Charmed, part 2

Charmed, part 2

project 80" x 80"

Here are 4 blocks! The whole quilt top will have 16 blocks. And, I am currently in the process of replacing one of the blocks that I did not think played well with the others.  A photo of the entire quilt top will be coming soon!  Meanwhile, I like the way the alternating values of the quilt add movement and kind of make it sparkle.  The bright colors make me think of the fruit flavored chewy candy known as Starbursts. 

From the perspective of the whole quilt on a computer screen, you can not see all the lovely details of the fabrics this quilt is celebrating.  So I will include some closeups of the individual blocks, and the some of the fabrics. A few more:

And some closeups of the cute fabrics!

Love these cute tulips and the hedgehogs!

The lovely pink llama fabric!

Great little owl!

Capybaras!!

I love this bold graphic!

And, there is always room for some Yaks!!

Pop up polar bear! He looks so friendly, as if he is saying "hello there!"

Climbing trees!

Modern Meets Modern

Modern Meets Modern
at the International Quilt Museum

Sept 16, 2021 to March 19, 2022

I am feeling fortunate, grateful, validated, valued, honored, proud, happy, and overwhelmed! My quilt, Hidden Messages (center bottom row), is now in the permanent collection at the International Quilt Museum and has been chosen for an exhibit called Modern Meets Modern.  

I haven't seen the exhibit in person, but their website has an amazing presence of the exhibit.  There are gallery photos (where I got these images), individual spotlights on each quilt, and a virtual 3D gallery where you can "walk" around and look at each quilt and explore at your own pace.  Videos of the artists talking about their quilts will be included soon. 

I am having trouble even finding the words to express how wonderful this exhibit looks to me.  Something along the lines of a "real" museum, and it is a tremendous honor!  The lighting is exceptional! It is perfect for lighting the quilts, but also not overexposing the fabrics to harsh light that would make the fabrics fade; something that is not typically considered in quilt shows or many other exhibit venues. 

There is text on the walls! I love how this spells out the concept of the exhibit!

And they built these incredible little beautiful sculptural box thingies with concepts on them that pique your interest and are so visually appealing!

And as a special note, my quilt was meant to be backlit, so that you can see the letters hidden under the appliqued colorful circles.  However, putting that much light on the quilt is bad for the fabric.  So they built another one of those lovely instructional pretty boxes specifically for my quilt to show what my quilt would look like if it had been backlit.  It is perfect!!

Many thanks to IQM and all the people who were involved in putting this exhibit together! Hope you will get a chance to see it in person, and if not check it out on their website!

Charmed - project

Charmed

project 80" x 80"

This one started as a challenge to myself.  It is named after a charm pack swap I purchased from Bunny's Designs, and I was wondering what to do with the unusual assortment of little 5" squares of very interesting fabrics!

I decided to try some monochromatic blocks and I was drawn to my comfort zone, the log cabin block.  I decided to alternate rows of solid colors with rows of prints to build my blocks.  Each block would be BIG, 20" square.  To select the solid colors, I opted for a gradient.  Here are a few combinations that are auditioning for a spot.

After cutting the strips the right sizes, which I am embarrassed to tell you that I did wrong on a number of occasions, I started selecting which prints to use.

I have been collecting fabric for many years and I have a lot to choose from.  Ultimately, the ones that worked were the ones that had a bit of value difference compared to the solids that surrounded them. 

Here is a close up of the pink block:

I selected squares for the center from larger scale prints.  I LOVE these polar bears!!

It was also fun to include some of my own batiked fabrics in the mix.  These lovely oranges (and one red), helped extend the possibilities for the orange block.  I tried not to use any fabric twice, but in the end, I did, at least a few times. 

It was really fun to revisit my old fabrics and mix them with the new ones.  It brought up so many memories, it was like looking at a scrapbook.  Next week, I will show you more of the fabrics I used and some of the completed blocks!  And, I will likely want to put something interesting on the other side!  At least this kind of sewing has been a really fun way to stay busy while I wait for my sewing machine (that I use for quilting) to be repaired.  

Both Sides Now - Moo Postcards

Both Sides Now

International Quilt Festival solo exhibit

I am starting to think that this really might happen!  All my quilts are now in Houston.  And, I have designed a postcard to promote and celebrate the event.  And, the cards have arrived!  They are so beautiful!  I am very happy with the quality of my cards from Moo.

My optimism and hope are fighting with my realism and weekly covid projections.  I am astutely aware of the Covid crisis in Houston.  Their hospitals are full.  The Delta variant is rampant.  I had a solo exhibit in Houston once before, in 2016.  It was fantastic! I stood in front of my exhibit almost every hour that it was open.  I talked to so many wonderful and supportive people.  But things are different now.  If I decide to go, I will only be there for one day.  I am worried that very few people will come to the show.  And, my brain knows that fewer people will be safer. I am also worried that having so few people at the show will be another difficult economic hit for the Houston show to remain operational. I am worried that the people who will come are the ones who won't be vaccinated and think wearing a mask means hanging it so low that their noses stick out (which personally freaks me out). Many of my friends are not going.  It is the most special time every year because this is when we connect in person.  It feels like my presence there will be a constant reminder of everyone I love who is not there.  I expect to feel some grief with my bliss of my show, which complicates things. In a word, bittersweet. How appropriate that the event will iterate the theme of the exhibit, two sides: FEAR and JOY.

If you end up going to the show, I hope you will stop by and see my exhibit! And, drop me a line! 

As for these postcards, I have some special envelopes coming that fit these postcards perfectly! That way, I will not have to put an address label and cover some of the images.  The first 5 are already spoken for, but the other 20 are for you, first come first serve.  Comment on my blog that you want one, (when I get 20 comments, that means they are all spoken for) and send me an email (kakiyork at gmail.com) with your mailing address. I will send you one!