Quilting Arts Magazine

Good morning!  I am so excited to tell you that I have been published in the following Quilting Arts issue!  My article is about my quilt, Fresh Plus, which you have seen here, and won an Honorable Mention at QuiltCon.  In the article, I give directions on how to make the little window blocks used in this quilt. 

Also, my good friend Jamie Fingal is the cover girl!  I have loved her work for years and am delighted to see it showcased here.  Kudos Jamie!

Here are some close ups of my little quilt, Fresh Plus.

New Quilt and Etsy Store

Speaking of pillows, I posted a few new listings in my Etsy Store not too long ago.
These two sparkling gems....

see the back here

I just happened to notice that one of my favorite items in the store had not sold yet, two sets of individually batiked window blocks, in the warm color palette, below (see other quilts with these blocks, here and here).  And, I promised myself that if they did NOT sell, I would remove them from the store and use them myself....which is exactly what happened.  And, I am sorry if no one else got to use them, but I would definitely be happy to make some more if asked!  :)

Here's what I did to them.  First, I auditioned some fabrics to go with them.

I couldn't decide, so I knew it wasn't quite right.  Then I decided to chop them up and sew them back together.  And I added a few blocks of solid colors, red, pink and white. It was fun!  It was fast!  And it was EASY!  That is not usually a word I use too much, as my brain tends to seek out the difficult. 

 But, back to the topic at hand.  I love this new construction so much, that I find myself sitting and staring at it.  I know it still needs to be quilted, but I just want to look at it, mesmerized by the movement and pretty colors.  

Enjoy!  and thanks for stopping by!

Spring Break Surface Design Fun!...
A quick project with my daughter!

We decided to stay home for spring break a few weeks ago.  And, one of our many adventures included a foray into the garage to play with batik and dyeing.  My daughter has a very good friend who had a birthday and we were just a bit late getting a gift for her.  And, so, we decided to make her a pillow case.  I set everything up for my daughter and then let her go wild! 

First, she batiked the letters in white with a paintbrush.  I made a few suggestions for options, and as design director, she picked dyeing in green next....and so we did.  I mixed up the dye, and let her apply it.  Then she stamped out the flower shapes in batik on the green. Next, I bleach discharged it for her.  Then I mixed some more dye and she overdyed it aqua.  Next step, I was up again to boil out the wax.  Then we worked together to pick some fabrics to go with it.  I helped her with the rotary cutting and piecing.  She opted for some hand work, which was delegated to me.  And finally we were done.  I can't wait to see Shay's face when she gets this tomorrow!!  Meanwhile, you can see on the back, a piece that was simultaneously created of Nyan cat, my daughter's favorite!  Very cute!

Art quilt portfolio:  People and Portraits

Yesterday, I got a surprise in the mail.  It was my copy of the book!  I knew I was getting a copy if they used my quilt in it, but that was so long ago, maybe 2 years?  I had forgotten.  So it caught me by surprise.

I read it cover to cover.  It is absolutely a beautiful collection of quilts, lots of styles and different techniques.  It is very engaging and inspiring.   Hey even my cat was interested!  The book was written and compiled by Martha Sielman and published by Lark Books.  Some of my favorite artists are represented, Pam Rupert, Pamela Allen, Mary Pal, Kathy Nida, Inge Mardal and Steen Hougs, and Pamela Price Klebaum.  And I was introduced to new artists that I hadn't seen before, but are very powerful and inspiring like, Olga Norris,  Cynthia Friedman, Margene Gloria May, and Ulva Ugerup.  But these are just a few.  There are so many others.

I often wondered while looking at this collection, what is it that is appealing to me?  Is it the subject?  Or, is it more significant how the artist chose to represent the subject?  No answers, just thinking about it.....

Meanwhile, my quilt, A Few of My Favorite Things, was included in the section called Play.  The quilt is a self portrait from a long time ago when I used to go rockclimbing every weekend.  This was taken from a photo at Enchanted Rock.  It is an incredible place and I have so many wonderful and cherished memories just by looking at this quilt.  It is indeed an honor to be included in this collection!  Thanks Martha!

Birthday Post

 

Yesterday was my birthday.  Lots to think about as my body and my mind slowly start to unwind.  As I reflect, I ponder what it means to me to be 52.  I look for perspective, on an astronomical scale....I wonder what I will do of significance on my next journey around the sun?  Will it be something spectacular?  A new adventure?  or more nagging at children and cleaning kitty litter?  Probably some of both.
If I lived on Mars, I would only be approaching my 28th birthday.  Not so meaningful because I don't know the life expectancy on Mars, especially considering there is no oxygen to breath or water to drink....hmm...I don't live on Mars, I live in Texas.  What if I set a goal to run across Texas?  If I wanted to complete my run in one year, it would mean jogging 2.4 miles per day.  That is completely doable, especially on my treadmill, with air conditioning and without the Texas heat...imagine what great shape my heart would be in by this time next year!
Til then, I am off to more physical therapy, appreciating the fact that I am still here, and loving the colorful bouquet from my mother.  Doesn't it look pretty with the back of a new pillow cover I made?

Playing with Window Blocks

I made these lovely window motif blocks.  So much fun with the folding, dipping in hot wax, dyeing, etc....But then I wanted to do something with them.  The colors are just so appealing to me, and I wanted to make something for QuiltCon.  Here is one of the first layouts I made.  This one didn't get made into a quilt.  But, as it was hanging, it occurred to me, that I have had a big of a passion for this shape, and have already made a number of quilts with this motif.

The one on the floor was in the process of getting basted with it's batting and backing.  The one on the right was completed, and the one on the left wall was the final choice for these blocks.  It looks so pretty and simple and ...fresh.  At this stage it was just the quilt top though, also waiting to be quilted.  I just thought it might be fun to share some of the paths not taken.  Or maybe, not taken...Yet!

Of these three, I like the last one the best, and it was the one most similar to the final version.  Sometimes I upload photos of the blocks into photoshop and play with design and color.  And as much as I loved the simplicity of the black and white one, it doesn't emit the same emotional tone as the final version with the white background sashing, and orange 'pluses' in the sashing.

I planned to put different values of greys in all the intersections.

This one I wanted to duplicate the red plus in a vertical line, along with the yellow, and greys.

I had so much fun with these blocks, I decided to make some more and add some more color combinations.  Then I really didn't know what to do!  I tried the first two layouts, still undecided.  Then added a possibility of these circles from my fabric line, Urban Landscape.  Nope still not convinced.  Then I tried the next two...

I liked both of these, but ultimately was drawn to the blue again.  The asymmetry was lovely, but after I stitched it together, I am not sure about it again.  It is waiting to be quilted.  And I had some leftover blocks.  I threw these together randomly...

Ah ha!  This one is my favorite so far!  And, if you like it too, you can purchase these, as I just put them in my Etsy Store.  If no one wants them, I will keep them and make another little quilt.  It is just about the right size for a baby quilt!  Lovely!

Postcards
Did I mention that I have opened a new section in my Etsy Store?  I am offering postcard sets, and there are 3 different collections.  The first is images from my quilts that have flowers on them.  The second theme of postcards are fish themed.  And the third set is a wonderful collection of some of my urban architecture themed quilts.  And, now I have learned that it is truly difficult to take a photograph of glossy postcards!  The actual postcards are very lovely and made from a high quality of paper.

You can find the listings in the new prints section of my shop at Etsy, Kathy York Art Quilts.

Park Place

update (original post, here)

I have finally finished sewing on all the little people.  I had intended to have them tucked away inside their homes.  However, after making the movie, I changed my mind.  I liked how the quilt looked with the people on the garden and lawns, so I added some small details.  Here is the overall...

Then I wanted someone to walk a dog near the trees, but they don't make worry dolls in dogs... So, I improvised.  This is my version of a dog.  It could be a yellow lab?  However, it sometimes looks like a cat to me.  I couldn't decide to add a leash or let it roam freely.  Guess which one won?

Next, one of my favorite sections of the video is the two children flying a kite on the roof, so I added that back in.

I love the way the swing suggests movement.  Fun!

And there are more, but I decided not to post all the details.  Save some surprises for seeing it in person!
Hope you have enjoyed!  Thanks for stopping by.
If you haven't seen the movie yet, here it is again.

Exquisite Journey makes cover of Quilting Arts!

Yeah, my panel on this fabulous group endeavor has made the cover of Quilting Arts Magazine!
Exciting!! and what a nice surprise! You can check it out here. And if you haven't seen my post about the quilt, you can read more about it here.

And my interview with Quilting Arts Editor Vivika DeNegre will be on her blog (not sure of the date yet, but I will update this post when I find out).

Park Place
40.5" x 51"

I am excessively pleased with this little quilt.  I loved it from the start, but it sure seemed to take a long time before it's turn to be completed.  And, I am still not sure if I am finished or not.  I think some of the people need to be hanging out in the park, picnics, exploring the gardens, etc.  And, I think I would like to add flowers to the gardens.  What do you think?  Meanwhile, if I do move some of the people around, I will let you know and post an update!
Did you notice that it looks slightly larger at the top?  This is not your imagination.  I made it slightly larger to add to the sense of perspective pulling your eye in.  This quilt started with the stack of blocks.  And then I added this piece of shibori to create the lawn.  It was perfect!

Then with the layout of the fabrics in place, I knew I wanted more in the foreground, so I added a piece of tracing paper.  The idea in my head was now starting to take shape.  I sketched the general idea, and started thinking about fabrics and colors for the next section.

I used some commercial green cotton fabrics, and applied hot wax with a brush, then bleach discharged and overdyed green.  I love the effect of the patterned cloth for the gardens, and still trying to decide if I want to enhance with hand stitching to make flowers.  I do want to add the flowers, but I don't want to cover up the nice texture and lines already present.  Dilemma!!

The trees were made in much the same way as the garden fabric.  I started with green hand dyes, painted hot wax in the shape of the tree, bleach discharged and then overdyed with rainbow colors, one at a time.  Then fused them in place.  You can see the lovely machine quilting in swirls in the tree tops.  LOVE IT!!  The hard part was scaling them to look successively smaller as you move towards the buildings.
Next came the quilting of buildings, the cut work and hand work on the windows.

 What is not obvious is that when you machine quilt certain motifs on a piece, it can distort the shape somewhat.  This happens in everything I work on, and is easily fixed.  I usually toss my quilt into the washing machine (oh, horror!), on cold, hand wash cycle, and then flatten, and pin it to either a carpet, or a design wall.  Next, I put a fan on it for at least 12 hours to completely dry it.  When I unpin it, the good and flat shape is now rather permanent.  This step is called blocking, and for me the hard part is the waiting!

Next the quilt is trimmed and I either apply a binding or facing to finish the edges.  Then I added the little people.

 Or I tried to, but got distracted.  I suddenly had a vision for a stop motion animation film, involving this quilt as the set and the little people moving in to their homes.  And my vision came complete with a sound track.  Only, I have never done that before and didn't know how.  Fortunately, as my obsession grew, I found answers on the internet.  And, I even had the software, unknown to me, it came with my computer!  Voila!

This was seriously time consuming back breaking work!  I set the stage on the floor, and the lighting, and the camera and  moved all the little people until they filled in their new homes.  That's 133 people to move, one at a time, taking a picture each time. 

And, not to complain, I really do love my cats, but.....This work is hard on the knees, and hard on your back.  I could NOT do it all in one night.  And as I left the scene, the cats came in and disrupted things, by lying on the quilt, shedding on the quilt, carrying the people off with their little teeth, and playing games of tag at full speed right through the work area.  It was frustrating to say the least.  Yelling did not help!  I resorted to taking snapshots with my iphone of every section each time I stopped working.  Then I used the snapshots to set back up the next day the people in their correct positions.  By about the 4th night, I had to take a break and stop working.  Day 6, I started working again and brilliantly cut one of my design walls in half and placed it on top when I finished.  The cats did no damage that night, and so the task became easier.  And I finally finished taking ALL the photos. 

This is Garfield, pretending to "help" me...

Here is the movie.  It is unlisted, so you can't search for it on YouTube.  Enjoy!!