Pages

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Quilters by the Sea Guild in Wilmington


Spring was just arriving in beautiful Wilmington, NC, when I visited there on Monday and Tuesday to speak and do a workshop for the friendly Quilters by the Sea Guild.


I arrived in historic Wilmington a few hours before my presentation, so I strolled through a residential part of the older part of the city, which boasts spectacular turn-of-the-century (and older) houses.


Love those Christmas snowflake lights and the charming red door.


A beautiful door and transom. Check out the little metal Daschund to the left of the door ... perhaps a boot scraper?


Here’s part of the talented group that took my “Surface Design Madness” workshop on Tuesday. What a nice bunch.


We stamped and stenciled on fabric with Lumiere fabric paint.


We made beads from Tyvek and wrapped them in wire and beads.


We melted Tyvek to make embellishments.


This student really went to town with her Lumiere! Isn’t this gorgeous?


One student made this by stamping Lumiere with a regular kitchen sponge. Great texture!


More fun with Lumiere.


This is Lumiere sponged through sequin waste.


We also stamped and embossed Angelina.

It is always so interesting to me that each student finds something different that “floats her boat.” I try to offer many different techniques and materials in this class. We cover a lot of ground in six hours.

Many thanks to Mary Ann, and all the Quilters by the Sea!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Charlotte Quilters Guild 2009 show


The Charlotte Quilters Guild’s 2009 quilt show opened today. I am so proud of the Pandoras! We won a second place ribbon in the “Group” category for our quilt, “Motherhood” (above), and a Judge’s Choice ribbon from Joanne Arntsen! The panels are by (from left:) Grace K. Howes, Lushorn Millsaps, me, and DeLane Rosenau.


Nancy G. Cook won the Best of Show-Small for “Southern Hospitality,” which features a magnolia tree.


Cynthia Page’s “Illusion” won a Judge’s Choice award from Kathlyn Sulivan.


Christine Scholz won a Best Machine Quilting ribbon for “Oriental Dreams.”


Pattie Bethune’s “Fire Fern” won the Best Use of Color ribbon.


Joan Roeder’s charming “Joansborough” won the Best Hand Quilting ribbon. I love how she used textured fabrics and hand embroidery to create this lovely village scene. Here’s a detail shot:


Joan says, “My village was inspired by my love of the history of the Middle Ages, and my inability to pass by any fabric of architectural design.”


Kimberly Profitt’s “Sandhills Beauty” (above) won Best of Show-Large.


Kay Horn’s elegant “Garden Path.”


Elizabeth Miller dedicated “Room to Breathe” to her friend Joan Colvin (1933-2007), “a gentle and talented artist who only wanted ‘room to breathe.’”


Elizabeth’s “Linens and Things” features work by Elizabeth as well as various unknown quilters and embroiderers. She collects vintage linens (runners, doileys, quilts, tablecloths and hankies) and uses them in her quilts to preserve this wonderful “women’s work.”


My “Round Red Barn.”


Elinor Washington’s “Rose Appliqué” was so sweet, soft and feminine. She started it in 1940, and finished it in 2008!


P.J. Howard’s “Hands On!”


June Alston’s “Colonial Star” (based on a pattern by Jacquline de Jonge)


Cary Langhorne Caldwell ’s “Old Bay.” Cary is a very talented up-and-coming young art quilter, and I love her work.


“Under the Watchful Eye of Queen Charlotte II” by Deborah Langsam contains “people and places that have shaped Charlotte” in a mosaic of tiny photographs printed on fabric. Here’s a detail shot:



Cary Langhorne Caldwell’s “Cousin Fredrick.”


Melanie Paul won a first place ribbon for her “Well, Shut My Mouth,” which includes one of her mother’s favorite quotes by Abraham Lincoln.


One thing I always enjoy at the Charlotte quilt show is the exhibit of dolls by the Flights of Fantasy Doll Guild. “Aurora” by Lee Williams looks as though she is soaring!


Aren’t these chicken stitchers funny? They are by Cindy Page.


This lovely doll is by Margaret Williams (pattern by Christine Shiveley).


Nancy G. Cook’s “Winter Confection III.”


P.J. Howard’s “Dragon Bag.”


My “Home Planet.”


My “Purple Evening Bag.”

Nancy G. Cook’s “Crepe Myrtle: Homage to Klimt”

Linda Stegall’s “Losing Serengeti” points out that “the Serengeti plains are one of the world’s largest animial habitats, containing the greatest variety of animals in the world. They … are rapidly diminshing due to our indifference.”

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Announcing the Fiber Art Options blog


I belong to a group of marvelously talented fiber artists from the Charlotte area. I was very honored to have been asked to join this group about two years ago. It includes Nancy G. Cook, P.J. Howard, Janet A. Lasher and Linda Stegall. Elizabeth Miller was an active member until recently (she is now an honorary member, too busy to attend most meetings, but welcome to come if she wants!).

One of our goals for the coming year is to create work individually that could be used in group exhibitions. We decided that it would be good to have a group portfolio, so that we could easily and professionally present ourselves to potential curators. This morning, we officially launched our blog, www.fiberartoptions.blogspot.com.

We have included posts from our members, as well as links to our current exhibitions, where we have been published, and a short bio and portfolio for each member. We’ll be sharing our works in progress, as well as our techniques and ideas. We invite you to view our blog, and to follow us (just go to the bottom of the sidebar on the right and click the “follow” button).

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Lake Norman Quilters quilt show donation quilt



Lake Norman Quilters will hold its second quilt show, “Sailing Under the Harvest Moon,” on Oct. 30 and 31, 2009, at East Mooresville Intermediate School. Our first show was a great success. We were very proud to have more than 200 quilts, including traditional quilts, art quilts, and challenge quilts. Our guild was small then (about 30 members), but we have some excellent quilters in our group and we put on a show! You can see photos of us and some of the winning quilts on our web page here. We have now grown to about 50 members, and we are convinced that our 2009 show will be even bigger and better!

For our 2009 donation quilt, the group used my pattern “Three Cheers.”



A whole bunch of us met several times to piece it (it’s a big baby, king size, 105" square!), and then Judy Whitehead, one of our members who is an art quilter and runs a long-arm business called Goneaway Quilting, quilted it for us. She did a beautiful job! Check out these wonderful feathers in the border; they add another design element:




All the fabric in this quilt are from Minick & Simpson’s “Prairie Paisley” line, which is wonderfully nostalgic looking, I think. You can’t beat a red, white and blue quilt!

I tried to make the label look old-fashioned, too:

We are extremely fortunate to have two wonderful quilt shops in our small town, and both are very supportive of our guild. Many thanks to Quilters Loft Company for supplying the fabric at a discount, and to Rene’s Quilt Shop for supplying the batting at a discount.

I just love the fabric we used on the back:

If you live nearby, please mark your calendar now and plan to join us on Halloween weekend. It’s going to be great!