Update on My Hexie Project

After my recent post on preparing "tons" of hexies for my current project, I got some questions about the piece on which I'm working. I realized that it has been awhile since I've shown a "progress picture." This project is taking SO long I'm thinking of calling it "What Was She Thinking!" I'm also having some reservations about ever finishing it because of the pain I'm experiencing in my right hand. There is A LOT of intense hand stitching on a piece like this. I HAVE cut down on the time I spend stitching, but that has not seemed to help. Anyway, here is my latest picture of the piece. (For perspective, one side of the hexies measures 1/2 inch.)

The top part of the piece is being stitched in rows. The center part of the piece is where I started, but I realized I absolutely could not keep my place in the pattern I'd drawn up stitching the hexagons together in the "traditional" way. The center of the bottom piece of this "puzzle" is the halfway point in this project. I have a LONG way to go.

I must say, though, that I really like have a portable project since my husband and I travel so much. I can easily work on basting the hexagons to the paper template while traveling. These different colored, basted hexies provide me with the bits of color I need to make the piece. It takes 70+ hexagons for each row, which is one of the MANY reasons this piece is taking SO long.

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Portable Design Wall

My friend owns a retreat center; and at a recent retreat, one of the participants had a portable design wall. My friend loved it and made several for her retreat center. She showed me the finished product, and I decided I had to make one. This would be a great thing to take along to a retreat, because it becomes very portable when folded.

These are the supplies you'll need:

1. A pattern cutting board (also called a "Kraft Board")--The one I bought measures 39 3/4" X 71 3/4" (folded--12" X 39 3/4") and is made by Dritz. (I used a 60% off coupon at Joann's, so the price was really reasonable.)
   
2. Two telescoping curtain rods--Don't use cheap curtain rods; these are used to stabilize the board. The rods will need to expand to at least 72".
3. Packing tape
4. "Bulldog" clips (10 or 12)
5. Flannel--I bought 2 1/3 yards to be sure I'd have enough to cover the board.

The next step is to tape the flannel to the board. (I used packing tape, but I imagine there are several other kinds of tape that would work.) I originally thought I would put the flannel against the side of the board that has the markings, thinking I could see the markings through the flannel and use them as a guide. Then I decided to use the plain side, so I could fold the flannel to the inside when transporting. I figured it would stay cleaner that way.

Next, I clipped the curtain rods to the sides of the board. I found that the easiest way for me to do that was to lay the board down and put the curtain rods on top. I propped the board against the wall, so I could get better pictures. As you can see, the rod is clipped against the back of the board

Fill in clips all the way down each side.

Here is the finished design wall. As you can see, I used 10 clips, and it is very stable.

I just thought this was such a good idea. After seeing the one my friend had made and figuring out the best way for me to do it, one of my friends told me she found it on Pinterest. I should have known!!! You can check out (what I think to be) the original source for this project here--http://nickelquilts.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/design-wall/

I'll be making a simple carrying bag for this and taking it to my next retreat. So...do you think this is as cool as I do?

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How Many Hexagons Does It Take?

I'm STILL working on my "extreme" hexagon project. It is one of those "what-was-I-thinking" kind of projects. This is what I've been working on for the last few days. I have been doing A LOT of traveling; this goes EVERYWHERE with me. (I'm at the beauty shop right, and it is with me now.) For the number of hours I've worked on this, it doesn't look like much.

What are you all doing? Now that some cold weather is here, will you be doing more cutting, piecing, and quilting?

Over the weekend, a friend showed me how to make a great portable design wall. It is the coolest thing. I bought all the supplies, and I'll be working on making it this afternoon. I'll take pictures along the way; you'll want to make one! I'll blog about it as soon as I get a chance, so check back.

 

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Fabulous Fibers II

I'm excited to report that I have been asked to participate in a fiber art exhibit at the John James Audubon Museum in Henderson, Kentucky. I had the opportunity to show several of my pieces as this is a large exhibition area; however, I already have a previous committment of most of my work. The time for my trunk show and lecture to a Florida guild in January overlaps with this event. Since my lecture and correspondng trunk show are about my journey from being strictly a traditional quilter to an art quilter, I feel like I need to have several "art" pieces to show; and since each piece of my work takes such a long time, I don't have a whole lot of inventory. So...I only have three pieces in the Fabulous Fibers exhibit. Two of the pieces haven't been shown anywhere before. (Both of the new ones are shown on this "email invitation.")

If you get a chance to see this exhibit, it should be a good one. All the artists showing work with mine are fabulous artists. I feel honored to have some of my work included with theirs. More information about the exhibit is shown below.

 

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Do You Need Permission? Chihuly in Fiber

We are currently in Colorado for a fall vacation. (By the way, this is a great time of year for a vacation!) Yesterday, we spent the morning at the botanical gardens in Denver. Dale Chihuly currently has an exhibition of the Garden Cycle, a series of garden exhibitions that began in 2001. The exhibit lasts through November 30, 2014, if you have a chance to visit.

I am ALWAYS inspired by Chihuly's work--the colors and the shapes. I particularly love his work against garden and water backdrops. My favorite is this boat.

I love the reflection of the glass orbs in the water.

Now, here is my question--where does being inspired by a piece and copying a piece (albeit in a totally different medium) begin? Case in point--"Chihuly's Gondola" by Melissa Sobotka. The picture below is of a piece of fiber art.

According to the Houston Chronical, Melissa Sobotka won the Handi Quilter Best of Show award at Houston in 2013- a $10,000 prize - for a quilt she named "Chihuly's Gondola." She "calls her quilt "art reflecting art" because it depicts a Dale Chihuly work she saw at the Dallas Arboretum in 2012. "It's my reflections on his artwork - my interpretations of his art," she said. In her quilt, which measures 79 by 41 inches, a small boat nearly overflows with brightly colored blown-glass balls that gleam in the light like oversized marbles. Chihuly, a masterful glass sculptor, has created several of these "Float Boat" pieces, filling small wooden boats with blown glass."

On her website, she does say the work was inspired by Chihuly, but she does not say she has his permission to recreate his work in her chosen medium. If permission hasn't been given by the original artist, is "saying" the work was "inspired by" that artist enough? Opinions? I'm curious.

 

 

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Quilt Hugs and Kandinsky

Sometimes a simple quilt can give a hug when you can't be there.

My little granddaughter kept her new quilt close by when she got home and took it along with her to the hospital when she had her tonsils taken out.

I just got back from Nashville where my husband and I went to this exhibit at the Frist--it is a "MUST-SEE." There are more Kandinsky pieces here than I have ever seen in one place. Viewing his art in person literally brings me to tears. Thank you Sharon for bringing this exhibit to my attention. If you can manage a trip to Nashville, Tennessee before January 4, PLEASE go to this exhibit. It is FABULOUS!

 

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