Back from Houston with News to Share!

Back from Houston with News to Share!

Or How a Hotel Room Sold My Fabric Line....

I responded to a post on QuiltArt listserve for a room at the Hilton and somehow managed to actually get the room. As most of you know, this in itself is quite a stroke of luck. The room belonged to Morna Golletz of Professional Quilter Magazine, and she told me to come by and meet her during Quilt Market. Well, getting to Quilt Market was another whole set of obstacles, that I won't go into here, but let's just say that it involves a number of deadlines, creditials, and confusing childcare.....I digress.

Anyway, I told Morna why I was at Quilt Market and she so graciously and kindly offered to introduce me to a few people. That's how I met Kathy Miller of Michael Miller Fabrics. And I showed her my work, and then she bought it!! I was so excited by a such a positive response to my work, that I was in shock for days. This is a little sample of one of my designs for you. And though Morna's contact really helped me, she wasn't the only one. Pokey Bolton also introduced me to a few people at Robert Kaufman, and Laura Wasilowski and Frieda Anderson were introducing me to EVERYONE. One of my favorites turned out to be the actual Jane Sassaman with Westminster Fabrics. Really, everyone was so nice and so very helpful, I just have a BIG THANK YOU, and lots of good karma floating around.
















Me, Laura, Jan Wass, and Frieda going out to dinner Monday night.
But, that is not all, oh no, that is not all...
On Tuesday night, I found out that my little Self Portrait won a second place award. I think I have confidence in my work, and I was really pleased with this little piece, but still I was really surprised when it won a second place. Absolutely wonderful!! Here is a photo with me by my quilt along with the other winners. You can see Laura's 3rd place really fabulous little quilt, and the 1st place quilt by Cindy Richards.








Another juicy piece of news, which I have been savoring for a month, is that my quilt, Little Fish in a Big City, got accepted into Quilt National. Now this one, I have to pinch myself every morning to see if I am awake, because I am still having trouble believing it's real. I got the provisional acceptance. Then I filled out all the paperwork and sent the quilt in. And, then they listed my name on their website, so I guess it is real. Not wanting to spoil the surprise, I can tell you that it is sort of a cross between Little Cities and Sychronized Swimming. I can also tell you that it took over a year to make. I manipulated every fabric I used including, batik, bleach discharge, overdyeing of commercial fabrics; screen printing with thicked dyes; and batiking and dyeing my own designs. It was a fun project to work on and gratifying to watch it evolve to the point of completion. Here is a little thumbnail of it.

And now you might be thinking that this is plenty of good fortune for an entire lifetime, but really it just keeps going!


On a whim, I decided to try to get into a Make It University class, especially when I found out that Pokey Bolton was going to teach it. It was a Project Runway class with music from the 80's as our theme. I was fortunate enough to have friends take the class with me, Tanya Littman, Deborah Boschert, Leslie Jennison, and Jamie Fingal.


Here I am hanging out with Jamie while she is doing Open Studios. You have to visit Judy's blog to see photos of the Project Runway photos.

Judy Perez and Robbi Joy Eklow were the judges. We had to dance for extra goodies to use for our costumes. When she held up the black bra, I couldn't contain myself, as my dancing led me to kicking and swirling on top of my chair. Then we all got lp records to use. You may be thinking (as I did), how do you use a record to make something to wear? Well, Pokey had all the answers, with heat guns, paint, and glue, and other "stuff". We had such a good time. The required dancing for objects really helped keep us alert and on task for an end of the day workshop. But mostly, IT WAS FUN. If you want to see how I won the grand prize, you will have to go to Pokey's blog, or even Judy Perez's blog, they both have a video of all the craziness.

And though the workshop was plenty of fun all by itself, I didn't realize when I signed up that there would be prizes. My costume won the grand prize, and this is all the stuff I won:

3 books, Mixed Media self-portraits Inspiration and Techniques by Cate Prato, Mixed Mania Recipes for Delicious Mixed Media Creations by Debbi Crane and Cheryl Prater, The Quilting Arts Book Techniques and Inspiration for Creating One-of-a-Kind Quilts by Pokey Bolton; a new Stitch magazine, and the latest Quilting Arts Magazine,Quilting Arts TV Series 200, 6 jars of Lumiere fabric paint, one silk scarf with 3 bottles of dye, 2 jelly rolls of fabric from Moda, and one fat quarter pack from Clothworks!

Little Cities

Little Cities
97" x 97"

I started this one 2 years ago and it has been redesigned quite a few times. I actually bought the fabric for it 5 years ago when my bed and bath were being remodeled. But I was stuck and couldn't decide what to do with it (probably related to my marital woes). AS soon as the husband moved out, I knew what I wanted to do with this, although it has been revealing itself to me along the way. The smallest blocks are 1 " square with small circles appliqued with satin stitch on them. There are about 1000 of those. The biggest blocks are 12" square, and there are very few of those! Don't ask how many total blocks, I don't know. And now, I would have to say that sewing the blocks together was NOT the fun part.
The quilt reminds me of a city, surrounded by water. There are roadblocks and resources and little communities. I have always been fascinated by the way people form groups, for the similarities they embrace and the differences they seek out. At what point do the differences become too much and we need to wall ourselves off?
On another level this quilt represents healing for me. I had a lot of grief when my husband left and made me a single mom. The red represents rage and passion, the orange represents changes, the pink was the love I still had, the yellow was the fear. The green is in every block and represents a growth path through time and everything I do. The center is about integrating the feelings. I unknowingly made a spiral out of the center blocks (you have to squint to see it). The blue was the sadness and isolation, and the purple was the healing (the color of healing bruises).
I finished piecing the top for my birthday on Sunday. It was my present to myself to get it off my design board so that I could move on and start some other projects. I will quilt it this summer while the kids are in camp.

Popular Quilt Published Again

Popular Quilt Published Again
So exciting! Or should I say Sew exciting!! My quilt, Little Cities, was selected as the Last Stitch for Quilt. I am delighted! It was a bit of a nice surprise because this quilt was made in 2003.  It is nice to know that it is still generating some interest.  I will be announcing another publication for Little Cities in the months to come as it will be included in a wonderful new book by Karey Bresenhan (I am waiting for the cover image).

Lone Stars III: A Legacy of Texas Quilts 1986-2011

Lone Stars III:  A Legacy of Texas Quilts 1986-2011

by Karey Patterson Bresenhan and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes

I haven't seen it yet, but I heard it's a good one! I can't wait to get my copy! The quilt on the cover is stunning!!  You can read a lovely review on Virginia Spiegel's Blog, here.  I have two individual quilts included and a number of group quilts.  My two quilts, Little Cities and A Few of My Favorite Things, arrived in Houston this last August.  Quilts, Inc. is having an exhibit with as many of the quilts from the book as they could arrange for the Houston International Quilt Show. 

Karey Bresenhen's enthusiasm and support for quilters is widely known, so it should come as no surprise that she has a starring role in the development and opening of the new Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange, TX.  The opening of the museum is timed perfectly with the Houston Quilt Show and will have part of the Lone Stars III exhibit will be there.  I am so pleased and honored that Little Cities will be at the Texas Quilt Museum.  From the museum's website, "A not-for-profit entity, the Museum will operate under the aegis of The Quilt Institute.  It will be housed in two historic 1890s buildings, which will provide a fine showcase for both antique and contemporary quilt art with their high ceilings, brick walls, and original hardwood floors." 

The group quilts are:  Cosmic Curves, Group Conversations, and I Sing the Flower Eclectic.  I am a bit sketchy on the details about which quilts are going where....And, I am a bit behind on my record keeping for photos of the other two.  I'll need to research that a bit.  Suffice to say, I am pleased as punch to be a part of this historic undertaking and celebration of quilting!

2012 International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio

2012 International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio

Coming soon!  Next week, April 13-15.  I wish I could be there, but sadly I cannot.  However, a number of my quilts will be there. Oops!  I spoke too soon.  I just got notice that due to space constraints, only half of the quilts for The Space Between exhibit will be shown, and mine was NOT one selected.  Disappointing, but the quilts that are going are a visual treat!  Hope you enjoy.

Look for:

The Space Between, Blue Towers

Tactile Architecture:  Artists Village and Central Park
Texas Quilts Today:  Selections from the Book, Lone Stars III

I have two quilts in the book, Lone Stars III, but I am not sure if either will be at the quilt show.  I hope so!
The two in the book are Little Cities, and A Few of My Favorite Things.

Blue Towers

Artist's Village

Central Park

Central Park - detail shot

A Few of My Favorite Things

Little Cities

Little Cities

Little Cities
97 x 96

Finally quilted and bound! Hurray! I can't say that this was the easiest pattern to quilt, as I typically avoid any pattern that has to be marked first. I much prefer a free form style of quilting. However, this quilt had so much going on, I really thought it needed some simple lines, and concentric circles really seemed the best solution and very congruent with the construction of the quilt top, concentric squares. See below for photo of the complete quilt top.

Satin Stitch

Satin Stitch

Ever wonder how to satin stitch a tight circle? My king sized quilt, Little Cities, has about 1000 of these little half inch beauties. It was a bit obsessive, I will admit, but the more I made, the more I loved the way they looked with the other blocks. There were times I couldn't work on it. Not surprising, it can be a bit tedious. Perhaps that's an understatement.
Anyway, I have a new camera, and it has video. So I have made a little video to show how to make one of those little satin stitched circles. Check it out if you are curious.
You can also see the link at youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X7eMGCnv8g

Little Fish in a Big City

Little Fish in a Big City
60" x 60"

This is my Quilt National 2009 entry. I am very honored to be in such esteemed company. I will make another entry tomorrow to tell you about the opening weekend!

Little Fish is all about global warming and the new world order, where will I fit in?
Sea levels rising, engulfing cities, the new transportation, fish carrying all the people. Look closely at the bottom right corner for the little fish for whom the quilt was named. This quilt is dedicated to environmental refugees everywhere.

More about how this quilt was made: (I have already posted about most of this, follow the links if you are curious!)
I made the buildings first, just to see if I could sew a 3D cube shaped building. My first attempts did not work at all, but I persevered. All the wrong ones, showed me eventually how to get it right. They are folded, machine stitched, opened up, lined with timtex, and stuffed with polyester, last the bottom opening was hand sewn closed. The buildings range in size from fairly flat to 5 inches tall and stick out perpendicularly from the quilt. This quilt hangs on the wall as the buildings appear to defy gravity. For the most part they did well, however, the tallest buildings had significant problems with sagging and required numerous structural engineering to solve the problems!

The navy background is a whole cloth batik drawn exclusively with a tjanting that I was trying to learn. The fabrics for the buildings are commercial fabrics batiked in stripes and then bleached and overdyed. The turquoise and cobalt blocks are all hand-dyed batiks, mostly stamped from found objects. Among the more unusual ones, a spring from an automatic car window, and hexogonal climbing gear, and children's toys.
There are over 400 buildings, and I forget how many fish, but I can say when I was making them...I never thought I would make enough. The fish are made from screenprinted thickened dyes, machine sewn, painted organza for the pectoral fins, painted eyes and mouths (which are open).

 I fused the turquoise blocks on, then machine quilted densely to make the base stiff.

 Then I satin stitched the edges of the blocks to catch the loose threads and sharply define the edges. Then I did the hand quilting through the middle of the city, they are supposed to refer to the tracks of lights you might see in the photo of car lights at night.

Then I hand sewed on all the buildings, one by one. Then I sewed the worry dolls to the fish, and last I sewed the fish on. Many had to have their fins replaced as they were looking a little haggard.
If you want to see this in person, check out it's traveling schedule at www.dairybarn.org
Follow the link to Quilt National 2009, it is in collection group C.

Texas Monthly!!

Texas Monthly!!

Hats off to Karey Bresenhan and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes for some fabulous publicity for their new book, Lone Stars III:  A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1986-2011 in Texas Monthly.  The article is an eight page spread called, Common Threads, in the September issue.  I was a bit surprised to find that my quilt, Little Cities, was published as part of the article on the book, p. 151.  I am quite pleased, to say the least!  The article talks about the book and shows a preview of 10 quilts, so I am very happy to be included in this selection!!

I will say also that this is not my first time to be in Texas Monthly.  Only the first time, my name did not get in.  I only mention this because of the irony that connects the two stories.  In the Feb, 1992 issue, I was photographed taking part in a rockclimbing competition at Hueco Tanks Texas State Park.  I had skipped out of my day job with the excuse of "being sick", and spent the day driving the 12 hours to El Paso, TX with a friend.  The next day we got up early and climbed all day.  Neither of us placed very high in the competition, but we were both happy to be there climbing such exquisite rock and great company of the other climbers.  Fantastic party that night, and then a 12 hour drive home on Sunday.  What are the odds, that on the one day you skip out of work, your photo is published in a high profile magazine???  Either I wasn't recognized at work, or I was forgiven.  But the picture was great!!  Check out those crazy tights!

And how is this related to the first half of my story??  Well, I was fortunate enough to have 2 quilts chosen to be in Lone Stars III, the other is my quilt called, A Few of My Favorite Things, a quilt about my love for rockclimbing!

Alamo Heritage Quilt Guild San Antonio, TX

Alamo Heritage Quilt Guild San Antonio, TX 

 This last Thursday night, I was honored to present a lecture about my work at the Alamo Heritage Quilt Guild. I had a great time. This guild is rather small, but oh so friendly. I felt so relaxed and welcomed there. It was wonderful! The first photo is of me with Dea Heller. She is the 2nd Vice President and my main contact person. She was a delight and it turns out that she has won numerous prizes with her quilts and also does presentations to guilds! She was kind enough to call before I left Austin and give me directions around the numerous road closures from construction! Very helpful! Next, Joyce Boyd and myself. She is the President of the guild. She is warm and humorous and a delight! I gave a one hour lecture and trunk show, punctuated with lightning strikes, thunder, and rain from outside. A lot of people came despite the bad weather. Thank you!! I brought about 15 quilts. Included in these photos are Little Cities (also here), Synchronized Swimming, and Doors Across Austin. And, the trunk show portion could not have been a success without all the volunteers who held up my quilts and walked them around the room so that everyone could see them. This is a difficult job because the quilts get heavy, and if you are the one holding it up, you don't get to look at the front side! Be sure to check out the fingers holding the quilts at the top and the legs underneath! Last a photo of my slide projector. Makes great pictures, eh?? No, really, it's turned off for this photo, and the actual quilt is being shown by a volunteer! At some point, I would love to get a new laptop and digital projector and skip the slides all together!

500 Art Quilts

500 Art Quilts

Yahoo! I just got the letter telling me that two of my entries will be in this book by Lark Publishers. I am delighted!! The winning entries are Little Cities and Vertigo, two of my all time favorites, both still in my collection! This book will be available in spring 2010. Can't wait to get my copy and see the other 498! 

Yeah! It's finally my month!

Yeah! It's finally my month!
I've been waiting all year for it to be my turn in the IQA Award-Winning Quilts 2008 Calendar. I couldn't understand why they picked my quilt for December, but upon opening to the page it is obvious now, so much red and green, and this quilt is cheerful. Congrats Little Cities, another day in the sun!

Oh What a Night! Houston IQA!!

Oh What a Night! Houston IQA!! 

I won first place in Large Abstract Art with Little Cities (97" x 96")! I knew I was up for a cash prize, but I was really not expecting first place. And one of the best moments was when another quilter approached me after the awards and asked me if I was the artist? Me?!! Yes, I am an artist! Hard to wrap my head around that, but at least, now I can say it! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to look at my quilt and talk to me!

Honorable Mention!

Honorable Mention!

I am happy to announce that my quilt, High Rise, won an Honorable Mention this year in Houston! Even more delighted to actually see the show and how many outstanding quilts that were in my category. I have no doubt that the judges had a tough time picking winners for this category!

I am also really proud of all the attention our Artists' Village (and here) has received. IQA (or was it Quilts, Inc.?) went above and beyond to make the display an awesome one! They built an entire stage to set it on and draped it with black fabric. The lighting was perfect! And the height of the stage was just right to see all the details of the houses. I absolutely LOVED it! And I enjoyed seeing the project connect with so many people. A labor of love!

 

Artists' Village with Kathy York, Sherri McCauley, and Barb Forrister

Artists Village with Kathy York, Sherri McCauley, Jamie Fingal, and Leslie Jenison

 It's hard to believe that I spent four fabulous days in Houston and still did not see all the quilts. The ones I saw were simply fabulous and too many to list, but of course, I have to mention the Twelveby12 exhibit.  I got to meet a few of the artists, which was a blast.  After following their work (take a peek at their blog and see the group photo that I wish I had taken!), it was great to see the pieces in person.  Such an inspiring project!  I love the way it enriched each of their lives and their work and also how it connected them as a group. Even better, is how it has gone practically viral and other Twelveby12 groups are springing up.  Yes, I bought the book.  Can't wait to read it!

I made the small mistake of depending on my iphone for photos. And while it takes relatively good photos, it does not have a flash, and it needed one! Next year, I will take my camera!! duh! Meanwhile, it seems like there would be plenty of time to see everything, but no. And not for the obvious reason....eh, that I spent too much time shopping the vendors. The main reason for me was that I kept running into people that I only see in person at the quilt show. I HAVE to stop and visit. It is the most wonderful use of time and I wouldn't trade it for a minute. Maybe I should just plan to spend even more time in Houston if I want to see all the quilts in all the exhibits??

Jamie Fingal, Rachel Parris, Frances Alford, Judy Perez, Kathy York, and Leslie Jenison

Frances Alford ,Sherri McCauley

Behind this glass wall is Spencers, our meet up spot for dinner

Kathy York, and Frances Alford

Jamie Fingal, Judy Perez

Rachel Parris, and Sherri McCauley

Jamie Fingal and the Girls

Jane LaFazio

One of my favorite activities at the show this year was doing Open Studios for Quilting Arts Magazine. I met so many wonderful people there and had a great time demonstrating the simple techniques I used to make the 3D buildings seen on several of my quilts. The funniest story I can share with you .....I had a hard time setting up my demonstration. Though my hands are almost fully recovered, I have lost flexibility and a lot of strength. The Bernina sewing machine, so graciously donated for use by Bernina, was still in the box. I started having a minor panic attack when I couldn't get it out of the box. Pokey Bolton happened to be standing on the other side of the curtain and heard that 'special tone' in my voice and came bounding through the curtain like Wonder Woman! And poof, in a flash, the machine was quickly extricated from it's box. My jaw hanging open and eyes popping out, she disappeared just as quickly before I could even say, "Thank you!".

Jamie Fingal, Kathy York ,and Rachel Parris in front of Blue Towers at the Space Between exhibit

I was lucky to have so many quilts in the show this year, especially considering that I lost half the year at least half the year in recovery. I had my quilt, Blue Towers, in The Space Between exhibit, curated by Dinner @8 Artists (i.e., Jamie Fingal and Leslie Jenison). I had already bought the book and was looking forward to seeing the quilts in person. The photos are always so awesome, but they never do the quilts justice. Seeing them in person is such a richer and fuller experience. I got to meet the cover artist, Susan Brubaker Knapp, and hear her story in person. Very touching! The quilts were simply amazing. I could stand in front of them for hours!

I had two entries in Tactile Architecture, Central Park and the Artists' Village. I had two entries in the Judged Show, High Rise and a group quilt, Artists Garden. I had five quilts in the book, Lone Stars III, two of mine, A Few of My Favorite Things and Little Cities, and three group quilts, Cosmic Curves, I Sing the Flower Eclectic, and Group Conversations. Three of these were at the Houston Quilt Show in the Lone Stars III exhibit, and two are at the new Texas Quilt Museum. The exhibit in Houston of the quilts in the book was phenomenal! The layout of the exhibit had traditional quilts and art quilts interspersed. I thought the effect was wonderful!

I was also given a minor presence in Libby Lehman's Lecture (though I unfortunately did not get to see it), and in Stitched which showed on Saturday morning. And if that is not enough, by complete surprise I found that my winning quilt High Rise is featured in the gallery section of On the Quilt Scene!  It looks beautiful!  Thanks Quilting Arts!!!!

Two other events definitely worthy of mention were the Alliance For American Quilts Save Our Stories and the event for the quilters in the book Lone Stars III. Karey Bresenhan and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes hosted a wonderful event with fabulous food, drinks, and an interesting introduction to her book. We signed each others' books and then went down to view the exhibit. These two events are interconnected this year because quilters who were in the book were invited to share their stories through a recorded oral interview.  I was asked to bring a touchstone object, which I selected my quilt, Fifty, Female, and Fearless.  The interview lasted about 45 minutes and will be available after it is transcribed.  It is such an honor to be a part of this project and to be a part of history!  I am in awe of both the project and the number of volunteers who contribute their time to this worthy project! 

And last, I had three small quilts, 9" x 12", at the SAQA booth for sale. These did not get to be viewed for long though. One sold before it got to hang on the wall. The next two sold quickly on Opening Night. I was beside myself with excitement that the quilts sold and it has motivated me to make some more that I will offer for sale on my blog.

1BdrmApt

Full House

Nine Houses

You might have to wait to see these though because, sadly I always catch a cold in Houston, and this trip was no different. Fortunately, I made it through three days healthy, and got the cold on my last day. Now, I am trying to rest....which is really hard after Houston because all the creative juices get flowing! like just looking at the exit stairs to the Parking Garage for the George Brown Convention Center.

And, to end on a good note, I leave you with these two photos of my cats. The first is before I leave on a trip, the second is when I return. I suspect that they are happy I spent my first day back with a cold and in bed all day...part of the reattachment process. :)

Cats before my trip..."if we just stay on top of her suitcase, she won't be able to pack it!"

Cats after my trip....

Thanks for stopping by!