forgive my naivete

Not being a trained artist, I am constantly attempting to learn more about art, the history of art, design, all those dead artists as well as current artists.  You get the picture.  Right?

So forgive me.  I am going to just show my naivete here and now.

I have been "studying" the artists of the Bauhaus style when a thought occurred to me.
When I look at the textile artists of that school I cannot help but make this obervation beginning with the woven textiles from Africa:  

To the weavings from the Bauhaus school:

Gunta Stolzl of the Bauhous School 

Gunta Stolzl

Anni Albers

Anni Albers

To the African American quilters :

The Quilts of Gee's Bend

And other African American quilters

These may not be perfect examples, but I am going to post this anyway.  (Blogger is yet again being uncooperative with my photos)  If you have an interest, I suggest a trip to the library or book store to see what similarities you might find.  It has been fun for me.  This may be redundant to many of you.  So please remember, that I am in no way a trained artist, nor critic, but just a woman of a certain age who is enjoying some exploration. 

Control

CONTROL
Let's talk about that. I spent the day whizzing pieces under the 

walking foot of my Juki and thinking.   I know why I am so compelled to complete this Selvage/Mandingo quilt.  Ironically the front is of a circular design and the back is geometric, Which has gone through several design changes.

It is all about making order out of chaos. It always seems to be.  Whatever might be occurring in my life,  comes through when I am in my studio.  When there is too much helter skelter happening in the rest of my life,  I must create some type of order.  Even though this design is not perfectly orderly and precisely pieced, it is a repetitious pattern of sorts. There is some semblance of control here.  Along with a tad bit of design aesthetic perhaps? 

                              As much as I should be completing Ms. Magnolia or Seashells on the Bay, 

I have a need to join the ying & the yang and make it mesh.  I need to pull other parts together in a harmonious union. 
I will be able to get on with the others who are calling to me once that is accomplished

So that is my current reasoning as to why I am not able to complete a project 

in a reasonable amount of time

It is all about having some control of my life.  

And perhaps more about mental therapy.


And now
even though I seem to have no control whatsoever with formatting blogger
life goes on

Wordless (almost) Wednesday

pillow fronts

pillows back

selvage quilt front in progress

Mandingo inspired back in progress

family trees are growing

Ms. Magnolia

In answer to some previous questions:

It all began with this photograph that I took of an arrangement of magnolias that I created
for a bridal shower for my niece. 

I traced the portion of the photo that I wanted to use, drew a pattern and enlarged it to 24" x 32".

And the fun began.  Selecting and cutting my fabrics to be pieced.
And speaking of pieces:

Someone asked how large my pieces are in some of my quilts.  

So, I  finally remembered to document the sizes this time 'round. 

Here's Ms. Mag with her twin as comparison while I am playing along.

And here they are, just about ready for piecing together.  Scary isn't it. 

I am always second guessing myself at this point.  Until I sew some pieces together, then it becomes a bit more reassuring.

And even more reassuring when she's all sewn together and ready to quilt.

  I met my friend Melody at her knitting group on Wednesday and we both did a preview showing of our textile arts.  The knitting ladies seemed to really appreciate our efforts!  Although Melody's art and my art is vastly different, it is so much fun to be able to appreciate what all of us ladies create.  And WOW, you should see some of the spectacular things going on with those knitters.
 Maybe one day they will teach me how to knit. . . . .  

I could really use some of those gorgeous sweaters . . . 

I digress, here's a close up of the center of Mag.  I fused tiny pieces of hand dyes and after I've quilted her,
I plan (for now) to stitch some french knots to make certain that those teeny bits won't fall off.
 It seems that folks have a tendency to try and pick at fused fabrics,
just to see if they can pry them up.
I would hate to see that happen, so I'll try and nip that in the bud!  

Hope y'all have a great weekend and are keeping cool. 

I said yes, again

You cannot imagine how much I dislike the idea of packing and moving.  Even packing for a minor short trip would put me in a tailspin.  So when I was asked to participate in my home town museum's Appalachian Artisans Festival, I immediately froze.  I have never had any desire to participate in a show.  That would mean selecting some of my textile art, packing it up, coming up with a reasonable display, making business cards, an artist statement, etc, etc, etc.  Yet, the wonderful staff at the 

Museum Center at 5ive Points in Cleveland, TN, 

has been so supportive of my art, displaying it in their lobby and 

selling it in the gift shop for me,

 how could I say no.  So I said yes.  

MY SPACE

I came up with a display idea at the last minute, and schlepped my stuff over 

to the museum bright and early Friday morning.  

Dreading this past weekend, would be an understatement.  But today, let me just say, not only is the dread over, I had a fantastic time.  I met some wonderful artists as well as many people who came just to meet me in person.  Me?!  I  really dislike self promotion and being a braggart, but what a confidence booster to find that so many people appreciate what I love to create.  And one of the lovely people liked one of my larger pieces well enough to buy it. 

SPRING RIOT

The fact that it is not an inexpensive piece, more's the better.  As this was the most expensive piece ever to be sold from the museum gift shop and their artisan festival, 

or so I've been told.  

 I have learned a lot about myself this past weekend.  For one thing, I discovered that you are never to old to try something new.  And, now I have even more reason to spend time doing what I love to do because I must get ready for the Appalachian Artisans Festival in November, as well as preparing for my one woman show in October at the local university.  

Appalachian Artisans Festival

You cannot imagine how much I dislike the idea of packing and moving.  Even a minor short trip would put me in a tailspin.  So when I was asked to participate in my home town Museum's Appalachian Artisans Festival, I immediately froze.  That would mean selecting some of my textile art, packing it up, coming up with a reasonable display, making business cards, an artist statement, etc, etc, etc. The wonderful staff at the Museum Center at 5ive Points in Cleveland, TN, has been so supportive of my art, displaying it in their lobby and selling it through the gift shop, how could I say no.  The past coup

the last bloom of the season

I was compelled to cut the last one.  It was already beginning to get brown spots and the beetles were having their way with the edge of one of the petals.  I spontaneously snipped it, brought it into my studio and placed it in shallow dish  with a bit of water.  I placed it on top of my inherited aunt's cedar chest so as to enjoy the  beauty and fragrance all day.

In case you might ask, I adore magnolia blossoms.  And I have been tempted forevermore to create an art quilt depicting a blossom that I could enjoy throughout the year.  In the south, we use the leathery leaves from our magnolia trees to decorate our house all year long.  But only in the late spring and early summer are we captivated and delighted with their most magnificent blooms and enchanting fragrance.  So here's the teaser for my next quilt.  It is not nearly as large as the last one, but a challenge, none the less.

I drew up the pattern for Miss Magnolia on Friday morning, selected my fabrics and played around with the whites for a while.  Not to be neglectful, I felt obliged to at least begin quilting on Ms. Lantana.

In the midst of my intense machine quilting today, my husband ventured into the studio, "er-ah, are you ready for lunch/?"  Which translates, "come make my lunch for me."  While he was lingering in the doorway, he casually mentioned the number of projects that I have on my walls.  Well, yes, there is a bit going on around in my AADD mind which somehow leaps onto the walls.  One of which is an online quilt bee in which I am participating over at Bumble Beans 15 Minutes Play.  You must make the jump over there to see what is going on with that.  No need in me being too redundant, yet again.  Victoria has set up a wild, wacky wonderful playground which has enticed me to play along.  

Oh, so, back to my wall.   I just received a delightful package from Beth with the requested strips for my 15 minute play project.  LOVE 'EM

Thank you so much Beth.  They are perfect.

And Margaret posted hers on the 15 minute blog, which I cannot wait to receive.  Luscious!

 What I failed to mention in my request on the 15 minute play blog for said strips of fabric rectangles, is my ultimate goal for said strips.  Which I am anxiously awaiting from 9 other lovely ladies.  Yes, yes, I know you think that this is going to be a simple repro of the elegant quilt of my friend that I have been lusting for.   But I have some secret designs in mind for this beauty, which will be reveled at a later time. 

Eeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiiiii

I see fireworks as I type.

Happy Independence Day to All

Remember those pillows that I made a while back?  

.  Encouraged by Melody, I am trying to stretch and flex a bit more.  I have been playing around with my hand dyed fabrics and commercial solids.  I can not be so presumptuous as to compare myself with such a artist as Mel.  But then, coming from the age old mindset of waste not, want not",  what shall I do with these bits of flexations?

hand dyed blues, plums, and chartreuse, shot cotton and grey cotton

light grey & black cotton and white sateen cotton

hand dyed Dijon and white sateen cotton

It would seem that they are just the right size for pillows.  So why not?

It is just another obsession of mine.  I call it cuddle art.  

plays well with others

pillow front

pillow back

Have any of you been flexing and stretching lately?

Phases

Not to be redundant, but does anyone else encounter this dilemma
when working on a quilt of your own design?

Phase 1:  Brilliant inspirational visions

Phase 2:  Fascinating fabric choices

Phase 3:  What the heck was I thinking

Phase 4:  Oh, yeah, this might work

Phase 5:  What the heck was I thinking

Phase 6:  Oh yeah! It's coming together just like I planned

Phase 7:  What the heck was I thinking

Phase  8:  Whew!  This might work after all

Phase 9:  How in the world am I going to quilt this thing

Phase 10:  To be determined

closing in

 


All of the little pieces are sewn together.  Now to join the larger sections and she'll be ready to quilt.   I  may let her hang for a few more days to see if I need to make any last minute changes that my eyes haven't yet caught.   

Hope every one has a wonderful weekend.  

The Real Deal

My friend Laura and her hubby enjoy auctions.  

They always finds the BEST DEALS ever.  

Check out this beauty.  I feel certain that it is of African American origin from Tennessee.  Or at least one of  our bordering states.  It is made from ginghams, chambrays, corduroy, twills, wool tweeds & plaids, florals to mention a few.  I was immediately in love with this quilt ~ wonderful soft colors and great graphics.  

The backing is a ticking stripe and it is quilted, quite nicely,

in the traditional Baptist Fan pattern.  

Although it has been patched here and there, it is none the worse for wear, considering that it must have been a utilitarian quilt used every night. Laura and Steve graciously allowed me to share this beauty.  I hope that everyone enjoys it as much as I.  And of course, it is on my list to reproduce.  

And while I am on the topic, I wanted to share another local African American quilt which was shown in the local museum quilt show a couple of years ago.   This one, also, is on my list to reproduce.  Isn't it lovely?

Hope y'all have a wonderful week, full of great deals.

Cover Girl

Thistles is a cover girl!