Palouse Progress

Last day of the month and I had hoped to have another quilt completed. However, I'm still fighting a bug which has slowed me down. Still, I am pretty close to having my Palouse hills piece done. I finally gave up on the hand quilting, and as machine quilting, my original thread choice (a Valdani hand-dyed thread) worked pretty well. But I could not eye-ball the contour lines to my satisfaction. As I threatened early on, I pinned my tracing paper pattern to the front and stitched along the penciled lines. Really takes the pressure off for me. Downside of course is the time it takes to remove all that paper.


And did I say I was going to put more stitch in my work this year? Yes I did and this piece has it! All those thread tails had to be pulled to the back and tied off though, a time consuming job but it simply would not look good doing the pull the bobbin thread to the top and take tiny stitches to lock. This is a slightly heavier thread for one thing and I've tried that method with it on another quilt - not a good look. Once that was done, I couched an Oliver Twist hand-dyed rayon braid along the outline of the hills.


Because I will be attaching this to a pre-made "mount" all those thread tails pulled to the back did not have to be buried, than goodness. I'd still probably be working on that! Rather than regular batting, I used a synthetic felt made from recycled pop bottles (which made me feel slightly better about not using a natural fiber). I was afraid that regular batting might beard through the weave of the silk. I thought I would get a little dimension, especially with the machine quilting, but the surface of the quilt is very flat. Not really an issue with this piece and its atypical fabric choice.

Today I carefully folded back the top so I could trim up the felt to square and trimmed the top fabric about half an inch larger. That extra was turned to the back and glue basted in place to create a clean edge finish. The mounting fabrics and decor bond that will stabilize them are cut, so with any luck, I can put the finishing touches on this piece tomorrow.

First Quilt of the Year

"Brilliance of the Night Sky"
Hand-beaded Art Quilt
8" x 10" framed
Sheila Mahanke Barnes 2012

Fever be damned, I was determined to finish beading this little quilt with the found pin yesterday. I ended up putting more on than originally planned but I am pleased with the results. Feeling better this afternoon and I couldn't resist getting it stretched over canvas and mounted in the floater frame. I guess running across blog after blog showing "my first finished quilt of the year" has had a motivational effect on me. It feels good to have another quilt from my list for exhibits done, and it amuses me that completing it was not one of my January goals. It apparently took the place of the discharge quilt, still waiting for its final touches.

This is hard to get a good picture of - don't know if you can tell I used two different bugle beads, the bright silver-lined kind and a gunmetal grey twisted one (click on the picture for a larger view). Each arc has a different configuration of beads. I like the center one the best - it looks the most art deco to me. I'm not sure I'm not sure I like the silver-faced floater frame as much as I'd anticipated, but it may grow on me. I think part of my problem is that it needs something other than a white wall behind it to be effective. The dark around the outside of the picture is not part of the frame, although I wish it was. I should have taken an angled shot so you could get a better idea - it's a deeper gallery frame than I've used before. It almost works like a shadow box since the canvas the quilt is mounted on is 3/4" and the frame is 1-1/2" deep - perfect since the pin and beads raise off the surface.

These frames come in a gold facing too but I don't think I'd buy them again. I only tried them because they were the only floater frames on deep discount. I think I paid less for these than the narrower plain black ones so it was a reasonable risk to take. But in the future, I think I'll stick to plain black.

Another troubled week

Emerging design.


Non-emerging design.


For all my optimism, it was another week of stumbles and restarts. The good news is, after another round of trial beading that was removed because it did not work, I think I have resolved the patterning in the arcs on the found pin piece and have only a few scattered seed beads to apply in the space between the arcs to be done. My floater frames arrived and as near as I can tell (barring more vision gaps), the silver-faced floater will be the perfect complement to this quilt. So near done I can taste it.

The bad news is, after trying several more thread choices, I have come to the conclusion that hand quilting simply will not give me the look I want on the Palouse piece. I should have reasoned that with the heavier weave of the silk fabric, hand stitches would have to be large and out of proportion on this small piece (but might work just fine on a larger version). The thread you see in the picture that looks so much like the doubled basting thread is a buttonhole weight silk thread. If it were variegated, I might be able to live with the big stitches, but it is definitely not the look I had in mind. I'll do a trial of my original variegated thread which may very well show up fine in machine stitching, and if that too is a failure, well, I'll just be reassessing my options again.

In the meantime, I've been laid up this weekend with some sort of a bug. Lots of sleep, lots of fluids, a bit more upright this afternoon. Taking it easy.

Bright Ideas vs Reality

The vision gap that kicked off last week continued no matter what I picked up to work on. Compared to the previous week when I felt I was making great progress, in week 2 most everything I tried had to be taken out, redone, and maybe that taken out too. I redrew my guidelines on the beaded piece, tried different spacings and colors of beads, unbeaded and rebeaded until it was time to set it aside for more thought. I happily switched to the idea from the Palouse sketch which I didn't think should pose any problems - I even had the thread picked out. I basted the main lines as you can see in the above picture, quilted two lines of quilting and pulled them out. The thread simply disappeared on that heavy-weave silk, even though it was heavier than traditional quilting thread. It took some clever mind games to keep me from feeling defeated and convincing myself I'd wasted the week. But in truth, I think I've hit upon a plan that will work for the beading (after three tries) that is better than my original idea.. And I've picked out a new set of threads in a darker color that I think will work on the Palouse piece. I think I've learned a lot through this process, things I would not have learned if not forced to assess and reassess. The week begins with optimism (fingers crossed).

This gap between what the mind sees and how that plays out in the real world is not unlike the gap that often exists between the goals and resolutions we set and what we actually accomplish, I've decided. The notebook where I jot down my monthly goals has other things recorded throughout it, including a list of quilt ideas a page and a half long. I think that list was made before I moved to Idaho which would make it about 6 years old. Yes, I've completed some of the quilts on it, and others are in process so have a chance of being finished some day. But I fear for the rest, quilts I still think I want to make, ideas I still want to pursue, but the problem is, new ideas don't just stop materializing because I've started a list. It's a handy thing to have around though, for those rare times between projects when I'm wondering what I should work on next. The reality may be, though, that I will never get to them all, mostly because the newer ideas intrigue more and are fresh in my mind.

Also in the back of this notebook is a list of "book recommendations" which I see includes some dvd titles as well. I've even paperclipped reviews cut from magazines to this page. Frankly, I'd forgotten it was there, and while some of the titles still intrigue, I've changed my mind about the need for some of them, even on a lending basis. My book shelves have no room for more books & I have quite a few purchases from the last couple of years still waiting for me to read through them. I think I would be better off saving my money for thread & batting & frames. The gap between books I thought I needed and what I actually need to add to my collection is pretty big.

Finally, I was very surprised to come across my Goals/Resolutions for 2007. This would have been just a few months after I made the big move to Idaho which also signaled my big move to focusing on art quilting. I guess then, I shouldn't be surprised that this list takes up an entire page. It includes everything from "process & organize new fabric" and "finish putting up design wall fabric", to "contact local art quilters/art organizations, follow-up and GET INVOLVED" and "have studio open house". As I scan the list, I can see it is very focused on ways to become more professional with my art quilting - making contacts, identifying juried shows, beefing up blog content, revamping my documentation filing system. Only a couple of items refer to the actual making of art: This was the year I made monthly journals quilts with friend Judi & that shows up near the top of the list. There are references to upping my hours spent creating and how to schedule that, and an admonition to continue exploration of surface design techniques.

The check marks tell me I didn't do too well reaching those goals in 2007. I didn't actually do much with the "contact local art people" until 2008 (and a note in the margin indicates that was only somewhat accomplished). Many things are still waiting for me to complete (and I just may someday), while others, like the identifying juried shows to enter aren't on my radar anymore. Yes, my vision that year certainly exceeded reality. Yet look at what has happened with that GETTING INVOLVED goal. Several years down the road, I started exhibiting more frequently with the local arts council, and eventually was invited to join the visual arts committee at a time that was much better than if it had happened in 2007.

Wasted effort then, these lists and goals and resolutions we make? I don't think so. There's something about getting an idea out of your head and into this visible reality that is useful, even if it is off. Just like my beading, or my quilting that I thought was set and ready to go, these lofty thoughts once written out and considered can be revised and reworked and much learned during that process. New connections can be made leading to a better set of goals, a process that may not happen while the thoughts are just floating around in your head. And rather than remaining in the ether of our imaginations to be forgotten or blown out of proportion, here they are, a record of our thoughts to be revisited, smiled over, considered again, because these thoughts are where we thought we wanted to go and where we may still want to journey now that we are reminded. If not, realizing that helps clarify the direction we need to take, want to take. The trick, I suppose, is to remember to use lists and goals and resolutions as a tool, not to let them use and rule us.

Vision Gap

Ah, beading...you are so addictive. What starts out simple begins to build, more ideas, more beads... This is what I worked on today, thinking that as long as the 8 x 10 background was quilted, I could quickly add the beads I had in mind to enhance the pin and play out my idea. Alas, it is not taking shape as envisioned, not moving quickly either, and I fear the beads added today will be removed and redone tomorrow. I would despair if not for my beading mentor, Mary Stori, who also sometimes beads with optimism only to unbead and try something different. I think I've identified the problem and there's not too much to undo. In the picture above, I've set out the beads I bought for the project, shoving them around in approximation of how they will be positioned - too closely it has turned out. I've marked some guidelines with the white Clover pen that disappears with either dry heat or steam. I may be redrawing them as well.


I'm still operating a bit disjointedly, but when I get an uncontrollable urge after so many months of no uncontrollable urges, I feel I must act. Since the beading needed to stop while I pondered what was going on with it, and there was still time to fill, I took the first steps on my Palouse contours idea. I'd done a drawing from memory in my bigger sketchbook (above) and have been thinking of ways I could transfer the design for quilting. Remembering Mary Stori's trick of basting along the main lines to provide a guide for beading, I thought I could do the same for the quilting. So I spent some time with tracing paper over the sketchbook page to transfer the design. I'll scan it into the computer for future reference (I'm thinking I may want to play with it in a larger size), then pin it to the back to do the basting. All along I've intended this to be a hand quilted piece, but I may change my mind and machine quilt from the back. Yes, I can see I may need to do some samples.

Direction

Today was pretty grey but yesterday the sun made a stunning appearance, lighting up the willows I can see from the front porch with a shimmer I couldn't explain. Beautiful, unexpected, difficult to capture. A lot of life is like that.

With all my mutterings over the last few posts, I haven't talked much about artistic direction, although I hinted that I thought I might see a common thread amongst the quilts I want to work on this year. That common thread is thread, and mostly applied by hand. I find that interesting, primarily because I love hand quilting and other hand stitching, but often deny myself the pleasure because of time constraints. Here I am, definitely dealing with time constraints, and all my thoughts lead to projects requiring the slowness of hand work. It makes me smile.


At the beginning of last year, I was doing very minimalist work with very little stitch of any kind. I'd closed in on myself and it was all I could do. With only a few exceptions, I couldn't muster the energy or patience for much handwork, was unconvinced of my ability to do good machine work. As the year progressed, I sensed I needed to start working larger and put more quilting in my work but it was slow in coming. That need for expansion and complexity was confirmed as I viewed the quilts at the APWQ show in Tacoma back in August, and mirrored the personal expansion I was feeling in my life. As I stood before one incredible quilt after another, I knew that was where I wanted to go with my work, a return to a type of expression that would be more demanding but also more rewarding. A few tentative steps have been taken, and now that I have begun the hand quilting on Masks, I feel myself getting comfortable again, setting doubts and nay-saying aside. Yes, my direction this year is definitely toward more stitch, and I'm hoping to up the size too. Some of my ideas definitely need to find expression in a larger format.


I've also realized that I want to create some art that will surprise those that have gotten comfortable with my nature-themed art quilts. Masks will be one of them, I think, the discharge piece another. I've always had the odd quilt that has caused those who know my work to doubt it really came from me. But those ideas are in there too, with the leaves and the birches and the mountain landscapes. They perhaps challenge me most of all and are the most rewarding...when they work.

I'm counting on my resolution phrase, "balance and harmony", to help guide me in these old but neglected directions.

Settle down - or not

My last post talked about the scattered feeling I had as I assessed my progress toward the upcoming exhibits. I've thought a bit more about that, knowing that part of the scattering is just the way I work. I try my best to focus on one idea and project at a time. But as I work, other ideas and variations and possibilities suddenly flood my mind and before I know it, I'm off on another tangent. Yesterday was a darn good example. I'm stuck a bit on the 3 x 3 discharge piece (Fading & Forgotten may be its new title), unsure how to proceed with quilting around the outside. It is slated for an exhibit with a "found object" theme. But long before I picked up that metal plate from the side of the road, I'd picked up the costume jewelry pin above, also from the side of a road. I've had the idea for using it in a quilt since I held it in my hand 7 years ago. I would love to have it done too for this exhibit, but if I don't, it can be in a different one later.

But out it has come because it occurred to me that the quilting motif I'm contemplating for the discharge piece would make a great quilting motif for the pin to rest on - something I had not resolved in my contemplation of its design. Since the background is the same fabric as in the discharge piece, maybe I could get a better idea how this garnet stitch might look without actually doing it on the other piece. I have spent several happy hours stitching round and round and marveling as the texture emerged.


But wouldn't you know it, this exercise presented an option to use in the future that never would have occurred to me either. Since I will be wrapping the finished pin quilt over canvas to mount in a floater frame, I decided I did not need a layer of backing under the batting. That's Hobb's 80/20 black batting (on the right), and when I'd done a bit of quilting and flipped it over, I was quite taken with the look and feel of the batting so heavily quilted. Sigh...see? there's no end to the ideas that present themselves and I need to be a better manager of my time if I'm to get to even a small percentage of them!

So creative idea generation that sends me off in different directions aside, I've targeted why it has become more of an issue at the moment. This is perhaps the first time that I have had so many exhibits all converging at approximately the same time. They are all sponsored by my local arts council, and all are giving opportunity to get going on quilts that have been in the planning stage for a long time. Not all are themed, but of the ones that are, I am not trying to come up with an idea to fit the theme, the theme is conveniently fitting an idea I already have. And I have long used themed exhibits just that way - I seem to need that deadline or excuse to bring an idea to fruition. If this causes me to jump from one type of design to another, it doesn't usually pose a problem when exhibiting opportunities come one at a time months apart. I work on one or two quilts, hang them in the show, take a little breather, then start on the next. Fresh start, fresh direction perhaps.

I went into this round knowing I wanted to be involved in all of them, but also knowing if I didn't get something made for one or two of them, it would be ok. ArtWalk is my main focus, a place where I feel I can shine and show off my latest direction. Now that I have taken a more reasoned look at my original (and I'll admit a bit panicked) plan, my direction is becoming more clear. I can do this, and enjoy the process, explore away but know when to rein that in as well. Frankly, it feels good to be working like this, and bit by bit, I see common threads, how some may work together, how things may shuffle, what needs to be set aside for another time. The important thing is, I'm working - with enthusiasm.

Brainstorming for 2012

I have not been able to coalesce my thoughts as to where I want to go with my art this year and other aspects of my life. Instead, I've been leaving bits and pieces of ideas and perhaps longings all around the internet on other sites. My focus for months has been these up-coming exhibits and it's difficult to think beyond that. As day 3 of the new year arrived, and I continued to run across my favorite bloggers lining out their goals for the year, I knew I needed to sit quietly in the studio, sketchbooks and notebook at hand, and organize my thoughts a bit better, scoping out not only "the plan" for this month, but the peripherals that also must be addressed in the next three months.

Earlier in the day, I'd checked out the sale on aswexpress.com and discovered they had some of the floater frames I fell in love with on deep reduction. I was sitting at the library using its high speed connection so couldn't do my usual check and ponder here at home. I decided to make a few quick decisions, casting about in my memory to recall what designs I have pending that would look good in these frames, and then what sizes I might need. It forced me into decisions I otherwise might have put off until too late to take advantage of these prices, but it did something else too that surprised me. It made me pick a size for a quilt idea barely fleshed out, and by doing so, I suddenly felt I could confidently move forward with the idea. That's pretty much backwards to how I usually work but by doing so I felt it propel the idea forward. That's when I knew it was time to gather my thoughts, brainstorm a bit and clarify my direction.

What I found was that each of the exhibits are so different that the quilts for them are scattering my focus. No wonder I feel like I'm jumping from one thing to another, no continuity in what I'm doing. I don't think that is totally bad, but it is, I realized, keeping me from pursuing several ideas that exploded in my head as options for a series. I'm not sure I can do anything about that at this point, but it is a reminder how quickly I can become distracted from exploring an idea and really developing it.

I became the most concerned about my ArtWalk exhibit. I only need two pieces done and photographed by April to submit with the application, but need additional pieces to display by the opening at the end of June. I'm planning on Masks to be the centerpiece of my exhibit and suddenly questioned whether the quilts I'd jotted down as possible ArtWalk ones, especially the ones for the application, work with that quilt. During my time exhibiting with POAC, I've learned the value of a cohesive grouping, works that follow a theme however loosely. I need to give this more thought in order to set my priorities over the next few months.

So instead of getting any actual sewing done yesterday as I had planned, I worked on a plan, keeping in mind my resolution phrase of balance and harmony. I'll be needing both as I work towards these exhibits and keep on top of the rest of the daily activities. I did better than I thought I would addressing the goals on my December list. It has given me courage to come up with a list for January equally as ambitious:

1. Finish quilting the 3 x 3 discharge piece. Resolve cutout/suspension detail.
2. Quilt background for found jewelry piece (as tryout for motif to complete above quilting.
3. Stitch/threadpaint purple seedheads.
4. Consider companion pieces for Masks.
5. Sketch and/or mark quilting pattern for Palouse on silk over felt.
6. Continue developing abstract willow. Test runs on pieced background?
7. Continue hand quilting on Masks.
   

A New Year

Gotta tell ya, seeing this movie in the theater today was a great start to the year! Kinda made up for the fact that The Rose Parade, which I faithfully watch each New Year's morning snuggled under a quilt and sipping champagne-spiked orange juice, is postponed until tomorrow. I always forget they do that when the New Year kicks off on a Sunday. I haven't done much else today, except lose myself in a new novel and sit down with my calendars to transfer birthdays/anniversaries and note any meetings and appointments already clamoring for my attention in the days to come. As always, I also use this exercise as a chance to review what transpired during the year - trips I took, visits from friends, exhibit openings, dental traumas. For the most part, the memories are excellent.

As I've been reading others' blogs, I was reminded that I now do the resolution word to keep me on track throughout the year. Geez, I realized I couldn't remember what I'd picked for this year and had to look it up. Oh, yes: refocus, because in 2010 my word was "focus" and I'd gotten totally derailed by medical issues, anger and resentment (see this post which manages to put a positive spin on 2010 anyway). I'd gone into survival mode and not only struggled with my art, but struggled with relationships, essentially shutting myself off and throwing up defenses. But before the year was over, I knew I couldn't keep living like that, didn't want to keep living like that. So in addition to refocusing in 2011, I soon added a second resolution word: engage. The only way out of my hole, I realized, was to engage with life again, and not let opportunities slip through my fingers out of fear, laziness, inattentiveness or the other myriad ways we allow life to pass us by. Engage I did, and what a difference taking on that word made. Slowly but surely, I started taking risks, opened myself to others, tested various waters, healed both physically and emotionally, and began to reap the benefits of that openness in the response of others. So many wonderful experiences came my way in 2011 and as the year came to a close, I could see how far I'd come from where I started at the beginning of the year. It was months of hard work, actually, realizing just how much I'd lost myself that bad year, and lost my passion for quilting, what a mighty struggle it was not only to reclaim either but even remember what either had been like. But eventually, I got my feet under me once more, partly due to the engaging with life again, and the people I engaged with that helped me along the way. Not sure the passion has come back totally, but at least by the close of the year I again felt enthusiasm for my work. Throughout the year, few more ancient projects got finished, a couple of "problem" quilts got fixed, a few old ideas finally made there way to the "let's get started on this" phase, and new ideas kept bubbling up.

So what to choose for this year's word? That took about 2 seconds to decide and is actually a pairing of words: balance & harmony. It was the focus of my last yoga class of 2011 and I immediately realized what a perfect emphasis that would be for my life right now. Who doesn't want harmony in their life, especially the internal kind and balance is always something I've struggled to maintain, being such an "all or nothing" person. Balance and harmony are also elements I struggled to attain in my designing. So balance & harmony it is!

Happy New Year to you all, and may you too find balance and harmony in 2012.

New Year's Eve

Here it is the last day of the year, and I am still in a cheerful mood. The year is going out on a high of sorts, at least my mood is high. The sun made an appearance, weak through the thin clouds but sun all the same, brightening all rooms of the house. Thank goodness for lists, by the way. In the aftermath of the mostly pleasant distractions of the holiday, I could not think beyond one thing what it was I wanted to address as December's contribution to "the plan". I unearthed the list and...oh my. Quite a bit and not many days left. It was a happy discovery though, as "continue quilting on Masks" was one of the items, and I had not touched it all month. I picked it up as I watched a little tv this morning and it was like a treat.


Later, I continued yesterday's work on the 3 x 3 discharge piece (really gotta come up with a better name for it). Still puzzling how to flatten the circle centers (didn't like either attempt yesterday) and what else to do around the outside.


I've also returned to a thought which followed the making of Willow. I thought I'd done at least one sketch of a possible layout but couldn't find it. This is frustrating me a lot because the idea was very clear in my head, but I can't seem to make it happen on paper. I ran across something yesterday which gave me an idea for a border and did a rough sketch. Today, the thinking is progressing, curves coming to mind, and I spent a little time paging through a book for ideas.


I'm needing to get creative because of a shortage of fabric. When I got the fabric out that had sparked the idea, I instantly remembered why I'd set it aside for so long. That blue on the left is what I want as background for rectangles of the leaf batiks. But it is only 9 inches wide and not the full width of the cut anymore. The other fabrics are a few I pulled which are similar but not as perfect, and equally small in quantity. I'm trying to think of a way I might piece a background, and that is what led me to the thought of curves. Part of me mourns the inability to capture and execute the original idea, another part of me thinks that inability is leading to a more interesting design. So much for what I thought might be a quick quilt to throw together. But I like that my mind is working again, not blocked for solutions as it has been much of the year. All in all, it's been a delightful day.

So this is a different ending to the year than I often have. No rush to get the last stitches in something to say I finished it in 2011. No feeling of disappointment or failure because I did not do everything I thought to do. No "the year can't end soon enough" nor a "I don't want to see it go" - the year had its ups and downs but overall it was a good one, with lots of growth and healing, and ending in pleasant peace. I can't help but think the new year will only build on this, a slow and steady progression to more good things so I face it without qualms. I hope you are feeling the same sense of satisfaction and hope.

Can't wait to crack open the champagne and toast the New Year!

Cheerfulness a deterrent?

"Eggplant ala Albars"
12" x 12" Art Quilt
Gerrie Condon 2011

"Being cheerful is really no recipe to get down to work: nothing happens until paranoia, jealousy, competitiveness and guilt arrive."

Alain de Botton

Oh dear, could this be my problem this week? I had envisioned quiet, carefree days between Christmas and New Years in which to spend some quality time in the studio. But here it is Thursday already and I am just getting in there this afternoon to finish up that 4th Mountain Ash Berries postcard that I am keeping for myself, and pull fabric for a new art piece. I find I am still surrounded by a lovely bubble of warmth and love from the holiday preparations as well as cards, greetings and gifts from friends and family. In other words, I am very cheery as I write my thank you notes and go about the ordinary business of my life. Well, guilt does lie just around the corner, I feel it. But as for paranoia, jealousy and competitiveness, those don't factor into my creativity much anymore, nor when they do, do they really help in getting me "down to work." I don't subscribe to the angst philosophy of producing art. What may motivate most is admiration, not jealousy, which then makes me want to elevate my own work in response, but not in a competitive way.

Contributing to my glowing well-being is the little quilt above. I won it in a drawing on Gerrie Congdon's blog, and as if it were one more Christmas gift, it arrived just a few days before that holiday. It is one of several that she did for the Twelve by Twelve "eggplant" color challenge and it is lovely. Made from silk, it is quilted in a grid with various colors of thread. I love that effect and how the thread color plays tricks on the eye to make it believe the fabric underneath varies in color as well. I want to do more of this sort of thing myself in the new year.

But for now, off to cheerfully finish up my postcard...

Merry Christmas

Greetings of the season regardless of your beliefs. It's that warm fuzzy time of the year, and I hope that you are enjoying it in some way with the special people in your life, and also remembering those who have made past Christmases a sweet memory. I don't do much in the way of decorating anymore, finding I am quite satisfied with this little tree surrounded by the cards & presents that have been coming in. A bonus was waking this morning to softly falling snow. I was sure the weatherman said last night not to expect any until later in the day, and then not much, followed by snow/rain mix after dark. An ugly thought with people going out to services this evening - including me although I don't have far to go. Instead, this steady light snow has already left a couple of inches making it definitely feel like Christmas.


Also making it feel like Christmas was the arrival of Mr. FedEx with this package. I instantly knew what waited within since I got a similar one for my birthday - chocolate covered strawberries. I lost no time doing as the box instructed...yum! In addition to the fruit, that's a very large chocolate wreath loaded with half a dozen different kinds of nuts. That's my kind of chocolate.

Lest this all be about me, I'm also taking time today to bake cookies for some last minute gifts and write a few checks to charitable causes. I had an unexpected number of art sales this year (the most recent just a few days ago) after a discouraging 3 years of none. It appeared that once I gave up on the idea that my work would sell in an economy where many struggled to meet their basic financial obligations, that letting go allowed it to happen - in its own time I'm thinking. Whatever the reason for my success this year, I am grateful for the patronage of not only a few friends, but also a total stranger. I'm not sure why I needed the validation of that total stranger more than validation from friends, but I thought I did. Further reflection makes me realize I should not discount the importance of anyone wishing to put forth money for my art, whether they know me or not. Perhaps that should be the most important validation of all, that coming from friends. At any rate, it reminded me that in the past I've always donated a percentage of my quilting income to charity, and I needed to figure out where to send this delightfully large sum of money. I'm thinking The Heifer Project may be just the thing - looking at shares of a llama that would provide wool and income to a Peruvian family and shares of a sheep that would provide wool & income to an Arizona family - fiber being a nice tie-in. May you too find a way to share whatever bit of abundance that has come to you this year.

Mountain Ash Snow Berries Fabric Postcards

I put the finishing touches on these around midnight last night. A last row of red stitching next to the satin stitched edges. (Click on photo for larger view.) They are now tucked in Christmas cards and on on their way...


Yes, I started with four, but that fourth one became a "prototype" of experimentation, trying to hit upon a thread color that pleased me. My meager collection of reds were all similar in value to each other and to the fabric they were to lie on. The rayon just didn't give the effect of berries that I had in mind, a dark brown was simply not right. If you look closely at mountain ash berries, you will see they are more orange then red, so I thought, aha! that orange polylite thread that has come in so handy lately will surely do the trick. But no, it too wasn't what I had in mind. (It's the lower three in the picture above and the center finished postcard in the top picture. You can see how it makes the red fabric look more orange than the same fabric stitched with reds.) I actually picked out the stitching on one semi-circle, no mean feat when you have double-stitched a circle with tiny stitches. It was a bad day at the office.


Then in conversation with a friend, two things happened. I was reminded of the technique of blending your own color by passing two different threads through the eye of the needle. And I remembered I had some red silk thread stashed away with my supplies for Baltimore Album blocks. There was a darker, almost reddish brown thread in there that on its own was too dark, but which toned down the red rayon just enough when paired with it to give more definition against the red fabric. (You can see in the previous pictures several of those blending trials with other thread colors.) The difference is subtle, but what I was looking for.

So what do you think? Is this a design idea worthy of further exploration in a larger format? I'm thinking yes. Got ideas or comments? Please share!

Mountain Ash Berries

Priorities scolded "no", the muses encouraged "yes". You can see who won out. Just had an overwhelming urge to start playing with this idea inspired by the mountain ash berries covered with snow. Too often I put off moving ahead with something so long that I lose the idea. Not this time. Besides, it's on my list of goals for the month.

And now I'm off to the reception for "Cabin Fever."

POAC Exhibit "Cabin Fever"

"Poppies & Peonies"
23" x 18" Art Quilt
Sheila Mahanke Barnes 2011

We hung the latest POAC exhibit yesterday, and yes, I got my quilt finished for it. "Poppies & Peonies" is my response to the theme of Cabin Fever - I always look forward to them blooming next to the house once winter is over and the weather warms again. On their face, they are not particularly tropical in nature, but using their orange and red palette in this piece does make me think a bit tropically.


Remember me saying I felt the need to work both larger and with more stitching? As I quilted away on the ferns in the background batik, I began thinking of this piece as my "return to stitch" - this is so much more heavily quilted than my other pieces this year. An unexpected (or perhaps just unremembered) advantage of such dense stitching is that it produced a very stable and flat piece once steamed. No stretching along the sides when I applied binding and couched that bit of yarn along the binding seam.



We have such a great crew at POAC. It made it a little less intimidating for my first time co-coordinating an exhibit. Still, with 37 artists submitting up to 3 pieces each, it takes about 5 hours to group and hang the art.


We've started asking artists to submit a framed artist bio or statement to hang with their art. Still, each piece of art gets its own hand-written gallery card. Karen & I were comparing notes as to which was worse - muscle cramps from wrestling large framed paintings up high or muscle cramps from filling out those cards.


Here's just a tiny sampling of the creative responses to our theme. I'll post better pictures later.


If you're in the area, please stop by - either for the reception tomorrow night or before the exhibit comes down in February. Details below:

“Cabin Fever” Exhibit opens December 16

The opening reception for the Pend Oreille Arts Council’s provocative new art exhibit will be Friday, December 16, from 5:30-7 p.m. in the POAC Gallery, in the Power House, 120 Lake Street in Sandpoint. Entitled Cabin Fever, the exhibit features exceptional new works from more than 30 of POAC’s member artists.

"Cabin Fever seemed the perfect theme for our exhibit that falls during the dead of winter,” says Sheila Barnes, one of the co-coordinators of Cabin Fever. “We envisioned our gallery creating a cozy respite, full of colorful art sweeping viewers away to exotic places or warm seasons. We all get cabin fever from time to time, and we all deal with it differently. We hope you will join us and see how our artists deal with it, escaping with them for awhile.”

The diversity of media and subject matter in this exhibit is extraordinary, and offers a great opportunity to enjoy a wonderful trip into some interesting perspectives, ideas, and beauty. Oil, acrylic, watercolor, photography, ceramics, jewelry, fiber and sculpture will be represented, and most of the work will be for sale to the public – just in time for the holidays! The reception is free and the public is encouraged to attend. Cabin Fever will remain on display through February 17, 2012.

The Pend Oreille Arts Council exists to facilitate and present the finest quality experiences in the arts for the people of the Sandpoint area and beyond. POAC hosts performing arts events and visual arts events throughout the year. For more information, contact POAC at 263-6139, e-mail at poac@sandpoint.net, become a ‘Fan’ on Facebook, or visit the website at www.artinsandpoint.org.

Ahhhhhh

Back in business...

The Part

At last, the part for my sewing machine has arrived and has now replaced the troublesome one above. Tomorrow, machine quilting can begin in earnest. It had better, as I have just under a week to finish Poppies & Peonies for the next exhibit. Who would think it would take over a month to get a simple part like this for a machine that is still in production?


My repairman was surprisingly indignant at the cost of this part. It's just a molded piece of plastic that slips over the end of the metal shaft that moves up and down, held in place by an Allen screw (top). It has a wee bit of metal wire to keep the thread from swinging wild and a smaller hole in the bottom to insert the needle, held by another screw (lower). If you look closely you can see how that lower screw broke off below the surface of this part, inaccessible and thus causing the purchase of the replacement part at $30. If I had not had an extra screw, that would have cost me another $7. Thank goodness, my repairman did not also tack on labor for switching the parts out.

Thankful for the Sun

Yes, the sun made an appearance today, taking the edge off an otherwise chill day. As I stood by the lake, soaking it in, I chanced to look up at the big willow, that sun lighting up its branches. So often, I see it only as a silhouette.


I'm guessing you gray naysayers like this juxtaposition of yellow better.


There was red too. I never remember the name of the bush that produces such a thick array of red berries each fall.


Out on the lake, the water was setting up interesting lines and angles, driven by the uneven bed below.


And up in the sky, the moon shared space with some clouds.


Couldn't help it - that jet trailing contrails looking all in the world like it was headed directly for the moon reminded me of scenes in old sci-fi movies.


Just when I thought I was done shooting pictures, I chanced to take one more look back as I passed by the willow tree. Framed within the branches was the moon, and I got some great shots using the zoom, even without a tripod. Some decidedly artsy ones below.

Playing Telephone

My cousin, Laura, sent me a little challenge, a box that is making the rounds in a game of Telephone. To be honest, this is not a game I played when young, except for once at a youth group where it totally fell flat. The idea is that whatever is whispered to the first person will become totally distorted by the time it is whispered to the last. In my case, it was faithfully repeated the entire way around, much to the consternation of the adult leading the activity. I've seen the quilter's version of telephone in one of the popular magazines, and frankly, I thought most of the participants took huge liberties in interpreting what was "whispered" to them. In many cases, I could not see the connection at all.


So here it is my turn and I can now see how easy it is to take a big leap. Above is what my cousin "whispered" to me. I thought all week about it, mostly sussing out the meaning of the quotation from Shakespeare. I'm not sure the casual observer can see the connection between her piece and mine, but in my mind, it is there. By the way, this is not a fiber specific challenge as participants are to respond on supplied 5-1/2" by 8" cardstock, but my cousin thought it might be interesting to add that dimension so sent it my way. I used bits and pieces of leftovers from the Strawberry Moon series and eyes I'd printed on TAP and transferred to fabric for use on Masks. Those eyes did not turn out at all as I'd envisioned so they were looking for a home. The poem is one I wrote earlier in the year. It's not great art but this was a nice little diversion today while I continue to wait for my sewing machine part to arrive.

December Goals

I get a big kick out of Austin Kleon's newspaper blackout horoscopes. Above is mine for December - something to think about and it makes me smile. You can see all of December's horoscopes here. As for what I think I'll really do in terms of "The Plan", looks like December will be more of the same in terms of goals - having to move a lot of November forward. Actually, I know that setting these goals won't necessarily result in everything on the list each month getting done. Life happens, priorities change, and one must always be open to following the muse who does not always like what's on the list. However, it is very helpful to me to have a basic framework, something I can go to on those days when I can't think what to do. And past experience tells me that by setting frequent goals, I'll be less likely to look back with regret and more likely to be able to work at a sane pace to complete work for events I want to be a part of. It's part organizer, part motivator. So at the risk of sounding redundant plus overly ambitious, here's what I hope to work on this month:

1. Quilt and bind Poppies & Peonies for December exhibit
2. Quilt 3x3 discharge piece. Possibly experiment with cutout and suspending plate
3. Sketch full-size patterns for shadow grass & fall furrows
4. Play with mountain ash berries idea (in postcard format)
5. Work up abstract willow idea
   
6. Work up free-motion stitched seed head idea
7. Continue hand quilting on Masks