Having Fun

I thought it might be fun this week to switch to some brighter, richer colors, (a final farewell to the vibrancy of summer) and let myself be inspired by the weavings that one might find in Mexico or Guatemala...


Using stripes of solid shot cottons, along with some striped shot cotton, plaids and a madras fabric, I pieced the tops.


Then using 12wt. Premium Sulky® 100% Blendable Cotton Threads, I did the same closely, but unevenly spaced rows of meandering straight stitch that I used on my last piece ...


I really had a lot of fun with these two little quilts... probably because I use to weave before I quilted, and I got a real kick out of the one art form inspiring the other. More of these quilts are in the works.


Color Weave no.1


and Color Weave no.2

are currently available for sale in my shop.

(P.S. Lest you are thinking that I have abandoned my hand stitching, rest assured that is not the case! I am currently working on the hand quilted layer on Work Quilt no.4 as well as working on another Yukata cloth table runner similar to the one shown here. More about those, coming soon!

Quilters Remember September 11, 2001

In response to 9-11, many quilters expressed their sorrow, compassion and love, in words and in cloth. We feel privileged to be able to share some inspired and inspiring works with you, on the eve of 9-11.

Flight 93 Memorial Quilt, by 911 Memorial Quilts, including detail of the Flight 93 block, below

"Days after September 11, 2001, Jeannie Ammermann founded America’s 9-11 Memorial Quilts Organization. Jeannie began her quest with a few people who believed in her mission, and today, more than 500 volunteers across America have joined in this thread-of-life memorial. It is our hope to memorialize those we lost in a compassionate and uplifting way, with great respect, dignity and honor, to heal hearts and preserve memories for years to come. ~Teri Jahn

Editor's note: To learn more, visit the 911 Memorial Quilts site. Also, see these articles: Monumental Quilt Honors 9/11 Victims, and America's 9-11 Memorial Quilts: Quilters Pay Tribute to 9-11 Victims, their Friends and Families.

9-11 Quilt, by Jennifer Myers, at Art Quilts by Jen

"The background for this quilt was designed and completed about a year before 9/11 happened. It sat on my design wall all of that time because I didn't know how to finish it. Then when 9/11 happened, it finished itself. The twin towers are hand beaded with hundreds of tiny beads. The blue streaks represent the blue lights that shone in the New York sky following the disaster, and the windows and doors at the bottom of the quilt represent the debris." ~Jennifer Myers

Editor's note: The 9-11 quilt by Jennifer Myers is in the private collection of Susan Wildemuth, who recently wrote about the quilt on her own blog, Eye of the Needle. For more works by Jennifer Myers, see Little Store Quilts & Fiber Arts.

River of Tears, by Helen Simon, at Helen's Harvest

"This quilt, published in America from the Heart, expresses my anguish and hope for America." ~Helen Simon

Editor's note: The book America from the Heart is a powerful tribute to September 11. All of the quilts were made in the five short weeks following the tragedy so they could be displayed at the 2001 International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. "River of Tears", by Helen Simon, perfectly captures the emotions of the day; the quilt was purchased by an anonymous collector at the 2001 show. Helen Simon's art is now focused on melted glass; for more information visit Helen's Harvest of Lampwork Beads.

Ground Zero Quilt, by Lois Jarvis, at Lois Jarvis Quilts

"I hope (the quilt) will show the viewer that the individual people on this quilt, the happy smiling people at work and at play, the brides and grooms, the fathers and mothers, the young so full of promise and the old with so much still to offer, who all perished that day, are the important things to remember." ~ Lois Jarvis

Editor's note: The Ground Zero Quilt has been viewed by over 2,000,000 visitors through Lois Jarvis' website, and installed at 90 group and solo exhibitions nationwide. The quilt traveled with the American Spirit Quilt Collection, which was a collection of twelve quilts that showed how the American spirit triumphed over the events of September 11, 2001. For more information, visit the Ground Zero Quilt website and the Rust-Tex website.

New Tears, by Kim Ritter, at Kim Ritter.com

"Tears that burst from my eyes were unlike any I had ever shed before - sad, angry, jagged, unbelieving." ~Kim Ritter (published in America from the Heart)

Editors note: Kim Ritter's fabulous art quilts can be seen in her online galleries. She recently retired from art quilting to focus on her interests in art cars, costumes, fused glass and metalworking; for more information, visit Kim's weblog.

Waves 1, by Beth Carney, at Beth Carney Studio

"I looked out my window and saw the candles flickering as flags waved in the wind. Our colors were standing strong and proud. Wave after wave." ~Beth Ann Carney (for the full quotation, see America from the Heart)

Editor's note: Beth Carney is a dancer, choreographer, director and art quilter.  Her art quilts have been exhibited at Quilt National, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, and many other venues. Her sense of movement is clearly communicated in the magnificent "Waves" shown above. For more visual inspiration, visit Beth Carney's online galleries.

Twin Towers Quilt and Pattern, by BJ Reed, at Piecemaking, LLC

"The three dimensional design represents the Twin Towers in New York City and, on reflection, how our lives in the USA will forever be changed." ~BJ Reed

Editor's note: We first featured BJ Reed's stunning Twin Towers quilt in our special article on tumbling blocks quilts, called Cubic Construction. To see BJ's beautiful pink, black and white version of the design, visit her online gallery. The pattern for Twin Towers can be obtained at Piecemaking, LLC.

Lady Liberty, by Gretchen Crozier, based on the design by Linda Hibbert at Silver Linings Originals

Editor's note: Some of the most enduring images of 9-11 were those of the Statue of Liberty, holding her torch high, amidst the smoke and destruction. We will never forget those who lost their lives, or their families and friends who will always mourn their loss. The Lady Liberty quilt by Gretchen Crozier, shown above, was not specifically designed as a tribute to 9-11, but we think that the quilt is a beautiful rendition of the statue and its symbolism. The pattern is available at Silver Linings Originals, where you can see Linda Hibbert's original red, white and blue version of Lady Liberty.

Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.

Making Waves: the Adventures of a Surf Quilter...

It's the title of a book, and a description of the adventures of the very talented Rob Appell. Rob is a textile artist and designer who takes "a manly approach to quilt making and love for the ocean". It all started a few years ago, when Rob landed a job in his mother's quilt shop, The Cotton Ball, in beautiful Morro Bay, California. Rob now blends his love for the ocean with his work as a designer under his eponymous site, Rob Appell Designs. Read on to see some absolutely gorgeous quilts, and a one-on-one interview with Rob !

Brown Pelican, 44 x 34, an Endangered Species Pattern by Rob Appell

Green Sea Turtle, 27 x 38, an Endangered Species Pattern by Rob Appell

One of Rob Appell's newest and most exciting adventures is an endangered species line of art quilt patterns, in collaboration with Michael Miller Fabrics. A portion of the proceeds from the pattern sales will be donated by Rob to an endangered species charity, and each donation will be matched by Michael Miller Fabrics. What a fantastic cause!  Two of our favorites are the incredibly realistic Brown Pelican and Green Sea Turtle, shown above.  These designs are bigger than life (literally): take a look at the photos of Rob's students showing their finished pieces.  You can see all the species that are featured - including the polar bear and bengal tiger - on the endangered species page at Rob's website, and read all about the partnership and quilt project here and in the interview below. 

In addition to his patterns, Rob designs ocean-inspired textiles. "Paradise Reef", below, is striking aquarium quilt that is easy and simple to make with the fabric panels designed by Rob for Michael Miller Fabrics.

Paradise Reef, 55 x 48, by Rob Appell for Michael Miller Fabrics

For information on the simple construction of Paradise Reef, see the pattern download at Michael Miller Fabrics.  Complete kits for the quilt top are available at Rob's site (get 'em while you can !)

Beyond the Tides

"Beyond the Tides", above, resembles a vibrant seascape painting, but it is made entirely with pieced and appliqued fabrics. This spectacular quilt was recently featured on an episode of Simply Quilts on HGTV.

Under Watercolor Quilts

Rob's gorgeous underwater fantasy quilts - with complete patterns - are all included in his book, Making Waves... the Adventures of a Surf Quilter. The under watercolor quilt, above, has scenes that cover the known universe: from the depths of the ocean, all the way up to the planets in the night sky. The book also contains patterns for Beyond the Tides, The Dolphin Dance, Underwater Color Quilts, Quick Fuse Seascapes (take a peek at the fantastic Scuba Time)... plus 48 full color images... plus a ton of other info on appliques, free motion machine quilting... and "life lived a bit less seriously." Speaking of which, we were fortunate to have the chance to interview Rob Appell about his own inspiration and aspirations:

Quilt Inspiration: Did you always think you would be a textile designer and art quilter? Or, did this "career" take you by surprise?

Rob Appell: A total surprise. I have always loved to create art, but never knew much about textiles. I love to draw and thought of graphic design, but was afraid to connect a career to it. I did not want to lose my art and income due to stress. I moved home after a few years of traveling around, and started helping out around my Mom’s quilt shop, The Cotton Ball in Morro Bay, CA. It took a few years for the quilt pox to catch, but I could not be happier today doing what I do.

Q.I.  How and when did the idea come about for the Endangered Species Project?

Rob Appell: The idea was a group effort between Michael Miller Fabrics and myself and started back in March of 2009. I was challenged with creating a line of quilts that would be easy to do, and able to keep in the cycle much longer. My seascapes are more fabric specific, and when the fabrics ran out, the seascapes became harder to do. I chose Michael Miller’s Fairy Frost line, it has close to a hundred different colors to choose from, and it will be around for along time. The other goal was to create a project line that allowed quilters to feel like they were “making a difference” through their love of quilting. Many of the Michael Miller Team and I hold the Endangered Animals close to our hearts. After a surf trip in Costa Rica, I was overwhelmed with the ideas and could not wait to get started.

Q.I. Your quilts include applique (e.g. Endangered Species), pieced designs (watercolor quilts), and combinations of the two methods, as in Paradise Reef. Do you have a favorite technique or style that you prefer to work in, or one just comes naturally to you?

Rob Appell: I really do enjoy the free motion machine quilting, so anything I can quilt on is a favorite. I do love to design through raw-edge appliqué using Heat ‘n Bond lite (FYI Heat n’ Bond is coming out with feather lite – and it is awesome) and I do not like to have to work too hard, so I create backgrounds as either pieced or a single color of fabric that lend to the design. On the Endangered Species, one of the Fairy Frost fabrics is the back ground and shows through where the appliqués are not placed. It makes the need for precision much less, which is a lead into my next answer too.

Q.I. You mentioned that your book includes advice on "taking life less seriously" and yet you are a very productive designer, which seems like a potential contradiction in real life. Can you explain your philosophy on life, and how you mesh your priorities?

Rob Appell: I love this question, and yes I am becoming a filthy liar (in that aspect). I work around the clock to be a good designer, Quilt Shop owner, Sewing machine technician and educator. I hardly rest, but I am trying not to let it make me panic. The life less seriously is more to the tune that my quilts are not perfect, my stitches are not even and my patterns do not have to be done with accuracy. What I pray is that I am able to be seen as a Blessing and Creative inspiration to all that I come in contact with. That I may uplift people with my smile, and help them achieve their creative goals. I want folks to not worry so much about all the little details in their work, and see the beautiful work that they are creating. I like to make people laugh, but the harder I work to support the animals the more changes I see needing be made in my own life.

Q.I.: What are your goals and aspirations for Rob Appell Designs... where would you like to be in 5 or 10 years?

Rob Appell: In five years, to be able to start slowing down the drive, and push for more patterns and be more involved in creating quilts that will be one of a kind. Also, I am just now taking over my Mom’s shop and I would like to see it be able to run itself so that I may create more, and play more. I am blessed to have a very busy career today, but I have two children that need to go camping and swimming, play dolls and legos, and see the world.

In ten years, I will be getting ready to watch my oldest graduate from high school and learn to drive, I hope my Quilt shop and career will still be booming, but I want to live off the grid, and be able to do what I do from anywhere so that my family and I can benefit from my years of hard work. Plus, I will only be in my mid forties, which is comforting.

Q.I. Do you have some new projects and ideas on the near horizon, and can you tell us about them?

Rob Appell: Always! I have three more animals to create before Houston Market in October and then I would love to start travailing with the whole line of quilts to places folks would not expect to see a quilts showing: Zoos, Animal Parks, Earth Day Festivals, raise money for more awareness, and promote using art to better our environment.

Q.I.: Rob, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us... we're so excited about your projects and designs, and we are look forward to following your ventures- and adventures - in the years to come!

p.s.  Congratulations to Deb, who correctly answered our two quiz questions on Monday, including "what - or who - is a surf quilter" (Rob Appell !)  For the answer to the question "In quilting, what is a sushi roll ?" see Deb's comment at the bottom of Monday's post.

Remnants

Pinned up on my studio wall, I have some photo images of really heavily patched and stitched antique boro.


The patches in those boro pieces are all raw edged, and seem to completely cover whatever had been the original base fabric.


I like that nothing went wasted, and everything was important enough to be patched.

... Years ago when I was a teenager, a woman commented on my heavily patched and mended jeans, (they made my mother cringe and I know she used much restraint not to steal them from me in the middle of the night and set them on fire). The woman told me that to patch something was to show love. I never forgot that. (And I appreciated that this kind stranger understood me.... I wasn't accustomed to that.)


Anyway... looking at the boro images, and then glancing over at the ever growing pile of small bits of fabric scraps and off-kilter shaped pieces of batting left over from previous projects and now just sitting on my shelf, got me to thinking it was time to use it all up.


So I'm starting a little series of "Remnants", which I will be posting in my shop as they are completed.



More to come soon. xo

A perception of depth: the art of Dianne Vottero Dockery

Today we're privileged to be able to share with you the work of an artist who truly inspires us. Dianne Vottero Dockery received the Master of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communication from Syracuse University, has owned and managed a graphic design firm, taught as a tenured university professor at Kutztown University, and now enjoys her life as a studio collage artist. Dianne's focus is on fiber (cloth and paper) collage. Her work has been displayed in exhibits, galleries and museums across the country, including the nationally renowned Amazing Art Quilts exhibit. We're so pleased to show you four of her amazing works of art, below.

Tipsy Tabletop, 47" x 35"


"Tipsy Tabletop", above, is a classic still life with the look of an oil painting, but is actually a work of fabric art. The tipsy tabletop provides a dynamic perspective which draws the viewer into the scene, bringing to mind the works of Cézanne and Matisse. The objects on the table - orange poppies in a cobalt blue vase, fruit, and a glass of wine - are arrayed against a blue (batik) tablecloth. We love the idea that the tablecloth, which would be made of fabric in real life, is rendered in fabric here. Dianne used commercial batiks and hand-dyed cotton sateen; the materials were free-cut, fused, hand-appliqued, machine quilted, and painted with oil sticks and colored pencils. Be sure to click on the image to see the detail.

Pair of Paphiodilum, 44" x 33"



The sense of depth is apparent in "Pair of Paphiodilum", above, with its exquisite hothouse blooms. The large orchid in the foreground, with its luminous green and violet hues and velvety texture, appears close enough to touch; the much smaller plant pot recedes by comparison. The deep blue colors and leafy textures of the batik background add to the mysterious feeling of the piece. "Pair of Paphiodilum" was created with commercial batiks and hand-dyed sateens, which were free-cut, hand-appliqued, machine quilted, and painted with acrylics.

Beyond I, 32" x 22"



What lies beyond? In "Beyond I", above, a sense of depth is created through the layering, shading, and shadowing of the textiles, which include commercial cottons, hand-dyed cotton sateens, and silk organza. The brilliant blue organza, which provides a focal point, contrasts sharply with the intense orange shades of the sateens. The sateen pieces are machine stitched to emphasize their shapes, and their jagged white edges are outlined with dark shadows to provide depth. This piece was not painted. The beauty of "Beyond I" lies in the artful and harmonious arrangement of the contrasting colors, values, shapes, and textures of the materials.

Barn Art I, 40" x 33"



In "Barn Art I", above, Dianne has captured perfectly the appearance of a barn, with its rough wood boards, which have weathered to a silvery gray color, and its dark interior. One bright red plank leans at an angle, reminding us of the original "barn red" color. The rough texture of wood was created by collaging narrow strips of fabric in different shades and textures, and by painting with oil sticks (please click on the image to see the intricate detail). In creating the collage, Dianne used commercial cottons and tulle; the fabrics were free-cut, fused, raw-edge appliqued, and machine-stitched.

Image Credits and Links

All images are courtesy of Dianne Vottero Dockery.

The pieces displayed here reflect Dianne's painterly style; examples of her more graphic style can be viewed on Dianne's website.

We previously wrote about one of Dianne's galleried mini collages, entitled "Pear of Hearts". To see that post, click here.

Unusual inspiration.... Vangobot

At times, inspiration can come from unusual places. In this case the source is slightly weird, but fun; and the "artist" is vangobot (Van-Gogh-bot), an autonomous painting robot. The images shown here are from Lucky Stripe, a series of over 1200 paintings inspired by Matisse's famous Green Stripe painting. We've selected five of our favorites (for details, see links below).










The home of vangobot is popartmachine, which features over one million paintings, pictures and finished pop art posters & prints. We've shown only five images, leaving 999,995 images for you to browse. For fun, try one of the following search terms: green stripe, color lovers, abstract details, skyscraper, impressionist, retro style, or contemporary color. If you find some favorites, or are inspired to make a quilt, we'd love to hear about it (and see the quilt!)

Images, top to bottom: 22 1000, Layers; 410, A-Dama-De-Frente; Green stripe, 315DSC4881; 1011, Verdun La Meuse; 124, Art is Long and Life is Short.

Inspired by Color

A few months ago I was contacted by the lovely Sonu Mathew, who is a Senior Interior Designer for Benjamin Moore & Co. She also is the host of Benjamin Moore's Living in Color with Sonu, a wonderful blog full of color inspiration. Sonu wanted to know if my little Abstract No.5, (pictured below) which I created about a year and a half ago as part of a small series, could be included in a future post featuring quilts as color inspiration. (Absolutely!)


Today the post ran and I am really delighted to find my work included in a post also featuring the work of Jan Myers-Newberry and Denyse Schmidt, both genuine rock stars in the quilt world! (Geez Louise, I sound like a silly groupie !)

Please be sure to check out Sonu's great blog and quilt inspired post here.

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A big Thank You for all the great comments in regards to my current work in progress, (see post below) and the struggle to overcome the critical voice of the perfectionist, (something apparently many of us share). This piece is so personal to me, (not in terms of private, but in terms of a journey) and I am truly grateful for everyones encouragement and support. I will be sure to share the final results once I finish. xo

Layer by Layer

Remember the shot cotton quilt I was working on from a few posts back? Well, what I didn't explain in that post was how I am approaching its construction...

Because my muse for this piece is old work quilts, (which I am not trying to duplicate, only be inspired by) I thought it'd make sense to build the quilt up in various layers...


I first started off with 9 12.5" x 12.5" base squares of fabric and appliqued various patches on each one. (These squares were to represent the various patched fabrics that would have been recycled into a work quilt.) Then I sewed them all together for the quilt top and did the first layer of quilting, (which is what I showed in the first post.)

Now I've moved onto the 2nd layer. This finds me sewing on more patches, (such as the ones in both of these photos) some overlapping patches from layer #1 and some overlapping the seams joining the base squares. (This is to represent the patching that would have been done after the work quilt got used and worn even more.)


Along with the shot cottons, I'm also starting to incorporate bits of really lovely woven cottons that have an aged look to them. (The white thread will be removed, as it was just used as a preliminary basting stitch until I could machine applique the patches in place. The brown threads will also get trimmed off.)

More long rows of quilting come next, (this time in a zig-zag stitch I think, just to add some interest).

After that I move onto layer #3... probably more of the same, just slowly building it up until either I have the look I want, or I have made a complete mess... hoping it's the first! More to come later!

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There's a new quilt blog recently started called Modify Tradition. It's about the journey of marrying the look of a modern quilt with the techniques used in traditional quilt making. Discussion is encouraged and I am finding the posts and the conversation very entertaining. Check it out, it deserves a look!

Stones, Shells and Hemingway... Inspiration to Sew By

"Let him think I am more man than I am and I will be so."
- Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea


With this new piece, I happily revisited a previous theme which I first began exploring a year ago... Mid Century inspired table runners/wall hangings, (which I also refer to as "functional art quilts" as these pieces work both as beautiful, functional table runners and decorative accent pieces, as well as a beautiful piece of art to hang.)


My muses for previous pieces, (see here, here and here) included old utilitarian quilts and Frank Lloyd Wright.


For this piece however, my inspiration came from stones, shells and the mental image of Ernest Hemingway. The stones and shells, gathered on my recent visit to the sea side, were a visual influence for my color and pattern choices,


where Hemingway provided the muse for creating a piece with a masculine feel... I wanted something that would look at home in a study, draped over an old and well used wooden table that had been oiled to a deep, rich shine.

"Hemingway" - A Mid-Century Inspired Functional Art Quilt is currently available in my shop.

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P.S. I was delighted to learn from the comments on my last post that so many of you are familiar with and like Tsatsiki! What a pleasant surprise!

Design Inspiration

The sun came out today for a bit and I was able to get some slightly better photos of my new work, (thanks everyone for the very kind responses in the previous post!)

Also thought I would share what I wrote about the thinking and inspiration behind the work:

"Form and function are one"
- Frank Lloyd Wright


Lately, I have been increasingly drawn to and attracted to, mid century design. Especially architecture. I decided that I wanted to start a new series of art quilts that were both beautiful and functional. Objects, that if placed in a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, would look like they belonged.


When I was a kid, my parents took my sister and me to see Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater", (picture above). I was so enthralled by what I was seeing, both on the exterior and the interior. All the rules were broken, and everything made perfect sense. One thing that's been on my "bucket list" for a long time is to take a trip from coast to coast, stopping along the way to visit as many of Frank's structures as I can! Wouldn't that be wonderful!?!

Glorious Color!

Outside it was gray and overcast again, but inside I focused on glorious color!

A bowl of thread on my sewing table


A pile of paint chips on my cutting table. They provide wonderful inspiration for new color combinations, and the best part is they're free!


My latest embroidered mini art quilt, photographed against a vibrant piece of yellow paper.

Show me your colorful inspirations! If anyone has recently posted something bright and colorful on their blog, feel free to add a link to it in the comments section!