Quilt from TCQC - Olga Norris 08-29-21

With the pandemic and all my health problems this year I have not been keeping up very well with what is happening in the art quilt world.  Last week I was checking some websites for artists I especially admire and discovered that Olga Norris of England died in December 2019.  She had been ill, but I don't know what from.  I looked at the images in her online galleries and contacted her husband, Nigel, to see what might be available.  Four of the pieces I am interested in are available and I told him to send me all of them.  As you can see these already in TCQC are quite small, and so are the new ones.  Interestingly, she had specified a charity to benefit from sales of her remaining work, so I will send the payment to the Loch Arthur Camphill Community, a working community in the south west of Scotland, which includes men and women with learning disabilities.  What a great idea to have her favorite charity benefit.  

Hand dyed silk fabric, silk thread, hand stitched.  This type of stitching is in the style of Kantha work done in Bengal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kantha but so much more refined and expressive.   If you click on her name in the right sidebar you can read what I have previously posted about her work.  Check out her website for more of her fascinating work.   www.olganorris.com   I will, of course, post images of the four new pieces when they arrive.  

"The Crow's Story"  Olga Norris - England  2012  7.1" x 7.1"

"Coffee Futures"  Olga Norris - England  2010  11.4"W x 7.5"L

"Red Hen"  Olga Norris - England  2012  7.5"W x 11"L

"New Hat"  Olga Norris - England  2010  6.2"W x 7.1"L

[This does not have a border, I just didn't crop it close enough]

"People and Critters" 03-11-19

Here are a few of the quilts that are currently in an exhibit "People and Critters" at Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove, CA.  The quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection will hang until May 8th, through the entire run of the Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar Conference Grounds.  
  

"Giraffe Nocturne"  Nancy S. Brown - Oakland, CA  2015  15"W X 15"L

Hand applique

"At the Market" Terry Grant - Beaverton, OR  2015  6"w x 8"L

Machine applique, embroidery, quilting. 

"Coffee Futures"  Olga Norris - England  2010  11.4"W X 7.5"L

Hand applique, reverse applique, hand quilting.  

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Very Small Quilts Part II 08-12-18

These quilts are the work of Olga Norris who lives in England.  She does also make larger quilts, but I was taken with these tiny works of art with amazing stitching. 

www.olganorris.com      www.threadingthoughts.blogspot.com

"The Crow's Story"  Olga Norris - England 2012  7"W x 7"L

Silk with cotton backing, silk thread.  Hand appliqued and quilted.

The black outlines show the black backing underneath.  

Notice how she does the contour stitching to the shape of the head and body. 

"Red Hen"  Olga Norris - Hampshire, England  2012  7.5"W x 11"L

Hand dyed silk fabric, silk thread, hand stitched.  This type of stitching is in the style of Kantha work done in Bengal  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kantha , but Olga's work is so much more refined and expressive. 

 

Here is a detail.  (Don't you think this hen has a satisfied smile?)  Notice how the hair is stitched to give it a different texture.  The black outline is the under fabric showing between the cut out pieces of silk.  I have tried to think of a name for this technique which is done in slightly different ways by several different artists, notable Terry Grant of Beaverton, OR. Outline applique?  Edged applique?  Puzzle applique?  Channel applique?  It is not really reverse applique, a very old layered technique used by the San Blas natives off the coast of Panama.

"Coffee Futures"  Olga Norris - England  2010  11.4"W x 7.5"L

Hand dyed silk with cotton backing, silk thread.  Hand appliqued and quilted

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The black outlines and lines in the background are the black base fabric exposed. 

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Some bird quilts on exhibit. 03-22-18

There is currently an exhibit of quilts depicting birds at Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove.  I am always attracted to images of birds in quilts and just about anywhere else.  If you are in the area, especially to attend Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar, do have a look.  There is a variety of techniques and styles and sizes, including Ruth McDowell's fabulous "A Rash of Flamingoes".   One of the great things about having a collection is sharing it with others.   

Here are some of the 12"X12" quilts in the exhibit, most are from the SAQA online auctions. 

Left to right and top to bottom:

"Red Hen" - Olga Norris/England (not in exhibit), "Walk the Line" - Doria Goocher/San Diego,CA, "Another Collector" (Magpie) - Diane Wright/Connecticut,  "The Crow's Story" - Olga Norris/England (not in exhibit),

  "Steller's Jay" - Terry Grant/Oregon, "Night Owl" - Judith Roderick/New Mexico, ,"Taking a Break" - Lynn Welsch/New Mexico,

 "From Above-Crows" - K.Velis Turan/New York, "Yellowheaded Blackbird" - Ruth Powers/Kansas, "In the Thicket" - Sonia Grasvik/Washington

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Quilt by English quilter Olga Norris 02-07-16

This tiny quilt has been in TCQC since 2012, but I missed putting it my blog. There are several Olga Norris quilts in the Collection - all tiny, but with exquisite stitching.  Look at this blog post for more explanation: http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2015/04/quilt-by-english-quilter-olga-norris-on.html 

 

"Coffee Futures"  Olga Norris - England  2010  11.4"W x 7.5"L

The black outlines and lines in the background are the black base fabric exposed.

 

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On the mend 10-28-15

After nine days I'm sure you are all sick of hearing me talk about how sick I am.  Finally, today, I think I am getting better.  Thanks to codeine cough syrup, Prednisone, Albuterol inhaler, Tylenol, Levofloxacin, and KoKo loving.  The Albuterol plays havoc with my nerves and I have a hard time typing due to the shakes.  But I am coughing less and KoKo and I did a tiny walk down the street today.  We go out in the backyard about six times a day so he doesn't have to have a leash, I think he likes that, but walking down the sidewalk with all the new and interesting smells and sights was a treat for him.   I hope I can cut down on the Albuterol so that I can sew a bit, maybe not tomorrow, but soon.  Hurrah. 

 

I missed PIQF again this year - decided to be sick instead - but I looked back at my pictures from previous Fests and found a few quilts I liked then and remember now.   Not only the playful images in this quilt, but the playful stitching.  This type of stitching is in the style of Kantha work done in Bengal.   Olga Norris, an English quiltmaker does a more refined rendition of this work and there are several of her quilts in TCQC.  Check for her name in the right sidebar.

 

 

 

 

This type of stitching is in the style of Kantha work done in Bengal

 

 

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More on Olga Norris quilt posted on 04-05-15

Olga sent me a correction on the post about her quilt.  She says: This particular piece is cotton cut back to silk dupion, with cotton thread stitching.  The image was printed onto computer transfer paper which was then ironed onto cotton lawn.  The coating of the transfer paper fixes the cotton so that it does not fray, and so it is easy to cut back to the silk. 04-08-15
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Quilt by English quilter Olga Norris 04-05-15

Olga sent me a correction on this post.  She says: This particular piece is cotton cut back to silk dupion, with cotton thread stitching.  The image was printed onto computer transfer paper which was then ironed onto cotton lawn.  The coating of the transfer paper fixes the cotton so that it does not fray, and so it is easy to cut back to the silk. 04-08-15

 

 

Olga Norris is one of the quiltmakers I found by browsing the Internet.  Her work is very detailed and the four pieces I bought are very small.   I hang them as a group on my wall and can't help but examine her careful stitching whenever I am close by.  It is sort of like Kantha, but each stitch is so tiny and so individual - uniquely Olga.

 

 

"The Crow's Story"  Olga Norris - England 2012  7"x7"

Silk with cotton backing, silk thread. Hand appliqued and quilted.

The black outlines show the black backing underneath.

Notice how she does the contour stitching to the shape of the head and body.

This is her elegant label printed on the computer printer.

Her initials O.N. form the sky. 

 

http://www.olganorris.com/ 

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Olga Norris, English quilter in TCQC 04-14-13

Here are better views of two of the quilts showed in the group in yesterday's blog.  I added four of Olga's small pieces to the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection last year.  They are so delicate and amazing, I hope you can see her work in person some day. 

"Red Hen" Olga Norris - Hampshire, England 2012 7.5"W x 11"L

www.olganorris.com

Hand dyed silk fabric, silk thread, hand stitched.  This type of stitching is in the style of Kantha work done in Bengal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kantha but so much more refined and expressive. 

 

Here is a detail. (Don't you think this hen is has a satisfied smile?)  Notice how the hair is stitched to give it a different texture.   The black outline is the under fabric showing between the cut out pieces of silk.  I have tried to think of a name for this technique which is done in slightly different ways by several different artists, notably Terry Grant of Beaverton, OR.  Outlined applique?   Edged applique?  Puzzle applique?  Channel applique?  It is not really reverse applique, a very old layered technique used by the San Blas natives off the coast of Panama.  

The silk back is faced so the back of the work is not visible.
   

"The Crows Story" Olga Norris - Hampshire, England 2012 7.1"W x 7.1"L
Hand dyed silk fabric, silk thread, hand stitched.  Also done in the rows of running stitch and the back fabric creating the black outlines. 

A wonderful crow shape - I wish I could hear his tale.  And a four toed foot!  I am especially attracted to Olga's rendition of hands and feet.
 

Again the back is covered.  And an elegant label with the contact at the very bottom.

I have my eye on another, larger quilt from Olga.  Can you guess which one?

Monday Browsing 09-24-12

Volunteer to "White Glove" at VISIONS’ exhibit and Receive a Free Catalog

Two dates for training: Thurs, October 18 at 11 a.m. or Sat, October 27 at 2:00 p.m.

Quilt Visions 2012: Brainstorms exhibition coordinator, Charlotte Bird, will be giving a tour of this much anticipated biennial for people interested in becoming "white glove" volunteers. If you come to the training and sign up for TWO white glove shifts, you will receive a free Brainstorms catalog. Shifts are three hours each. You don't need to be a Visions member to be a "white glove" volunteer.

We need many volunteers during the October 20, 2012 - February 17, 2013 exhibition. Please help spread the word and bring a friend along for the training!

www.visionsartmuseum.org

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San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles will now be closed both Monday and Tuesday, effective Oct 1st. This is a result of diminishing support from corporations and foundations. I urge you to support the textile museum of your choice – if we don’t contribute what we can we will lose our quilt museums.

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Next Monday, October 1, 2012 is the deadline for entries in Road to California. Go to: https://online.roadtocalifornia.com

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Since my July 4th computer crash I have not gone back to the list of blogs that I read only occasionally. One that is especially inspiring is Wanda Hansen’s http://www.exuberantcolor.blogspot.com/

Lots of traditional type designs in brilliant color.

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After looking at Olga Norris’ website for several years I finally decided to add some of her tiny quilts to TCQC. Look in the Gallery under Recent Work and Small Pieces, maybe you can guess which ones attracted my heart.  www.olganorris.com

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Allen's Hummingbird  09-21-10