Posts

A Follow Up

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Shifting Contour When last you heard of this quilt it had been saved from the scourge of fabric bleeding. But I never posted the whole quilt. So here it is.  I have called it Shifting Contour because, in my mind, the patterned fabric plays the role of the background on the left side of the piece. On the right side, the patterned fabric moves to the foreground and becomes a solid shape against the cream background. It is an experiment with the concept of negative space. This year our local guild has taken the lead from our parent organization, the Modern Quilt Guild, and focused on a specific topic each quarter. They covered categories which can be found in the annual QuiltCon quilt show: modern traditionalism, applique, negative space, and minimalism.  I found defining these terms has been really helpful, as sometimes it's difficult to identify why a certain quilt is in a category, in which category a quilt "belongs" when entering it, and even how to deliberately incorpo
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Ooops, I did it again

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You know when you make a mistake and you end up thinking " Man, I really should have known better!"? I recently experienced that moment when I took my latest finish out of the wash, hung it to dry, and later found that the backing I used had bled through to the front of the quilt. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if it had covered the entire quilt, but in this case I have a strip of a stronger color on one side of the back: Heartbreaking to think that after all that time and effort, the piece was ruined just because I forgot to turn to the cold/cold setting for the delicate cycle on the washing machine. But then it occurred to me to "put it out there." I posted the problem on Instagram and got back several suggestions. The most popular solution was Dawn dish soap. And I'm happy to report I've met with success!!! It did require some persistence though. First, I tried applying Dawn to the affected areas and then putting it through the wash with a bit of
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Summer Finishes

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Here we are closing out August and I find once again that writing has taken a back seat to creating! I have been working diligently to finish these two pieces this summer in order to meet a juried show deadline. I would love to share more about them but I will wait to see if either one is juried in before any big reveals. Suffice it to say that they are direct opposites in terms of color palette and they're both an expansion of my experiments with improvised appliqu é  work. To be honest, I didn't realize how long it had been since I'd written anything. I've been so focused on quilting. Now it feels like I've neglected a responsibility in not keeping up with posting. And that has given me something to ponder.  At this point, we all know that social media can be a big attention hog, whether you're consuming it or actively contributing to it. Blogging, Instagram, all these wonderful tools are great vehicles to share our work. But keeping them fueled for the viewer
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The Huntington- Galleries (3 of 3)

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If you're not into gardens, or there's just so much sun you can tolerate, there are plenty of indoor galleries to visit at our destination spot. After all we're talking about The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. ( https://huntington.org/ ) The gallery exhibits cover a wide range of art movements, styles, and periods. (In fact this would be a great place to study millinery designs for women's hats. LOL)  This vast collection is not exclusively one of painting.  Many art forms and disciplines are represented. And it's really interesting to have divergent styles to compare and contrast in one visit. We happily stumbled on the American Art Galleries. Walking into this room felt like coming home, with it's nod to American quilts and textiles.   This yarn sewn rug attributed to Hannah Rosina Maynard Phillips stood out to me. Loved the rich colors and the intricate floral design.  Contrast Hannah's piece with this one by artist Cai Guo-Qiang a
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The Huntington- Textures & Colors (2 of 3)

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  There is so much to visually take in when you're surrounded by the natural beauty at The Huntington! Whether you soak in the vibrant colors and incredible textures of the many floral species, . . .  Or you pull back to absorb the magnificent collective textures created in the various themed gardens like the bamboo forest: or the cactus garden: There are also subtle color palettes created in garden displays that include a variety of plants: And then there are the man made textures that are thoughtfully scattered throughout the gardens: Plenty of inspiration for, say, quilt textures, and color choices; even shapes and design elements to borrow for future projects.
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The Huntington- Botanical Gardens (1 of 3)

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I suppose everybody has a list of places or activities they would like to see or do "some time," in the future. The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens was on my list for over a decade.( https://huntington.org/ )  Located northeast of LA in San Marino, it could be a lengthy drive for us, depending on LA traffic. In this area sometimes you make a mental calculation: will time spent doing an activity outweigh the amount of time you spend in the car? It requires a certain frame of mind to jump that hurdle.   A recent trip to check out The Huntington proved the effort was well worth it!    One could easily spend the entire day just wandering around on the grounds of the Huntington.  There is so much to see. The Botanical Gardens include a conservatory, a Chinese and a Japanese garden, and several other themed gardens. This is a most enjoyable way to "get your steps in." But one should also take the time to slow down and take a closer look at this divers
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Crib Quilt for a July Baby

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 Now that this crib quilt has been gifted to friends of our family, I can share it with everybody. This is the classic snowball quilt pattern which I've attempted to modernize a bit by dropping out some of the pattern and mixing up the lights and darks. The mom-to-be chose earth tones for the expected baby boy. Fortunately, I had this cozy flannel in my stash which served as the inspiration for this quilt. I think the very best thing about giving a quilt as a baby shower gift is when you get back a picture of the baby on it. That feeling could only be surpassed many years later if you have the privilege of seeing it in tatters because it was well loved through the years! Looking forward to welcoming this new little friend into the world. 
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