THE QUILT THAT DIDN'T WANT TO GET MADE

FIRST - an update:  My focus continues on distributing the quilt treasures of my dear friend and happily, with the except of some authentic dutch wax fabrics and an overabundance of Asian fabrics, I'm now moving onto the last category....80-100 quilts.

Some of her beginner quilts are being donated to a local organization who provide quilts for wounded military.  They want 'warm' and don't care if the points match!!!  And they do keep them warm while on their cots in the plane to the military hospital in Germany.  Smaller lap quilts will go to Asheville's VA hospital.  Two dozen small wall quilts and table toppers will benefit a local church by way of their 'garage sale'.  The remaining saleable ones are now being listed here and on some of the Facebook buy sell sites.  If anyone is interested in vintage 1930's quilts that have been rescued/reworked and make into beautiful quilts....holler.  Or some lovely and beautifully quilted pieces using more contemporary fabrics....many of which have AQS certified apprasials.  My friend makes BIG quilts.....nothing generally smaller than double size.

Okay....onto the only piece I've been working on lately.  It's been the biggest challenge I've had for a long time.  Mainly because of a dislike of pastels....it's easier to work with colors/patterns that are favorites isn't it?!?

 In my friend's stash I found a few cut out Asian fabric circles and several blocks with them incorporated.  Hummm.....could I get a jump start by using them??

 More circles were cut, background half sq. triangles were prepared....and a center panel chosen to add a bit of interest, rather than having a uniform grid.

 You can see right from the start, I was fighting the pastel look.....and was insistent on introducing black (though I tried lots of other colors) to make the blocks pop. This view is after auditioning and auditioning.....till I couldnt' see straight.  I KNEW it wasn't right but sometimes it's hard to pull back and admit defeat.

 Well...what about adding corner stones??

 Nah.....well maybe adding a circle in the corner stone.  This one was a favorite of all tried...but ultimately realization dawned.....the sashing treatment had taken over the quilt.

 Oh ya....I had already sewn the wide sashing on.....geesh...out comes the seam ripper for the zillionth time!  I'm back at it by now auditioning uneven sashing settings.....another thumbs down!

 Okay...it's settled....narrow sashing and tiny 1" corner triangles.  Now what the heck to do for borders...it really needs something to frame the design.  Various widths were tried (see left side)

 A triple border, with a thin strip of Asian fabric is where I was headed here....I liked it a lot....but after trying it on all 4 sides....it seemed too busy, and detracted from the more subtle blocks.

This is how it ended up....it's NOT finished yet....the outer border will probably not be this wide once the quilting is complete.  It may or may not feature an Asian print binding.  They say 'a quilt tells you want it wants', yet for this project....the quilt and I were not communicating properly.  We've become friends now and hopefully that will guide me to perhaps trimming down the outter border and making the correct binding decision.  Watch for it soon in my blogspot shot....link on top bar.

Thank you for visiting with me today.......

NATURE ACROSS THE CAROLINAS - FIBER ART WITH QUILTS

"NATURE ACROSS THE CAROLINAS - FIBER ART WITH QUILTS" exhibit at the NC Arboretum in Asheville, NC is officially open.  It will run through Sept. 16, 2018.  Artists:  Judy Simmons,  Mary Stori, and Kate Weston.

 Our work is displayed upstairs in the Education Building.  It's a very large space featuring areas that flow one into another, allowing visitors plenty of room to view the exhibit.  Rocking chairs allow extended contemplation as well. Though we have different styles, we are always amazed at how well they coordinate with each other.  For instance, the purple iris piece in the foreground is Judy's, one of my deconstructed/eco printed pieces will be hung in tandem.

This is the first time we've had the use of pedestals to display our small mounted pieces.  The wire hanging system used at the Arboretum makes hanging these items on the wall quite difficult, so needless to say we are thrilled by this addition.

 Besides the ease of displaying them, it provides an alternate display idea for visitor's homes.  And we do hope visitors will be eager to purchase our work!!  Obviously, I snapped this photo of one of my pieces before the signage was put in place.

Because it took us nearly the whole day to get them hung, and I was then in a hurry to start my drive back home, I missed photographing some areas...but please enjoy the following and if you are in the area, do come for a closer look.

EMPTY BOXES....WELL, NEARLY EMPTY

As regular readers know, since April I've been finding homes for what amounts to a small quilt shop (but in reality a life-time of quilting treasures of a dear elderly friend). At its peak my entire upstairs was covered, floor to floor with only small walking paths of excellent quality supplies.

 Ultimately I unpacked 60 some boxes, each weight 30-35 lbs. and a dozen large plastic storage bins.

 Everything was sorted and then the real work began....organzing into small bundles to sell, measuring, photographing, writing text, posting, invoicing, shipping.....but alas....

I'm reclaiming my space.  Well...almost...I still have some bundles left and have added some below in case you are interested in a super bargain.....and I mean super...this is all quilt shop quality fabrics.  My freind is a scrap quilter so at times there is a hunk or strip removed from the yardage....it's noted and always measured from the smallest section.  Often providing for more fabric than actually noted.  After these are sold, I'll list the final 3 bundles....all Japanese Sateen fabrics (pink/peach, blues, purples).  After that I move on to the 80-100 finished quilts.  My friend is an accomplished quilter. 5 of her pieces have been accepted at the International Quilt Study Museum at the University of Nebraska!

CHRISTMAS IN JULY  - SOLD 

Selling as 1 lot...plenty of yardage for table cloths, napkins, gift bags, quilt backings, just to name a few. Mostly Hoffman and Kaufman screen prints. 7 different prints - all feature gold metallic accents. Total 11 1/2 yards .....all for one low price of $35. You can probably buy cheaper Christmas fabric, but not this quality....make your sewing time count!

Row #1: 3 1/2 yds, 1 3/4, 1 1/4 1 1/2, 1 1/4 * measurement reflects the fat quarter piece cut from one end. - note: the last two pieces are the same design.

Row #2: 1 1/4 yd, 1/2, 1/2

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $7.25, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home. Email your Paypal address to claim the item. US sales only. (Use my email link on right side bar to connect)

Asian Multi-color Bundle of "lights' - (tans) - SOLD

Selling as 1 lot - 7 1/2 yards - 8 different prints of high quality designer fabric such as Kaufman & Japanese made Kyoto. Cotton sateens. All feature gold metallic accents. Multi-colors which reads tans or "lights".  **This is not satin....the name Sateen cotton is derived from the type of weave used to make the fabric...it provides a lovely softer cloth with a slight sheen.....so very appealing especially in wall quilts.

This is nearly the end of a huge stash I've been selling for an elderly friend who was a scrap quilter. The odd size of one reflects that passion....and is measured at the end of a cut, so there is more there then the amounts suggest.

Row #1: 1/4 yd, 1, 1, 1/2, 30"x20", 1/2
Row #2: 2 yds, 1 1/2 yd

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $7.25, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home. Email me your Paypal address to claim the item. US sales only. (Use my email link on right side bar.)

SCRAP LOVERS POTPORRI OF BLUES - SOLD

Selling as 1 lot Appx. 11 yds. - All cotton.  17 different prints, QUALITY quilt shop fabrics such as Kaufman, Hoffman, Debra Lunn, Kona Bay, and some made in Japan.  Many have tinges of purple.  In the photo some read black....but they are really dark blue.  Colors run from darks to lights.  (click on photo to enlarge)

Row #1:  1 yd, 1, 1, 1/2, 1/2, 1/2 *6" cut from one end, 1/2

Row #2: 1/2, 1/2, /1/2 27" x32", Fat 1/4

Row #3:  1/2, 1/2, 1, 1/4 yd with 2" x 11: cut, 1, 1/4, 1/8

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $7.25, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home.  Email me your Paypal address to claim the item. US sales only. (Use my email link on right side bar)

AUTHENTIC DUTCH WAX BY VLISCO - SOLD

Selling as one lot - 6 yards of Real Dutch Wax block print -  labels still in place on fabric. Estimated purchase date in the late 1980's in Holland where it's printed for the African market. ALL COTTON.

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $7.25, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home. Email me your PayPal address to claim the item. US sales only. (Use my email link on right side bar)

NEW LOOK FOR WOOLWORTH WALK ART GALLERY

The super large space allotted for our exhibit at the NC Arboretum (July 26-Sept. 16, 2018) allowed for some of my bigger pieces to be displayed without as much crowding, as is the case in the limited area I have at Woolworth Walk.   

So.....I removed some of the pieces at Woolworth Walk and replaced them with smaller work. 

The two black and white pieces are STILL very crowded together...looking more like one piece in this photo but not in person.  Hopefully one of these pieces will go home with one of the many shoppers that pass through the art gallery.

COUNT DOWN TO EXHIBIT

My two pals, Judy Simmons and Kate Weston and I will be hanging "Nature Across the Carolinas: Fiber Art with Quilts" this week at the NC Arboretum.  It runs July 26 - Sept. 16, 2018.  It's our third exhibit there together and the 7th time I've had work exhibited.

We got a little PR in the Asheville Citizens Time Newspaper.  Timing is everything, three photos were submitted, they chose this one.  This piece of mine actually sold at Woolworth Walk Art Gallery in the beginning of this month....but I hope it draws folks in....there will be about 90+ wall quilts to view!

You may have to click on the article to enlarge the type.....

FIBER JUNKIES - JULY MEETING - PART 2

Each Fiber Junkies meeting has a 'theme'; a new technique we'd like to try, or expanding our knowledge of a tried and true one, or simply just playing with our chosen supplies.

 This month we revisited gelli plates.....I know what you are thinking....that's not a gelli plate!  No, it's not and I don't own one so I set about trying to come up with a substitute. 

  I used a USPS padded envelop.....squeezed on acrylic paint and distributed it with a roller, fingers, or hotel door card.  Then I used a variety of tools to create a pattern and printed fabric as usual.  The bubble wrap inside the tyvek helped to add interesting patterns.

 We were all to bring a new tip or trick to share in regard to gelli printing.  Some of us remembered, some didn't...and the ONLY reason I remembered is because Judy mentioned it to me two days before our meeting!! I don't watch a lot of You-tubes, however, I spent time jumping from site to site to find a different approach.  Surprisingly, it was found offered by an elementary school teacher.  She cut bubble wrap into different shapes, had her young students press them onto paint and then print the designs on paper.  The biggest issue was removing the flimsy pieces without making a huge mess.  So, as I was showing our group this idea....Kate suggested using a tweezers to lift them off the fabric/paper.  How many times have I said...this group is so darn clever?!?

 Kate had another great idea......she used plastic wrap to contain paints that she was using....no clean up is necessary!  It worked great on & next to my pretend gelli plate!

 Denny came with another clever design idea and a time saver.  She cut 'masks' using her "Go-Pro"....though she said the next time she'd use file folder paper, rather than computer paper which didn't hold up well.

 Judy did a couple of demos.....this isn't new but we'd never done it before so of course we were all ga-ga.  Using two Plexiglas squares.....she rolled acrylic paint on one and covered it with the other plate. When she pulled them apart the most interesting, almost tree branch like designs appeared.

 You can see here how well the 'tree branches' printed on a previously printed experiment!

I was working with felted-wool again......trying to add surface designs to a bunch so I can make more folded baskets for my space at Woolworth Walk Art Gallery.  The first layer was printed with two colors on bubble wrap.  The results were icky.  So I started used a sponge roller to mesh it all together.  

Judy's 2nd demo gelli plate, printing with leaves.  She had really good results on regular cotton but when I tried it here on the felted-wool.....not so much.

Which leads me to my 2nd demo.  At home, when I was making those little bubble wrap cut outs for everyone to use, I began to realize how difficult they handled.  And that got me thinking....so I dug out some empty yogurt cups....added a piece of bubble wrap to the bottom which was held in place with a rubber band.  I made one for each of use and we all agreed it's a great way to print bubble wrap circles!

 Happily that third layer on my not so wonderfully designed piece of wool helped to save the piece.  It really will look much better when cut and folded into a basket with perhaps a purple felt lining.

This is another one of my wool pieces.....printed with metallic gold paint on sheets of bubble wrap.  I dipped string into a paint filled cup and squiggled it onto the fabric...repeating it over and over and purposely allowed drops of paint to add more interest. This too will be much improved once it's cut up.

We don't normally "assign" tasks of demos or tricks for each of us....WE don't like homework!  However, we all agreed it certainly enhanced the enjoyment of our gelli printing day.  

Next month is already planned.  It will be our first dye session of the summer.  For the last couple of years we had met at Val's from spring to fall where we dyed in some fashion or other each month.  Unfortunately, Val's health required her to drop out so at the moment we don't have a great place to work.  With that said, Val is always in our hearts, whether she's with us or not.   We are all energized to get back to our favorite dye methods now that we found a place that will work for us.  Yes, this is a tease...I hope you'll visit this blog again....even before next month!

Also....go back to yesterday's post.....there's still some fabric for sale.

Visit these blogs to see what other artists have been working on this week:  Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.


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FABRICS THAT STILL NEED HOMES

Regular readers of this blog already know I've been finding homes for a lifetime's worth of quilting treasures for an elderly friend....a 7' x 7' storage pod arrived on my driveway in April.  The deepth of her collection was astonishing....all top notch quality fabrics....not to mention the variety.  Here are some special groupings at rock bottom prices...perhaps one of you might be interested.  

SOLD - This is being sold as 1 lot. Hard to find brown, original cotton 'Three Cats' printed and purchased in England in the late 1970's. Newer Shweshwe fabric is produced by Da Gama Textiles in South Africa. This lot weighs 1 lb. 2 oz. with 14 pieces that are a little shy of what our fat quarter would measure, (1 has a 6” piece cut from it), two longer narrower pieces, & 3 that about 1/2 of a fat quarter. 

This product is expensive and hard to find in the US...except perhaps very small pieces in some specialty booth at large quilt shows. Being sold here at about $2.50 a piece, far less than half of retail (even if you can find it) in the hopes someone will create something beautiful from it......I'm simply too overcommitted to do it myself!

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $7.25, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home. Email me using link on right side bar to claim the item. US sales only.

$45 - Being sold as 1 lot - Real Dutch Wax block print cotton fabric - a 6 yard piece - original labels still in place. Colors dark brown and ivory. Unusual wax application provides a textured shine almost like feathers. I've never seen another one like this. Estimated purchase date in the mid 1980's in Holland where it's printed for the African market.

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $7.25, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home. Email me using link on right side bar to claim the item. US sales only.

SOLD   for all 8 1/4 yards for one low price. Quilt shop quality black & white geometric cottons. 12 different patterns. 

Row #1: fat 1/4, *1, *1/2yd - these two are the same print, 1, 1/2, 1/2

Row#2: fat 1/4, 1, 1, 1/2, fat 1/4, fat 1/4, 1/4

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $7.25, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home.  Email me using link on side bar to claim the item. US sales only. 

SOLD - Selling 11 1/2 yards as 1 lot...plenty of yardage for table cloths, napkins, gift bags, quilt backings, just to name a few. Mostly Hoffman and Kaufman screen prints. 7 different prints - all feature gold metallic accents. You can probably buy cheaper Christmas fabric, but not this quality....make your sewing time count!

Row #1: 3 1/2 yds, 1 3/4, 1 1/4 1 1/2, 1 1/4 * measurement reflects the fat quarter piece cut from one end. - note: the last two pieces are the same design.

Row #2: 1 1/4 yd, 1/2, 1/2

PayPal payment within 12 hrs. Ships via USPS flat rate priority @ $7.25, the next business day if possible. Smoke free home.  Email me using link on side bar to claim the item. US sales only.

FIBER JUNKIES JULY MEETING

Our July Fiber Junkies meeting, like all our gatherings is pretty much the highlight of my month.  We always have great show and tell, great food, great friendship, and oh ya, great sharing of ideas.

Here's a taste of our show and tell.

 We all went wild over Kate's newest piece, featuring mono-printing on silk.  Kate, Judy and I are preparing to hang our 2 1/2 month long exhibit at the NC Arboretum next week and Kate just finished this one in the nick of time.  Her expert machine quilting and the dynamic design is sure to catch a buyer's eye immediately.

 Kate and Denny have been taking private lessons with a wax batik artist in Greenville, SC.  This beauty is the accumulation of about 10 layers of wax/dye over a 3-4 week period.  It's mounted on a wood frame and it too will be hung at our Arboretum show.

 Gen is now working almost exclusively with paper.  She has the most clever ideas which often begin with old books.  This is a very old one that belonged to her husband.

 She removed every other page and then glued the remaining ones together in units of 3's.  She'll gesso the pages and then paint, stamp, draw, collage over them in the coming days.  Hopefully she'll bring it to our Aug. meeting so I can share her progress with you.

 Here are some examples of her innovative pages in a larger book.

 The flowers right came from a paper guest hand towel (seen below).  Gen explained that she placed the print shapes over the pinkish painted background.  Then she outlines the flower shapes with water, which dissolves the paper around the design, releasing the flower to the paper background.  I found that fascinating.  She finished the page with a gesso wash.

After more sharing, including photos on our phones, coffee, goodies, and general catching up with plans already in with works for our Aug. meeting....we retired to Gen's studio to play with gelli plates.  Come back and see what we did......