You all have heard me say many times before how much I shake my fist at the "quilt police". I'm not a perfect piecer. I sure as hell don't sew as straight as I "should" sometimes, and someone please shoot me if you ever hear me utter the words "stitches to an inch." That's just me though...
Today I was thinking about personal quilting style. How we all have one and it becomes obvious from quilt to quilt what it is. My husband looked at my latest piece and was like "I'd recognize your work." Me, knowing my own style, asked him "How?" and he hit it on the nose: I have kind of a freeform-anything goes-thing when I'm doing my backgrounds. Whether it's a portrait, a Starbirth piece, or any of them, that's what I do. If you were to see me quilting them, it's a rather full-bodied experience. Arms working, body moving. I'm sure you all have been there, so it's not just me.
It's like we're dancers...can you hear the music the quilt's making?
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Woo-HOO! ANOTHER Exhibit!
Almost a year later, the "Grandma" quilt is done! It was also accepted into the upcoming "Sisters in Cloth" exhibit at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Colorado!! I got the letter yesterday and ran back and forth going "YAAAAY!!!!" She said "YAAAAY!!" too when I told her...
I finally figured out what to do with the background and went with stylized mimosa tree leaves--like the ones I remember from our family's country home in Virginia. My fave part is her hair. I love what I did with the hair! And ooo King Tut variegated thread ROCKS! The quilting in her dress was inspired by this curvy Chinese jade dragon ornament I saw once. The piece's official name is "Grandma Hopes She is Never As Old As I Am" and here's a closeup shot...
I finally figured out what to do with the background and went with stylized mimosa tree leaves--like the ones I remember from our family's country home in Virginia. My fave part is her hair. I love what I did with the hair! And ooo King Tut variegated thread ROCKS! The quilting in her dress was inspired by this curvy Chinese jade dragon ornament I saw once. The piece's official name is "Grandma Hopes She is Never As Old As I Am" and here's a closeup shot...
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas Everyone!
A very happy holiday to you all!
Yes, Sonji was right...at the recent Textural Rhythms opening reception at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, I was apologizing to folks for not posting more often. To catch you all up quickly:
1. I was quite ill from June-September. Who knows what the heck was wrong? The doctor sure didn't. :-( I couldn't stop coughing. My eating was impaired because of said coughing. I lost quite a bit of weight. I was miserable. Then I...
2. Went to Europe and it cleared right up and I was fine! The hubby, two friends and I went to England for our friend's handfasting, spent some days in gorgeous Rome, and popped back to London for more fun before returning home where my very first day back to work from vacation was...
3. My last day back at work after my first weeklong vacation in a year. Others took off just about anytime. I rarely took off when my mom was ill with cancer, when I fell and busted my knee and rib myself, or for the holidays. What a bogus reason they gave me and everyone knows it. I imagine that someone flipped out when they had to do everything by themselves and didn't understand how I did my job. Whatever, really. Perhaps it was the ultimate sign that I should be doing what I was meant to do in life...
4. But in the meanwhile I felt horrible about it all and I am just snapping out of it. I'm trying to put fingers to the keyboard and write again. Or fingers to guitar strings and strum once more. Or fingers to the Janome and freemotion with ease. I have been closed up in my mind for too long. It is time to channel things productively...
All I know is that my pieces are now in two exhibits and I'm waiting to hear about a third. I feel good about that--if not anything else...
Yes, Sonji was right...at the recent Textural Rhythms opening reception at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, I was apologizing to folks for not posting more often. To catch you all up quickly:
1. I was quite ill from June-September. Who knows what the heck was wrong? The doctor sure didn't. :-( I couldn't stop coughing. My eating was impaired because of said coughing. I lost quite a bit of weight. I was miserable. Then I...
2. Went to Europe and it cleared right up and I was fine! The hubby, two friends and I went to England for our friend's handfasting, spent some days in gorgeous Rome, and popped back to London for more fun before returning home where my very first day back to work from vacation was...
3. My last day back at work after my first weeklong vacation in a year. Others took off just about anytime. I rarely took off when my mom was ill with cancer, when I fell and busted my knee and rib myself, or for the holidays. What a bogus reason they gave me and everyone knows it. I imagine that someone flipped out when they had to do everything by themselves and didn't understand how I did my job. Whatever, really. Perhaps it was the ultimate sign that I should be doing what I was meant to do in life...
4. But in the meanwhile I felt horrible about it all and I am just snapping out of it. I'm trying to put fingers to the keyboard and write again. Or fingers to guitar strings and strum once more. Or fingers to the Janome and freemotion with ease. I have been closed up in my mind for too long. It is time to channel things productively...
All I know is that my pieces are now in two exhibits and I'm waiting to hear about a third. I feel good about that--if not anything else...
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