Make-It University

For the past several years the Queen of Quilting Arts has sponsored Make-It University at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. Right in the middle of the show floor you find a large space with several artists demonstrating their techniques (Open Studios) and a classroom space open to the view of all the passersby. Patricia "Pokey" Bolton is one solid bundle of energy (I think she shoots caffeine directly into her veins) and things get pretty lively as she hosts her own classes and draws names from the jar of hopefuls who might want to take a class.

I had a ton of fun both presenting in Open Studios and teaching on MIU class last year and have the great pleasure of doing so again this October. If you happen to be down on the show floor and need a spot to rest your feet - throw your name in the jar to see if you win the lottery and get into my "Hopes, Wishes, and Dreams Booklet" class. We'll be doing a number of quick and easy little surface design techniques on both fabric and paper and having a ton of fun to boot!

See you there!

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered!

Mission accomplished!

I don't usually take commissions. I know where my limitations lie. Deadlines are always tough to meet when you have children as your prime responsibility to care for. Mostly - I worry the whole time whether the client will like the piece, instead of enjoying the process.

This was an exception in many ways. I proposed the commission, the client chose something that was already mostly complete and I had a relaxed, rather than a rigid, timeline. And.... she loved it. Whew. I love it myself.

It began with plain white print cloth.

Dyed - pinkish. Overdyed with browns.

Several images were manipulated in Photoshop to create screens; violin, manuscript, wings.

Manuscript was screened with a discharge agent to remove dye from the fabric.

Manuscript was screened with brown textile paints.

Violins and wings were screen printed.

Large violin was screen printed and brush painted.

Hand stitching around the small violins.

Machine stitching to emphasize the large violin.

Textural machine stitching in areas to help highlight both large and small elements.

Very subtle beads added to add that ... spark.

Presentation - stretched and secured onto gallery wrapped canvas. The client can choose to hang it as-is or add a frame.

Funky Purple Pants

Just for fun!

During the dye run a couple weeks ago I threw in several natural colored linen dresses and shirts that I don't wear any more. They all came from Goodwill so I never worry about ruining something I spent a lot of money on. They came out in lovely purples and I cut them up and combined them to make some funky purple pants. To match the fun tunic/vest that was a boring color before but no longer.

So - experiment - recycle - have fun - who cares about what's "in" fashion - create your own style! And (obviously) leave the housework till later!

From the Back

I'm putting together the last bits of an article for "International Quilt Festival: Quilt Scene" and of course I can't show you the cool samples - but I will give you sneak peek and show you some of the quilting from the back.

Because sometimes the back looks really cool even when you use your least favorite piece of fabric from the last dye batch. Can't tell you how many magenta/turquoise pieces I have - time to start over-dyeing them. AFTER I finish writing.

The Dye Bath

Last week was pretty hot - pretty busy - very colorful! I had half a bolt of fabric (50yds) and tons of vintage lace (thanks to Ebay) ready to go. The lace will go into kits for "Photos on Fabric" that I'll be teaching in Houston at the International Quilt Festival in October.

In one way I really love the dye process - but it's a lot of work. Not a whole lot more to mix up dye concentrates and dye a huge amount of yardage than to dye just a few yards so why not do the whole thing at once? Kind of like making spaghetti sauce. I only make it in my gargantuan humongo pot. I usually freeze enough for five or six large meals. This will be most of my palette for the next year or so - or at least until I need some different colors.

The instigation of this particular dye batch is an article for "International Quilt Festival: Quilt Scene"  - a new magazine being put together by the indefatigable editor of Quilting Arts and Cloth Paper Scissors. Fun stuff.

Playing With Paint

Hello Friends,

I hope you are enjoying a lovely summer! I'm reaping the rewards (sunburn) of a perfect day at the beach with my kids yesterday.

I wanted to let you know that a new session of "Playing With Paint" will begin next week at www.QuiltUniversity.com. It's a great class where we play with complete abandon as though we were back in kindergarten - learning the properties of textile paints and playing around with many, many techniques. One lesson opens each week for four weeks but I'm on-line for at least five or six - answering any questions and commenting on all the fun work students submit to the class gallery.

During this tough economic time on-line courses are a fantastic alternative to the expenses of traveling to a live workshop. $36.00 for a month of fun is a great value. Oh, and you can come to class in your pajamas too!

You can see a class description and supply list here: http://www.quiltuniversity.com/classlist2.htm#PlayingWithPaint

(and for those of you who are patiently awaiting your prize - I'm mailing out ATC's next Wednesday!)

Focal Point - a place for the eye to rest

A client came over to the studio last week to talk about a possible commission. I had work laid out, my portfolio ready, and she had already looked at the gallery on my website. She is a violinist so I was expecting perhaps, to do a piece based on a photograph like this one. This is my daughter, photographed by the very talented Julia Wade:

Instead, the client looked at the fabric laying out on the table that I had just screen printed, and said "can you just quilt this?" Hmmm. I really love this piece but hadn't considered it complete in and of itself. She chose a section of the fabric that she really liked and we talked about some possible stitching options.

The problem, after cutting out the section she liked, was that there really wasn't a focal point. No real place to rest the eye. She had nixed a larger black print of a violin and favored a more subtle look. I think I've got it figured out now and am excited to begin stitching into it. 

It's still subtle but now there is something to look at. Somewhere to draw your attention and hold your interest. Let me know what you think about it.

Still two Artist's Trading Cards left by the way - they go right into the next two orders of my DVD Workshop. Hope you all are enjoying it. As always - I'd love to see any work you do utilizing any of the techniques from the DVD.