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| "Tree Serenade" - 48" H x 40" W |
I am a member of Studio
Art Quilt Associates (SAQA,) an international organization whose mission is
to bring attention to art quilts as an art medium. This mission has helped
shaped my own mission in recent years. I still enter calls for entry for art
quilt shows, but now I am just as likely to enter calls for art, when fiber is
listed amongst the accepted categories or is not specifically excluded. That is
why I chose to the enter the “Michigan Fine Arts Competition” held at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center in
Birmingham, MI. My piece, “Tree Serenade” made from recycled practice pieces I
made while doing Leah Day’s 2012 assignments, will be in the exhibition. If you
will be in the area between June 28 and August 23, 2013, please drop by and
then share your experience with me.
I managed to complete both of the major non-studio
obligations I referred to last week and still find time to make it into my studio for 2.5 days this week. Here
are my studio accomplishments.
1) Adoration – Done!
a) Attach the label – Done!
b) Add to my
website – Done! Adoration is now on the opening page of my website. If you
click the image you will go directly to Adoration’s page.
2) “Oyster Shards” (deadline 8/20/2013)
a) Create the oyster shell template – Done!
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| These oyster shells were made off quilt to be appliquéd on later. They range from 8" - 12" long and 4" - 6" wide. |
b) Make an oyster shell to be appliqued to the
background. – Done! I made three!!! However, I am thinking of tweaking them
just a tad more to add blue/purple rings of concentric ridges in the pearlescent
portion. I will be testing several thread options to see what looks best.
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| A closer look at one of the oyster shells. The pearlescent center is created by layering the same tulle used in the sea foam from last week, but only a single layer. The rims were fused in place with Steam a Seam. This held the tulle in place during the quilting process. Once they were quilted I cut them out so that they can be appliquéd to the quilt. |
3) Leah Day
a) Express Your Love
i)
Cut facing strips. – Done!
ii)
Stitch facing strips to the quilt. – Done!
iii)
Hand stitch the facing in place. – Begun.
iv)
Attach the label. – Pinned in place.
b) Do whatever assignment Leah comes up with next. –
Done!
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| "Foundation Puzzle" using a thread of variegated peacock colors. Leah does this by spiraling from the outside in and then travel stitching her way back out along the spiral. I prefer to leave a wider channel when I spiral in and use the channel to spiral back out again. |
c) Bonus Project – I finished my sampler from last week
using Carol Ann Waugh’s rattail
finishing technique. This is a fast and effective way to finish a quilt,
especially smaller pieces. Carol
Ann Waugh, like Leah Day, is a Craftsy.com teacher.
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| Doesn't the rattail finishing technique work well on this piece? |
4) Signature experimentation – Not this week.
a) Design a new signature motif.
5) Pictorial Painting – Not this week.
a) Watch the lesson that demos how to quilt the Canyon
piece.
b) Quilt "Canyon."
Here is where I plan to focus my energy next week:
1) “Oyster Shards” (deadline 8/20/2013)
a) Find a way to add concentric, believable ridges to
the pearlescent portion of the oyster shells. Possibilities include various
threads and paint.
b) Create a quilt sandwich with the pieced background
fabric, batting and backing.
c) Baste the sandwich.
d) Add the oyster shells.
2) Leah Day
a) Express Your Love
i) Hand stitch the
facing in place.
ii) Attach the label.
b) Do whatever assignment Leah comes up with next.
3) Signature experimentation
a) Design a new signature motif.
4) Pictorial Painting
a) Watch the lesson that demos how to quilt the Canyon
piece.
b) Quilt "Canyon."
I am now linking up to two blogs on Friday's. The
first is Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project and the second is
Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays.
