Long Time--No Post!

I have to apologize for not posting consistently. I have been very busy (as I'm sure you are). I will try to do better. I HAVE been working--I've worked on Christmas gifts (I couldn't post about), I've worked on my pieces for my Advanced Independent Study Class with Jane Dunnewold (nothing I could post there either), I've worked on hand stitching a Crab Apple Hill Halloween piece (not finished...nothing to post), and I've worked on the December technique for the technique blog I belong to (And Then We Set It On Fire). I really can't post pictures of that here, but do check it out here--And Then We Set It On Fire. I will be posting it on December 1, 2011. Please check it out and try the technique with us.

I have also updated "Upcoming Quilting/Fiber Arts Events." There is a really nice new exhibit in Indy. Check it out if you get a chance. I recently joined Studio Art Quilt Association, and the exhibit has pieces from SAQA members along with members of the Surface Design Association. I don't have anything in this exhibit, but I may get brave enough to actually show something one of these days.

Facing a Quilt--Facing Method I

FACING METHOD I

First, I want to thank Marti Plager for helping me with this tutorial. She spent a day teaching me two different methods of facing quilts. I have always admired the nice looking facings she has on her quilts, and I've wanted to learn her methods for quite some time. You can check out her quilts on her website at http://www.martiplager.com/. While you are there, take a close look at the corners of her quilts. They all look great.

This facing method makes a slightly rounded corner. I used a walking foot to put the facing strips on my quilt. ALWAYS square up your quilt before beginning the facing process.

1)  Decide the orientation of the quilt. For this method, you will be sewing the strips for the facing onto the sides first.

2) Measure the sides of the quilt. Cut two 2 1/2" facing strips the length of this measurement. 

3)   Iron under 1/2" on one long side of each facing strip.

4)  On the wrong side of each fabric strip (long edge--opposite the turned under edge), mark a dot at both corners 3/8” up from the long edge and 3/8” in from the short edge. This will serve as your pivot point when sewing.

5) Pin the facing strips to the sides of the quilt. The dots should be along the edge of the quilt; the turned under edge should be toward the quilt.

6)  Using a 3/8” seam allowance, sew the two side facing strips to the quilt. Beginning at one of the short edges, sew down to the marked dot, pivot at the dot, continue sewing down the long edge of the strip, pivot at the dot, and continue sewing the short edge.

  (I apologize that this picture is a bit blurry. It is the best one I had that showed this step. You can see the turned-under 1/2" long edge just above the pin in this picture. Also, you can see the "dot/X," where you will be pivoting, at the corner.)

 (This is what it looks like after both long facing strips have been sewn.)

7)  Cut the top and bottom facing strips (2 1/2" wide) just long enough to cover the turned under edges of the long facing strips and iron under 1/2" on one long side of each of these strips.

 (This picture shows one facing strip at the top of the quilt and one on the table above the quilt. Notice the length--long enough to cover the turned under edges of the side facing strips.)

8)  Pin the facing strips to the top and bottom and stitch using a 3/8” seam allowance.

9)  Iron the top and bottom strips away from the quilt. Iron the side strips (as best you can) away from the quilt. (The side strips are hard to iron away from the quilt because the corners are stitched. Do the best you can.)

  (This picture shows the facings ironed away from the quilt.)

10) Turn the quilt so the right side is up. Using a 1/8" seam, edge stitch the top and bottom facing.

  (This picture shows the edge stitching on one of the top facing strips.)

11) Edge stitch the side facings starting as far into the corner as you can. Continue to stitch down the straight away and into the next corner as far as you can without distorting the piece.

  (In this picture, one of the side facings is being edge stitched. Edge stitch as close to each corner as you can. This is a bit awkward because the corner has been sewn, and you can't open it up all the way.)

12) Trim the corners. 

(This picture shows my friend trimming one of the corners of her quilt.)

(This is what one of my corners looked like after I trimmed it. This is a scary thing to do!)

13) Use a point turner to turn the corners. Be careful not to poke a hole in the corner.

 14) Iron so that none of the facing fabric shows on the front of the quilt.

 (This is what the back of my quilt looked like when I had all the facing strips ironed away from the front of the quilt.)

15) Hand stitch the facing strips to the back of the quilt. Be sure your stitches do not go through to the front of the quilt.

  (This is the finished product. Check out the corners. The quilt is actually square--it looks a bit skewed here, because I'm not a very good photographer!)

Quilt Retreat and an Upcoming Facing Tutorial

Last weekend I attended a quilting retreat (put on by Lora Nale) here in my hometown. About forty women descended upon the Days Inn for a three-day retreat. We had lots of food, fun, uninterrupted quilting time, and camaraderie. It was really nice to meet some new quilters and spend time with old friends. I had been busy working on projects for my Jane Dunnewold class and my post for the "And Then We Set It On Fire" blog, so (needless to say) I had nothing ready to take to retreat. I ended up frantically cutting out some "modern quilting" blocks--very simple using "modern" fabric. I had won lots of fat quarters of "modern" fabric and wasn't quite sure how I would use them, so I decided to do a very simple quilt with squares and rectangles. The quilt consists of six different blocks. I also pieced some little blocks that were already cut out and in my retreat bag. Here are samples of some of the blocks.

The "modern" blocks come from the "Fresh Lemon" blog. Be sure to check out the finished "Lemon Squares Quilt." The fabric I used for the "modern" blocks is Joel Dewberry's Deer Valley Fabric Collection from Westminster Fibers Lifestyle Products. I used scraps from my stash (and there is a lot more where that came from) for the little blocks. The "modern" blocks finish 9". The small blocks finish 4".

I mixed the fabrics I won with some Kona Ash fabric I purchased. My bedroom is gray, and I thought the quilt would make a nice bedcover for the spring (like I might ever have it finished by then).

Also, Marti Plager (http://www.martiplager.com/) was kind enough to give me a lesson on how to face a quilt (rather than bind it traditionally). I took pictures and will be posting a tutorial on two different facing methods, so be looking for that later on.

What are you working on? Has the cooler weather put you in the mood to quilt?

Innovations--A Biennial Textile Event 2011 in St. Louis

A friend and I had the opportunity to visit several of the venues associated with Innovations--A Biennial Textile Event 2011 in St. Louis. The exhibitions in conjunction with Innovations investigate the state of contemporary textile arts. Nineteen nonprofit and private arts organizations join forces to present exhibitions related to fiber art. If you have the opportunity to visit any of these exhibits, by all means go! The exhibits are located all over the city and surrounding areas. 

(Many of the galleries did not allow photographs; if photographs were allowed, I'm showing them.)

We started our "tour" with Quilt National at The Foundry in St. Charles, MO. The Quilt National exhibit was fabulous; I thoroughly enjoyed it. The thing that made the biggest impression on me was the number of pieces that were hand quilted or used hand stitching as a part of the design. We actually counted; and of the pieces that were there, a quarter of them had hand stitching. I LOVE hand work, so I REALLY enjoyed this.

We spent one day in St. Louis where we visited several galleries including the Duane Reed Gallery, the Sheldon Art Galleries, the Craft Alliance Delmar Gallery, Art Saint Louis, the Craft Alliance/Grand Center, and The Gallery at the Regional Arts Commission. Each had something unique to offer. 

Art Saint Louis has an exhibit called Fiber Focus 2011 that will be available for viewing through October 13, 2011. It features the work of 42 contemporary fiber artists representing eight Midwestern regional states. This exhibit is well worth a visit.

The Craft Alliance/Grand Center only had one piece of fiber art. The piece, by Guerra De La Paz, is called Follow the Leader. It is made up of discarded clothing piled on top of what looks like legs with various shoes/boots. It was very interesting to see this exhibit. We were told the piece is a political commentary on waste and excess.

The exhibit at The Gallery at the Regional Arts Commission was much smaller than many of the exhibits but had several pieces I really liked. Jo Stealey had pieces in the gallery that were made of silk and processed leaves. They were my favorites. If you click on her name (which will take you to her site) and go to her "Nature's Mantle" section, you can see some of the pieces that were in this show. The exhibit at The Gallery is called Textile Variations/New Directions and will be available for viewing until November 6, 20ll.

The Craft Alliance Delmar Loop didn't have the most extensive exhibit, but their gift shop was VERY nice. (I found several things I thought I "needed." I ended up with a pair of earrings.) Nnenna Okore's exhibit, "Shokolo," relies on the use of flotsam or discarded objects, which are transformed into intricate sculpture and installations through repetitive and labor-intensive techniques. Her processes include weaving, sewing, rolling, twisting, and dyeing. Jim Hay's exhibit is called Angels, People, and SMOKE. His quilts are made from Japanese kimono cloth and cloth he has gathered from surrounding countries. Both exhibits are available through October 23, 2011.

The Duane Reed Gallery hosts an exhibit called Doll Sense. All of the pieces are woven. The exhibit, though, that I personally LOVED there was Lanny Bergner's exhibit called Nature's Matrix. Bergner works with mesh (some stainless steel and bronze) along with wire, glass frit, recycled ground plastic, paper, and silicone to create organic sculptural constructions. The pieces are three dimensional and very unique and innovative. Check out his website by clicking on his name. You can see some of the pieces from the exhibit in his gallery there. If I could afford a piece, I would have one! The exhibits there are available through October 15, 2011.

I was allowed to take some pictures at the Sheldon Art Gallery. Ties That Bind:  Art Quilts by Members of the Fiber Artists Coalition is available through December 3, 2011. This exhibition presents a selection of quilted works by members of the Fiber Artists Coalition, in conjunction with the citywide biennial Innovations in Textiles celebration, now in its 9th year. Here is just a small view of what is available to you at the Sheldon.

Shelley Brucar's piece, Stormy, is made of hand-dyed and commercial cottons.

"She #6" is made by Pat Bishop.

"Michigamee" is made by Maggie Weiss. It is made of hand-dyed cotton and silks and was collaged and machine quilted with organza batting. Maggie says, "Creating the illusion of three dimensions on a two-dimensonal surface is a continually captivating process, whether using dyes, paints or fabrics." I love the look of light on the water in this piece.

The Sheldon also has a really nice theater that houses various musical events. We got to take a look at that facility, and I found out that it has gorgeous stained-glass windows.

These are some of the large windows.

These are a couple of the small windows. I loved the colors and design.

All in all, it was a great visit to St. Louis. If you love fiber art, you still have a little time to make the trip. Get going!

Check It Out

Head on over to my post on "And Then We Set It On Fire" to see my latest experiment into surface design--using "Fugitive Media." While you are there, check out the beautiful work the other members of the blog have done too.

Join us this month when we "set things on fire" using heat to alter fabric and stitch.

Even the Entrace to the Chihuly Exhibit Was Spectacular

I realize my posts on Chihuly have nothing to do with fiber art, but... I have been so inspired by his work that I may have to incorporate some of the colors, shapes, shadows into my work. How about you?

Everything about Chihuly's "Through the Looking Glass" exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Art was top notch--even the entrance. Outside, tall spikes of orange/yellow glass among the grass indicated great things to come.

The first glimpse of the actual exhibit was this wall.

The people in the picture give you an idea of how large the pieces actually are. Here are a few closer pictures of the pieces mounted on the wall. The shadows cast beautiful images.

There were also pieces on the floor.

I love these "hot" colors. If you ever get a chance to check out a Chihuly exhibit, by all means do so!