In Progress...

I looked around my studio and noticed a bunch of unfinished projects. Some getting too close to the deadline.

I started this little (10x15") acrylic ink piece in Judy Coates Perez' surface design class at IQA Houston last fall. I sponge-painted the background and cut freezer paper stencils for the coffee cups. I used a dry brush to paint around the edges of the cups and added detail with fabric markers and a white Prismacolor pencil. I still need to quilt this one.

I found this felted wool bag in a thrift shop. I'm looking for the right handles for it.

I stenciled dandelion leaves on this 18x18" piece of dyed sateen. 

After I quilt it, I'll stencil the words below...

and embroider some dandelion puffs.

This will be "One Fish" in my fish series. 

Lots of coral and sponges need to be added to the sea floor. 17x19.5"

Here's my entry to the Dallas Quilt Show's Words and Letterform category. 

Still need to bind it, label it and sew on the rod pocket. 57x39"

I painted sateen with thickened Procion dye in 1992 for a kimono. 

This will be the third small "Just Crabby" quilt made with the upcycled Kimono fabric. 18x18".

This was the back of the kimono, I'm still wondering how to finish it. 28x50"

This is a manipulated photo of Lorraine Kuehnel's cat Hazel. She is a grey kitty. I added the color and had her inkjet printed on muslin. I need to quilt her next. 18x18"

"Dragonflies at the Pond" is inspired by a poem of the same name by Richard Schinzel for the Merging Visions Exhibition. I hand-dyed cotton sateen for the background and added dyed cheesecloth to represent the pond's edge. The dragonflies, water bug, cattails and lotus are fused to the background. 

Next, I'll quilt all of the appliques. 21x31"

"Cedar Waxwing" is my second entry for the Merging Visions Exhibition. The poem Invisible Threads by Beth Honeycutt describes a bird sitting in a snowy nandina bush. I combined three photos and "painted" things with photoshop before having it inkjet printed on cotton sateen. 13.5x18"

Time to step away from the computer and get busy!

"Aquarius" in ArtQuilting Studio Magazine

My little art quilt "Aquarius" is in the winter issue of ArtQuilting Studio magazine!

What a nice surprise.

Paint Chip Challenge II

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 created "Luna Rising". 
The bottom is a test sample dyed with shaving cream and dye spread with a credit card on white fabric. I hand-dyed the blue background and the vertical strip. I transferred a black laser copy of the Luna moth and crystalis with gel medium onto hand-dyed green fabric. The yellow strip and blue squares are scraps of antique kimono. The moon is made of concentric circles of bridal tulle. I cut a stencil for the vine and painted it on with white acrylic paint.

 Marie Mitchell created this darling bag.

Carla Hamm will finish her jacket with beads.

 Kathleen Francis used three paint chips for color inspiration on her bug jars.

 Tammy Becker will complete her trees with beads and buttons.

 Charlotte Rutland created this darling bird.

Debbie Coates created this mug rug.

Jessalyn Matthews Frank is creating her own version of a Parchesi board. 

Grace Johnson created this MuMu.

Donna made this pillow.

Linda Creagh made this quilt for her great-granddaughter.

Ice Plant by Nelda Johnson

The words "ICE PLANT" were done with shaving cream dye and a stencil.

Ice Plant is 19" x 20" and has a pocket on the back for the paint chip.

Here's a link to our first Paint Chip Challenge May 2014.

One More for the 2015 Dallas Quilt Show

My last entry for the Dallas Quilt Show is finished.

 "Big Blue Circle" 38 x 38"

"Big Blue Circle" detail

 The show starts this Friday.

The Dallas Quilt Show

March 13-15, 2015

Dallas Market Hall  

2200 N. Stemmons Freeway 

(I35 at Market Center Blvd)

Friday  10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Saturday  10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday  12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

$8 advance tickets, $10 at the door

www.quiltersguildofdallas.org

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!

"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

3ARTHWURX Art Exhibition

I will have four quilts in the 4th Annual 3ARTHWURX Art Exhibition this month.

April 4-25, 2014

The exhibition will be in SCRAP's ReVision Gallery.

215 W. Oak, Denton, TX 76201 Monday-Friday 12-6pm Saturday 10am-6pm

The opening reception is April 4 during First Friday Denton Texas.

The reception is from 6-9 p.m.

Marrakech Express, 12x12"

 Beyond Infinity, 30x24"

 Aquarius, 18x18"

 Just Crabby, 18x18"

I hope to see you there!

Dye Workshop

You might think that someone who has been dyeing fabric since 1986 would not need to take a dye class. Probably not, but I did. Frieda Anderson taught a workshop in Denton on Saturday. We learned the recipes for four different 12-step graduations and more.

 In the morning we did lemon, fuchsia and turquoise.

 Then we added more water to get a pastel version.

In the afternoon we did yellow, scarlet and cerulean blue.

We added black to the remaining dye and did another 12-step graduation.

I had some bedding factory remnants of an unknown white sateen that I used to wipe out the wash tub we were using. I'm pleased with the hand of the mystery fabric and happy to know that it will take dye. Thanks Marie for sharing your remnants!

I poured some of the leftover pastel dye on two pleat-folded T-shirts, and stuck them in a gallon baggie.

In the afternoon Frieda demonstrated squirting dye on a flat shirt and showed us how to roll in into plastic for the ride home.

...and how to make three layers of ombre fabric on a flat surface.

This shirt was dyed on the ground with dye squirted from a bottle.

Frieda's method is much more controlled that the method I use at our dye retreat. 

Here's a peak at retreat 2013.

I'm happy to have samples of Frieda's recipes.

I'll make swatches and add them to our dye books.

Thanks Frieda.