Paint Chip Challenge

Members of the Not your Grandmother's Bee were challenged to create something outside our color comfort zone. We were asked to choose a paint chip without seeing the colors on the front.

I drew Stop, Kaki Shade, Sawdust and Naval.

The navy fabric was rubbed with Shiva paint sticks over a spiral texture board. 

The red is from an overdyed cotton kimono. The khaki is a commercial batik.

I fused my pieces together on a teflon pressing sheet.

20x20"

Here are the rest of the members' creations.

Linda Creagh's "Rice Bag" purse.

 Marie Mitchell's "Chickens in the Garden"

Donna M.'s mini

 Teresas Sherling's "Four Doll Dresses"

 Debbie Coates's  "Love is a Journey"

 Grace Johnson's pillow "Woven Waves"

I enjoyed the challenge. It was uncomfortable to work in the colors I drew, 

but I suppose that is the point!

The Ants Go Marching...

In 1990 I pieced and quilted a black, red and white pineapple mini quilt. 

It had too wide black borders with not enough quilting.

The red fabric is one I marbled with fabric paint.

It caught my attention recently and I decided to change it.

I whacked off the big black borders, bound it in black, 

and sewed on bead ants for fun.

"The Ants Go Marching One by One"  14x14"

This will be a donation quilt.

He's a Sailor

Berek graduated from U.S. Navy Boot camp on Friday.

 Jon and I went to Great Lakes, IL to watch the ceremony.

He was in Division 167.

 So very proud of him.

 He will be headed off to submarine school in Connecticut soon.

We took him to lunch and spent the rest of the day listening to his stories.

On Saturday we went to Chicago and spent the day 

at the Museum of Science + Industry.

 In addition to many other exhibits, we toured a 

German U-505 submarine that was captured during WWII.

 This boat is much smaller than the modern U.S. subs.

We enjoyed a Chicago-style pizza before Berek had to go back to the base.

What a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!

"Particle Trails"

Our art quilt bee, the Twisted Stitchers, was invited to create 24 x 48" quilts with a Radiation theme. The quilts will be shown at the conference of the International Radiation Association in Geneva from June 21-27, 2014. 

Including mine, I know of seven quilts in the exhibit. 

I based my design off of a stop motion photograph of radioactive particles.

Particle Trails, 24 x 48"

Particle Trails, detail.

I bleached the trail with Sun dishwasher gel on black sateen fabric.

The exhibit will also be shown at the European Patchwork Meeting in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, France Sept. 16-19, 2014 and at the Prague Patchwork meeting in April 2015.

If anyone gets to visit these venues, I'd love to see a photograph!

Update 6-26-16:

The quilts will be headed home soon.

This is where they've been.

June 21 – 27, 2014

Center Internationalde Conferences in Geneva, Switzerland

September 18 – 21,2014

European Patchwork Meeting, Alsace, France

December 5 - 7,2014

Gallery in the Old Jail of Freising, Germany

January 16 – February 7, 2015

Gallery Quilt - und Textilkunst, Munich, Germany

April 10 -12, 2015

Prague patchwork meeting, Prague, Czech Republic

August 1-14, 2015

Patchworkfestival of Suzdal, Russia

Patchworkfestival of Ivanovo, Russia

November 11, 2015 - February 29, 2016

Roentgen Museum/ Tuchmuseum, Lennep, Germany

June 10-12 2016

Patchworktage, Celle, Germany