Purple People

 So I decided to make another face using the same technique as the tiny quilts and the larger green one.  I really like this technique but YIKES did I run into a problem with this purple one.
I love working with purple fabric so I had a lot of scraps and really liked the face but finding a background fabric to put the face on - well that was a challenge.  I tried it on every color you can imagine.  One of the challenges is that the face is basically dark and I didn't have any good light purples.  I did try yellows and greens and pinks and even black.  None of them worked at all.  And I didn't feel like making a 90 mile round trip to try to locate the perfect fabric.

So I ended up using plain lavender.  I NEVER use plain fabric and only owned this one because I made a color wheel once and bought it for that project.  Well the color worked OK but it was sooooo plain and boring looking.  So I started to think about adding additional design elements to fill up the space and make it more interesting.

The photo above is of the paper pattern that I cut to try out my idea.

And this is how it looks when the design is translated into fabric.  I used the same scrappy technique for the element below the face and single pieces of fabric for the circles above the face.

I think that she is beginning to look like some sort of Space Warrior..... with planetary elements above her...... or something.

But I am still not happy with the PLAIN background.  Sheesh!  How do I work myself into these corners?  Next step is to quilt - maybe I can use an interesting stitch design and thread to add some oomph to the piece.  

Check back later to see what happens!
barbara

More Tiny Quilts

 So what is it about tiny things that make them so appealing?  These two quilts are 4" x 6" (postcard size) and I made them after the one for the SAQA swap.  I have to send the SAQA swap quilt (see previous post) to its new owner tomorrow and I will miss it!

But anyway - I am having so much fun making these tiny little quilts.  Partly because they are so quick and easy.  But mostly because they are so darned CUTE!

And I get to use up scraps (always a good thing).

My next project is a sample for a class that I am teaching at Sew Unique in Mtn. Home.  It is the same technique as these little guys - but larger.  I am hoping that it will attract some of the quilters who would like to try art quilting but are nervous about creating something without a pattern.

I am more nervous about trying to FOLLOW a pattern than creating without one.  I guess that is part of the freedom of never having been a traditional quilter.  Or just part of my personality.  Who knows???   barbara

Clarksville class sample

I am just tickled that I will be teaching a class in Clarksville AR on November 3.  I think it will be great fun and I am looking forward to introducing some new folks to art quilting.

The class will create a 12 inch square whimsical face quilt top.  We will be using pre-fused scraps and learning the basics of both face construction and fusible interfacing.  We will also talk about design and color.

This is my sample for the class.  Simple but fun.  And of course my favorite colors.  Haven't thought of a real name for her yet .....   barbara

Teeny Tiny Quilt

The regional SAQA group that I belong to is sponsoring a swap.  We needed to make a 4 inch by 6 inch postcard size quilt, send a photo to our leader Deb, she shuffles the photos and then lets us know who to send the quilt to. 

Well.  4 inches by 6 inches.  Smaller is not necessarily easier!!!  The theme was "What did you do this summer" - which added even more of a challenge.  Then I thought about the heat this summer and that I had more or less sizzled and fried for the past several months.

So here is my little tiny quilt.  Same process as the larger Alyssa quilt.  I think it is actually pretty neat for a tiny project - and think that I will make a bunch of them in different colors.....

Now I just have to think of a name for this little gal - maybe Hot Stuff.....

It is fun to have a challenge that really stretches your brain in new directions.   I can't wait to see which little masterpiece I get in exchange for this.  barbara

Flying Fish

The large quilt guild that I belong to (Hill 'n Hollow in Mountain Home) is sponsoring a Challenge.  We received two pieces of fabric and will be sharing our creations in September.  The  challenge involves using the two pieces of fabric and the theme Four Seasons. This is my quilt.  It is called "Flying Fish".  The words under the pond are "Can Fly Fishing Catch Flying Fish?"  Obviously NOT relevant to the Four Seasons Theme - but the original theme was Flight of Fantasy and I got this idea the minute that I heard THAT theme.  Oh well.....

But let me tell you about the quilt.  All of the fish are made from the first fabric in the challenge.  Even though they look different, they are just different areas of that gorgeous fabric.  The tree tops are the second fabric.  The rest of the fabric was from my stash.

You know how they always say that mistakes or problems are often the doorway to a greater finished project?  And an opportunity to "learn"?  Well this quilt almost ended up in the dust bin (can you tell I am reading an English novel lately?) several times because it wasn't turning out the way I wanted.  The fish didn't start out as fish at all.  They were supposed to be dirigibles.  But they looked stupid.  So I almost gave up..... but several friends encouraged me to continue.  And this whimsical quilt is the result.

It is HEAVILY beaded and this detail shot shows some of the dazzling bits that I added.  I really enjoyed it and am very pleased with the overall result.        barbara

October 14 - Excellent News!!  We had the Challenge Contest  and I won Honorable Mention!  I am just tickled!!

Here There and Everywhere

So what have I been doing since my last post on JULY 3??  Obviously not posting to the blog.  So sorry about that....  BUT I have been doing a lot of quilting related things.  Several of my quilts are going to be on display in various places.  Here are the details:

This quilt is called "Dorothy".  A very special new friend of mine saw this quilt for the first time last summer and declared that it was a portrait of her.  So I recently gave it to her.  It seemed that her house was the right place for it to live.  But anyway - she has entered the quilt (under my name) in the Arkansas/Oklahoma State Fair.  I am excited - I have never entered a quilt in a state fair.  I expect it will be a bit different than the other quilts that are entered.  It should be interesting to hear what the response is.

October 8 - I just found out that I got some sort of Blue Ribbon at the State Fair.  No idea what that means but I think it is wonderful.... and I won $4.14.  WhooHoo!!  

This is "Child Pondering the Future".  The next one is "Night Sky".  Both of these will be on display at the Fall 2012 Art Exhibit presented by the Desoto Arts Council in Hernando, Mississippi from September 9 till November 1.

I am a member of Studio Art Quilts Association (SAQA) and our regional group is being enthusiastically led by our new leader Deb Kuster who is finding places for us to exhibit our quilts and other activities to take part in.  This exhibit possibility became available because of my SAQA membership.

I am pleased to have these quilts "out there" in the world instead of in my garage.  I love both of them and think that they will be very different than any other quilts that are in the group. 
The child quilt uses my older approach to portraits and the sky quilt is something I did several years ago.  Both involve layering, fusing and painting.  But in completely different ways.

A little snapshot of my past Quilting Adventures!

barbara

Collage Face Quilt

(This note added on Oct 2)  I finally thought of a name for this lovely lady:  Alyssa.  Named after my nephew's beautiful wife.  They have moved many many times in the past year and I am certain that she has a lot of houses and house ideas floating around in her head.

Here she is - and I really like the way that she turned out.  No name yet - but I am sure that will come as I live with this quilt.

 

One of the things that I noticed as I looked at the photo of the completed quilt is that the dark areas of the face definitely stand out in comparison to the other areas.   This was my first try with this technique and I think that next time I will try to use this contrast a bit more consciously to add structure.  I'm considering using all black and white fabrics and the same pattern to see how it works.

  

I really enjoyed working on this one.  Partly because these are my favorite colors (which anyone following this blog probably already knows!).  But I also liked the whole random sort of approach to the construction of the face - and the fact that the face could be moved as a whole to different backgrounds. 

I do especially like the way it looks on the wonderful Sassaman fabric for a background.  I think I need to purchase some other colorways in this fabric.

Check out the beading on the eye - it really adds definition to the eye and makes it stand out from the face.

And the photo below shows the houses that ended up on top of her head.  I had originally planned to do some wonky hair - but the houses just sort of appeared as I fiddled with fabric.

barbara