PIQF 2009: Day 2

Glitter Inspiration
Glitter Inspiration

We spent the whole day that show again. The BoNash booth had these tubes of glitter. I have no idea what they were doing, but I loved the colors. The stack of color was wonderful.

I have decided that, while there aren’t a lot of murky colors, murky colors are coming back. (NOTE: Dear Color Council, please do not add any murky colors to your list of the most popular colors of the year for any of the next 50 years. Thank you!) There were a lot of fabrics with grey and brown in them. In terms of quilts on display, there were lot that we saw today that had different browns in them. Usually they weren’t the nice rich chocolate brown, but more in the beige and taupe range. Note to readers: please make cheerful quilts.

Glitter Inspiration, detail
Glitter Inspiration, detail

I am physically and mentally unable to buy murky fabrics. . I bought the following:

Fabric, PIQF, pt.1
Fabric, PIQF, pt.1

The bottom left fabric will be a bag, perhaps the inside of a bag.

Fabric, PIQF 2009, pt.2
Fabric, PIQF 2009, pt.2

There is another bag and a half in the photo above. I need to get going on bags as I have a lot of fabric for bags in the hopper.

Creative Prompt #37: Gracious

This is a tribute to my friend, Pinky Davidson, the epitome of kindness, a gracious, well mannered woman who took a genuine interest in all of her younger friends.

Gracious definition: marked by kindness and courtesy

Good gracious!

Gracious living.

Gracious me!

He is such a gracious host.

Sew Gracious Blog – lots of ads for her Etsy Shop, but the Wordless Wednesday is interesting.

See the Creative Prompt page if you have questions about this project.

Post the direct URL where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. It will keep all the artwork together.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, now, has a Flickr group, which you can join and where you can post your responses.

There is more information on the recently updated Creative Prompt Page.

PIQF 2009: Day 1

Here are some more impressions of the second day of the show. It is really the first official day when anyone can go in, but it was my second day.

Lots of spiral and circular designs.

There were 4 rear ends: one woman, two elephants and a giraffe. I think there were more last year. I wouldn'[t think to put rear ends in a quilt, but it seems to be popular.

After a second look, I decided that the muddy colors are still popular this year,, though the cheerful, happy colors have more of a presence.

People still seem to be working on figuring out how to use the large scale prints (Amy Butler and Heather Bailey, for example).

TFQ pointed out that there is a disparity between the fabrics int he quilts (lots of tone-on-tones and low contrast prints) and the quilts the vendors are selling (lots of large scale and high contrast prints as well as conversationals).  We are going to look more carefully at this tomorrow.

Hand-dyed fabric is being used as fabric again rather than the centerpiece of a quilt.

Way too many portraits. Portraits are hard to do and often look distorted because of the quilting. I don’t like the quilt versions, as a general rule, but there were some interesting elements on the non-face portions of the pieces I saw today.

I found the Nosegay and it was very well lit. It would have been perfect place for a nice shot of the whole thing, except for the chain across the front. I also notices that in the quilt show venue, it didn’t look as large as it does at home.

I stood around near the FOTY 2008 quilt and heard people discussing it. Positive comments and I was thrilled when one woman took about 10 details shots of the piece and wanted to see the back. I am really glad a few people liked it.

Tarts Again

The Big Drip
The Big Drip

Yes, I am obsessing. This is the last time I will force you to read my obsessive, compulsive rantings on, what I am now calling, The Big Drip. The reason? The Big Drip is done. It is glued and appliqued down for eternity. Or at least until the glue from the fusible rots away and the fabric underneath is no longer viable.

I am pretty pleased with how it came out and will be even more pleased when I am at the point where I can embroider a stem on the cherry. Stay tuned for that drama! 😉

Fluttering Hearts
Fluttering Hearts

After successfully appliqueing The Big Drip to the piece, I had the idea that, perhaps, I should add some other little, appliqued embellishments to some of the other blocks.

I have to admit that the big grey teapot needs some spicing up. I cut out, and am trying, these little hearts. They do add a bit of a spark and draw the eye up towards that corner of the quilt, which is good. I don’t want the piece to look like I copied Mary Engelbreit. I also want it to be fun and not cutesy. Let me know what you think.

PIQF 2009: First Impressions

I went to the preview for the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2009  this evening. It was only 1.5 hours long, so I didn’t get to see everything. Some first impressions:

There were a lot more bolts of fabric than in previous years, as opposed to kits and fabric packs. I was pleased to see that I would be able to buy some yardage, if I want. There were still fabric packs.

Many of the vendors from past years were there and I saw a couple of new ones. I was nervous that the vendor hall would be empty because the Quilt Festival in Houston is on at the same time.

People didn’t seem to be buying much and I heard a vendor say that most people just look on the preview night. I bought one FQ. 😉

I went to the preview to take photos when it wasn’t busy. I intended to take as many as possible, but I started taking them and just felt depressed about it, so I stopped and, then, only took pictures of quilts I really liked. I still managed to take a few hundred pictures. One thing I learned from this experience was that I need to make quilts – at least show quilts – that are interesting. I need to make quilts that people haven’t seen before. That is if I want to show quilts in the future. That is not to say that I have to show my quilts and that I can’t make any kind of quilts I want. I think if I am going to show quilts they have to be special and interesting.

Lots of landscapes and realism type quilts. There was one with a castle (Rheingau?), a triptych of big leaves, another of redwood trees, an Italian Piazza, etc.

The colors used in the quilts are a lot brighter; the quilts are not as depressing as they have been in the past. A few tree quilts, but not as many as last year.

The World Quilt Competition Quilts were very interesting as usual.

Reef Quilts/Patterns (not sure of the name) has some tote bag patterns that I want to look at more closely. They look like they are large, have plenty of pockets and interesting detailing without being too strange.

by Debbie Bosio & Yvette Ebaugh
by Debbie Bosio & Yvette Ebaugh

There was beautiful machine work again, especially sheer types of embroidery. I am not sure of the name, but it is the kind of embroidery that the newer model machines do.

Pamela Allen's Cinderella Making her Getaway
Pamela Allen's Cinderella Making her Getaway

Pamela Allen had a Cinderella quilt, which I thought was great.

There are some pretty Christmas fabrics with fun motifs in non-traditional colors such as turquoise, soft green cream and a light pinkish red.

FOTY 2008 at PIQF
FOTY 2008 at PIQF

FOTY 2008 was there and it didn’t look like I thought it would.I like the location where they hung the quilt. That wave on the bottom makes me crazy. Perhaps I am just nervous about having two quilts there? I didn’t see the Nosegay yet.

Response #35

Purple Journal Page
Purple Journal Page

This isn’t the response I wanted to put up. The prompts are stacking up, however and I was starting to get anxious. As I looked through the journal pages from the  A Work of Heart session/class, I found this page and thought you might enjoy seeing it.

I worked really hard on the studies for a drawing response to Purple that I can’t just let go. Look for another Purple response some day.

Friendly Art Blog

My mom has started her own blog. She said she wanted to do it, so I helped her get set up on Blogger. She is going to talk about quilts, drawing and other kinds of art that she does on Mary’s Art Musings. I told her to write every day for the first week or two so she got into the habit.

Go take a look at what she has up so far and leave a comment. Thanks!

A Work of Heart Part 2

Joy in Front Window
Joy in Front Window

Yesterday, I clipped some pictures from the A Work of Heart blog just to wet your whistle. I went to their studio on a CQFA outing Sunday. Because I got lost, I arrived there late, but was able to catch up quickly. I  had a great time. Great doesn’t even being to describe it; I had such a fantastic time that I can’t wait to go back. In fact, I’d like to go today. 😉

Studio Outside
Studio Outside

This unassuming strip mall storefront does not even begin to give a hint as to the creativity oozing throughout the inside. The little touches (pink door, geraniums, glimpses of the magic inside) trying to escape underneath the doors to the outside.

Inside Possibilities
Inside Possibilities

The above picture represents the supplies from which I could choose. Andrea, the owner, teacher, and calm goddess of creativity was so generous about allows us to use anything we wanted. How many times have you heard “Use whatever you want” ? Not often enough. While I didn’t partake of her generosity to excess, I liked having the possibility. A lot of my creativity swirls around, and intersects with possibility.

Workspace, End of the Day
Workspace, End of the Day

As you may have read, I have been struggling with the concept of art journaling on and off for awhile. My past idesa surrounding art journaling/visual journaling was to explore a different technique that might bring new life and additional inspiration to my quiltmaking. No amount of self motivation could help me overcome the mess and move forward with my desire to make some art journals on my own. CQFA did one field trip and when Terri proposed this one, I thought it sounded great. The great thing about going somewhere to do something new is:

  1. Someone else provides all the supplies
  2. Someone else teaches you to use the supplies and helps you to be successful
  3. You can leave when you are finished
  4. You don’t have to learn the tips and tricks the hard way.

For me, this was a great opportunity. I decided to try to make some backgrounds in a journal (70lb+ watercolor paper or above, please) rather than making painted pieces of  ‘art’.  I also thought it would be a good opportunity to explore the layering that has been rumbling around in my head for awhile. There was a lot of paint involved in this activity as well as ink, water, glue, gesso and lots of other supplies that I don’t normally use.

Messy Hands
Messy Hands

I am not afraid to get messy in someone else’s space as my hands show. I still have some bits of purple paint in my cuticles. TMI??? 😉

One thing I learned is that there is a certain synergy between wet and dry with which I needed to experiment.

Pink Sparkly Pages
Pink Sparkly Pages

Not all of my pages came out well – or my definition of well prior to the class – however, I am trying to learn that there is a certain beauty in the imperfect. I like my points to match and my fabrics to go together, so there is a learning curve.

Blue Pages Stuck and Ripped
Blue Pages Stuck and Ripped

Andrea gave us about 5 or 6 techniques to try and those seemed like a good way to get my feet wet. I did them over and over, trying to learn the boundaries. It has been a long time since I painted, and paint has very different qualities than fabric!

Credit Card Plaid
Credit Card Plaid

The above page came out really well. I put drops of Golden (brand) paint on the page and then swiped a credit card over it. Not all of my credit card pages were that successful. This was a very wet technique and a number of them stuck together and were “ruined,” or need more layers added.

Stencil Page
Stencil Page

As the day wore on, I found my sea legs and began pushing the boundaries a little bit. The above photo shows a page I created using a stencil on a gessoed page. Later I put more paint (or ink, maybe) lightly over it. I didn’t realize that the stencil would make such a nice effect. the inks I used had a bit of sparkle to them, an effect I liked. It was a pleasant surprise.

Stamped Page
Stamped Page

The Os on this page are one of the stamps that I made with some foam that was part of our kit. Below is the cover I made for my journal, which I did by gessoing the cover, letting it dry and then rubbing my painted paper towel over a stencil.

Journal Cover
Journal Cover

There were so many possibilities that I didn’t try, which is why I need to go back. One of my thoughts now that the journal pages are dry and I can leaf through them is “what next?” for this journal. Do I write in it, using the decorated pages as wonderful backgrounds for my regular journal work? Should I designate it as a creativity journal where I just paste or draw my ideas in it? I don’t know yet. Whatever I decide to do, it  will be a pleasant journal to use.

A Work of Heart Part 1

I had the best time yesterday at A Work of Heart in San Jose. Terri, a CQFA friend organized the outing and it was so great, I can’t wait to go again.

I’ll post pictures and more info tomorrow.This is just a small taste of the fun.

clipped from aworkofheart.wordpress.com

mixedmediamosaics

prayer
clipped from aworkofheart.wordpress.com

alpha
clipped from aworkofheart.wordpress.com

lm_shrine
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Beach Town Update

Beach Town, Oct. 2009
Beach Town, Oct. 2009

We bought Tivo recently and it has revolutionized my world. Last night, while I was alone, I went downstairs to catch up on some shows, and brought Beach Town with me. With the show quilts off and the Flowering Snowball still in waiting mode, I thought it would be a good opportunity to make some progress on this piece. I noticed that it had been a long time since I posted a photo of it. You guys have never seen the quilting.

I really felt good working on this project. As I worked, I found that this project may not need as much embroidery/embellishing as House & Garden. I tried to figure out why. I don’t know for sure, but think that there is a lot more going on in this piece in terms of fabric – lots more commercial fabric with patterns on it. I also think that there are a lot more details, such as the flowers, the variety of beach houses, the tree, etc. I am going to do some embellishing on the pink striped cabana and add some windows and doors to the other houses.  I am not sure what other type of Perl cotton embellishment this calls for.

I do feel like the piece needs some beads or sequins. I’ll have to think about that some more before I rush into anything. I dug out my Therese De Dillmont Complete Guide to Needlework (Amazon doesn’t have my exact edition and no photo, sorry), a reprint of ancient book that I got somewhere. I wanted to see what stitches they suggested so that I could, perhaps, learn some new stitches for this piece as well as Kissy Fish. I haven’t done much else on that front thus far.

The first task last night was to rip out some of the stitching I did when I was in SoCal at the beginning of September. I really shouldn’t stitch when I am upset, because I end up ripping it out anyway.

Beach Town Window detail
Beach Town Window detail

I ripped out the blue zigzag stitching around the windows of the green house. It looked too subtle for me. I also didn’t like the unevenness of it. I wanted it to stand out and be more of an element.

Beach Town Window Redone, detail
Beach Town Window Redone, detail

The zigzag stitching is still around the window, as you can see, but I took it outside of the window frame so it is much more wonky and ‘alive’. I think it looks better. I do want to make sure I stay away from the spooky house look.

Beach Town Sun, detail
Beach Town Sun, detail

I had embellished the sun with some of Laura Wasilowski’s hand dyed Perl cotton early on. I didn’t like the look,  because the sun was just too puffy. I like my quilts densely quilted. I machine quilted the sun in a spiral, mimicking the handwork and carefully avoiding the existing Perl cotton. Quilting in a spiral isn’t for the faint of heart, but I took it slowly and am pleased with the results.

So, that is your Beach Town update for the duration. As usual, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Finished! Done! Complete! (FOTY 2008)

FOTY 2008
FOTY 2008

Yes, this baby is complete. I can chalk another finished project up on the list. I quilted it a long time ago and only had to do the facing and the sleeve. I really don’t know why I waited until the last minute. I did and ended up with some unsewing that needed to be done. When I sewed the facing on, I kept sewing through all three layers quilt. Duh! I don’t know what that was about. I ended up clipping the threads from the front and sewing the back, very carefully the second time, shut again. It was sent off with the Nosegay on Wednesday and should have arrived today. We’ll see.

I get to go and visit it next week.

Creative Prompt #36: Feather

Wikipedia definition:  one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates.

Light as a feather.

Peacock, ostrich, hummingbirds and pheasant feathers.

Feather River, Quincy, CA

Feather boa.

Plume

Quill.

Pin feathers.

Fly tying.

Down pillows.

See the Creative Prompt page if you have questions about this project.

Post the direct URL where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. It will keep all the artwork together.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, now, has a Flickr group, which you can join and where you can post your responses.

There is more information on the recently updated Creative Prompt Page.

Social Networking for Artists

Social.com is a listing of social networking sites by function of the site. There are lots and lots, not just FB, Twitter and FriendFeed. Below I have clipped some specific social communities for artists.
clipped from www.social.com
Social Networking arrow Specific Interestarrow Creativityarrow Artists

Listings

artbreak
artbreak


“A place for artists to share and sell their work.”



Humble Voice
Humble Voice


“Operating as a brand new community of artists aptly housed on the website
www.humblevoice.com, Humble Voice offers a variety of inspired features geared toward both local and widespread audiences to view and create art



The Heel Press
The Heel Press


“The Heel Press was formed with the idea that writers and artists could coexist in a creative community as they learn from each other, entertain each other, and ultimately grow together while enriching the lives of other



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