Nick DeFord Lecture and Workshop

Recently, I went to an hour long lecture by Nick DeFord on the campus of the University of Louisville. He spoke about his artwork and showed pictures of several of his pieces. Most of his work involves embroidery on paper of some sort--maps, board games, books, etc. He also collages "papers" with stitch. He spoke of his motivation, his inspiration, and his likes and dislikes. He definitely has an interesting point of view.

I also attended his three-hour "learn-to-stitch-on-paper" workshop. I was interested in the concept not only out of curiosity but to see if I could do something with the numerous postcards I have collected. (I have some fabulous postcards that need to see the light of day rather than live in a box in my basement.)

I discovered some interesting differences between stitching on fabric and stitching on paper. I guess I had never really thought about it before.

• Because of the nature of paper, one has to be very careful about the holes made in the paper--once in the paper, they can't be removed. I know that sounds silly to say; it is SO obvious. However, it sure brings the point home when you are actually stitching on paper!
• Holes can't be too close together, because the paper will "collapse" making an unintended hole.
• Doing embroidery onto a game board, requires the use of an awl. Holes have to be "punched" into the board through which the needle and thread can easily pass. Nick uses an awl for bookmaking because it has a thin point.
• To stitch on cloth I often test to see if I'm in the correct spot to begin stitching by pushing the needle up from the back and checking to see how close to the stitching spot I am. If I'm not in the right place, I adjust and move over a little bit and bring the needle up again. That can't be done on paper/cardboard. Again, that seem so obvious, but I kept forgetting I couldn't do that. To solve that issue, I ended up making holes in the paper with my needle where I intended to stitch.

Here, Nick DeFord is talking about what kind of thread he likes to use. (He likes DMC floss for embroidery, and he likes Gutterman quilting thread for beading.) He demonstrated different stitches, discussed the need for backing some paper with fusible interfacing, showed us stitching for collage, and beading on baseball cards. He also showed us some of the pieces he had done. I found the class VERY interesting.

He also says this is his favorite book for learning embroidery stitches. (It is an old one from Coats and Clark--not an easy one to find.)

Students from U of L attended the class alongside members of LAFTA (Louisville Area Fiber and Textile Artists).

We were asked to bring "papers" we might want to stitch onto, and lots of "papers" we're made available to us. I stitched on a piece of card stock I had brought from home. This is what I got done.

I really enjoyed this class. It is always fun learning something new, networking with other artists attending the workshop, and meeting new people. Now, we'll have to wait and see if I figure out how I might use this new-found knowledge to include my postcards into some new art pieces.

 

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Visiting Louisville for a Stitching on Paper Class

My husband and I recently went to Louisville so I could attend a class and lecture about stitching on paper. First, though, I want to talk about where we stayed and other things we saw while we were there.

We stayed at the Central Park Bed & Breakfast. (We stayed in the Rose Garden Room.) We had such a good experience with this stay. It was very close to the University of Louisville campus, which is where my class and lecture were; that made it very convenient for us. The cost was less than what we would have paid at The Hampton Inn for that weekend. (We checked.) We had wonderful hosts, a nice suite, snacks and drinks (including some good bourbon, wine, and moonshine) at no extra cost, good company, and a great breakfast. We had heated towels in the bathroom, a KEURIG with all varieties of coffee and teas right outside our room, and bourbon balls in the candy dish in our room. Rob and Eva were great hosts. If you get a chance, you might want to visit. Here are a few pictures of the inn.

We ate at Buck's our first evening there. That is a fabulous place to eat--fresh flowers, a piano player in a tux, good service, and great food. The atmosphere is old-school elegant. I just love it.

Before my workshop, we made a trip to the Speed Art Museum. We spent almost three hours there, and I didn't even get to the Contemporary section (which evidently included several pieces of fiber art I wish I could have seen). It is a place I will definitely visit again. (Free admission on Sunday's; it is usually $12 a person.) We enjoyed a very good meal at the museum restaurant; don't pass that up if you have time to pick up a bite while there.

Here are some of the pieces I really enjoyed. In the Native American section, these beaded pieces REALLY caught my eye.

Click on these for a close-up view of the beadwork. I'm in awe.

I saw three quilts while there. I enjoyed them very much. Virginia Mason Ivey made this quilt about 1860. There are trapunto flowers, farm animals, and even a statue of Henry Clay in quilting on this quilt. She copied the depiction of the statue from an engraving published in Harper's Magazine. Quilts like this were made for display rather than day-to-day use. The edges of this quilt looked like tassels (see bottom right). If you take a close look at the top middle picture, you can see a rider on a horse, a cow, and a duck in quilting.

This 1884 crazy quilt was made by Fanny Owen Woolfolk. In the bottom right picture you can see a closeup of a souvenir ribbon from the Louisville Southern Exposition (a massive fair of industry and art) which displays the year "1884." I love the fabrics (bugs, top right) and the fancy embroidery stitches (bottom left). I thought this quilt was very interesting because the crazy quilt part of this quilt is the border for the central log cabin blocks.

This Cross-Border Quilt by Mary Mize is dated between 1850 and 1855. It is believed that the maker and her family resettled in Clay County, Kentucky, to escape Confederate Tennessee for the Union state of Kentucky bringing this quilt along with them.

The last fiber piece I saw at the museum was this piece by Alma Wallace Lesch. She called it "Ful-O-Pep," and it was made in 1972. The description card for this embroidered piece says, "Textile artist Alma Lesch created something new to represent something old; an embroidered representation of a feed sack. Lesch, who grew up on a farm in western Kentucky, often referenced rural living in her work. Her nostalgia for textiles associated with country life--feed sacks, quilts, overalls--connects her to other artists from the 1960s and 1970s who shared her romance for the rural."

I'll talk about the lecture and show you what I did during my workshop with embroidery artist Nick DeFord in my next post.

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Quilting Update and a Lecture and Class

 

I have been working on the block I showed you in this post. To date, I have spent almost 19 hours hand quilting. Take a look at the progress I've made. The first picture is a repeat (just to remind you of the size of these tiny little squares)!

I'm REALLY enjoying this work.

Today, I'm heading to a lecture by Nick DeFord. He is the Program Director for Arrowmont. According to the description of the lecture, it will encompass how he incorporates textile processes in his art making that primarily focus on the linear qualities of thread using it as a drawing medium. He often works with found and familiar objects as he transforms them into otherworldly objects that evoke a sense of displaced history.

Tomorrow, I will be taking a three-hour workshop he is offering. The workshop will explore the use of the stitched line as means of expression and will encourage students to challenge use of materials in their own practice. Students will respond to a variety of objects as they explore how to incorporate needle and thread as a primary tool for expression.

Can I just say, "I'M EXCITED!" My husband and I are heading down to Louisville and are spending the night at the Central Park Bed & Breakfast. It is located close to the University of Louisville campus, which is where the lecture and classes will be. We always enjoy trying out new places to stay.

I'll report back when I get a chance.

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A Bit of Extreme Embroidery

My "extreme embroidery" project is an easy one to take with me, and I had the opportunity to work on this piece while on a 10 1/2 hour trip to visit my son and his family.

This is the before. (It is a foot.)

This is the after.

Here is some more stitching. The before...

After

I know it doesn't look like much, but this little bit of stitching took approximately eight hours! If you know me, though, you know how important hand stitching is to me and how much I love doing it. It makes me happy.

 

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Some Hand Quilting

I have had a quilt top in my UFO pile for quite awhile and finally decided I should work on it. It is a Block of the Month from the Quilt Show (from years ago). I have always liked it and use it in my lectures to show how I machine applique. I decided it has been a quilt top long enough; it is ready to become a "quilt."

My first step was to have it marked. My friend, Jane, is VERY experienced at marking quilts. I told her what I wanted to do, and she marked it for me. It took her quite a long time. When you see my picture you will understand why.

Here is a picture of a bit of the quilt. You can see the marking in the picture. (My thumb is in the picture so you can see how small the cross hatching actually is--1/4" apart.)

This is one of the blocks. If you look closely, you can see the marking in this picture too.

Next, I needed to have the quilt basted. I am SO over crawling around on the floor to hand baste a big quilt. I don't like to use the spray adhesive to baste a large quilt either. So...I sent it off to a long arm quilter (Lora Nale), and she basted it for me. I've never had this done before, and I'm not sure how I'm going to like it. I didn't realize the basting stitches would be SO long. I find they are catching on things. I'll report back and let you know how it works out.

When the basted quilt was returned to me, it was time to decide on a quilting thread color. I looked on my Superior Threads Treasure Hand Quilting thread sample sheet (whew, that is a mouthful) and found the perfect color for my quilt. I tried to order it online, but the website showed they had none in stock. I made a call to Superior to see if/when it would be back in stock, and I reached Suzanne Harrich. She said, "I'll check to see if there are a few in the warehouse (too few to list online)." She went to check, there were a few, she called me back, and I ordered them. I got them yesterday and am SO pleased with the quality and color of the thread; it is just perfect for this quilt. Suzanne went through a lot of trouble for me--what GREAT customer service! I'm a happy customer.

I started the quilting late last night and ended up quilting three hours. I'm loving how it looks; but at this rate, it will be another one of those "forever" projects.

Do any of you do hand quilting? I just LOVE it--both the doing it and the look of it. There is NO machine that can mimic the beautiful texture of the handmade stitches. I SO enjoy the slow, peaceful, relaxing feel of hand stitching.

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When the Cat's Away the Mice Will Play

My husband left for Vegas today, so I'm playing! The house is a mess--the bar is covered,

and the dining table is covered. Luckily, I won't have to pick all this up until the hubby is on his way home!

I worked on some of my dark 365 Challenge blocks today. I finished the remaining 3 1/2" blocks for February and am part of the way through the March blocks. These little blocks take a bit of time to complete. These are the ones I got done today.

In addition to the 365 Challenge, I'm also participating in a Quilt-Along hosted by Alida (over at Alidatweloqdesigns.blogspot.com). Since I last posted, I finished my backgammon board using reverse appliqué. Alida is using a new technique on each of the game boards in her Play With Me Quilt-Along Skill Builder. Check it out here. I think the granddaughters will like the color scheme for this one.

I also finished my Nine Men's Morris game board using paper piecing.

I have had some "down" time due to me being sick, my brother-in-law having an accident, my dad being sick, and a trip to see the grandchildren in Arkansas. I spent almost a week with my sister (a six hour drive) during my brother-in-law's hospitalization, a week and a half being sick after I got back home, and several days making trips to the hospital and my dad's during his illness. The one plus to all this is that I had some time to work on my extreme embroidery during the 10 1/2 hour drive to Arkansas. I'll show you my progress in a day or two.

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