Melange Mania

Good news! A very nice woman came to take away my Civil War fabric, freeing me to play with my painted canvas. Et voila!

I lie. There was nothing fast and easy about this mess. I painted (stamped, dabbed, spritzed, silk screened) every piece of the fabric used in this 34 x 29" rag. I began it months ago for Cyndi's class. It started as a mark-making exercise using black paint on watercolor paper. I criss-crossed my paint, added something puffy, and came away with plaid.

Since then I've been arranging, stitching, ripping, rearranging, stitching, ripping, gluing, trimming, ripping, and stitching painted canvas until I'm sick to death of the piece and may need to put it away for a while before I quilt it. On second thought, I never get back to projects once I put them away to "cook." I'd better keep it out in plain sight where it will continue to annoy the heck out of me so that I finish it. THEN I'll hide it away.

The quilt (still to be quilted and embellished) contains fabrics I painted (etc.) in classes and at home over the past year and a half. It's busy since I still don't know when to stop adding things. At least I'm restricting myself to a few colors (yes, that's a few), and that's progress.

My husband (bless his heart--Southerners know what that means) commented that I'm developing my own style. Sure is: Schizophrenia.

Civil War Sale

Every time I come home from a cash therapy session, I wonder where I'm going to put my therapeutic goodies. It's been flying under the radar for some time, but there's a bin in my closet devoted to Civil War and 1800s reproduction fabrics. Say WHAT? Have I been paying attention lately? Couldn't that space be put to better use?

I was collecting those fabrics for a very good reason, and they are very good fabrics at $10 a yard or so. My husband was interested in joining a Civil War reenactment group a couple of years ago and I was going to make quilts to sell at the events. Now that he's over it and on to studying physics and the origins of the universe, and I'm over using old-fashioned designs, the fabric must go.

A couple of weeks ago I spent an entire weekend cutting Eleanor Burn's Underground Railroad quilt and have been assembling it ever since. The borders are ready to apply and I've gathered the larger cuts of my CW collection to piece into a backing. In a couple of hours this puppy will be ready to find a willing (and cheap) quilter. Because I chose all the fabrics in one swell foop, I'm not pleased with some of the choices but am sure others will not object. This 60 x 90" quilt will be for sale at cost. There is just too much money invested in it to donate it.

The remainder of my CW fabrics will be offered for sale. Most are fat quarters, some are odd large scraps, and some are half or full yards. A guesstimate this morning told me I have about 10 yards left. I would be happy getting $50 for the lot.

I can't wait for this episode of my quilting life to be over. Is there a traditional quilter out there who would like a bargain?

A day with Laura Cater-Woods

Artistic Annex is hosting workshops with Laura Cater Woods this weekend. I participated in Laura's "Off the Wall and Onto the Page," a mixed media (me? mixed media? go figure) class. Laura showed us the effects of so many nifty, gotta-have items like Drainage Screen (cheap-o garden supply) and Lutradur (not cheap, not garden, but very cool stuff). Then there was all the nifty, gotta-have stuff at Judy Gula's shop in Alexandria. If you have never met Judy or taken a class with her or shopped with her at many quilt or surface design shows, you are missing something special. Check her out on line. She doesn't sell yard goods, but if you're serious about surface design, you canNOT live without what she does sell.

The project: A two-sided, three-panel standing "book"

I used one of my Immaculate Conception's images (Ateroa in New Zealand) as the basis for my "book" still in need of "binding." I made several prints on computer fabric and one on Extravorganza. One of the prints came out in gray tones for some reason (user error, no doubt), but it was a wonderful mistake that became a Unifying Element for my piece. I added some silk paper--needs trimming--I made two summers ago at John Campbell (I can't remember whose class it was, and I remember everybody memorable. Shame!) and some of the canvas I painted with Elizabeth Busch this past summer at QBL. I used lame' and trapped some charms in tulle as touted by Bernie Rowell, but with limited success (read: looks like yetch and needs a bit of re-thinking). Embellishments to date are gold thread and some of those Middle Eastern evil eye charms that have a name but I can't remember that either.

Not Un-Busy

Between sessions of wrestling with two uncooperative art quilts in progress, I've been honing my biking skills. Yesterday morning found me at the motorcycle cop rodeo near Pentagon City. The police competition featured teams from the mid-Atlantic states, including one awesome team from a Florida (mid-Atlantic if you include South America) sheriff's office. Whoo-Hoo #18! You are my HERO! Their riding was inspiring and now my goals are set much higher than just managing Snickersville Pike.

Several of the group drifted over to the Pentagon Memorial. I must say that if I ever feel the need for a good cry, here's the place. Benches pointing towards the Pentagon acknowledge those who died on the plane; benches pointing away, those who died in the building. Kudos to the designer.

I hope to get The Gate "published" soon. I spent some quality time picking out a section of less-than-acceptable thread painting and now must deal with some less-than-acceptable residual holes. One of the women in CQU answered the summer challenge with a tree done in couched threads on tulle. There's a question of balance with my adding too much texture to one section of The Gate, but a bit of light couching for the trees on the bottom edge might be the answer and might not overpower the threaded grain of the gate's wooden elements. To be continued...

Where I've been for two weeks

Ok, so this isn't a sewing machine I'm riding, and I admit, I should have been home finishing The Gate (still not completely thread-painted and bound) or at least making a feeble attempt at dealing with this month's art quilt homework (mia culpa, Cyndi). But what a glorious day it was! And I can announce that for probably the first time I actually had FUN riding!

Cut, Piece, Paste

My Immaculate Conception took this photo during a business trip to Tokyo a couple of years ago.

When I needed to find an image suitable for a pieced art quilt workshop, I chose this because of its simplicity.

I pieced the sky from several fabrics and made the arch as an applique. I am auditioning border ideas and hope to have the top nailed down today.


Eventually I hope to add details to the arch and to the trees/temple with quilting. I'm contemplating making the brass ornaments out of one of the many little-used mixed media embellishments in my stash. Tyvek? Foil? Shrinky-dink? Foiled shrinky-dink?

The Road

My class at QBL worked next to that of Fran Skiles. Every so often I'd wander through Fran's area and become transfixed by the processes taking place there. I can't pretend to understand anything they were doing, but I have pretended to make a Fran Skiles inspired collage. Fran doesn't seem to have a website, but please google her name to see some of her work. This design is based on the black and white paper "doodle" posted a several days ago.