Finished!
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| “Glow” Copyright Susan Brubaker Knapp 2022 – 41" x 51.5" |
New work! This is “Glow,” one of two pieces I entered in Quilt National (the other entry, “Sproing,” was accepted). It’s based on a photo I took from the deck of our house last fall, when sunlight was pouring through the trees at the peak of autumn color.
White cotton fabric, acryclic textile paint, cotton batting, cotton thread, commercial cotton print backing fabric. Wholecloth painted, free-motion machine quilted.
Just finished Fox and Rabbit Designs’ “Friends and Family” sampler! I stitched it on 36-count Tango Edinburgh linen by Picture This Plus, and it’s about 13-1/4" square.
After stitching the design, I added four generations of our family initials (back to the mid-1800s) in some of the spaces in between the motifs. I tried to include three initials for the all the married women so that I could preserve their maiden names.
This was Fox and Rabbit Designs’ 2020 Linen and Threads Mystery Stitch-A-Long, inspired by antique Quaker and Vierlande samplers. You can find the pattern here: https://linenandthreads.com/2020-mystery-sal/
Susan’s family:
ECB – Eleanor Carter Brubaker 1936-2011
JRB – John Robert Brubaker 1935-2019
DPC – Dorothy Paulson Carter 1901-1981
LC – Lynn Carter 1901-1938
HMB – Helen McDanel Brubaker 1897-1958
JB – Joseph Brubaker 1897-1987
GFP – Gertrude Funkhouser Paulson 1867-1936
JP – Joseph Paulson 1867-1957
AWC – Agnes Warren Carter 1877-1951
TLC – Thomas Lynn Carter 1870-1913
CDB – Caroline DeVenny Brubaker 1871-1925
EB – Edwin Brubaker 1864-1939
FBMD – Frances Braden McDanel 1869-1939
FMD – Fred McDanel 1868-1926
Rob’s family:
JAK – Janet Armstrong Knapp 1925-2012
DK – Dale Knapp 1914
GWA – Hazel Wade Armstrong 1897-1988
PA – Paul Armstrong 1893-1973
LCK – Leota Carter Knapp 1895-1977
SK – Shirl Knapp1893-1961
SW –Samuel Wade 1858-1931
EBW – Emma Burns Wade 1868-1932
SDA – Sophia Dutton Armstrong 1853-1922
JA – James Armstrong 1840-1924
SRC – Sarah Richards Carter 1852-1951
SC – Stephen Carter 1853-1927
SKK – Sarah Kreag Knapp 1845-1919
FK – Frederick Knapp 1841-1920
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| Retrograde Copyright 2022 by Susan Brubaker Knapp |
“Retrograde” is a large piece (39.5" x 69.25") made from screen printed hand-dyed cotton fabrics, cotton thread, cotton batting, commercial cotton backing. Free-motion machine quilted.
My latest piece is made with the fabrics I created this summer in a workshop with Pat Pauly at Pro Chemical & Dye in Fall River, Mass. In the class, we worked with thickened dyes and screens, using stencils and screens we created with our own motifs. It was wonderfully fun to work with materials and techniques that I don’t normally use, partly because I’ve never had a studio space that works for “wet work” – the messy stuff. And Pat is an excellent teacher, highly entertaining and full of information. Check out her website at PatPauly.com – she teaches in person and online. Her work is spectacular.
I don’t think I’ve ever designed a piece with such large chunks of fabric that had such big motifs, so it was a challenge. I really didn’t want to cut up my yardage too much (I dyed 20 yards, in one-yard and half-yard cuts, at the workshop.) It was super fun to quilt this piece, and I really like the bold color, movement and energy in it.
It’s going to go in our entryway, if I can figure out how to get up on our stairs to hang it!
Series 2900 of Quilting Arts TV is out! It will soon start airing on many PBS stations across the country, and is now available for purchase (as individual shows, series, or the entire QATV library). (See more information below.)
This new series will features guests Lea McComas, Denise Labadie, Helen Parsons, Valerie Goodwin, Carolina Asmussen, Luana Rubin, Margaret Abramshe, Heidi Zielinski, Valerie White, and Barbara Yates Beasley.
On TV: Visit your local Public Television station’s website to see if the show is available in your area!
Get access to all 29 seasons: Video Downloads or Stream All Episodes on Quilting Daily
EPISODE 2901: Layers
Today’s guests add depth and dimension to their artwork by building
their quilted compositions one layer at a time. Lea McComas creates her
complex quilts by adding elements from background to foreground,
stitching each layer before adding the next. Heidi Zielinski creates
pieced strata from short strips, paying attention to basic design
principles as she makes her work.
EPISODE 2902: Slicing and Dicing
Technology plays a role in this episode as Valerie Goodwin works with a
laser cutter to precisely cut fabric for her intricate map quilts. Next,
Margaret Abramshe reinvents her less-than-favorite quilts by isolating
focal images, cutting them apart, and assembling the pieces into
entirely new works.
EPISODE 2903: Creating Transparency
Artistry is enhanced by the depth and complexity achieved through
transparency. Helen Parsons mixes translucent layers of fabric paint
using acrylic craft paint and textile medium for her work. Valerie
Goodwin creates collages by layering sheer and opaque fabrics and adding
hand stitching.
EPISODE 2904: Exploring the Quilted Stitch
Artistry abounds when art quilters stitch and sew by machine! Margaret
Abramshe uses her knowledge of the human facial structure to guide her
quilting and create contour lines. Next, using a longarm machine,
Carolina Asmussen introduces couching work into free-motion quilting.
EPISODE 2905: Back to Art School
It’s back to school—art school, that is!—for refreshers in creativity
that every artist can use. Lea McComas demonstrates how using a single
point of perspective creates depth in her compositions. Next, Barbara
Yates Beasley focuses on creating realistic eyes.
EPISODE 2906: The Art of Being an Artist
Meaningful artwork comes from thoughtful expression. Launa Rubin
discusses the importance of creating quilts with powerful messages.
Next, host Susan Brubaker Knapp demonstrates how she creates quick,
custom artwork that enables her to reach a wider audience.
EPISODE 2907: Picture This!
Taking great photos is the first step for these quilters. Barbara Yates
Beasley shows how she creates patterns from photographs for pet portrait
quilts. Helen Parsons explains how she photographs her subjects for her
art quilts, with tips on layout, lighting, and composition.
EPISODE 2908: Let’s Go!
Travel can have an enormous influence on the work of any artist. Luana
Rubin shares some of the great quilts she saw at Quilt Canada 2022.
Valerie Goodwin uses the map as a jumping off place for her art and
explains how she creates map-themed art with a sense of place.
EPISODE 2909: Contemporary Appliqué
Mastering new techniques takes time and practice. This episode features
Carolina Asmussen’s machine quilting, which pairs raw-edge appliqué with
floral free-motion for a contemporary look. In addition, learn from
Denise Labadie how mixing appliqué styles can create realistic stone
textures.
EPISODE 2910: Paint and Dye
Art quilters explore many ways of applying color to fabric. Helen
Parson’s “paints” are actually finely cut strips of fabric that she
stitches with thread. Artist Valerie White showcases basic techniques
for transferring images using disperse dyes.
EPISODE 2911: Surface Design Sampler
Pattern your own cloth with surface design! Valerie White creates
texture with oil paints in a solid stick form to create texture and
visual interest. Denise Labadie makes the stone fabrics in her work
using paints and resists.
EPISODE 2912: Artful Imagery
There are many ways to apply imagery to a piece of quilted art. Lea
McComas teaches her method for re-sizing human figures within a
composition, so each appears in correct proportion. Heidi Zielinski uses
paint to stamp imagery onto fabric or directly onto quilt tops to
incorporate motifs without drawing.
EPISODE 2913 Exploring Color
Color is a big part of every artist’s work. Denise Labadie’s landscapes
and skies are made with free-form strip piecing that create what she
calls “color complexity.” Heidi Zielinski makes small collages that
revolve around one color on the color wheel, and adds blending or
contrasting stitching and beadwork.
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| Valerie Goodwin |
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| Valerie White |
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| Barbara Yates Beasley |
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| Carolina Asmussen |
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| Denise Labadie |
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| Heidi Zielinski |
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| Helen Parsons |
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| Lea McComas |
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| Luana Rubin |
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| Margaret Abramshe |
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| Me! |
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| with Jeanne Cook Delpit |
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| Sproing Copyright Susan Brubaker Knapp 2022 | |
“Sproing” was just accepted to Quilt National ’23, and I am over the moon. I think this is the fourth time I have entered a piece, and the first time my work has been accepted. This year, there were 674 entries from 20 countries. “Sproing” is based on a line drawing I made of old bed springs discarded on a curb in my old neighborhood. This piece is 42.5” wide by 64.25 high, and is wholecloth painted and free-motion machine quilted. Many thanks to jurors Chiaki Dosho, Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi, and Irene L. Roderick; and Quilt National Director Keri Wolfe.
The exhibition will be open to the public at The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio, May 27 through Sept. 4, 2023.
Information from the Quilt National website:
“Quilt National ’23 is the twenty-third in the series of international juried exhibitions dedicated to promoting the contemporary quilt by serving as a showcase for NEW artwork (completed after September 8, 2020) that provides the viewer with an appreciation of the variety of techniques and innovative trends in the medium of layered and stitched fabric. The jurors will select artworks that represent unique approaches to the medium and demonstrate the breadth and variation of
contemporary expressions. Artwork will be judged on originality, design, technique, and craftsmanship.… Approximately 85 artworks will be selected for display.”
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| Marsh Crab 23"x23" Copyright Susan Brubaker Knapp 2022 |
I have always loved the beautiful color variations on blue crabs. This piece is based on a sketch and water color painting I made several years ago, after photographing some crabs in the marsh on Bald Head Island, NC.
Batik fabrics, acrylic paint, cotton thread, cotton batting, cotton backing. Fusible and raw-edge appliquéd, painted, free-motion machine quilted.
The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus (from the Ancient Greek κάλλος,“beautiful” + nectes, “swimmer,” and Latin sapidus, “savory,” is also also known as Atlantic Blue Crab, or regionally as the Chesapeake Blue Crab, and is native to the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
The following information is from https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/field-guide/entry/blue-crab :
The blue crab’s carapace (shell) varies in color from bluish to olive green, and can reach up to 9 inches across. The carapace has nine marginal teeth on each side; the ninth teeth are strong spines. Its claws are bright blue, and those of mature females feature red tips.
Blue crabs have three pairs of walking legs and paddle-shaped rear swimming legs. Males have a strongly tapered abdomen, or "apron," that resembles an inverted T. Mature females have a broad, rounded apron, and immature females have a triangular apron. Male blue crabs are known as “jimmies,” while mature females are called “sooks.”
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| The back |
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| The back |
“October
Moon”
Copyright 2022 by Susan Brubaker Knapp
17.25" square. White
cotton fabric, acrylic paint, cotton batting, interfacing, cotton
backing fabric. Wholecloth painted, free-motion machine quilted.
Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 6 from noon to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 13 from noon to 5 p.m.
There are 114 artists participating in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough. For more information and the map, visit www.OCAGNC.org/tour/
Come visit me at stop #65!
I’ve been working on a series of ravens, new small pieces, all based on the same drawing I made about a year ago. The idea is to make some pieces that are originals, but faster to make (and therefore with a more reasonable price point to sell – $175). All are about 11-12" square, and painted with acrylic paint and then free-motion machine quilted. I'll have these for sale at the Orange County Artists Guild Studio Tour the first two weekends in November. Details are at www.ocagnc.org/tour
Raven in Azure 
Raven in Chartreuse 
Raven in Sapphire
Wisp
Copyright 2022 by Susan Brubaker Knapp
19" square
Cotton fabric, acrylic paint, cotton thread, cotton batting, cotton backing.
Free-motion machine quilted, painted.
“Persimmons 2” Copyright 2022 (30.75 x 14.25”) by Susan Brubaker Knapp. Wholecloth painted, free-motion machine quilted. White cotton fabric, textile paint, cotton thread, cotton backing fabric.
Just finished this commission piece, based on the same photos I used as inspiration for the persimmon piece in my solo show at the N.C. Botanical Garden earlier this year. I love the color combination, and the way the echo quilting recreates the way the wind was vibrating the ripe persimmons on that October morning I took the photos at Lake Norman State Park near Mooresville, NC, about 10 years ago.
For information on my wholecloth painting materials and techniques, please visit my blog post here: https://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/2014/01/faqs-wholecloth-painting.html
Here are some detail shots:
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