Puttin’ on the Glitz

I have been in the studio having amazing fun with the box of Kreinik threads that arrived last month.  After my first foray into trying the copper on my shoe quilt, I decided to start jazzing up the coral piece I had found in my UFO pile earlier this fall.

Here you can see a detail of the quilting I did using the Fashion Twist thread in color “Heather”.   The variegated metallic finish of this thread pops out with highlights and really adds sparkle to the piece.  It also sewed very well.

Here’s another detail, showing the octopus and coral.  I used Fine Twist iris in “Golden Brown” to highlight the lines on the octopus’ tentacles as well as to circle quilt on the coral.  I currently am sewing the suckers with Fine Twist Iris “Yellow”.

Detail of how I am planning on attaching the finished octopus to the bottom of the quilt.  First I have to finish quilting the tentacles and then edge beading the whole applique.  There is a thin layer of batting and the backing fabric is some of my hand-dyed twill, for even more stability.

Here you can see the circle quilting in the Kreinik Silver Gimp Thread in “Gold”.  I initially quilted both corals with Madeira thread in a shade of orange, and I really like how going over the quilting with the metallic thread added depth to the piece.

Circle quilting in “Golden” Brown” and you can see how plain the background was before quilting.

And what is a coral reef without some fish?  This applique was drawn onto a sheet of heavy duty (50 weight) Pellon interfacing, then sewn to the yellow fabric before being machine embroidered with Sulky and Kreinik threads.

Here is what an applique looks like in process.  You can see the bobbin threads outlining the form and showing me where to stitch.  This is on my hand-dyed fabric and supplemented with silk dupioni.

Here you can see how fine the metallic works, even in a free motion zigzag stitch

The finished clown fish, pinned in place.  I am not sure where the fish will end up yet, as I still have to make a few more. 

I also realized both fish are facing in the same direction, so the next fish will be facing the other way. 

The piece so far, on the design wall.  You can see some other work in process behind it, as well as the piece I did for the Lark book “The Artful Storybook” .  Sometimes it would be nice to have a larger design wall, but sometimes it is really cool to see the layers of quilts on the wall taking shape.

Christmas in a Box

I have loved Kreinik threads for years, using them as outlines on my smaller animal pieces and recommending them in classes to use with beads on embroidered pieces.  Recently I was approached by a representative for the company and asked if I was interested in playing with some of their product.  Of course I jumped at the opportunity and said yes. :)

Last week this wonderful goody box of threads arrived at my door:

You can see several spools of the newer thread designed for machine embroidery as well as samples of the embroidery braids and blending filaments.

And a color card of everything that is available.  I am also excited to try those iron on threads you can see in the middle there.  I can see using them to outline forms like I did with the bias tape on Safe Harbor.

They included some smaller samples of their trims, including some colors in the facets and chenille thread.  I can see using them to make some Christmas ornaments or cards, and maybe another elephant or two.  Won’t they make a gorgeous blanket on them?

I noticed a little bundle of what appeared to be threads inside each cone of the machine thread.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were the net thread bras.  How convenient!

Then, because I already had a piece in process, I decided to give it a try on this piece.  “Too Coy”, based on the painting I did for the Shoe Show at Ten Women Gallery. 

I used the ZTCO Fine Twist Copper thread to grid quilt.  Here you can see how sparkly it is.  I was really pleased with how well the thread worked with my Pfaff 2054.  I made sure to put in a new Metallica needle size 80, and adjusted the tension to 1.5.  I set the stitch length to 3.0 to maximize the glimmer of the thread line and sewed.  Smooth as buttah! 

Next up, freemotion quilting with the metallized gimp thread and the fashion twist thread.

How to Display Your New Art Quilt

 

One of the most common questions when selling fiber works is  “How do I display this piece?”  As you can see, hanging your new art quilt isn’t much different than hanging a print or a painting.  When I ship an art quilt to its new home, it comes ready to display.

Smaller quilts (30” x 40” and under) come with a wood display rod.  I use either 1/4” pine or poplar, which is drilled and sanded, ready to use.

Each quilt comes with a 4” sleeve on the back to facilitate display.  There is an ease in the sleeve so that the piece will sit smoothly on the wall without unsightly bumps. 

The piece can be hung using either 20 lb test fishing line, pulled taut, as seen above, or picture wire, as shown below. 

Alternate options include nailing the piece to the wall through the holes in the hanging rod, or making one loop of monofilament through each hole and hanging from two separate nails or clips.

Pieces larger than 30” x 40” hang well on 1/2” pipe.  Holes are drilled at each end and the piece is displayed using the two separate loop method.  This is the way “Marilyn” and “Route 33, Summer Morning” were exhibited at the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Competition two years ago, and I have used it for subsequent exhibitions with great success.  Shipping costs for larger pieces will include an extra charge for shipping a longer hanging rod, or you can elect to buy your own hanging device and waive the extra shipping fee.

Below, the small piece “Night Watch”,  11.5” x 11.5”, shown displayed using the picture wire and rod method.

Of course, no art should ever be displayed in direct sunlight.  Should the piece become dusty, I clean the smaller pieces by shaking them out, while larger pieces can be gently vacuumed using a piece of window screen between the vacuum and the piece to prevent anything being sucked into the hose.

Wishcasting Wednesday

Every Wednesday Jamie Ridler of Jamie Ridler Studios asks a question on her blog, in the form of “what do you wish for?”.  She invites people to answer the question at their blog, to be tenders of wishes at others’ blogs.

This week the question is “How do you wish to bloom?”

When I was growing up and I would complain about my circumstances, location, etc, I would often be told “Bloom where you are planted.”  Eyerolls and sighs would follow, especially during the teenage years, but with time and experience I see that the advice wasn’t as dumb as it seemed to me then.

This year’s word has been Metamorphosis, and I am working on blooming where I am planted.  I have been taking the circumstances and resources I currently have at my disposal, and have been working on transforming them into something to support my life.  I may not physically move from this area, but I wish to grow beyond my self-imposed limitations and become more than I have been.

I wish to bloom my art and career, to get my work out to more of the world and see where it will take me.  I wish to bloom myself, to nurture my body with regular movement, good foods and rest.  I wish to bloom my relationships with others, by working on my communication skills and listening more and speaking less.

Today was a really good day for this question, as it is sunny and warm outside, with many of the spring trees and flowers in full bloom.  My yard is filled with the violets I love so much, and the trees are starting to fill out with wild green leaves.  It is also my birthday, a good time to reflect on what has passed and to look forward to what is to come.

Doubling Down

Our Parkersburg show is three weeks from tomorrow and more prep is well underway.

First, the design wall, with all of the completed small works up to this point in 2010.

You may notice that Alice has the pink African brocade binding that I put on yesterday.

Now, on to the canvas prep:

The little screen is a Print Gocco I made of a school of fish last summer.  I’m planning on putting them on several of the canvases.  You can see my favorite Golden paint colors, Cobalt Teal, Pyrrole Red, and Green Gold in this picture.

Painting and decorating supplies, including my favorite Elephant brush (blue handle), several stamps I carved, a roll of sequin waste for texture, and the paint cup which looks like it has Strawberry Quik in it (mmmm).

Here’s one of the canvases, after a base coat of pink, with sequin waste stencil and stamping.  I’m going to go back in and touch up the red spots after the piece has dried.  This is the background for the tulip quilt I posted last week.

I also am making some paper for collage:

This is the inexpensive contractor’s paper that comes in big rolls at places like Lowe’s and Home Depot.  I put down a base coat of gesso, let that dry while I was working on the canvases, then came back and painted it with a coat of yellow.  Then I stenciled using the sequin waste and Cobalt Teal.

When that dried, I used this leather texturing tool (also from Lowe’s) and Quinacridone Burnt Orange to add another layer of texture.  Once this is dry, I may go in with the fish screen or use the carved stamps to add more designs.

And finally, I came across these canvases in process while looking in the art supply room (aka the upstairs bathroom) for more texturing tools:

Yummy sushi fabric, multiple layers of acrylic paint, including the leather texture tool, and then a layer of modeling paste, applied through a piece of window screening.  Izzy is making me a plate of polymer sushi for the center piece, I am still deciding what to do with the other two.

That’s enough chatting for now, time to get back in the studio!

Show Prep

Unchained Melody 6” x 6” applique, machine embroidery and quilting. 

Detail of the  quilting and embroidery.  I used a piece of shibori dyed by Debra and Michael Lunn of Lunn Fabrics for the background, it provided perfect “flowing water” lines to follow with the quilting.
Next month a group of us are presenting for an agency in Parkersburg.  Our coordinator suggested that we bring work that is at a $50 and under price point.  This provided an excellent opportunity to create some works in that price range, which also can serve as studies for larger works. 
The first decision was what size to create the work in.  I needed something that was large enough to play in, but small enough to be portable and easy to hang.  I chose to go with a 6” x 6” format, and each piece will then be sewn onto a painted canvas background that is 10” x 10”.
Subject matter was fairly easy as well.  I am going with a mix of the cute animals I am known for, as well as some experiments with abstraction based on patterns found in nature.
Currently I have five pieces ready for the canvas.  The most recent is the koi at the beginning of this post.  His cheery colors made me smile on this day where the snow is flying outside yet again.

Tiptoe Through the Tulip  6” x 6” machine applique and quilting.

Red Bird III 6” x 6” machine applique and quilting, hand-dyed fabric, beads and sequins.

Day of the Cichlids I  6” x 6”  machine applique and quilting, snow-dyed fabric and commercial batik.

Day of the Cichlids II  6” x 6”  machine applique and quilting, snow-dyed fabric and commercial batik.
These have been fun to do, it’s a good opportunity to try out techniques or color combinations before moving on to a larger piece. I am excited to paint the backgrounds and play with the textures on those as well. 
Each piece will be $75 + $5 shipping, and come ready to hang on a coordinating canvas.  Email me if you’re interested in owning one.

When Life Gives You Art

Make more art.  This piece is based on the paintings I was doing late last year.  Fusible bias tape, reverse applique, hand-dyed sky fabric. 

Blue Skies 15” x 15” 2010

Detail of the quilting and beading.  Since the originals in my journal have the white dot highlights, I chose to highlight with beads on this piece.  It adds a certain charm, don’t you think?

And lest you think I’d forgotten, here’s another view of Alice in process.

Nearly complete with the stitching, I have to do the pinafore and the left sleeve.  It’s a lot of off white.  To help prevent boredom, I stitch while watching streaming Netflix.  Currently my favorites are Doctor Who and Torchwood.

Detail of the stitching on the face and hair.  I need to choose a color for her eyelids and outline her eyes in a light brown.  So close to being finished.  It’s time to gather the yarn for the next background.

Opening Recap

Two openings in two nights was exhilarating and exhausting and everything in between.  The Women of Appalachia show is a beautiful jewel, with remarkable works by each of the artists represented.  I was impressed with how many of the artists I already knew.  I guess I’m not as much a hermit as I thought.  Here I am in front of Garden Party, speaking with Piet (I hope I remembered her name correctly):

I attended this opening with a full posse, including myself, my husband, my son Izzy,  NaNoWriMo friends Melinda and Andrew, and Melinda’s husband Jeff, as well as my friend from knitting, Sonja and my art group friends Lynda and Lanna.

The next night was the opening for the Women in Fiber show at Marietta College:

This is the first wall you see to your left as you enter the gallery.  The two pieces to the left are by my friend June Baker, who also is a member of my art group.  June started out with traditional quilting, and is also a watercolorists.  I really like the piece with the circles.  Tyger, Tyger hangs to the right.

We were joking that they were in such a hurry they could only put up post-it note labels.  But each piece had an artist statement accompanying it.  You can’t really see it in the next picture but it is there.  I also am tickled by the arrow which seems to point out Red and White #4

The show is part of a multi-media project including the play “Quilters”.  Here you can see some of the cast members in costume, admiring Marilyn:

I also met the sweetest King Charles Spaniel puppy whose name is Scout.  She was decked out in an adorable white dress with red hearts on it, complete with a bow on her back.  She was in attendance with her owner, Rob.  I wish I’d gotten a picture of them to show you, but trust me, they were quite the sartorial pair.

I was so thrilled to be able to attend both of these openings.  The energy was high at both, and each crew did such a great job putting together the shows.  I spent Sunday in the studio working on new pieces so that I can attend even more openings, as well as making plans to attend the opening of The Artist as Quiltmaker XIV in May.