Personal shrines- My Monthly Journal Quilt

One of those resolutions of mine was to do a monthly quilt, in a larger format.

I love this painting, Beata Beatrix by Dante Gabriel Rosetti, who painted 6 versions of this, with one copy being painted by a contemporary. I have seen 3 of the paintings and the copy. I have 3 left to see before I die, one of those things on the "bucket list"... as it were.

This version started it all, and is the last painted, and had to be completed by Ford Maddox Brown, and is here in Chicago, at the Art Institute. I have two other works using it. They are all in my personal collection, one of which is an actual shrine-type-thing. I don't mean to use the work in a "breaking copyright" sense, I just love it so much, I can't help it.

I believe in personal shrines made of similar things. I have lots of "collections" of stuff, ever so arranged to make me smile when I see them. There was a book long ago called something like "personal altars" that discussed this sort of collecting and arranging, and religion was not really part of it. I guess that's why I keep going back to the painting and including it in my work. I could never own the original, so I keep copies of it in my personal works, like a shrine to art.

Gocco mania

I love Gocco. I am hooked. Need more supplies... This was my attempt. I did have a problem with my original sticking to the screen, so I have done a little research and found it may be my printer laying on extra carbon. So I have to play with this a bit and see what I can do. I had a fun time flashing this image.

In addition, I need the fabric inks and better quality cotton to screen on, but as a test, this worked out fine. My test image is my website logo.

I found that the hardest part of the process is not being afraid to USE it. I mean, just do it! If you mess up, you can always buy more. And since one of the resolutions this year to "use it up", this should help withthat philosophy. Who wants to die with all this unused stuff?

The return of the Round Robin

I participated in one of the best round robin groups while I lived in Baltimore. From the year 2000 we went from traditional Round Robins, to finishing each other's UFO (UnFinished Objects) round robins, and various combinations in between.

The Round Robin I was in last was a "precious fabric" round. My original post about it was waaaaay back here, in 2006. We took 2-4 months to rotate, sometimes longer. This was the longest rotation, and surprise! I left for Chicago in the middle of it.

This lovely stack is what was in the box left by the postman Friday. Isn't it wonderful? Thanks to:

Lynn Berberich

Barb Heinfelden

Jean Mellott

Joan McMahon

Jane Obaza

Amy Selmanoff

Denise Taylor

What wonderful friends!

EOL (End of Line)

Ahh, programmer talk... anyway, this is the end of the line theme for January. Everytime I looked up "line" as a principle or element of art, I got line drawings. Now, I guess I could have put this on a different color, making week 2 stick out like a sore thumb, but what's done is done. I like the drawing, but sewing over the image throught he paper caused the stitches to pull a bit, and caused the "wobbly-ness" of the black thread quilting. Again, it's done, and I am not going back. I did some other projects this weekend too, and will have posts through out the week to show them off.

I was not as inspired by the BBVD concert as I had hoped to make a quilt this week.

Also, I have until Friday to finish my monthly large themed project that was another New Year's resolution, but we'll see how far I get this week, given that tomorrow is my birthday and a Divas art quilting meeting.

So much fun and so little time.

Mini 4x4 quilt "chunky" pages

It's no secret that I do a lot of trading online of my artwork. I trade through established sites with feedback systems, etc., the main one being http://www.atcards.com/ "Chunky" books are usually made of paper with lots of heavy embellishing on them, tags and tassels hanging, thick beads, and so forth. This was a fabric Chunky "Pick-a-Theme" swap, so I wanted to give it a try.

My theme was "fire". These are the pages I made for others:

"Yggdrasil" for the Tree of Life theme

"Happiness dwells within you" for the Zetti theme

"Lizards and Amoebas" for the Creepy Crawlers theme

"Fall Splendor" for the fall colors theme

"Even a Haunted House was once a Home" for the Home theme

I hope the new owners like them.

100th post

Week 3 of my January "line" themed weekly quilt. Even I am impressed by this one. Sketched during Project Runway's "En Garde" episode, which was a very good episode, and lots of good sketches came out of it. Who would have guessed "Line" could be so cool? DH calls the lines UFOs landing. I said "Or are they taking off?"

This is the 100th post on this little blog of mine. I'll be posting a little more often, hopefully, in the next couple of months.

My Town and Country project is coming along. The major piecework is 99% finished. Next the applique. Then, in February, it is quilted. I sure wish I could show you a picture, but that's breaking the rules...

I am going to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on the 24th at the House of Blues with my sister, should be a great time, and I hope to sketch afterwards for some inspiration.

Are you stumped? Try this for inspiration!

I am often stumped for what to create for my weekly quilts. Most times I run into the sewing room on the final day of the week, and just "whip" something together. That's why many of the works look so... I don't know...unplanned? The best ones are the ones that had some real forethought.

Jeanne Williamson Ostroff started the weekly quilt idea. Her quilts are online here. Martha Gilbert, a very talented quilter in my Baltimore guild, worked on a weekly 8x10 series of quilts at a retreat we both attended in 2006, and after looking through her works, I was convinced to do mine. Her gallery is here.

Try out some of these ideas to get you going:
Weekly challenge websites:
Illustration Friday
4x4 Friday - Size and theme restrictions! ooo.
Inspire Me Thursday
Theme Thursday
Wednesday Stamper
Monday Artday
Mixed Media Monday
Think Monday- Think ATCs This one is about ATC challenges.
Sunday Scribblings

More challenges (some now past, but you could start now anyway)
Take a Stitch Tuesday (ran in 2007, but give it a shot!)
Take it Further Challenge
Self Portrait Challenge
Thing a day! (everyday during February!)
6 x 4 lives Fiber postcard challenges

People who do art everyday:
Photography by Tom Gawczynski
Skull-a-day
James Kolchaka

Stuff:
Studio Friday (look inside art studios)

IQA-Chicago Schedule!

I registered VERY early and got all of the classes I wanted.

4/10/08- Surviving the Runway
4/11/08- Turn your Quilting Passion into a Business
4/11/08- Tyvek Techniques for Artwear
4/12/08- Foiling Around
4/13/08- Long Stem Roses

Since I will see Robbi Joy Ecklow next month at my quilt guild, and Judy Coates Perez in a class in February, I opted not to take those classes at the show.

Last year there was a get-together for those on the Quilt-Art mailing list that I went to and sat with the nicest bunch of quilters. It was great! Karey Bresenhan, the festival organizer, hosted the party and she is the loveliest woman you will ever meet. This year, I will bring my tiara for the tiara parade.

If you will be at the Chicago Quilt Festival, say Hi!

Like the Pearl Earring

In the book (and maybe the movie, I can't remember) Girl with A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (whom I have had the pleasure to meet and have her sign my copy), there is the ear piercing scene to prepare the main character, Griet, for the famous portrait.
In the scene in the book though, Vermeer makes Griet pierce her other ear as well. It is not in the painting, but Vermeer knows that without the earring in the other ear, Griet's portrait would seem off somehow. Be it the tilt of her head or whatever, but Vermeer would know, and therefore the audience of his painting would know, that the other earring was not there.
That's how my Town and Country quilt is going. A large section of the piecing I am doing will be covered up, and initially planned to put muslin or some other non-descript fabric there. But I would know that I didn't finish the piecing under that section. I would know, and so would the audience of my quilt. So I am finishing the piecing before moving on with the project.

Whoop Whoop!

This week's line quilt is inspired by my Diva's group current project and also my "line" theme for this month. The Diva's are working on song inspired works, where you put pen to paper and use that as your basis for a quilt project. I missed the meeting where this was worked on, so this is my interpretation.

The song I used is "Calabria 2007" by Enur Feat. Natasha. You can hear a clip here. The song is catchy, I had it on constant repeat for a while and came up with this quilt.

I'm working on my entry for the Town and Country contest for the IQA. It's going slowly. I could not find my Color E-Valu-ator, which helps me see color values. Another lost item in the house. So I ran over to Quiltfabric.com in Darien to see if they had one, which they didn't, but they did have a Ruby Beholder. Similar concept, a piece of red plastic to look through. When I got home, I found my Color E-Valu-ator within about 10 minutes. Now if only I could find my Color and Composition book that easily... The Color E-Valu-ator is better, as it also has a green piece of plastic to look through, which is very helpful on warm colors. The show piece is coming along nicely.

A new year, starting off right

Week one of year two's weekly quilt series.

Now here's the best part. This year, each weekly quilt month will have a theme. This month's theme is "line".

I lost a book I wanted to use for working on this, Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter by Katie Pasquini Masopust. I have this book, somewhere in my house. I can't find it. So I tried to remember one of the lessons in it. Anyway, this composition is an open one. Are things coming out? Going in? Breaking apart? Pretty neat.

I'm screwing my courage to the sticking place and getting ready to use my Gocco. I'm very excited.

As for my resolution to enter artwork into competitions and shows...

The paper quilt for entry into the Quilting Arts' booth challenge is 70% finished.

The "close up" self portrait for entry int he Naperville Art League's close up challenge is 80% done.

The "Town and country" theme entry is 10% done.