilt Verse. Jacquie Scuitto, aka The Muse, has been crafting poetry about our passionate pastime for some time now. I get a major tickle whenever she posts on Quiltart.net.  She knows our hidden agendas:

ROOM TO DREAM
By Jacquie Scuitto, aka The Muse
 
I dream of having a great big room
Just for me and my quilting
With lots of shelves and work space tops
And a comfortable chair for tilting.
A wall there’d be to try designs
And show off my creations.
My computer would be handy to communicate
My triumphs and elations.
The newest books would appear like magic
And never crowd up their shelves.
The fabrics likewise, and even better,
They would neatly fold themselves!
I might put a mini-kitchen in
And a comfy sofa bed.
Why not? It is my dream
And there’s lots of room in my head.

And she knows our weaknesses:

IRONING?
By Jacquie Scuitto, aka The Muse
 
Some people iron fabric but seldom clothes;
Press seams but not trouser creases;
Sew on buttons only to embellish;
Buy yardage to cut into pieces.
Are these persons crazy? A little deranged
With a view of the world rather strange?
No, this is normal behavior for a large group of people
Called quilters — and they don’t plan to change!

You can get the ebook collection of her poems at Smashwords.

Spend just a few bucks on an electronic version, and Jacquie will generously let you share an verse now and then (with credit, so guild members know where to go when they need a gift for a quilter!) Find her or follow her blog at http://quiltmuse.blogspot.com.
And then, challenge your guild members to submit their own quilt verse for the next issue…Bet you get a nibble as long as you don’t quibble!

Number TWO goodie– Quilts in the Attic: Uncovering the Hidden Stories of the Quilts We Love, by Karen Musgrave

Best price I’ve found is on Amazon.    

We all know how quilting can be therapeutic, but it’s not often that reading about quilts provides that service. But Quilts in the Attic is my current go-to read when I have a little time to kill and nerves on edge. One minute I’m gritting my teeth as I wait in long lines at the post office, the next minute I’m sinking my teeth into a most personal, deliciously satisfying story about someone devoting her heart and her art to making her mark on her world.  Mind you, this could be a book you read start to finish, but I pack it in my tote, and when impatience or anxiety calls my name, I grab it, pick a picture of a quilt, then delve into the secrets behind the stitches.  Quilters with lofty reputations are shown to be down-to-earth women of conscience and wit, while nobodies and needle-workers of long ago share their uncommon lives. Karen has a way of turning all of them into friends, and turning the quilts they created into never-to-be-forgotten classics.

Why not let this book inspire your guild chronicles? Let the guild historian, or corresponding secretary present the full story behind a member’s heirloom? There’s never enough time at Show ‘n Tell to share the full scoop…

Number THREE goodie — Full disclosure: This is tied to a new book, too. Mine!  Hot off the press, Quilt Blocks Go Wild!
I’m itching wildly to get it into people’s hands. To give a big hand to contributing celebs Malka Dubrawsky (those pillows on the cover are her designs), along with Karla Alexander, Pamela Dinndorf, Tonya Ricucci, Elizabeth Rosenberg, and yours truly (me!). I can’t wait for you to try your hand at taking a classic quilt block and making it your own, for quilts and wall hangings, table runners and tote bags, potholders and pillows.

Shameless sales pitch: Get it from me here, where it’s already at a great price. It’s too new to have accrued those oh-so influential reviews on Amazon. If you know my other books and you can foresee putting a mildly– if not wildly–positive review on Amazon, give me your contact info, and I’ll offer you the book at a price that’s unbeatable.

Or, get it from Amazon here.

But back to those guild newsletters. I had myself a wild time working on a crossword puzzle with a master puzzle creator who happens to be my cousin. The titular theme of the puzzle happens to be Quilt Blocks Go Wild! (Where have I heard that before?) The puzzle is free on my website, and you’re welcome to include it in your newsletter. Click here.

As for the solution, I’d be grateful if you send your guild members to my website, where they can confirm that they got it all right. Or not!

And maybe take a gander at my new book. Did I mention that I have one? Am I being wildly brazen here?

By now you’ve caught on to the fact that I’ve just presented 3 book reviews. Hey, wouldn’t a book review make a great little feature in the guild newsletter? If you think this creates work rather than relieves you of same, take the same sly approach Tom Sawyer used in whitewashing Aunt Polly’s fence: Start in, make it look fun, and step aside when your guild girlfriends clamor to do the job for you.

Posted in Book Reviews | 4 Comments »

4 Responses to “Goodies for the Good Guys & Gals”

  1. Gloria Hansen says:
    August 9, 2012 at 12:42 am

    Congratulations on your new book!! I’m sure it will be another winner!

    Reply
  2. Cathy V says:
    August 9, 2012 at 12:02 pm

    Congrats on your new book! Looks great!

    Reply
  3. Jeanne Marklin says:
    August 9, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    The new book looks great. I’m sure your instructions will be easy to understand as usual, and give many hours of quilting pleasure.

    Reply
  4. Cathy Perlmutter says:
    August 9, 2012 at 2:38 pm

    It looks great, Eleanor, I’d love to review it in my new blog!

    Reply

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What have we wrought here?

July 8th, 2012

 

While producing the book, Choosing Quilting Designs–one of the volumes of the Rodale’s Successful Quilting Library Series, I really got jazzed fleshing out unexpected sources of inspiration as suggested by Elsie Campbell in the chapter, “Great Inspirations.” Since then, I have frequently snapped architectural details with an eye toward how I might find good candidates for quilting. Here are some elegant ones, all in wrought iron, from my trip to Brussels, Belgium earlier this year:

My hubby and our friends walked the Art Nouveau neighborhoods, and I could hardly stop snapping:

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But here’s my all-time favorite design:

  

 

 

That window design was the one that inspired my latest piece of wearable art. As I was designing for summer, it unfurls itself as free-motion stitchery and applique rather than quilting. I used it to embellish–and rescue–a sort of kimono top that I got at Loehmann’s decades ago. It came with a skirt that no longer fits–go figure! (Cuz my figure has already gone!).

Oh so blah!

Oh so blah!

 

Click on this to enlarge for an embarrassing bootie call!

Click on this to enlarge for an embarrassing bootie call!

Traced the blown-up window image onto Sulky Solvey.

Traced the blown-up window image onto Sulky Solvey.

So now I had a pattern to follow, and a stabilizer. Once the lines were free-motion stitched with a heavy thread--like King Tut, the kimono was rinsed, and the Sulky Solvey dissolved.

So now I had a pattern to follow, and a stabilizer. Once the lines were free-motion stitched with a heavy thread–like King Tut, the kimono was rinsed, and the Sulky Solvey dissolved.

Next, I added circle and leaf shapes: pulling from my black and white fabrics, with Wonder-Under to fuse, a lighter-weight thread to outline and secure.

Next, I added circle and leaf shapes: pulling from my black and white fabrics, with Wonder-Under to fuse, a lighter-weight thread to outline and secure.

 

 

 

 

Doncha like the modesty panel I added to the bottom--to cover my bottom? Also lengthened the sleeves--cuz what's the good of a short-sleeve jacket, anyway?

Doncha like the modesty panel I added to the bottom–to cover my bottom? Also lengthened the sleeves–cuz what’s the good of a short-sleeve jacket, anyway?

If you’d like to hear more about Choosing Quilting Designs, learn about it here.

 

Wanna bring a fun program to your quilt guild? I’ve got lots of wearable art pieces that fit a multitude of body shapes, so YOU get to be the runway models for Quilt Wearabouts: Strut Your Stuff. Tons of inspiration and laughs! Add a Show ‘n Tell where guild members bring their wearables–tote bags and purses, too.  Just click on the colored text above, and I’ll take you there (so to speak).

Comments always welcome!! No gobblety-gook to type in to prove you’re not a robot! Tell me what you think! Tell me what unlikely sources of inspiration rock your quilting designs!

 

Posted in Fashion or Costume, Inspiration, Wearable Art | 3 Comments »

3 Responses to “What have we wrought here?”

  1. Beth says:
    July 22, 2012 at 6:35 pm

    I love your jacket, and I like the addition of the “modesty” panel. The length is very nice. I use architectural inspirations for quilting designs too. I also use drawings I’ve made from designs on ancient pottery that I find in museums.

    Reply
  2. Linda Steele says:
    July 22, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    Congratulations on your jacket, it looks great. Thanks for telling us about your process. I love all your photos. I must remember to take more photos of that sort of thing.

    Reply
  3. Lorchen Nunn says:
    July 22, 2012 at 8:36 pm

    There is nothing wrong with your bum!….. Gorgeous jacket. Looks real classy!

    Reply

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The MOMA of Lisboa

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 »

4 Responses to “The MOMA of Lisboa”

  1. Pamela Allen says:
    July 2, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    Hi Eleanor,

    You have such a great blog! I love how you are connecting certain fiber works within the larger fine art picture. And your own sense of irony and design collaborate to make such personal work on your own part. I enjoyed looking at your blog and website!

    Pamela

    Reply
  2. LynDee says:
    July 2, 2012 at 6:41 pm

    I am totally entranced by the restroom doors…pun intended.
    Great fun.
    LDL

    Reply
  3. CissaK says:
    July 2, 2012 at 11:33 pm

    I think this is one of the best museums in Europe. It has a little bit of everything; and is done well. Do you know that I had been collecting images of the female icon from different bathrooms to incorporate in a quilt? Than I saw this and realized that someone had bit me to it.”Gostei muito do seu blog. Obrigada”.

    Reply

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Gingko = Memory

May 29th, 2012

Who doesn’t love a gingko leaf? Possibly the most graceful form to be found in nature.  Each as unique as a snowflake, its veins radiating out from a sinuous, curvy stem into a blade that’s rippled or notched.  Of course, the essence of its beauty is its fan shape, conjuring up timeless Oriental serenity.  Which makes sense when you realize that the ginkgo is one of the oldest forms in nature. Fossils of early versions date back 270 million years–now doesn’t that make you feel young?  The  species survived the Pliocene age only in a small area of central China, where it has been cultivated for a very long time.  The proof is in the garden: there are some gingkos at Chinese temples that are thought to be over 1,500 years old.  And Europeans found gingkos in Japanese temple gardens more than three centuries ago.

So it stands to reason that many quilters who look east for inspiration find the gingko leaf to be a most evocative motif.  One such extraordinary talent is Lonni Rossi (LonniRossi.com), who often incorporates Asian inspiration  into her commercial fabrics for Andover, her one-of-a-kind silk screened fabrics that she creates in her studio and sells in her shop, and in her masterpieces. Here’s the art quilt Lonni made as a gift for her sister’s 50th birthday:

Harmony, by Lonni Rossi

How I envy the recipient!  But you know, any quilter can have a Lonni Rossi design: Her Seasons of the Moon is on the cover of my Skinny Quilts & Table Runners II (click here) and her Pocket Masterpiece is one of the cover models in my Unforgettable Tote Bags (click here). Check out Lonni’s website for other patterns and kits. And for more pure inspiration from Lonni, take a long look at this triple panel wall hanging that simulates a kimono. Lonni used her own hand-painted silk, and planted a gingko leaf for a focal point:

Triptych #1, by Lonni Rossi

Gingko leaves in the free-motion quilting, with decorative threads

Back to botany: The genus, sometimes spelled ginkgo, means “silver apricot” in Chinese and later in Japanese. The species is Biloba, bi-lobed, or two lobes. Strange names, and if you find them hard to remember, you may be one of many folks who take a form of Ginkgo Biloba to enhance memory. Knowing this, you’ll understand why I have often used the leaf motif in my Memory quilts. Here’s one about family, and if you knew the very skinny genus—er, genes of my peeps, you’ll get why this Skinny Quilt is called Stringbeans:

Stringbeans, by Eleanor Levie

If you happen to live on the internet and you see my blog today, you might think Memorial Day compels me to commemorate  memory, specifically lives lost in war.  And that would be most appropriate, as my father is a proud WWII vet, and these days, everyone I know hopes and prays that our military sons and daughters return safely from deployments overseas.

But what actually brought me to blog about gingkos is much closer to home. To be perfectly candid, it’s standing  in front of my home, on the side of our very narrow, historic street.  As you’ll see in the photos below, a curtain of green and then yellow leaves outside my home office window, and as the leaves fell, an autumnal yellow carpet on the streets are high on the list of reasons we fell in love with and bought this Center-City Philadelphia townhouse a year and a half ago.

 

 

Alas, lumberjacks working for the city took it down a few days ago. It was decided that it was too big, breaking up the sidewalk and street. But serendipity sneaked in. Months ago, we had asked the city to gift us a new tree on our side of the street.   Reasoning that we had the gingko, and that a different tree wouldn’t grow so big, we gave our preferences for three other options. But what do you know, another gingko was chosen for the site and recently planted with the help of volunteers from our civic association. This time around, it’s a clone of a better species that won’t grow as tall, yet will branch out high, to soar above our four-story building.  A happy ending…as long as I’m willing to wait until this blog is but a distant memory!

Posted in Gingko, Inspiration, Memory | 3 Comments »

3 Responses to “Gingko = Memory”

  1. Norma Schlager says:
    May 29, 2012 at 12:55 am

    What a lovely post. I, too, am very fond of ginkgoes, having used the motif in many quilts. I’m glad that they replaced your tree.

    Reply
    • Eleanor says:
      May 29, 2012 at 9:09 pm

      Thanks, Norma! for the kind words, and the reminder that gingko gets an es ending in the plural! Now off to search through your work for the ginkgoes!

      Reply
  2. Lonni Rossi says:
    May 29, 2012 at 4:44 am

    Thanks so much Eleanor!
    You write so beautifully! I so appreciate your kind words about my work.
    Hoping you had a lovely Holiday weekend!
    Lonni

    Reply

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Tribute to Moms

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 »

6 Responses to “Tribute to Moms”

  1. Cathy Perlmutter says:
    May 15, 2012 at 4:32 am

    Love the collection, Eleanor, and especially the pottery quilt and quote! How wonderful, I never heard that before. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Eceramics says:
    December 15, 2012 at 5:25 am

    I do not even know how I ended up here, however I assumed this put up was once good. I don’t recognise who you are but definitely you’re going to a famous blogger for those who aren’t already. Cheers!

    Reply
  3. Mother’s Day Art Quilts « Inspiring Quilting: Elly's blog to boost your creative IQ says:
    May 8, 2020 at 3:21 pm

    […] For more inspiration and entertainment around Motherhood, see some charming story-quilts by Bodil Gardner in my blog post here. And my Tribute to Moms from way back in 2012 here. […]

    Reply
  4. Linda Vola says:
    May 15, 2020 at 11:02 am

    This blog post inspired some memories fir me. My daughter was a latchkey kid and could track me down in the deepest bowels of our huge office building anytime she needed me, even if it was just to say “ Hi Mom, coming home soon? Don’t worry, I’m OK alone.”
    The can of olive oil reminded me of the COSTCO sized can my Mom kept under the sink. It was probably the only place big enough to store it. Plus at 5”2” it would have been a bear to lift down from a higher shelf. It was used daily, because as you know, my Mom was a great cook. She only knew how to cook Italian meals til I was 16, so our family of 6 went through a lot of olive oil!
    Thanks for another wonderful post that is not only for Quilters, but for those of us who appreciate art, Mother’s, humor, ingenuity and beauty.

    Reply

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Moony Over Quilting

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 »

6 Responses to “Moony Over Quilting”

  1. Martha Ginn says:
    May 4, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    Eleanor, I love your moon quilt and the neat information you provided. Full moons are special; I can remember when my father was near death I made sure he saw the full moon out the window one more time. The moon and planets are often in my quilts. What a gift to humanity, knowing that we share the same moon with people all over the world! Good for your husband to be your supporter and art patron. Not bad sportsmanship at all–just trying to educate about the value of our work!

    Reply
    • Eleanor says:
      May 4, 2012 at 6:14 pm

      Not sure my husband’s bids elevate the perceived value–they simply suggest his unconditional support–no matter how ugly the creation. A lot like having your father or mother tout your looks and personality and achievements–after all, they are rather biased! I’d love to see your celestial pieces–especially any that are homages to ones you love.–Elly

      Reply
  2. Linda Steele says:
    May 4, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    I love your Blue Moon quilt as well.I love the big focal point of the moon and the silvery writing sets it off really well. Maybe you could do a simple little write up next time, to give the auctioneer something to say.

    Reply
  3. seo link building tool says:
    November 13, 2012 at 2:52 am

    What a great post! Thanks and keep up the good posts!

    Reply
  4. Vero from Ottawa says:
    June 5, 2018 at 11:24 am

    Hi!
    What a beautiful quilt… and it’s very generous of you to use it to generate funds for Planned Parenthood.
    I would love more information on how to create the moon texture by using fabric paint. I’ve never done this — any help you can provide, I would welcome!

    Reply
    • Eleanor says:
      August 20, 2018 at 11:26 am

      Sorry not to have noted this question before. I sponge-painted mottled gray fabric with different shades of pale gray and pearlescent paints…whatever acrylics I had, not necessarily fabric paint. Then, I stamped from the same paint palette, using the rims of cylindrical pill bottles, caps. When dry, I heat-set with a hot iron.

      Reply

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Earth Day Giveaway!

April 23rd, 2012

Happy Earth Day! To those who made comments on the posts of April 12 and 20: YOU’VE ALL WON a FREE copy of my book, UNFORGETTABLE TOTE BAGS! Email me–ELevie@comcast.net with your name and mailing address. If you do not live in the contiguous United States, we’ll “talk.”

I’m so proud to share designs by this amazing collection of quilting celebrities. And I know YOU’ll be so proud of yourself and the bag you’ll make using the ideas and inspiration in this book. This is one bag you won’t forget when you go shopping, ‘cause it’ll be, well, unforgettable!

Let me tell you, I’ve had books published by AQS, Martingale, Harry Abrams, Workman Press, Rodale, and more. But in keeping with the green theme of this book, I just had to self-publish it, choosing a top-quality green printer in the US that used recycled paper and non-toxic inks. I’m really glad I did it my way, the green way.

I gotta confess, though, I had to dip deep into my savings to do it.  It was hard, and I don’t expect to come close to breaking even. Soooo I hope you don’t mind my suggesting some ways you might thank me for this gift— only if you like it, of course!

•    Write a review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Unforgettable-Tote-Bags-Celebrity-Quilters/product-reviews/0615317502/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

•    Ask your local or regional quilt guilds and quilt shops to check out my presentations:https://www.eleanorlevie.com/speaker-topics.php
and workshops: https://www.eleanorlevie.com/speaker-topics.php
and invite me in for an unforgettable program. I’ll work with neighboring groups to schedule trips that keep the travel expenses affordable for everybody.

•     Buy this book—and other books-—from my website. Good prices, great gifts, and personally autographed for you or the person at the receiving end of your gift. If you’re a sewing, quilting, or art teacher, why not teach a tote bag class—or series of classes!? Contact me for incredible prices on books in multiple for all your students.

•     Stay in touch! Keep me–and all of us–green, smart, and on-trend or ahead of the curve!  Share your news and views. Bookmark my quilting blog, “like” my Facebook page, Inspiring Quilting. And watch for my next book, Quilt Blocks Go Wild!, coming out in August.

With all the best from me and Mother Earth!

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

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Honoring Earth Day with Fabulous Fiber

April 20th, 2012

Grabbing another chance to share some of the highlights of Fiber Philadelphia 2012–still going on in many venues. Just in time for Earth Day on Sunday, I’m shining light on a few innovative works by artists who celebrate nature with wit and innovation.

And you, dear reader, get to grab another chance at my giveaway: On Earth Day, April 22, I’ll be giving away 22 of my make-it-green collection of Unforgettable Tote Bags: 20 designs too cool to leave in the car. With designs by Virginia Avery, Karen Eckmeier, Kaffe Fassett and Liza Lucy, Diane Gaudynski,  Judy Hooworth, Jean Ray Laury,  Lonni Rossi,  Jane Sassaman, Susan Shie, and me, you’ll be getting a lot of ways to avoid paper, plastic, or those made-in-China mystery-fiber reusable grocery bags. Me, I invariably carry a hand-made tote bag that doubles as purse and carry-all. To check it out, click here. To get in on the deal, leave a comment on this blog!

 

On to eco-friendly fiberart. First up, friendly fauna in diminutive crochet, by Carol Eckert. These delightful pieces in cotton over wire are on view at the Wexler Gallery in Philly; Silent Invocations and Snakes for Fish:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From fauna to flora, get a load of “Leaf Fall, Fragments var. 3” by Barbara J. Schneider—photo transfer on fabric. It’s a stunner among the Art Quilts Elements master works at the Wayne Art Center:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You want flowers? Joan Dreyer, whose work was on view at the Crane, made the light and lyrical Still Life/Daisies. Look closely and guess what those petals are made from…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Were you able to sink your teeth into that challenge? They are dental X-rays, darlings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, above, a word to live by. This is “Chance Encounter,” by Gyongy Laky, part of the instructors’ exhibit at the Crane. Fiber was never as expansively defined—or as exciting—as it was at this venue.  You want more recognizable  forms of fiber—something closer to quilting? Enter the giveaway and get inspired to make an Unforgettable Tote Bag. Just leave a comment here: What do you think of these pieces? How are you going green in your creative expression?

Posted in Uncategorized | 21 Comments »

21 Responses to “Honoring Earth Day with Fabulous Fiber”

  1. Susan Walen says:
    April 20, 2012 at 3:11 am

    Ah, I loved Fiber Philadelphia! But you’ve given me a start at understanding how those MAHvelously ratty leaves were done by the talented Barbara Schneider! Thank you.
    Oh, and please put me on your give-away list. I’ve never won anything in my whole life~~~~~

    Sue

    Reply
  2. Susan Kerr says:
    April 20, 2012 at 3:28 am

    What unusual and imaginative use of fiber. I especially love the word
    Invent made of sticks–truly a first. Thank you for sharing these.

    Reply
  3. Lydia Reading says:
    April 20, 2012 at 9:16 am

    Thanks for the pictures from Fiber Philadelphia. My travels took me to Media, Pa just a few days before it opened and I was especially bummed that I missed the exhibit at the Wayne Center…big sigh. Would love a copy of the book. It looks pretty fun. Are you really giving away 22 copies? I might actually have a chance!

    Reply
  4. Marilyn says:
    April 20, 2012 at 10:59 am

    Those leaves are amazing. And I don’t think of wood as fiber but of course it is. VT is considering making plastic bags “illegal” so I will really need one of those tote bags to add to my existing collection. I liked your expose on pomegranates too.

    Reply
  5. Jill says:
    April 20, 2012 at 12:49 pm

    Thanks for posting all the photos from Fiber Philadelphia. They make me wish I’d made the effort to get there and see for myself. And I can always use another tote bag!

    Reply
  6. Mary Ann Cox says:
    April 20, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    Love the photos – what great artists. I especially love the ‘daisies’. One way I go green is to use all those leftover fabric scraps to make doggie beds for the shelter.

    Reply
  7. carol c d says:
    April 20, 2012 at 2:07 pm

    Thanks for the photos of the Fiber fun..wish I was there ..sigh.
    Your book looks very apealing (fiber joke..my own DH is a woodworker)
    and I would love to win it.!!

    Reply
  8. LindaMac says:
    April 20, 2012 at 3:12 pm

    Thank you for the opportunity to win the book. Even here in rural Wyoming we have a group of women interested in textile and fiber art, who would love this book.

    Reply
  9. Susan Thornton says:
    April 20, 2012 at 5:02 pm

    I do try to live GREEN. Probably could do a much better job but try to do the things that help Mother Earth. If I should be so lucky as to win a tote you can bet it will be used.

    Reply
  10. Lorchen Nunn says:
    April 21, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    Beautiful and innovative pieces! Thank you for showing them.
    I really need to get more into the groove of using materials from nature. So far I am more on the recycling track. No old and used item of clothing or home decoration is safe from me. 🙂

    Lorchen

    Reply
  11. Karen S Musgrave says:
    April 21, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    I truly appreciate your sharing these wonderful pieces of art from Fiber Philadelphia and a chance to win your book!

    Reply

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Pick a Pomegranate, Perhaps

April 12th, 2012

“Choose a motif to represent yourself,” said South African contemporary quilt artist Rosalie Dace (rosaliedace.co.za). In this extraordinary class called “Signs & Symbols” that I took at Quilt Surface Design Symposium four summers ago, Rosalie explained that even basic shapes can be used to express your essence. Circles and curvy, round shapes, for example,  are intuitively feminine forms. Rosalie, hot as a teacher as well as quilter, frequently uses the sun of Durban, her hometown, in her work. Me, I tend to be pretty fruity. My body, I figured, brings the pear to mind, but I picked the pomegranate. The rich colors, the bulbous form, and that crown–it says diva to me.

I’ve just pulled out that class piece I worked on in 2007 and brought home to finish…but never got around to. In showing it to you here, the pressure is on to go back and make it ripen it to fruition! Please share a critical comment–plant a seed in my brain to help me organize and improve the composition, or to motivate me to just get it done! As a thank you, I’ll enter you into a drawing for my book, Unforgettable Tote Bags: 20 designs too cool to leave in the car. 

  

NEWS FLASH: The amazing Pamela Allen of Canada just honored me with more than a mere crit, but a dynamic, digital rendition.  Had to add right here, right now. Because it’s such a  brilliant idea, with potential to work in many other applications–your work, perhaps! What Pamela did was to adapt elements from my piece and echo and elongate them for unity, cohesiveness, and flow.

Pamela pitches pomegranates to perfection!

I can’t wait to play with this concept, using my cut and paste, er, pin way of working. Now, back to the blog.

Ahh, the mystery, the history of this fantastical fruit!

Embroidered panel I saw recently at the Jewish Museum of Belgium, in Brussels.

Did you know…?

  • The forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden is thought to have been a pomegranate. (Since when did you ever see apple trees in the Middle East, the cradle of civilization?)
  • Ancient Egyptians regarded the pomegranate as a symbol of prosperity and ambition. (A few of these fancy fruits–to dry and set out in a big bowl–is gonna set you back quite a few dollars, so you better have a good amount of disposable income for this showy decorating effect.)
  • In India, for generations, the rind of the fruit and the bark of the pomegranate tree has been used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, and hemorrhoids; to stop nose bleeds; and, in combo with mustard seed oil, to tone skin  and firm up sagging breasts! (Note to self: add pomegrates and mustard seed oil to the grocery list.)
  • Jews have often used views of this fruit on coins, coronets, and to decorate the handles of the Torah scrolls. My people like to co-relate the many, many seeds with the many, many laws in the Torah (613–don’t ask me how many– er, how few I observe).
  • All those multitudinous seeds means the pomegranate symbolizes fertility in many cultures. (Hey, I may only have one child, but let my publishing and quiltmaking efforts be fruitful!!)
  • In paintings of Mother Mary or baby Jesus, pomegranates are shorthand religious symbols for Sandro Botticelli, and for Leonardo da Vinci, code.
  • The French term  for pomegranate is grenade. Soldiers noted the similar shape of early explosives and the name stuck. (Can I maybe get a little credit for using of pomegranates in my work as an anti-war statement? Even if I didn’t know about this at the time I began?)
  • To “seed” a pomegranate, break pieces of seeds and pithy membrane and put in water. The pith will float, the seeds will not.  Scoop up some seeds and sprinkle over a green salad. The sweet, juicy pulp is a wonderful enhancement. (And in moderation, the crunch of the seeds is not half bad.)
  • You can make your own pomegranate juice or syrup (grenadine). I don’t though. After all, Pom comes in that great bottle, and you just need to pour a tiny bit of  the dense grenadine slowly over OJ on ice for a very arty effect. Plus, a jigger of tequila turns it into a Tequila Sunrise. Cheers!

Here’s a plum offer: Mention other cool pomegranate facts, mythology, and recipes, and I’ll enter you into the drawing for my book, Unforgettable Tote Bags: 20 designs too cool to leave in the car.

Much more recently–last week, in fact, I was lucky enough to take a class with Judy Langille  (judylangille.com) called  “Cut, Slash and Tear Your Way to Innovative Fabric Design.”  It was, conveniently enough for me, held in my local area as part of the FiberPhiladelphia 2012 extravaganza. Judy had us students using silk screens and making thermofaxes, but freezer paper was the key tool.

Determined to avoid adding to my stash and coming home with yet another unfinished class project, I began with one of my grandmother’s linen dresser scarves.  Hemmed and edged with tatted lace, it dictated the parameters and the old fashioned, feminine mood of the finished piece. Following Judy’s cue, I ironed freezer over the whole linen rectangle, and then cut out various pomegranate shapes to color with dyes. Then, I masked only the pomegranate shapes, and went to work on the background.  Longtime buddy Sammie Moshenberg’s photo of a dune fence, taken during a joint family beach vacation in 2007, provided the repeat motif. Fed through the thermofax, the image gave me great visual texture I applied in yellow, tan, and green paint. In addition, I utilized some of Judy’s thermofaxes (rings, a gridded dot designs) and my own– well, text cribbed from the Internet, the definition for pomegranate, printed out in a florid script font. Plus a few dots and rings from stamping with a pencil eraser.

The best thing about my class project? It’s done!

Hey, do you ever do surface design, applique, quilting, or embellishment over vintage linens? If so, leave a comment and tell me about it, or point to your website or blog for a picture. Would you believe it, you’ll be entered into a drawing for my book, Unforgettable Tote Bags: 20 designs too cool to leave in the car. It’s a green book, so I’m prepared to give away 22 copies by Earth Day, April 22. (Note: Flat rate postage to be charged if winners reside outside the contiguous USA.)

Remember, I’ll be pleased as, well, pomegranate punch if you leave a comment!

 

Posted in Art + Quilt, Inspiration, Personally Speaking, Pomegranates, Unusual Materials | 22 Comments »

22 Responses to “Pick a Pomegranate, Perhaps”

  1. Cheryl Lynch says:
    April 13, 2012 at 1:04 am

    I love pomegranates too. We used to call them Chinese apples when I was a kid growing up on Long Island. So the only thing I can add is a slightly different view of the 613 seeds – that is the number of mitzvot we have to do before we die (as Jews). Would love to have a copy of your new book.

    Reply
    • Eleanor says:
      April 23, 2012 at 1:27 am

      YOU WON, Cheryl! Read today’s blog. And sometime in the future, I’ll be looking out for a pomegranate tile patchwork repeat motif!!–EL

      Reply
  2. Kristin McNamara Freeman says:
    April 13, 2012 at 1:12 am

    Eleanor…I like the class project…the printed lines pattern with the pomegranate printed over is a great look. The texture of the lines gives a nice, strong background. Looking at the process and the resulting table runner gives me a bit of a push to do some surface design with printing and dies….

    Kristin

    Reply
  3. Karol Kusmaul says:
    April 13, 2012 at 1:45 am

    Eleanor,
    I love the finished pomegranate piece. My newest goal is to try some thermofax screens, and I have several of my mom’s linens to print and dye with. Thanks for the inspiration!!
    Karol

    Reply
  4. Jan B Gavin says:
    April 13, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    Eleanor,
    The decorative tops of the torah scrolls were usually fashioned after the pomegranate shape. Also the robes of the “ancient high priests” had bell shaped pomegranate decoration. Enjoyed reading your assessment of Phila Fiber exhibit by the Judaic artist. I have a collection of aprons. Thanks, Jan

    Reply
  5. Barbara Rucket says:
    April 13, 2012 at 3:22 pm

    April 13, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    In her book But God Remembered, Sandy Sasso writes a midrash about Lilith, who supposedly was Adam’s first wife, and talks about how Lilith and Adam loved to play catch with the pomegranates. She writes “ When they were tired of playing, Lilith would take the pomegranates and split them open. Adam would scoop out the juicy seeds. Then Adam and Lilith would sit by the river that flowed through the garden and suck on the pomegranate seeds together”.
    Barbara
    Reply

    Reply
  6. Lynn Kunz says:
    April 13, 2012 at 4:08 pm

    I took that same class with Roasalie Dace 2 years after you did! I still have my unfinished project. Every once in a while I see it in the drawer and think I should finish it, but there are always other projects already on the design wall or sewing table. Some day. I like what Pamela did with yours. Her eye is right on. But, of course, we knew that already! About pomegranates – the dried skin of the fruit can be used as a natural dye.

    Reply
  7. Linda Darby says:
    April 13, 2012 at 6:14 pm

    If only I could add to this discussion. I have learned a lot about pomegranates and thank you and the other responders. Please enter me anyway in the drawing for the book! I’ll never look at poms the same again.

    Reply
  8. Susan says:
    April 13, 2012 at 11:28 pm

    I love the idea of a pomegranate as the symbol for a Jewish quilter. In your piece, while I cannot do anything like Pamela did, I love the open pom better than the closed ones–much more innovative and unusual. And I never knew that the grenadine syrup I drank as a child and which went on our grapefruits was in fact pomegranate!

    Reply
  9. rayna says:
    April 14, 2012 at 1:07 am

    I always think of the pomegranate as a Jewish fruit – LOL. And of course, Adam and Lilith played catch with pomegranates — no apples grew in the desert. The fruit Eve offered was a pomegranate, not an apple. Did anybody notice that the word for apple in French is “pomme”?? Hmmm…

    BTW – your piece done in Judy’s class is gorgeous! Didn’t you just love working that way? I could not survive without my Thermofax.

    Reply
  10. Carolyn Handler says:
    April 17, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    I love the pomegranate fruit! You are very creative!

    Reply
  11. Lydia Reading says:
    April 20, 2012 at 9:26 am

    Have I ever? Why yes! I just took a vintage cotton white tablecloth with embroidered lambs on two corners and, cutting out a 9 x 9 square with the lambs included, placed them into a baby quilt for my new granddaughter. Micro-quilted around the embroidery made it stand out and I am so happy with how adorable the old vintage pieces mixed in with modern fabric look in that quilt.

    Reply

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