Exciting News for Me

I got some really exciting news recently--I will have a quilt in Quilt National '21! The email said, "Congratulations! Your quilt, Journey of the Painted Ladies, has been selected by our jury to participate in Quilt National '21. Acceptance into this show is a great honor, as the jurors have been very selective to ensure a compelling and diverse exhibition that highlights excellence in contemporary quilts." I have been driving to St. Charles, MO, (The Foundry) to see the traveling QN exhibit any time it was there. Every time I have seen it, I have been in awe of the talent I see in the work exhibited. When my husband would ask why QN is SO special, I always told him that QN is the "Super Bowl of Art Quilting." He was a "sports guy," so he understood that analogy. Needless to say, I am excited and humbled that my quilt will be in an exhibit with artists I admire SO much.

This is the quilt that was selected. (I hope, if you get a chance, you will come to see it in person.)

This is a closeup.

I have worked on this quilt for several years. I originally was shooting for QN '19. (The exhibit is an every-other-year affair.) That meant that the quilt would have had to be finished before the fall of 2018. As you know, 2018 was NOT a good year for me. (My Dad and step-Mom both died, and Nate was diagnosed with cancer.) Needless to say, the quilt did not get finished in time. 2019 was no better--Nate was still ill and died in June. I went into a creative funk, and the quilt did not get finished in 2019 either. Because of the issues occurring in 2020, I found myself at home, alone, with a lot of time on my hands. I decided to begin work on this quilt once again. FINALLY, it was finished in August or September (I can't remember which.), and I took it to have it photographed. 

I filled out the paperwork, sent off my QN entry, and forgot about it until October 1. I remembered (and had it written in my Quilter's Planner) that confirmation of acceptance or of rejection would be sent by October 9. I was at my son's house (in AR) when I got the confirmation email. Everyone there was happy for me, but I REALLY missed being able to share the moment with Nate. He knew how much I had wanted to have a piece in QN.

Today, I had a custom box made in which to ship the quilt. This is the biggest quilt I've sent off to an exhibit (approximately 62" X 62"), so I didn't have a box I could reuse. The box is really long, so it isn't easy to fit it in my car. I'll be glad when I get it shipped off.

Before that can happen, I have to do some cleanup on the quilt. Since the background is black, every bit of lint and thread shows up on the background. I will be going over it, with a lint brush (and maybe packing tape), to remove all the lint and threads. Then, I have to attach a label to the back. Thankfully, I had already sewn hanging sleeves to the top and bottom of the quilt, so I don't have to do that. I'm hoping to get it mailed off yet this week. Saying goodbye to a piece that has been with me SO long is hard, but I'm sure hoping I get to see it hanging at the Dairy Barn Arts Center--in person and not virtually!

An Exhibit by the Art Cloth Network--The Space Between

On Monday, I went to Krempp Gallery in Jasper, IN, to pick up a piece for a friend of mine from an exhibit that had just closed. While I was there, I got to see the new exhibit of pieces from the Art Cloth Network. The Art Cloth Network is "a diverse group of professional artists from the US and Canada who have come together with a common goal--to promote the medium of cloth as an art form and share it with others. Each of our members brings a personal vision and sensibility to his or her cloth. The group was formed to provide a support forum as well as exhibition opportunities for its members and to promote an appreciation of art cloth in the broader community." The exhibit is called "The Space Between" and will be on display through October 30, 2020.

I took pictures of my favorites and those that I found interesting. There seemed to be a lot of pieces with transparent layers.

This piece reminded me of walking through a stand of birch trees. It was a layered piece--very light and airy. I've included a closeup of the piece along with a full pic.

This was also a layered piece. It was one of the few "political" pieces in the exhibit.

This is the last layered piece I'll show you. The small picture on the right shows how the piece was hung to emphasize the distinct layers of the piece.

I love this piece. I like the sky and the lights in the buildings. It gives me a calming feeling. (I can REALLY use that these days.) It reminds me of the method Kathy Loomis uses to make her "postage stamp" quilts. It is made up of very small squares of fabric sewn in vertical and horizontal rows. If you look at the closeup, you can see how it is sewn together.

There is a lot I like about this piece too. I am really drawn to the colors, and I love a good 3-D piece. The artist has stacked different shapes and put them together into rows. Nice.

I was touched by this piece--probably because it is about dementia. Having lost two special people to Alzheimers, I found the piece quite interesting. 

The exhibit will be up during the month of October. There are lots of nice pieces I haven't shown you, so there is still plenty to see. If you get a chance to attend the show in person, do it. COVID safety protocols are in place. Check out days and times and more about the exhibit here.