Are You Interested?

I'm considering starting a "mystery" project after the first of the year. It wouldn't be your traditional "mystery quilt." I'm thinking of a round robin type project--you make a center block, and each couple of weeks (or every month), I tell you what to add to it. Is there any interest out there? If so, email me at bschnellenberger@gmail.com. Put "mystery" in the subject line and let me know how often you would like the "clues." Also, if you have any suggestions as to topics or anything else you would be interested in seeing on my blog, let me know in this email. I'm looking forward to hearing from you all!

Maria Peagler Fabric and Works In Progress

At my last guild quilting retreat and Lora Nale's retreat in Jasper, I worked on several things. I thought I'd post pictures of some of them. The first is made from a Lori Smith pattern (Fat Quarter Quilting: And the 4-inch Block--From My Heart to Your Hands) and uses the fabrics I won from Maria Peagler, author of "Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Making Stunning Quilts." The little quilt is called "Sampler Magic" and measures 16" X 20". These are colors I would never have thought to put together, but I love the finished project. It is actually quilted and bound! Thanks, Maria, for the fabric. I even used it for the back. I also finished my Country Lanes (by Kaye England) top. I just love quilts with "trails."
I finished the top for a small Peace Sign quilt from Country Threads. The binding was included in the kit and is a bright blue. (That really sets the quilt off, but I didn't have time to get it quilted and bound yet, so you can't see that. I'll post it again when it is finished.) This came from a cute little $10 kit I purchased at the Chicago quilt show this year. I'm sure it was designed to celebrate the anniversary of the peace sign. I also finished the top from a pattern called "Flowers in a Vase" from Sunflower Hill Designs by Julie Popa. The pattern also includes a pattern called "Retro Waves." I was working on this one really late at night and kept making silly mistakes. That just goes to show you that you should go to bed when you get tired--don't work on something that has to be cut out!
At the guild retreat, I made three blocks for my The Quilt Show Block of the Month by Sue Garmin called "Stars for a New Day." Since then, I also got all of the rest of the blocks cut out and got a few more blocks made--now that took some time! Here they all are so far...there are several more to go.

Oh, and a little update on my quilting studio...it is finished except for the trim, cabinets, sink, faucet, and laminate tops. There are a few miscellaneous things beyond that to do. The cabinets and laminate tops are ordered. The sink and faucet are purchased. I don't think it will take too long to finish once the son-in-law has time to work on it. (The poor guy is working 10-hour days and most Saturdays now at his "day" job.)

Earthworks--Art Quilts at the Carnegie Center

I had the opportunity to attend a program at the Carnegie Center for Art & History in New Albany, Indiana, (201 East Spring Street, New Albany, IN) called "Textiles in Contemporary Art." Before and after the program, I took in the current exhibit called Earthworks--an exhibit of art quilts made by Pat DaRif, Joanne Weis, and Valerie White. The artists were kind enough to give me permission to take some pictures of their work. The exhibit is on display from October 30-December 30, 2009. Along with the exhibit, the Carnegie will be hosting other accompanying programs about sustainability and climate change. The Carnegie Center is a local museum and contemporary art gallery. It offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy art works in a variety of media and to learn more about the process of creative expression. It is housed in the historic 1904 Carnegie Library building. Check out the Carnegie website for more information--www.carnegiecenter.org.

Valerie White, one of the artists with work on display at the Carnegie, has been creating quilts for almost twenty years. She shares her passion for textiles by teaching and presenting lectures nationally. Her work appears in several publications and is widely exhibited. This is a picture of Valerie beside her Radishes by Moonlight which is a whole-cloth quilt created using chlorine and thiox discharge and thermo fax screen. It measures 24" X 36".

Six Feet Under was made in 2007. It was pieced with commercial fabric and uses textile paint and chlorine bleach discharge. It was quilted by Valerie and measures 39" X 35".Valerie's Blemish is a whole-cloth quilt that was made in 2008. She used thickened dyes, soy wax, fabric markers, and textile paint. This quilt was also quilted by Valerie and measures 28" X 33 1/2".

Valerie calls this whole-cloth quilt Beta Vulgaris; Big Ass Beet. Thickened dyes, soy wax, and textile paint were also used in this quilt. It was quilted by the artist and measures 58" X 26 1/2".Pat DaRif uses many techniques to create her work. She has taken an abstract, somewhat minimalist, approach in preparing the work for this exhibit. She says that she hopes to have evoked the beauty and fragility of nature and, by extension, a sense of our responsibility to safeguard and preserve it.

This is Pat with her quilt, Natural Elements II: Lake Shore, 2009. The quilt consists of hand-dyed silk which has been fused and machine quilted.

Pat's quilt, Water's Edge, 2007, measures 53" X 37 1/2". It uses hand-dyed and commercial silks and is machine quilted. The blue piece of silk on the bottom of the piece flutters with the slightest breeze artfully simulating the movement of water.Fire Storm (2009) uses hand-dyed silks and cotton fabrics. It is machine quilted and measures 42 1/2" X 32 1/2".Joanne Weis is a mixed media textile artist whose work can be found in private collections around the country. She is President of the Louisville Area Fiber and Textile Artists and actively juries and curates shows and promotes appreciation of fiber and textile art within the community.

Joanne poses here with her quilt entitled A Time to Reap from the Seed Series, 2008. It utilizes silk that has been hand dyed, screened, and embroidered. The quilt measures 24" X 19".Osprey Nest uses hand-dyed, appliqued, and embroidered silk. Joanne says about this piece, "On the southern New England coast, development and agricultural run-off seriously endangered the native osprey population. Through significant efforts on a local, state, and federal level, nesting habitats are being established and protected resulting in a return of the coastal osprey."I'd like to thank the Carnegie Center (http://www.carnegiecenter.org/) for some of the information used for this blog installment. Please visit this exhibit if you get a chance.

Quilt Guild Retreat November 2009

Last weekend the Patoka Valley Quilt Guild held its annual fall retreat at the Drury Inn in Evansville, IN. We had a great time and got lots of "work" done. The projects were varied--from aprons to full-sized quilts. The sewing/quilting talent in the room was amazing. You can always learn something at a retreat.

The room was packed with sewing machines and supplies. Baby quilts, paper piecing projects, and flannel quilts were just some of the projects these ladies worked on.These ladies worked on jackets, wall hangings, yo yos, and aprons (among other things). Members worked on both machine and hand quilted items.Christmas projects kept many of us busy.Here is an apron made as a Christmas gift for a little one.Some members worked on charity projects ranging from blocks for the "Home-of-the-Brave" project to quilt tops for church raffles.
If you get a chance to attend a retreat, do it! You'll have a great time.

Back Home--Getting Ready for My Next Retreat

I'm back home after a weekend away. I got to spend some time in Indianapolis with my husband. We went to a play at the Indiana Repertory Theater ("The Giver"), went out to eat with friends, went to the Colts game on Sunday, and I did some shopping on Monday. I still haven't unpacked! Now, I must gather some things and get ready for a weekend guild quilt retreat. I haven't decided what to work on yet. I'd best get with it; I have quilt guild tonight, I'm helping with a suicide prevention class on Wednesday, and I'm going to a gallery presentation on Thursday.

I have had a question about my Happenstance quilt. If you'd like to refresh your memory as to which quilt that is, just type "Happenstance" into the Search box at the top left of the screen. I was asked if I could give a link for the Happenstance pattern. I don't think Caren has a website, but you can contact her at quiltsbycaren@gmail.com. You could ask her about her patterns at that address.

I am hoping to have pictures to post from the "Earthworks" fiber arts gallery exhibit I'll be attending on Thursday. Two members of LAFTA (Louisville Area Fiber and Textile Artists) and one other artist have pieces on display there. "Earthworks" will be exhibited at the Carnegie Center for Arts & History at 201 East Spring Street in New Albany, Indiana, from October 30-December 30, 2009. There is a program on November 5 from 7-8 p.m. presented by Karen Gillenwater (co-presented by LAFTA) on "Textiles in Contemporary Art." On November 7 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. there will be a gallery talk with the artists. I'd love to attend that, but I will be at my guild quilt retreat. If you'd like any further information on this exhibit, check out www.carnegiecenter.org or call (812) 944-7336.

A Quick Studio Update + Kathy Loomis Art Quilt Class

First, a studio update....the floor was put down this past week. I'm really happy with it. It looks nice, has a little cushion, and should be easy to clean. My son-in-law who will be doing the finishing work has gone back to work full time (and is actually working some overtime now). It looks like the studio might not be finished till after the first of the year. Oh well...I'm thinking I will love it whenever it gets finished. Here is the latest picture.I had the opportunity, along with a couple of my friends, to take an art quilt class (offered through LAFTA--Louisville Area Fiber and Textile Artists--for its members) with Kathy Loomis this past weekend in Louisville at the Fiber Arts Studio of U of L. I learned a lot in the class (even though I didn't get nearly enough finished on my piece). The class was only a four-hour class with some time spent discussing and critiquing. Here is Kathy...
She brought all the fabric we would need to begin an art quilt of our own design. She told us we could work from a sketch or from intuitive stitching (sewing and seeing where it takes us). The sketches were very small--about 2" square. We had our choice of any of the fabrics she brought.

I drew this little sketch. It is the pictoral version of a reoccurring dream I've had for quite some time. When (and if) I get it finished, I'll explain more about the meaning behind the quilt.

From this sketch, Kathy helped me find a way to execute the design. All of the quilt will be pieced except for the circles (which will be hand appliqued). When I got home, I drew out the design to size (larger than my beginning in this class) and figured out how I will piece it together. Now, all I have to do is find time to work on it.
My friends, Robin and Jane, also worked on quilts of their own. Robin was the overachiever in the class. She was the only one who had a finished quilt top by the end of class!
Other members in the class were busy working on their pieces in the class.I'd like to thank Kathy for generously giving her time (and fabric) for this class.