The Little Art Quilter That Could: The Construction

What I've Learned So Far:
1) No matter how hard you try, it is virtually impossible to cut fabric on your cutting mat if the fabric is the EXACT SAME COLOR as the cutting mat.
2) The iron is your best friend.
3) It is entirely possible to pin two pieces of a block together and also pin them to your pants at the same time.
4) Henry Ford knew what he was talking about: It is far more efficient to put things together using an assembly line.

This month has been a time of great learning for me. I decided to make one complete quilt top from my commission before tackling the other three, which are identical to the first. It was one of the great decisions of my life. There were so many bugs to work out and so many mistakes in calculation that, had I cut out all the pieces for all four quilts, I might now be ordering more fabric.

I made a chart (shown below) to determine the amount of fabric I needed by drawing diagrams of the layouts I planned to use for the pieces. This was time-consuming, but immensely valuable. However, I over-ordered the fabric by more than I had hoped, so I now have enough to make two more quilts. If I can just convince the nursing home directors to build two more facilities, I'm all set.

I’m now on track with the remaining three quilts, doing production work. I have even managed to channel Eleanor Burns: I am chain-piecing like a pro, and, when I’m cutting fabric, I throw the excess over my shoulder with carefree abandon.
Shown above is a picture of the completed quilt top; the suggestions that many of you gave to me regarding the best thread to use for piecing were greatly appreciated; I'm finding that the Aurifil 50-weight is moving through the fabric like butter.  So, on to the quilting!

Diane

"All You Need Is Love"

When Colorful Art Girl posted the theme for March’s Postcard Challenge, “Words To Live By,” this idea jumped into the front of my mind and wouldn’t leave until I had completed the piece.  I rarely work on a white background, so I thought I’d give it a go – and now I remember why I rarely work on a white background: It’s rather unforgiving of stitching mistakes.  However, this is my year of Thinking Outside The Box, so I decided to persevere and ignore the little holes left by ripped-out stitches.

Everything is fused, especially the words, which were printed on fabric and cut out using tweezers to hold them (I was determined).

I was tickled with the result; I’d love to expand the idea to a larger piece and add embellishments to it – beads or hand embroidery, maybe.  I’m finding these postcards to be wonderful springboards to new and different projects.

Visit here if you’d like to join the challenge!  And, as always, thank you for being out there -- it's wonderful to feel connected to such a fabulous group of kindred souls.


Diane

"Things We Love"

This was the theme for February’s Postcard Challenge by Leah Cottam at Colorful Art Girl, and it really was a bit of a challenge for me to choose just one thing that I love.  So I followed the first thought that came into my head and selected free-motion feathers.

The design is adapted from one of Mary Nordeng’s motifs in her book, "Extreme Makeover: Feather Edition" (I just LOVE this book), and I added some of my own touches to it.  I knew I had chosen the right subject when I realized how much fun I was having while quilting it.  What a great prompt for the month of Valentines, Leah!

My husband is in the kitchen this morning, and the aroma of chocolate biscotti and pasta fagioli is filling the house.  Talk about things we love . . . 
Life doesn’t get any better than this.

(Guess who’ll be getting the Valentine card . . .)

Diane

"Another Opening, Another Show"

Has cabin fever set in?  Are you looking for something to do after the Olympics are over?  Could you use something new and colorful to adorn your walls?  If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then come to a beautiful fiber art show in Saratoga.  Seventeen artists, including many of the members of the Adirondack Regional Textile Artists Alliance, will be displaying their works at the Spring Street Gallery  located (where else??) on Spring Street in Saratoga.  Three of my pieces will be for sale at this venue, including “Aspenglow” (pictured above), and the ladies of ARTAA will also be selling beautiful note cards depicting their fiber art.

The show is titled "Under Cover", and the artists’ reception is Thursday, February 25, from 6 PM to 8 PM – won’t you join us for an evening of great refreshments and exciting art?

Diane

Feather Play II

In an effort to stick to those pesky New Year’s resolutions I made, I decided to try thinking outside the box again.  I didn’t go too far outside this time – just a little experimentation with color.  I had purchased this fabric a while ago; fashion experts would probably call this shade Soft Taupe or Wild Mushroom – I just know that it isn’t represented by one of the letters in ROY G BIV, and that it intrigued me.

I modified one of the designs from Mary Nordeng’s book, “Extreme Makeover: Feather Edition,” and once again filled the feathers with different micro-stippling patterns.  I played with the thread colors, using 40-weight rayons in a gradation of blues and purples.

When I had finished, the piece looked like it needed a frame, so I took it to my local cross-stitch shop, where the owner, Cathy, does an outstanding job of matting and framing all types of needlework.

The piece is now hanging in our hallway, but it’s headed out to a show very soon.  I must admit that I was not as comfortable playing with colors that are not in my usual palette, but I learned from the doing, and that was good for me.  And I do have more of this fabric . . .

Diane

The Postcard Challenge

"On The First Day Of Christmas"

4" x 6"

ColorfulArtGirl from California has begun a monthly postcard challenge through her blog; she wrote to tell me about it when she read about my own personal postcard journey.  I love the idea of having a prompt to jumpstart the creativity, so here goes:

The Inspiration Words for January were “bird” and “yellow” – and my mind immediately went to A Partridge in a Pear Tree (it was still close to Christmas, you see . . .).  Long ago, I had purchased a fabulous book titled “Appliqué Art,” by Stewart Merrett; in it, this incredibly talented artist demonstrates how he has transformed silks and velvets into quilted masterpieces.  I immediately began collecting all sorts of specialty fabrics, including velvets, satins, and upholstery silks, and I planned to try every project in his book.

I adapted one of his designs for a pear and added my own tiny partridge to the composition.  She seemed to need some ornamentation when I was finished, so I added a feathered crown (I’m fairly certain that partridges don’t really look like this, so I ask your indulgence).  The materials are velvets and suedes, and the picture doesn’t really do them justice – the piece glistens as you view it from different angles.  The satin stitching (yes, I abandoned my usual flat zigzag stitch) is done with 40-weight rayon thread to add to the sheen.

 This was a lot of fun –  I can’t wait to try it again.  Be sure to visit here if you'd like to join in the challenge.

Diane

Remembering the Days Before Snow . . .

"Autumn in New York"

I love finding geometry in nature.  There’s a tree in our neighborhood that produces spherical pods each fall; it always reminds me of an illustration from a Dr. Seuss story.  I have seen paintings where the artist used round daubs of paint to represent leaves, and I wanted to achieve that same effect in fabric.

So I began cutting out circles from scraps of fusible-backed hand-dyed fabrics -- it’s a very meditative process, I discovered.  I fused them onto a beautiful piece of fabric from Caryl Fallert’s Gradations line for Benartex, and I quilted the whole piece with Madeira and Sulky 40-weight rayon thread.

The entire effect is reminiscent of our view of the Helderberg Mountains as we drive to the apple orchards each October for cider doughnuts (gosh, this is making me hungry!).

This piece will be on display, along with other works from the members of ARTAA (my fiber art group) at an upcoming show titled “Under Cover” at the Spring Street Gallery in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Please stay tuned for more information about the show in future posts.

Have a most creative week!

Diane