I’ve been “Busy”!

“Busy” by Susan Brubaker Knapp
Copyright 2014

As the name of this piece implies, I’ve been busy! I made this piece in two days. It is quilted and ready to be faced. My daughters came home from their second day of school this afternoon, and the eldest took a look at this piece, which was thread sketched and ready for quilting, and said, “Wow! It really is true that you get more done when we are in school.” No kidding.

I made this piece to showcase a material and some techniques for a segment I’ll be shooting for Quilting Arts TV Series 1500 in a few weeks. (The wings are made from Mylar.) 

“Busy” by Susan Brubaker Knapp
Copyright 2014

Here is the original photo on which this piece is based. I simplified the flower forms somewhat, because I thought the bee would stand out more if the flower were less detailed. 

Photo by Susan Brubaker Knapp
Copyright 2014

Psssst.... Want to get some Mylar? Try this website.

Listen up! I’m on Pat Sloan’s radio show!

I’m a guest on Pat Sloan’s “American Patchwork & Quilting” podcast here today (Monday, August 25) at 4 p.m. (Eastern Time). If you don’t catch it then, you can listen to the recording later. You can listen on your computer, and you can subscribe via iTunes.

Pat has more information about the guests on her show website. Make sure you scroll down to see all the other wonderful guests she’s had on the show recently.

Pat is a quilt designer, book author and fabric designer for Moda. She’s also a wonderful teacher and speaker. You can check out Pat’s beautiful quilts and learn more about her at her website here.

I love this quilt she designed (called “Pop”). It is a 28" x 38" wallhanging, and you can buy the pattern here:

“Delectable Blues” by Nancy G Cook

“Delectable Blues” (2012) by Nancy G Cook 32x25"

I am so excited to finally own a piece of art by Nancy G Cook! I fell in love with this piece, “Delectable Blues,” when I saw it, right after she made it in 2012, but it was scheduled for several exhibitions. I told her I wanted it, and she said she wanted one of my pieces, so we agreed on a trade, with the balance to be paid to her in installments. It finished up its tour for exhibitions this summer, and today, I picked it up! (These are very quick photos taken on my phone, so they are somewhat imperfect.) Isn’t it beautiful?

Detail from “Delectable Blues” (2012) by Nancy G. Cook

Much of Nancy’s recent work has focused on tree seeds and fruits, “as metaphors for life’s riches” that come with maturity. One of Nancy’s hallmarks is dense echo quilting, leaving some areas unquilted to suggest things in the background. She works primarily with Tsukineko Inks and hand-dyed fabrics, but almost always includes a bit of hand embroidery or stitching.
 
All my life, I have wanted to buy art that caught my eye and stole my heart, but most of it has been too expensive for my budget. This was the perfect lesson in delaying gratification and paying over time to get a piece I love from an artist I love. If you are an artist, consider selling your work using this kind of system. It makes it possible for those of us with champagne tastes and beer budgets to consider buying a piece of art.

This piece reminds me of the last summer day I spent with my mother, in August 2010, picking blueberries at a farm in Tennessee. It was her favorite fruit. When I look at this piece, I remember the warm sunshine, the high green bushes, and how the berries, plump and dusty with bloom, rolled right off the branches with the slightest touch, and fell into our buckets with a pleasing plunk. We only picked for an hour and our buckets were full.

With Nancy today

Exhibition at Burke Arts Council

I’m pleased to announce that some of my work will be featured in the Contemporary Fiber Art exhibition at the Burke Arts Council in Morganton, NC, August 11-September 19. The other artists in the group are Lyric Kinard, Sondra Dorn, Beth Andrews, Katherine Lee, Kim Ollis, Beth Bailey, Susan McRae, and Suzanne McMahon.

The 2014 SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates’) 2014 Trunk Show will also be on display!

Meet the Artists Reception is Friday, August 15 from 5-7 p.m.