Creative Life Sampler

After some encouragement from guild friends, yesterday I packed up seven quilts to make a trip to the county fair grounds and enter them in this year's fair.  Quilts are considered part of the "Home Arts" section at our fair. The rules for the textile division are that the work must have been created between 2019 and, well, this week and only one entry per category is allowed for each quilter. I chose quilts of several sizes from my collection for the appliqu é , pieced, and modern divisions.  The process of entering items was quite simple and easy. Entries were made online and preprinted information was affixed right in front of us, giving the entrant a sense of assurance that their creations are in good hands. The people checking in the entries were really pleasant and efficient.  This is the criterion used for the quilt judging in each category: Honestly, I know some of my submissions will be dinged for one thing or another in the judging. But this was a welcomed ...

Keeping up the momentum, this week I got busy with a new project; still working with the fragmented shapes from cut up "Q's." The first phase was to sketch out the idea: Next came the transfer of the sketch to fabric. It turned out this was a time consuming step. My vision was to double the size I've worked with on previous projects. I had to figure out how to make that happen, and ended up drawing it out on large butcher paper. The cut out shapes were used as a template. Not ideal, but it worked out fine.   A background fabric was basted to the black fabric, (see the large green stitches within the lines.) This ensures the shapes stay in place when the excess fabric is cut away from the desired shape.  Making sure the bottom layer is not caught in the scissors, the top fabric is carefully cut about 1/4 inch from the outlines for a seam allowance that is folded under in the appliqu é  process. Shapes are sewn in place with a very small invisible stitch.  Since t...

 Quilt Series # 4: Influencing Just completed: the fourth in my series of wall hangings based on the letter "Q." This piece speaks to how quilters and, indeed, all artists and artisans, influence each other. Note that the blue stays blue and the orange stays orange in this piece; they stay true to themselves. But each shape is influenced,  and enhanced , by the presence of the other color.   Through the sharing of our creations we expose the viewer to new skills, techniques and ideas. They are inspired by a different approach, a novel way of creating, the expression of an individuality.  Often that inspiration leads one to incorporate something fresh into an their own body of work. Rather than just copying what's presented, the artist opens thought to the great possibilities for experimenting and challenging their creativity. This in turn leads to even more original work. And so we nourish one another's unique voice.   I've taken to using more traditio...