Creative Life Sampler

Phoenix Convention Center Still processing QuiltCon which took place February 19-23 in Phoenix this year! My quilt, Blue Improvised Silhouette, on the left. First, I had the joy of seeing two of my quilts displayed in the Handwork category and then I took a closer look at the neighboring quilts on display. I was blown away by the craftsmanship of the entire section. I was so impressed, and quite humbled, by the ideas and execution of all the quilts chosen. They have inspired me to experiment in my own work and push the boundaries even more! Now that I've had the time to look through my cell phone pics I thought I would share a little of what I observed at the show. Of course, there were reimagined variations on shapes or adaptations of traditional patterns like the Log Cabin. (It's always cool to see how people are rethinking and modernizing old favorites.) I'm also intrigued every year by the quilts that present an optical illusion and especially by the quilts that look di...

"In these times there is a powerful demarcation between the surface and the deep currents of human development. Events and upheavals, which seem more profound than they really are, are happening on the surface. But there is another and deeper change in progress. It is a long, steady persistent growth, very little affected and not at all disturbed by surface conditions. The artist of today should be alive to this deeper evolution on which all growth depends, has depended and will depend." Robert Henri, The Art Spirit ( originally published 1923 ) This year I'm adopting the "Dry January" theme and applying it to my use of technology. How much unproductive time I've been wasting with it! Only a few days in, but I've put aside  iPad  games and am staying up to date on news through headlines or occasional articles rather than gathering information that will be out of date in the next 24 hour news cycle. (Perhaps that's why this quote seemed to strike a c...

  Unrestrained Energy This is my last finish of 2024.  The inspiration for this quilt was a wonderful spotted fabric I acquired a couple of years ago from a guild member who was getting rid of her stash. I don't know that it would have caught my attention in another environment but in the context of her collection it called to me. I really appreciated her color sense and quality fabric choices. This small fabric cut inspired me to incorporate it in an improvised composition. It began in a modest way, with the cut away scraps in a cream solid. We were going on an extended vacation and I wanted to take some work to keep busy. There were so many scraps that I split them between two patterned fabrics and basted them in place so I could stitch them down at liesure. The two resulting quilts are quite different from one another. The first of the two completed was Shifting Contour : (See this link for the original post :  https://creativelifesampler.blogspot.com/2024/10/a-follow-...

 My Christmas Sampler, circa 2009 Reaching back into the linen closet to share this Christmas creation that was started in September 2008 and finished in January of 2009. It is a king sized sampler quilt, - each square is a star themed block in golds, dark greens and burgundies.  I still love this quilt, it makes me smile. I remember being so excited to make it.  But it feels like it was made a lifetime ago, in a different era, or maybe even created by somebody else. It's so foreign to what I make now.  In reality, I suppose I'm not the same person I was when I conceived of this quilt and put needle to fabric.  For one thing this quilt is all machine pieced and quilted, not a bit of hand work.  At that time  I was just beginning to explore Hawaiian appliqu é.  I had no idea how transformative developing skill in  appliqu é and reverse  appliqu é  would prove to be.   Back then, I had no desire to spend "too much time" on hand q...

  Blue Improvised Silhouette I worked on this piece over the summer and finished it time to enter it in a juried show at the end of August. It didn't get in, . . . oh well. This is a good time to reveal this quilt. Its icy palette of blue and aqua is really appropriate for the winter season.   This year I've focused most of my creative energy on improvisational appliqu é. The remnant cut away blue scraps from an earlier  appliqu é project were rearranged on a solid white for this composition. I wanted to see if I could change the nature of the white fabric through dense stitching which would add a second color. The silhouette of the blue was rotated and outlined so white shapes emerge against the compressed subtle aqua texture. My hope was that the blue contour would appear to hover over the white contour and they would both pull forward visually to float over the delicately tinted background. View of this quilt back      

  And a Spot of Red Haven't had the time to post this quilt before, so here it is now,- "And a Spot of Red." Hand appliquéd and hand quilted, it measures 82 x 61 inches; much larger than I've worked in a long time.  In 2023 I found myself expanding my horizons, exploring opportunities to show my work at unfamiliar venues. This open attitude led to new encounters and new inspiration for me. Really that shouldn't be a surprise, but sometimes I'm amazed at how often I need to be reminded that exposing ourselves to different experiences and influences helps us grow and feeds our creative impulses. And it's so exciting when that happens. During one of these adventures, I was at a show and fell into a conversation with a fellow quilter, sharing perspectives, exchanging ideas. At one point she casually offered "You need to work bigger!" That was the encouragement I needed to finally get to work on an idea I'd been contemplating. I pulled out the sc...