NEW WORK - WHERE THE TALL TREES GROW

 Today I'm adding a label as the final touch to my newest art quilt. This project was very lengthy, my sole project for 4 + weeks. The blues and bright sky colors are my hand-dyed cotton fabrics. The greens are commercial batiks.

Inquires welcome.

WHERE THE TALL TREES GROW - 36" X 21.5"

Hand dyed cottons, commercial batiks, Ultra-suede, pieced, hand & machine appliquéd, densely machine quilted, hand embroidered, Prisma pencil details.

'SEAT TIME'

Lot's of 'seat time' at the machine, now appliquéing the foreground motifs. 

DECISION MADE

 This is crazy.....after spending time cutting, stitching, & quilting not to mention the cost of materials.....I took a long hard look at my current project and made a BIG decision.  I whacked off 6" of the length.  Yup.....it took hours to create that length and less than 30 seconds to cut it off!  

It was a good decision......foreground being added now...stay tuned.

GOSH, QUILTING CAN TAKE A LONNNNNG TIME!

My current project is in the quilting phase now.  Because this is the 'background' of my design, quilting is taking place between the top and batting, no back yet.

My go to, only quilt batting of preference is Hobb's Thermore.  It only comes in two sizes = clothing and Queen size.  I've used it since my days of Wearable Art....it's thin but provides ample dimension without being bulky or fluffy.  It will NOT beard, and does not get hung up by my feed dogs. 

 

GROWING AN ART QUILT

 The new art quilt is growing as another rainy day brings welcome moisture to our area. Lot's of hand basting went into developing the horizon using small scraps of ice-dyed fabrics.

HAPPY PLACE

 Rainy days aren't very normal here......but it sure makes for enjoying being in one's happy place.....of course for me that means my studio.  I'm adapting much better than I expected working in a space 1/4 the size of my previous one.  Maybe an old dog can learn new tricks. 

Where am I going with this?  Not sure yet but I'll enjoy the journey.

ASIAN FLOWER GARDEN

Just completed and available for purchase.  This new art quilt features rows of blooming flowers with an Asian flavor.  

ASIAN FLOWER GARDEN - 41" X 44"

$375 - free shipping for US only

Authentic Japanese themed cottons, pieced, densely machine quilted.  Double fold bound edges with a hanging sleeve attached.

Detail 

THE MACHINE QUILTING BEGINS

My large stash of Asian fabrics, to my shock, is dwindling.  Well that's not exactly correct....I still have a LOT however many of the focus fabrics, often panels with good size motifs have been worked into art quilts.

Many of the fabrics that remain are quite colorful and very busy, often featuring floral images.  With some careful cutting, I have worked them into what one might recognize as a Chinese Coins patchwork pattern.

The top is pieced and sandwiched....now the quilting begins.....  It will be available for purchase soon.  Holler if you'd like me to contact you before it's listed in my gallery shop.

RECORD KEEPING

My quilting career has extended for over 30+ years. Until I retired from travel teaching in 2016, most of my work was documented in books I wrote for quilt publishing companies. Additionally, my work appeared in books of other instructors as well as scores of quilt magazines. That's a lot to be thankful for, especially since I didn't have to hire professional photographers!!

Since then, I've kept photo files (generally photographed with an iPhone)of my work made exclusively to sell. Wanting a more professional look for in-person meets, I turned them into "portfolios" that could be shown to perspective buyers. Being not all that techy, finding a company that had 'easy to use' software to submit for printing was essential.

Prestophoto.com was my answer. It allowed me to compile photos/text in my (Mac) word processor program and download to their site. A few other decisions (like soft or hard cover, choosing jpeg. for cover photos etc.) were easily completed. Within 2 weeks, Volume 3 Mary Stori Art Quilts was in my hands.

It's a marvelous way to keep a record of one's work....or even family photos etc. I am not in any way connected to this business, mentioning it only as a resource I was satisfied with.

OUTLING PATCHWORK

I'm fond of adding narrow flat flanges onto sections of patchwork to help separate them from other adjoining units. Pinning is the first step, but for precision I follow that up with either hand or machine basting.