WIP Wednesday: I used to be an Art Quilter

Way back in 2005, I began on a textile journey, following the tiny tidbits left for me by my late Grandmother.

Prior to that year, my artistic medium of choice had been a strong mixture of collage and creative writing sprinkled with a love of traditional black and white photography. 

When I picked up fabric, I immediately had the notion of treating it like paper, collage and raw cut edges held down with using a glue stick and quilted. I fell in love. I made many smaller pieces under 24 inches square and sold all of them. I ventured into larger pieces but then switched my interest into studying the traditional sense of quilts.

 And for many years I feel like I've been in a kind of limbo between the two as a textile artist. I've been mulling over this for a little while now, pondering some questions.

Which do I love more, art quilts or traditional patchwork? Do I gravitate toward what's easiest for me? Why do I feel like art quilts are kinda out of my comfort zone yet I still don't produce traditional patchwork beyond an intermediate dabbler? Where do I really want to go with fabric? What are those big scary artistic yearnings I have that currently remain dreams? How can I develope my textile likes into a style that is true to me?

Which led me into a nice direction of focus on the art quilting book idea I had begun exploring last year. 

And with an improv art quilt session in my original style, new ideas emerge. Here's a peak at what poured out.

I've been working on mind mapping the questions rolling around in my head. It's both inspiring and motivating me to keep at it. 

Linking up today with 

Freshly Pieced

Sunday Stash #6?

Ah hem. I did say I was coming back to this space, didn't I?
I have proper reasons for being absent, but at the moment, no excuses seem to be justified. I've been feeling scattered in my purpose, blind to my path, just kinda adrift with amazement and an overwhelming exhaustion like I've never experienced before (an explanation for that I'll save for a later date).

But as this year progresses at a more rapid clip than usual for me, I have been overcome with an intense need to finish all these untouched and abandoned ideas around my studio. Like the way a snake must rub against course objects to remove the final traces of a shed. So my progress is picking up, I'm pushing myself to get into the studio daily, to do something, anything.

Almost a month ago I dove into a quilt series that I'd let stew for a while.....like three years stew. I suddenly had the urge to finish the set of five pieces. I've had 1 quilt finished and 3 of the 4 remaining quilts drawn up full scale, it wasn't hard to just start.

So let me share some progress photos today instead of just fabric.

So this is the first finished quilt in the series and really the inspiration for the rest of the quilts because when I made this, I hadn't planned any of it. I randomly had the idea of quilting a gun outline. So I did. Then I thought of wrapping snakes through the guns, but upon searching for snake images for drawing reference, I was inspired by a Celtic art piece of three intertwined snakes.  This piece really progressed on its own.

I'll explain my process and each of the other pieces as a collection at a later time, for now I'd like to share progress photos of the next quilt I've almost finished in this series I tenitively named "Dangerous Things in Pastels"

I began during this months Art Walk, tracing out templates, of which, there were many!

I have a great pile of "snake" fabrics that I've been compiling. I usually keep all fabric possibilities in direct view while working on a piece, like a palette of paints.

Once I cut and lay out the pieces, I look at it for a while, days usually. In case I don't like a fabric I've used and to contemplate the next steps of stitching.

I also like making most of my art quilts raw edged. I also love doing needle turned appliqué, but usually the desire for quicker results gives way to raw edges. Perhaps some day I'll switch over completely.

Today I dove into the background details. 

The finish is near!

I'll share the finished piece later this week! Hope you've enjoyed this peek into my process from my "stash" of in progress projects!

WIP Wednesday Summer Vacation At Last

The end of the school year can easily make one crazy. My students dwindled and I am more than glad to have time to myself again. I have lots of plans I've been drafting, from quilt designs to book writing, I've been anxious to get to it all.
I tend to drive myself crazy by attempting huge projects in tiny moments. I need to relax, give myself room to breath, create. Take my time. I've been wanting to write more tutorials, perhaps even a QAL of my own. I've got lots of ideas, but I've been in fits and starts for months, forgetting one simple rule to starting something new: Keep It Simple. Amazing what a difference that makes!
Here's some of today's table.

Linking up with Lee @ FreshlyPieced

Happy Wednesday!!

-M

Blogger's Quilt Festival : Growth Review Art Quilt

Oh....and what is this you ask?

Detail of hand stitching "Growth Review"

 My entry piece for the Blogger's Quilt Fest. and newest finished piece!

I'm tentatively naming it "Growth Review" which I will explain in a moment.

I'm rather excited by this new piece, it kinda came out of no where and a doodle.

Pretty keen on this one I am. 

Okay, I'll keep it short and sweet. I was doodling before bed. Made a drawing similar to this art quilt. I was surprised by the face I drew. Like I didn't know where it came from. Anyhow, I went to sleep and the next day was determined to make something new. I have some deadlines coming up and needed a new piece to hang in an art show. 

I dove into a bag of green scraps and was intending on some mix of floral and geometric designs. A few hours later (right before bed) I finished piecing this. The face changed a bit from the drawing, and I changed it around two more times before I quilted it. Actually I changed my mind all over the place with this piece. It felt really good to have no guidelines or finished image to work toward. Anything could work.

I'm calling it "Growth Review" because I pondered on the artistic path I've followed over the last 10 years. (This year marks 10 years since my grandma's passing and the beginning of my journey into textile arts.)

Kinda heavy. I'm happy with my progress however. I've come a long way, from sewing for months before learning that my machine could Free Motion quilt instead of 'faking' it, to teaching, pattern writing, fabric dying and doll making. I feel like I've reached a whole new playing field. 

With serious determination, you can do anything!

"Growth Review"

12.5 in. x 26 in.

Textile

Machine and Hand stitching

Raw edge applique

Reverse applique

Thank you so much for stopping by! Hope you'll vote for my art quilt  here.

Now go vote and visit all the amaz-balls amounts of talents out there all lining up for the show over at AmysCreativeSide.com

How it was made : "Orchid Moon"

Here's a peek into my process

from the drawing to the finished top.

Enjoy!

2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge Entry (TGIFF!) : Orchid Moon

Here it is folks.
My grand reveal, "Orchid Moon"

This beauty was completely hand appliqued from an original drawing, then machine quilted with in-the-ditch stitching and matchstick quilting in the background. The applique itself took nearly 30 hours to complete. And there are 209 stitches holding down circle alone.

Measures 24.5 in. x 19.5 in.

I'm just so glad it's finished! Leave it to me to be inspired about a week and a half til the deadline and further challenge myself with traditional style applique!
I'll share more step-by-step photos this weekend. For now, I seriously need to rest my poor fingers.

I'm entering in the 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge : Mini Category!
Wish me luck!

WIP Wednesday : Exercise the fingers and wrists

{ studio window view in "red"/my new 'value' glasses/courtesy of sewredglasses.com/pat sloan giveaway}

"I've been away from the machine. And clearly I've been away from this computer as well. Why is it so darn difficult for me to schedule a time to blog? I've seriously had a drafted post since Sunday, rewritten three times now! I intended on sharing Sunday Stash and WIP Wednesday, and here it is being Thursday and none of those blog intentions happened!!!!
I must make changes. Perhaps I don't like my desk?"

And that excerpt was from last Thursday.....ahem.
Here I am and here's what I've been working on:

 intense applique work = sewing by hand for hours and days

Be back tomorrow with my Pantone Radiant Orchid Challenge entry....

Linking up with