line study #2

I've been having a ton of fun putting together Line Study #2. It's taken some time... about a year... but that's fine.

I'm almost ready to start piecing the top. I could keep making the 4x4 triangular strips but at some point you have to just stop.

I'm very satisfied with the direction it's heading. For a while I wasn't sure if it was going to be vertical or horizontal, but then I realized it was square and didn't matter anyway. Still, when I started laying it out horizontally it just felt right.

It's going to Lisa as a wedding gift. I need to get this finished so I can send it off to her and clear space on the design wall so I can start on the next quilt!

bully shield

I'm happy to announce my piece "Bully Shield" was selected to be a part of Textiles in a Tube 2.

When I read about this juried show on Kathleen Loomis's blog I decided to give it a shot. All pieces for the show have to fit in to a 36" mailing tube. The premise was too interesting to pass up, so I started sketching and scheming.

I tried several different solutions but couldn't come up with an idea that made sense to fit in a tube. Everything was too contrived or wasn't interesting enough.

When I was in LA in April a friend suggested an umbrella frame. The rest fell in to place.

I chose the topic of bullying because it was one that still affects me 20 years after it happened. At the time, I wanted a way to shield myself from the words and actions that were raining down on me. I tried my best to protect myself but their anger and hate got through to me; it was never easy to fully deflect their words. It was also a time of self-reflection as I struggled with my own uncomfortable thoughts, which in a way, bullying myself.

The aggressiveness of the black fabric against the white reflects the seriousness of the situation as well as the typical black umbrella - it's as if the umbrella has been shredded or worn from the consistency and length of the bullying.

The words that I heard everyday from other students are represented throughout the outside of the piece. The underside uses reflective material to further shield the bullying and to act as a mirror for self-reflective thoughts.

The piece was interesting to construct. I went to several different stores with a tape measure and studied all the umbrellas in stock. The classic black umbrella with curved handle wouldn't work because the handles were too wide for the mailing tube. It had to be a collapsible umbrella so it could fit in to the tube.

I won't bore you with the rest, but it was fairly easy to put together once I figure out a few details. Sewing the panels was the fun part... it was all improvised. The piece has a deconstructed feel, with some of the seams exposed and unraveling, which helped when it came to fitting the fabric on the the umbrella frame.

It's my first fiber art/quilt gallery show and I couldn't be happier. Unfortunately, I can't see the show in person since it's in Greenville, SC. I'd love to see photos if any of you happen to see it.

Textiles in a Tube 2 runs from June 1 through July 15 at Riverworks Gallery in Greenville, SC.

quilting

Line Study #1 is in the process of being quilted. I decided to do a simple grid pattern to reflect the geometric pieced quilt top. Also, this is the first quilt I have actually quilted, so I wanted to make it easy on myself.

I am getting used to the walking foot on my sewing machine. I've never used one before. I didn't have enough batting and backing fabric extending beyond the quilt top, so in some areas the walking foot made the quilt top extend beyond the batting and backing. I will just trim it flush before I bind the quilt.

I can't wait to get this pieced finished. It will be my first finished art quilt. Even though I will probably just roll it up and store it someplace, I am happy to have created something I figured out on my own.

laurie frick

I came across Laurie Frick's work on Pinterest and thought at first it was fabric. It's paper collage and I love it. It's very patchwork-like in a bold way. Very inspiring!

From the artist: "I use pattern, words and color to replicate the feel of neurons firing in the brain. I imagine the brain breaks down visual time into bits where the novel and odd are as essential to recollection as the intensely emotional. Vaguely familiar cut-up materials stand-in for everything you stumble across in a day, the amount you see and forget and the things you give only partial-attention. How much does the brain take in every day, every logo and advertisement online, every storefront you pass by, the packaging along every aisle in the grocery store, every ad on television. What does the mind retain?"

line study 1

Line Study #1 is almost finished. I'm anxious to sew the final seam and then start the quilting process.

I'm planning on using polyester felt for the batting. I know a lot of quilters would turn up their noses at at that, but I'm willing to give it a shot to see how it works. I really want a low loft, so it makes sense.

I'm also planning on using this tutorial by Jeri Rigged to face the quilt so I don't have to add a binding. I've never liked how bindings look, so I want mine to be turned to the back so it disappears.