Fiber Artist
I love going to solo exhibits of art quilts. I get a chance to see a body of work by one artist and that can be revealing, surprising and — did I mention fun? The only thing better is when I know the artist. I slipped under the wire for seeing this exhibit advertised as […]
I spent all day Wednesday hanging out with three friends — Denise Oyama Miller, Aileyn Ecob and Jean Jurgenson — learning a design technique new to three of us. Last year Aileyn and Jean said they wanted to learn about the technique Denise uses in some of her art quilts. She calls it broken color […]
This is the time when so many make resolutions, only to set themselves up for disappointment. My friend Suzanne Kistler makes two lists at the beginning of a new year: the first list is of the quilts she completed in the previous year; the second is a list of goals for the new year. I […]
It’s always nice to know that you have inspired someone to action through your own actions. Well. . . almost always. Just before coming to my home for Christmas dinner, my friend Shari discovered her lint trap was full of pink lint. Remembering my recent post on needlefelting my own dryer lint (be sure to […]
I’m hearing this from several sources — Simon Sinek recently posted an article entitled “Go Slow” and Jenny Lyon talked about slowing down in a class I hosted recently. Simon addressed the subject as a life-style issue. Jenny was referring to the peddle-to-the-metal approach for quilting. Her experience has taught her that if she wants […]
Cinema Place Gallery is exhibiting my work in The QuiltEssential Event and I have agreed to sit the gallery twice during the exhibition. My first experience was on a Thursday, 4 – 8 p.m. Considering the day of the week and the hours I was there, I anticipated a rather quiet time. Not so. Foot […]
Since August my energy has been focused on completing projects for deadlines and keeping up with commitments made before the crazy time set in. That’s history and the bulk of my quilts are home once again. So it’s time for tweaking — rehanging old friends and finding a place for two large quilts that went […]
I’m a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) and I share the role of Representative for the Northern California/Nevada region with Sandy Wagner. I had the pleasure of hosting Sandra Sider, President of SAQA, at my home earlier this month. She was in town for other business and graciously offered to conduct a session […]
The reception for my solo exhibit Borrowed From Nature, was held on Saturday, October 22, from 6 – 8 p.m. One of the nice things about the artist receptions at Creative Framing & Gallery is that they are held several weeks after the exhibit opens — it acts more as a closing reception. Some of […]
Remember those postcards I created using the themes of gold, silver and copper? Making those little gems inspired my putting the three together into a larger format. Thinking about all that glitz naturally led to beads. It sounded like such a good idea and then I started beading — that’s 39″ of beading on a […]
The QuiltEssential Event at Cinema Place Gallery in Hayward continues to garner rave reviews. The first quilt sold the night of the reception! How exciting is that? I will be at the gallery tomorrow from 6 – 8 p.m. demonstrating how I create fabric postcards. I’ll also have copies of my book for sale. Liz […]
309 art quilts were donated for the 2011 SAQA Auction, raising $52,100! I’d call that a raging success actually. The funds raised through the Auction are critical to supporting SAQA’s exhibitions, catalogs and outreach programs. And I was lucky enough to be high bidder on Elemental Surprise by Janice McKeehan of Houston, Texas. […]
I couldn’t resist using the three metals — copper, silver and gold — that I just used for postcards in my next small quilt. I’ve just finished the quilting and I have it prepared to block. Since it’s just 14 inches square right now, it shouldn’t take long to dry. I’ve already decided […]
Ahh, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of a completed project and since this one is done before deadline I’m feeling an extra measure of satisfaction. “Woodwardia Ferns” measures 49″ x 65 1/4″ and is the largest art quilt I’ve made to date. The three heliographic prints were begun in the early summer. These fabulous […]
The moment we stepped outside for our morning walk with the boys I could tell it was going to be a real summer day — you know, the kind of tomato-ripening weather you usually have in July and August. Well, that kind of heat eluded us all summer. But it’s here today and I couldn’t […]
I’m back working on the Woodwardia fern quilt and am reminded once more how much I truly enjoy each step in the process of creating an art quilt. Right down to the final hand stitching of the binding, I’m enjoying the work. Having just completed smaller pieces with much smaller quilting patterns, this takes focus, […]
It doesn’t get better than this: The quilt it done and we have a day to spare. Both Heather and I enjoyed the process enormously, learned a lot from each other and will enjoy showing this shared vision at the “Collaborative Exhibit” at Creative Framing & Gallery during September. (See “Exhibitions of my work” in […]
Getting the edge of a quilt right is important. For me that means the edge will be easy to handle as I stitch the binding on, both by machine and by hand, and the quilt will lay flat — no ripples. There are two things I do to achieve this. First, I stitch the edge […]
Heather and I meet for dinner and a glass of wine, then it’s off to the studio to discuss details of our collaborative piece. A full stomach and a relaxed attitude makes for a very fluid discussion. We are making progress but there are many details to iron out. Right away we agree that a […]
The next pattern to be created was the tree. We knew we wanted something big and majestic. After browsing quite a few photos of trees on-line, we borrowed features from several trees and drew our pattern directly onto transparency film, transferring the pattern to freezer paper on the wall. (I love the technology of now […]
Heather is a painter/print maker, I work with fabric. She hasn’t worked with a fiber artist to create a piece and I haven’t worked with a painter/printer. The process has been an exiting one. The exhibit we’re aiming for opens September 1 and we’re not close to being done yet. I’m feeling the pressure. Our […]
309 one-foot square art quilts have been donated for SAQA’s 2011 Benefit Auction. Check them out now and mark your calendar — the frenzy begins Monday, September 12 at 2 p.m. Eastern time and, believe me, they will go fast. I’m coveting several myself. I did not donate this year but I have donated a quilt […]
I was invited to join eight other artists for the Textiles and Tastings 2011 exhibit opening September 1 at the Shenandoah Gallery in Plymouth, CA. This will be the first time my work has been exhibited at a winery and I’m quite excited about the potential. I will have 4 pieces in the exhibit. One-Color Landscape is […]
Let’s face it, life is a work in progress and since I shared the news of my Buddha’s Hand on Wednesday — the ‘official’ Work In Progress day — here I am on Friday with an update on the fern project. Lesson learned: Stitching a snug quilting line around a tone-on-tone color scheme is a […]
Goal: Connect the 3 individual fern prints in a way that makes them a comfortable, natural threesome. Can we say Three Musketeers? All for one and one for all? The first idea came so easily it seemed like a gimme: Combine fabrics from the adjacent prints to fill the gaps in height. I like the simplicity […]
I love the constant change that takes place as I work on a new piece. The very nature of construction forces me to live with it up close during stitching — then I put it on the wall and view it from across the room. This change of viewing keeps what I’m doing fresh and […]
People often ask how long it takes me to create an art quilt. That is a very difficult question to answer: Each quilt has a unique inspiration and execution time. Some small pieces have taken a few hours or days. Others have been in the making for much longer. Mendelssohn is an example of the […]
It’s Wednesday, so this must be a Work In Progress. This is the second of three Woodwardia Fern fronds I am threadpainting for a new art quilt. I get these fronds from my friend Jennifer, who has an incredible speciman in her back yard. (Jennifer and I meet each Monday morning, alternating houses, to practice […]
I enjoy all the phases of creating my art quilts, but I particularly enjoy the very beginning of the thread painting. This is the stage where shapes are becoming more clearly defined, taking on a new personality. The process, always very meditative for me, is made more so by the patter of the rain I’m hearing on […]
I’m making heliographic prints again. I completely enjoy the whole process of creating these prints. With Setacolor Transparent paint by Pebeo, a Woodwardia fern cutting, a few simple supplies and a sunny day, I transform white fabric into a one-of-a-kind piece of art. I’ve used a small amount of fuchsia over turquoise on this print. […]
