Paper Pieces

I was recently in Paducah, KY, for a quilting retreat with friends. We made a stop at Paper Pieces, a shop (and on-line store) for paper piecing supplies. Before I get into this post, I just want you to know I am not in any way being compensated for this write-up. I am just a happy customer (and my friends tell me an enabler). The owner and staff were VERY friendly, informative, and welcoming. The shop itself is small but well stocked with all your paper piecing needs. I bought the coolest things.

First, I purchased a great portable work table. Here are the pictures from their website (although they really don’t do the table justice—mine is cuter).

This thing is ingenious. It tilts, it has a place for three spools of thread, a little magnet to hold your needles, a cloth cover along with a heat-proof cover for ironing, and the cloth cover even has a little pocket on it. When all the covers are taken off, sandpaper has been added to the top. That feature is great for holding your fabric in place while tracing pattern pieces. It even tilts. One of the best things about it is that it is made in the USA. This is a well thought out piece.

My other purchase was a small ring-type cutter for cutting thread.

The owner of the shop told us this cutter was originally made for cutting fishing line, but the fisherman's wife used it for cutting her sewing threads when she couldn’t find her scissors. She liked it SO much she gave cutters to her friends, and they all loved it too. I plan to use it when traveling. I figure it will be much easier to get to than scissors when I’m sewing in the car AND I can use it on a plane. The cutter rings come in black or pink.

 

I wanted to buy lots of things at the shop but didn’t since I will be working “forever” on my big hexagon project. If you ever get to Paducah, stop by. If not, you can always shop online here.

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What's in a Name?

I REALLY have trouble coming up with names for my pieces, and I struggled with the name for my latest piece. You can see the quilt in this blog post. Here are a couple of detail pictures. (I'm happy I decided to hand quilt this piece.)

I asked friends (who came up with some very good ideas--"Poppy Daze" was my favorite), I did some research, and I thought about it A LOT. I looked for synonyms for "poppy," but I didn't think "opium," "drug," "brown stuff," "opiate," "heroin," or "morphine" were appropriate. While doing some research, I read about how the poppy was the inspiration for a famous poem and was touched by the story of how the poppy is used as a remembrance for fallen soldiers. I thought I had stumbled upon something I could work with here.

"The sight of these delicate, vibrant red flowers growing on the shattered ground caught the attention of a Canadian soldier by the name of John McCrae. He noticed how they had sprung up in the disturbed ground of the burials around the artillery position he was in. It was during the warm days of early May 1915 when he found himself with his artillery brigade near to the Ypres-Yser canal. He is believed to have composed a poem following the death of a friend at that time. The first lines of the poem have become some of the most famous lines written in relation to the First World War."

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

The information in the previous paragraph comes from the website listed below. If you'd like more information about the poppy and how it became a symbol of rememberance check it out here--http://www.greatwar.co.uk/article/remembrance-poppy.htm

So, I chose "Remembrance" as the name for my quilt. Not only does "Remembrance" refer to the poppy's being the recognized symbol of Remembrance for fallen soldiers, but (in this case) it is also a nod to Marie Webster--a "remembrance" of her accomplishments as a quilter and early female entrepreneur. She authored a book and had a business at a time when that was a rare occurrence for a woman. "Remembrance"--here's to you Marie Webster!

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Finally Finished

I have been frantically working on a piece for the last two months. Thankfully, I had some quilt/art retreats in those months that allowed me the concentrated work time to finish it. "Remembrance" was made in response to a call for entry for the regional SAQA exhibition, Dialogues: Contemporary Responses to Marie Webster Quilts to be held at the Indiana Museum of Art early next year.

According to the SAQA website, the following is the exhibition concept: "Artists are asked to submit work that responds to the early 20th century quilts made by Marie Daugherty Webster (1859-1956). Webster’s quilts were inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement and represented a fresh and innovative approach to quilt design. Since then, the world has changed dramatically. Our experiences, perceptions, ideas and art have been influenced by wars and political upheaval, by the changing roles of women, by globalization and environmentalism, and by extraordinary advances in science and technology. We invite you to respond to a single Webster quilt or to the group as a whole – specifically those designed in the early 1900s – with work that reflects the times we live in: how do we, in the early 21st century, express ourselves artistically? Your artist’s statement must cite the connection you are making to a particular Webster quilt or quilts."

I didn't go into the work with anything political, environmental, cultural, or scientific in mind. I looked, primarily, at her style and design sense. Her style and mine could not be more different, so coming up with a design that was influenced by her work and still stayed true to mine proved difficult. I like bold color and bold shapes. She used (primarily) VERY traditional designs, lots of flowers, and pastel colors. The one thing we have in common is the hand quilting. There is NOTHING that gives you the look of hand quilting. I bought her book, researched her quilts, and still struggled to find an inspiration; I kept going back to her Poppy quilt. You can see it here.

The thing I liked the most about it was the "flow" and symmetry of the central poppy medallion. While I am drawn to symmetry (as most people are), I don't like too much of a good thing, and I kept this in mind while making my piece. When you look at mine, you will notice that it is not (intentionally) EXACTLY symmetrical. I'm showing the quilts side by side so (hopefully) you can see how her work inspired my piece.

(The picture above is deceptive--Marie's quilt is a full-size quilt; mine is about the size of her central medallion.) My background is solid white and is HEAVILY hand quilted. I took this photo of my quilt with my phone; I guess I didn't realize there was a big shadow on it till I'm looking at the photo now. (I'm not seeing anyting very well these days; I have to have eye surgery in January--long story.)

In my next post about this piece, I'll tell you how I came upon the name for my quilt and a bit more about the exhibit.

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Nineteen Stars: Quilts of Indiana's Present and Past (3)

This is my third installment about a quilt exhibit at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science in Evansville, IN. The exhibit opened on October 24 and runs through January 10, 2016. NINETEEN STARS: QUILTS OF INDIANA’S PRESENT AND PAST, begins the museum’s celebration of Indiana’s upcoming Bicentennial. The theme is drawn from the 19 stars depicted in the state flag that commemorate Indiana’s position as the 19th state to join the Union. I recently had the opportunity to view this wonderful exhibit. If you live close enough to check it out, please do so. If you would like more information about the exhibit or museum, click here.

In my previous posts, I've shown you lone star quilts and variations, feathered stars, and Penny Sisto's quilt about Frances Slocum. In my last installment on the show, I'm going to show you a variety of quilts in the exhibit.

I have to mention the fact that, as a hand quilter myself, I LOVE to see good hand quilting. This show did not disappoint. Here is only one of many examples of REALLY, REALLY good hand quilting.

REALLY good machine quilting was also represented.

There were modern/art quilts (the full quilt--Bohemian Fireworks by Sandra Peterson, 2009--is in the upper left; the other three pics are close up shots),

Bohemian II: Ferris Wheels and Kites, Sandra Peterson, 2013 (below)

and there were traditional quilts (full quilt upper left; remaining pics are close up shots).

(Quilt above--Back Porch Stars, top designed and pieced by Kaye England; quilted by Cathy Franks, 2014)

The traditional quilt above (Stars Across Indiana by Deb Geyer, 2014-2015) is unusual because of the quilting in the solid areas of the pattern. Deb says she included some of her favorite images from across Indiana in the quilting of the blocks. She has included things like the Purdue Student Union, country scenes, the Indy 500, the Children's Museum and more.

The Indiana Amish quiltmakers were represented, too. This quilt (Variable Star) was made by Katie C. Troyer Miller in 1915.

I haven't shown you nearly all the quilts in the exhibit. Please check it out in person if you get the chance. It is well worth the trip.

 

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Nineteen Stars: Quilts of Indiana's Present and Past

This is my second installment about a quilt exhibit at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science in Evansville, IN. The exhibit opened on October 24 and runs through January 10, 2016. NINETEEN STARS: QUILTS OF INDIANA’S PRESENT AND PAST, begins the museum’s celebration of Indiana’s upcoming Bicentennial. The theme is drawn from the 19 stars depicted in the state flag that commemorate Indiana’s position as the 19th state to join the Union. I recently had the opportunity to view this wonderful exhibit. If you live close enough to check it out, please do so. If you would like more information about the exhibit or museum, click here.

Here are some more of my favorites.

This one is a string star (Enlightened Star made by Judy Pleiss, from Indianapolis, in 2014). She says she was inspired by a 1940s scrap quilt top she purchased for $15. I love the lively colors in this quilt; I LOVE scrap quilts.

This was my favorite feathered star. It was made in Pike County--1840-1870. This is another quilt where the quilting is just FABULOUS.

I had to show you a close up of this star. There is LOTS of gorgeous hand quilting on this quilt.

Penny Sisto has two quilts in the exhibit. (I'm only showing you one of them. You REALLY need to see these quilts in person. The imagery is spectacular, and the eyes haunting.) The focus of both quilts is Frances Slocum. At the age of five, Frances was kidnapped by Delaware Indians. She was raised among the Delaware in what is now Ohio and Indiana. This quilt is called Frances Slocum's Totem and was made in 2014.

Penny says, "Against a darkening sky a Totem forms. It is made up of the child Frances Slocum in the years after she was kidnapped."

"The horizon of the quilt shows a child's memory of the kidnappers galloping bareback. The scene is chaotic and stands in sharp contrast to the stillness of the Totem group. Frances holds a deerskin shield bearing the symbol of a white deer."

"The shield frames the head of her adopted Grandmother/Teacher who teaches her the ways of her new people."

"An eagle rises behind Frances to bring her guidance and courage. Fractured stars form a line behind her right sholder, lighting her pathway."

I will have one more installment on this exhibit. Stay tuned.

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Nineteen Stars: Quilts of Indiana's Present and Past

There is currently a quilt exhibit at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science in Evansville, IN. The exhibit opened on October 24 and runs through January 10, 2016. NINETEEN STARS: QUILTS OF INDIANA’S PRESENT AND PAST, begins the museum’s celebration of Indiana’s upcoming Bicentennial. The theme is drawn from the 19 stars depicted in the state flag that commemorate Indiana’s position as the 19th state to join the Union. I had the opportunity to go to the exhibit today. If you live close enough to check it out, please do so. We need to get the word out that fiber arts are appreciated and that people are willing to come to the museum specifically to see fiber art. If you would like more information about the exhibit or museum, click here.

If you are a fiber art lover, you know you need to see these in person--looking at pictures just doesn't do the pieces justice. These were some of my favorites from the show.

There were very old lone star and lone star variation quilts. This one by Rachel Rardin from Greenfield, IN, is dated from 1835-1843. The quilting on this quilt is specifically mentioned on the information about the quilt. It says, "Besides the perfectly flat central star, unusual (and difficult) diamond border and survival of easily-faded purple dye, this quilt is also notable for its quilting, a formidable eleven stitches to the inch in white or blue-green thread (depending on the hue of the face fabric) through a very thin batting.

This quilt is called Stars Upon Stars and was made between 1913-1919.

This Blazing Star Quadrant Quilt was made between 1860-1880.

I took a close up of this quilt; the quilting was FABULOUS.

This is a lone star made by Anna Chupp Miller from Goshen, IN. It is dated 1930.

It is amazing to me that women 100 years ago could make such masterpieces, and that the work would survive in such good shape considering the tools (or lack of tools) they had to use. I'm sure many of them worked like my grandmother by cutting templates from thin cardboard/brown paper/sandpaper, cutting out quilt pieces with scissors (no rotary cutters back in the day), piecing by hand, and quilting by hand. I'm floored by the talent of these quiltmakers.

Over the next few days, I'll share some more quilts from the exhibit. There are string stars, Amish stars, and very modern stars yet to share with you.

 

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