Category Archives: DMC Challenge

Adventure Challenge 2012, DMC Challenge

Vernal Equinox March 22, 2012

March 22, 2012 admin 1 Comment

Tuesday we celebrated the Vernal equinox. Here it was glorious and continues to be the wonderful sunny blue sky days that fill me with delight. I have only really noticed the longer days because I am getting up in the light and it is still light at dinner time. Going out of doors with out a coat or jacket is very freeing. The air is filled with bird song. I find myself labeling them and looking into the branches. The spring warmth has cause the plants to open there leaves. The willows greens contrast against the pines and the silver maples rust colored buds are spilling pollen out across the sidewalk. There are many flowers up. I have the usual spring plants like crocus and snow drops and in addition there are daffodils open and even violets are blooming. I know violets use to appear near the end of April as my Mom often put them on my birthday cakes. With all this new growth around me I have been pushing out lots of work too. The fact that I had four full days in the studio with out any interruptions did not hurt ether. I seem to be more awake somehow and the ideas are really flowing. I am collecting them in the idea/sketchbook for the times when I am a little on the depleted side. I am enjoying all and I hope you are celebrating the wonders of Spring too.

Progress Report Cycling Circuits

Golden Rounds a Paper Quilt and Adventure Challenge

This work is coming along nicely. I am all done with the beading step now. I painted some inner facing to put behind the big openings I had cut into the quilt. I think I need to live with this work for a while now because it seems a bit busy to me. I find that time gives me fresh eyes and I an usually spot the problem.

Fireworks

Blue Purple and red quilt with angleina stitched on top — Fireworks

This quilt was a lot of fun to work on. It is not a part of any old series unless one thinks of fooling around is a series. Several years ago I taught a friend how to use Angelina and there where some examples that I could not bring myself to toss. The little felt squares where an experiment too. They worked together in this quilt.

I had a good time quilting this work with metallic thread in an explosion type of pattern.

Blue Frogs- Adventure Challenge

full shot of the quilt showing the frogs on a blue and deep orange background. — Bule Frogs Adventure Challenge

This quilt is done I think. I like the contrast in the two sizes of cording and how it makes the same Frog Knots appear so very differently due to scale. This quilt is my second exploration of the frog idea from Lois Erison’s book and that is why it is an Adventure Challenge quilt.

New Work: Angle Balance

This is an example of how ideas spring one from another. I have had this intense purple fabric for a while and was having a difficult time using it. When I saw how well it worked with the Angelina in the Fireworks piece I just kept on playing.

There is a possible third quilt using the fabric and the Angelina together.

Knot Know- Adventure Challenge and DMC #7

I am reaching the end of the fabric from the DMC challenge. I still have some crimson of Dawn’s remaining and some green f from Marty, but I do not see any more work in this without a lot of supplementary fabric so I do not feel is stays within the spirit of the project. I put it in the Adventure Challenge category because I was still playing with knot idea from the Ericson’s book. These knots are all my own inventions because I now understand how they are built. So I tried my own hand at creating some of them.

The big glass beads that I used in this work are from the stash of my Mothers stuff that I am slowly sifting through. They were a part of a necklace on a leather thong. This is a case where my personal goal to learn something new and apply the concept in my own way really came to pass. I am delighted.

Wrinkle Work – Adventure Challenge

This is a pure play start here. In the Louis Ericson book Design&Sew It Yourself on page 74 she talks about using wrinkled fabric. The book says to use natural fibers so I pulled some silk out of my stash. The next step is to wet the fabric and then tie it into a bundle and allow to dry. When you carefully unroll the dry fabric you do not smooth out the wrinkles, but stitch them down on a base fabric. It was a fun experiment but I do not see any direct application of what I created at this time.

Shards- Special Features Quilt

This top was created from remainders of the Twinkle series . I had thought I could use it as the background for Blue Frogs. But is just did not work. I think it will work however with the pottery shards that my Mother collected from area where my brother was a Dentist for the Indian Health Service. I call it a Special Features quilt because the pieces have been setting in the dark of a drawer sense I brought them home from my Moms house when we emptied it after her death 12 years ago. I went to my book American Indian Art by Norman Feder were I found this great pot image. I intend to adapt the incised pot designs to become the quilting pattern for the quilt. Watch for the development of this idea. The squared area will be good locations for the shards.

Mini 5

This is one more of the framed mini quilts that came from the cut up work I did a few weeks ago.

There will be no post next week as I am off to the Identity:Contest and Reflection Conference put on by the Studio Art Quilt Association and the Surface Design Association in Philadelphia. I am excited about this as I have never been to a conference by either of these organizations and I am a member of both of them. I have also managed to get tickets to the Van Goth Up Close show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It will be a stimulating week for me.

Keep Creating and I will see you in two weeks on the 5th of March.

Hugs

Carol

Adventure Challenge 2012, Blue Frogs, Crimson Diminished, DMC Challenge

Spring and Distraction March 9, 2012

March 9, 2012 admin

Good morning, and please forgive me for being late on this post. I like everyone at one time or another I got off track. I enjoyed my walk yesterday and loved noticing the wonders of spring. I spotted my first Robins- two males singing at full throat in the top of two different trees. At ground level I saw Snow Drops and Wind Flowers showing there faces through the soil. My Tulips are pocking through- only about an inch It always makes my heart light. When I got home I was informed that we were having guests- so I spent my morning cleaning up in preparation for that instead of doing this project. We had a good time and I enjoyed seeing the old friends but by the time they departed it was late and I like to do this project with a clear mind. I think what I really have learned from this is that I just might start before Thursday morning to build the blog.

Progress Report: Blue Frogs- Adventure Challenge

This quilt is coming along. I did a bit of shifting of the frogs and now I like the lay out. I have started to do a bit of reflective quilting around the out side of the frogs to keep the undulating feel.

This close up shows the how the striped fabric makes the movement of the knots show when you tie this frog. I intend to explore this knotting frog technique a bit more .

Spiraling Out

As this view shows I am still adding buttons to the spiral. My wonderful friends at the Tea Cups and QEG’s meetings gave me additional buttons and I am making progress. I showed this quilt in progress at the meeting on Tue and got some great feed back on how to do my facings in a more accurate fashion too. So I tried that method on one of the other quilts this week. I like the effect. It is great to have lots of feed back on what one is doing.

Crimson Diminished DMC VI

I had this quilt laid out last week. This is the sixth quilt where I am still using the limited pallet from the DMC project. I have added the text like fabric in this case. I think there is just enought to build one more piece to complete this series. I have added ruby beads and silver roses to the surface here . I am quilting with the machine in a geometric pattern that is created by the shapes of the pieced units. I am enjoying this project and over doing as I always do.

Cycling Circuits

This is just one corner of this quilt. I am done with the quilting step and I am applying the new facing technique that Noel told me about at the QEG’s meeting. She also had a great suggestion for a better way to face shapes that I intend to apply to the next work were I use that idea. I have several ideas for what I want to do in the openings and will work at that prat of the process this week.

I intend to keep enjoying the wonders of spring this week .

Keep Creating

Hugs

Carol

DMC Challenge, Sax Circles

Hands Thurseday March 1, 2012

March 1, 2012 admin 3 Comments

As I started the day this morning I noticed how dry my hands were feeling and I stopped and put some special hand lotion on them. I tend to get splits on the tips of my thumbs and index fingers in the winter. But I can keep that problem at bay if I pay attention and keep them well lubricated. I learned the value of my hands when I had to have a carpal tunnel operation and had to live without the use of my right hand( for me the dominate one) for six weeks. That was six years go now and I am fine- but I learned my lesson about the value my fingers are to my creative life! Hands have always been important to me and a subject of may drawings. I think every sketch book I have ever

ballpoint pen drawing of my left hand — Hand

created has at least one hand drawing in it. And one time in high school a drawing of friends hands won a ribbon in a school fair. I wonder if she still has the drawing. This drawing is from the current sketch book. My hands are not what I would call pretty, in fact I find the fingers short and stubby- but they are still my most reliable tool! They are get a lot of use on a daily bases from tying of shoes and putting butter on toast in the morning to opening pill bottles before bed. I have a needle threader on my sewing machine- but tend to do it by hand any way. And they are always giving me information about the texture of things. And texture is one of my passions. My friend Susan suggested that I may just love texture because the world has become very slick. Smooth cups, cans, handles, nobs, screens, surfaces and smooth phones as well as various other devices that we use every day. She does have a point- but I think that touching a texture is very reassuring and individualistic. A baby’s hair, the fur of a cat, the stubble of my husbands beard, a brad all are hair but have very different textures and I enjoy them all for their differences. When I mentioned my thing about textures at the Tea Cups meeting a second friend named Susie agreed-ed with me and went on top point out that texture catches the light better and is more attractive to the eye too. So I had better keep the lotion flowing on my fingers so they do not snag on my material as it passes through the machine on its way to becoming the next textural creation.

Progress Report

I seem to be a bit stuck on Blue Frogs. When I looked at the image at the end of the post last week I realized I did not like the lay out. So I put the work on the bottom of the stack and I have not looked at it for a week. Even in my minds eye I do not see a solution so I will continue to let is set. I did not touch Golden Rounds either. It is all ready for some intense work but I have not had a block of time to work on that type of thing this week.

Spiraling Out

This may be as far as I can go on this quilt for a while too. I have used over three fourth’s of the buttons that I had in the pale blue and purple. Most of them are from my Aunt May’s button box and some are from Grandmother Esters. It looked like so may until I started applying them. So I have asked a few of my friends to do a little searching to see if they can help me finish up the spiral. And I got some additional buttons already.

Sax Circles- DMC 5

This quilt is the fifth quilt using the DMC fabrics plus two additional ones. The pale blue green and the blue printed fabric are additional. The building process is similar to several of the others in this series as well. I am nearly finished with this work. I am going to mount it on black fabric and stretch it. I am working on different ways to present my work and this is just one more exploration. I may frame it when the stretching is done, that will be a decision I make later.

DMC 6

I was frustrated with Blue Frogs and the paper quilt so I moved on and created this new top with more of the left overs from the DMC fabrics. I do not have a title yet nor do I know were I am going with it. That will come with the process. I think there may be enough basic DMC fabric for one more small top and then I will have to close this combination. I have enjoyed it.

Cycling Circuits

I finished doing the back of this quilt this week. Then I added the circular appliques to the top. I am now ready to quilt the circuit connections into the work. I also want to add some painted lumiar in the openings. Because this quilt is about 40 inches wide and 44 inches long is it a much slower process than the other work I am doing. I like how it is going however.

Friends

This is a before shot of the top.

This is the newest form of my friend Sally’s top. She was unhappy with it and she sent it to me to work with. I decided that the shapes she had used were too big so I sliced them and added in three batiks of my own. All the additions were horizontal stripes- one in pinks, one in creams and one in blue purples. There simplicity worked with the others to break up the surface and not destroy the unity of the work.

I have quilted this quilt with words that describe my friend and how I feel about her. I put a heart between each word to make it easy to see were one ended and the next began. In looking at the quilt this morning I see that I will need to add additional row s of just the hearts in the spaces between the rows of words.

Mini 2

This is the next in the mini series. I am going to give it to the Meals on Wheels program for their fund raisor. I am also going to give them a small quilt- but I have not decided what one yet.

I hope you are all being creative.

Hugs

Carol

Amended Squares, Limber Loss, Paper Quilts, Slight Slip, Twinkeling Tracings, Uncategorized

Feb 9, 2012 Active Week

February 9, 2012 admin 1 Comment

This last week has been an especially active one for me. It really started last Thur evening. My friend Barbara had encouraged me to enter an art show with her. The title of the show was “Figurative Art”, and she remembered some of my older quilts with figures in them. So I pulled the work and went to Rome NY to the Arts Center there with Barbara two weeks ago and entered my work along with her. To my delight I was accepted and the reception was last Thur eve. Again Barbara made the drive to Rome and went to the reception. The show although small, only forth pieces was very strong for a first time show in this venue. Barbara had all four of her pastels accepted and won a fist place ribbon for one of her works.

pastel on right Barbara on left — Barbara at show with work

I had two pieces in the show and got an Honorable Mention for my piece “Gals in Green.” After the awards ceremony I was approached by a fine couple who really were drawn to the work. We talked a bit and they later informed me that they had purchased my piece. I was/am so excited by this I still can not believe it has happened. I did not know how validating it can be to have a stranger be so taken by your work that they wish to poses it. I get all sparkly inside when I think about it.

quilt with green stitched figures — Gals In Green

Tue was the other big day this week. I am fortunate to be a part to two different Art Critique groups. They bot consist of about a dozen women and bot happen to meet on the first Tue of each mouth. One meets at noon and the other in the evening. Not only do they become a goal post for the completion of work on a monthly basis, but they also are great places to get feed back on work in progress and stimulation for new ideas. At the noon group- called Quilt Exploration Group or QuEG’s for short we ended up talking a lot about color. This grew out of my showing all the DMC challenged together.

The color interpretation element alone is one of the most complex elements of this project. The Crimson has created three interpretations here showing various hues and values. The same can be said of the other two colors. I am excited about the idea of working on this aspect of my work with others over the next few mouths.

The DIVA group is the one that meets in the evening. I was really excited by Cindy’s work. She uses big swatches of color with such confidence and power.

Here is an example of one of her new pieces. I like how the muddy brown that represents the flood waters passes through the work.

Ruth also had a great piece at the meeting. She is creating cell like shapes with silk and her quilts are wonderfully rounded shapes with openings.

Ruth and one of her cel quilts — Ruth with one of her cell quilts

The other person’s quilt I want to show from the meeting is a part of Sharon’s quilt. She is doing this huge work to hang in the chapel of the cancer unit of the hospital. I will add her web sight to the blog when she posts it and you can checkout the total work there. This is only a shot of the crown but you can see the hands of the children are woven into the branches in a beautiful fashion.

Mulit colored tree crown with childres' hands amoung the branches. — Healing Tree

All this activity has my brain going at a fast pace. Now to get a little sit down time to work at the machine myself.

Progress Report

Adventure Challenge- Sand Bar

I created the background of this work for the Bias project. But it was too soft. So when I was looking to try a second Adventure Challenge I started out with it. I saw the Yo-yos and like the idea. I added the beads as well for additional texture. I need to finish tacking down the facings and the sleeve and this quilt will be complete.

pale background with spring green yo-yos on top and beads — Sand Bar in progress

Pillows- Twinkling Tracings

2 pillow cases in the Twinkling tracings style — Beth's Pillows

I created these two pillows to go on the white leather couch to accompany the Twinkling Tracings quilts that I completed in early Jan. I used the extra fabric strips to make the surface. The blue lines are similar to the ones on the quilt units only much narrower. I will deliver these this eve.

Paper Quilt I am continuing to work on this paper quilt. I do not have a title yet, but feel it will be something with flowing water, because it makes me see a river pattern and the paper “rocks” created from the wholes continue that feeling.

The purple is a ribbon that I am thinking about adding in the cracked sections of this work. I am having fun on this piece even if I am very unsure about were it is going.

Valentines I love to get hand made valentines so I like to make a few to send to friends. I cut a stamp of hearts from an eraser on Monday and stamped some white fabric with it that day too. Yesterday I collage some net, ribbon and the stamped images together for my cards. They will go into the mail on Friday.

hand made valentine sin red and white — Valentines 2012

I hope you all have a Happy Valentines day too. Keep Creating

Hugs

Carol

Adventure Challenge 2012, Bias Bound, DMC Challenge, Slight Slip, Slight Slip, Uncategorized

Feb 2, 2012 Lost and Found

February 2, 2012 admin 6 Comments

The Spring like weather yesterday made me do a bit of cleaning and tidying up. Something I tend to put off as I want to get to work. But there were lots of piles of fabric sorted for furture projects- or at lest things I though would work together well. I put some fabric back on the shelves were it belongs and put the potential stuff in the yellow bins that I have for that purpose. It looks a lot better with the bins on the shelving were they go and the cutting table all cleared off. My goal for the bins is to keep all the parts of projects in one area. I then did a more of the same to the bay window. That area was filled with plants, painting supplies and lots of items that did not seem to belong any were else. After putting the paints back were they really go and watering the plants, I decided to give away the old printer that I have not even plugged in for over a year and a half . I can use the one in the computer/office room if I want to copy things. And de-cluttering the space was part of the mission. This morning I went confidently to the shelves with the yellow bins and started searching for a project. I remember putting the created, but unsuccessful parts in one bin. And in deed there was a bin full of just such items- but the background that I was looking for, the first one created for the basis project that was too soft in color, was not in the box. So I looked in all the bins…. no background. A side benefit of the cleaning the day before was that I had found some spring green fabric that I though would make great Yo-yo’s for the next Adventure Project. So I had cut the circles and did the work last eve while I watched TV and I wanted to scatter them on the background. “It has to be here,” I told myself. ” How could I lose it?” Then I looked across the studio to the area I had not cleaned. The chair serves as my staging area for work that I will do by hand had been overloaded and the pile had slipped to the floor. OK, I though, I will at least pick that up before I start the blog- and then look again for that back. So I plied the whole bit on my desk and sorted and folded. Found the lost back!

Adventure Challenge III

pale green with purple and cream background. — Lost Back

The yo-yo idea came from the next book I selected. It is called “The Art of Manipulating Fabric” by Colette Wolff. This one is only 8 years old.

Apple green yoyos and purple matalic paper that is insidw — Yo-yo's

Adventure Challenge I Bias Bound

This project got a lot of attention this week. The quilting is reflective of the actual bias lines. I am calling this Adventure Challenge I even though this was the third back that I created, the bias was the first book idea that I have tried. The idea of doing “frogs” is still in the idea stage , but it will come to the surface with time.

Adventure Challenge II, DMC 4 , Slight Slip

This quilt fits under all three ideas. I used Dawn’s fabric in her layout for this project (look at old blog to see layout). When I decided that I wanted to slice the quilt in two I did not consciously think about the Faggoting stitches with beads until later.

Crimson, with blue green and turquoise squares — Slight Slip DMC 4

The close up is of the faggoting on the left and the metal beads across the center. I really like this look, but the process is very slow.

matalic triangel beads with green seed beads on top and the faggoting on the right sided — Slight Slip- showing Faggotting

This last detail shows the candle floats with clear beads in the centers. I like how this idea is similar to Sasha mirrors that are used in middle eastern works sometimes.

Close up of the candle floats on the crimson — Slight Slip - close up 2

Pillow Tops I created these two pillow tops from the leftovers of Twinkling Tracings. They will include the blue fabric when completed and will accompany the wall pieces. I still have lots of leftovers so I am sure the color combinations will turn up again.

Brown, blue and aqua blocks arranged in a random fashion for two pillows. — Pillow Tops

Wholes Series- Circular Openings I am still in love with wholes so I decided to start a new quilt in this vain. I also thought that this time I would create the shapes first and face them at the beginning. Then I would build the quilt around the pieces. I hope this is works.

Purple and blue faced shapes and cut opening — Faced Circles

This shot shows the fabrics sewn together and ready for clipping and turning. After I have done that step I will sew as close to the seam as possible so that when it is flipped it will lie flat.

There is lots of work ahead of me this week . I will try to keep the studio tidy so I do not lose anything this time too.

Keep Crating Friends

Hugs

Carol

Adventure Challenge 2012, and Brugundy, Black, DMC Challenge, Limber Loss, Paper Quilts, Re Work, Slight Slip, White

Jan 26, 2012 Power

January 26, 2012 admin

This morning I blew a fuse and lost the power in the studio. What a way to make one come to a halt. As I sat in the pale light that came through my bay window on this gray day, I was suddenly aware of how much I depend on this magical stuff we call electricity. I was in the middle of sewing a seam so the stop really make me take notice. How many items were on before it happened I asked myself? The sewing machine of course, the two Ott lights on the desk, the two power bars of three lights that are over head, the iron, the two spot lights from taking pictures for the blog, the extra heat unit in the studio, and the light in the laundry room downstairs is also on this line. And did I leave the light on in the closet when I went for fabric, I wondered? That is a high demand, I thought, and some of that is unnecessary as well as a bit lazy on my part. So I went around the room and turned off things- including the sewing machine as I like to always use the switch to start it, and went down to the basement to throw the fuse in the box. In the process I discovered that the light for the area leading to the fuse box is also on that circuit and it was on because that leads to the laundry too. I do not think that I have more items then most folks, but I do think I need to be more mindful of what I am using. If the problem had been caused by a source that I could not fix my day would have really been stopped. So with that in mind I will try to use power carefully, remembering to turn things off when not in use and keep in mind what are the consequences of its loss. Electricity is a powerful material that one can easily take for granted until it is taken away. So to keep the magic of Electricity in my studio I will be a better steward of its use.

Progress Report

DMC Challenge- Limber Loss and Slight Slip

I finished up Limber Loss this week. I still need to do the pressing, but I am happy with the look. It continues the theme that was started with Amended Squares.

I like the way the units all work together here. In the detail one can see the metal additions. They are the units off the bottom of candles that allow the candle to float. In this case I trimmed off the points that stick into the wax. You can also see the close alignment of the bugle beads to create the circle

Slit Slip is coming along nicely too. I have completed the quilting and I am almost done with the facings.( you can see the last ones on the bottom. I plan to use beads between the two units to connect them and create one big irruglar shape with it.

Re Work – The Moon She Called Me

I have given lots of works away this year as a part of my Project Divest , but there are some works that I am finding in that process that need a bit of sprucing up. So I have saved them to do just that. This old piece has been hanging on the back of the door for mouths. I decided to add a moon to the surface of the work and add some additional quilting. Here is were I am sorry to say that I have not taken enough photos so the progress is not documented. I am still learning. I made several moons and they have been rejected-Too small, too transparent, too busy and finally I created on that I was happy with. This Moon is water marked satin with dark fabric underneath and lots of free motion quilting on top.

Adventure Challenge- Black,White, and Burgundy

This is another case were the the act of creating go away from me. I was having such a good time crating a background that it got far too complex. When I realized this I just kept going, but it will have to end in a different fashion as I do not want to use the bias strips on this surface, there is far too much action for that to work. I am still using the three colors that I had selected last week.

Black, White and Burgandy — Black, White and Burgundy

Adventure Challenge- Bias Bound

This is the top I will apply the bias strips too. It is much quieter and I hope I can make it work. The same three colors are still in use. I an thinking that I will cut it down a bit too. But I must make the visual decisions visually.

Paper Quilt

I had started this paper quilt last week. I think I am going to call it Crannies. But I still need to think on this title. At the moment it is cut and there are a few openings. This is and in progress piece.

I have lots of options for this at this point and I am still running them around in my mind and on the pin wall.

I plan to spend a lot of time in the studio this week and hopefully make progress on many fronts. I hope to get the post from the 5th of Jan fixed this week too. Every entry gives me more confidence and helps me do a better job I think. There is still a long way to go- but each mistake is a part of the growth process.

Keep Creating

Hugs

Carol

Adventure Challenge 2012, Amended Squares, Button Necklaces, DMC Challenge, Limber Loss, Slight Slip

Getting Started January 19, 2012

January 20, 2012 admin

It was so very cold this morning and still dark- I so wanted to stay in bed…….. But others needed rousing and the day would not do its self, so I rolled out and did the morning rituals. Still unexcited I then off to the studio. I had a “no mind” project to work on- the Scrap Happy quilt. So I stared by sewing on the pre-pinned row of blocks. Before I knew it I was sewing on the last row and an hour had passed. My mind was fully engaged in how I wanted to attempt the problem that was on the pin wall. I realized I had won against the winter doldrums……” Just DO IT” as the saying goes. It really dose work- that plus stopping on a project were the next step is obvious really dose not hurt either.

Progress Report

Pink Button Necklace

This project is now done. I am working on getting the instructions completed too. They will go up as a tutorial when that is finished. My goal is to have that complete by next Thur. I am still cleaning up details and I know I need to write read, re read let some time pass and check again before I put up instructions so it takes me time to do it correctly.

Adventure Challenge

Last week I talked about getting inspiration from some of my older books, and I think this will be a fun thing to do. I decided to use the Louis Ericson book Design&Sew it Yourself for the first project to try. I selected to do some work with bias strips. I loved the look of the frogs in the book so I sort of started with that in mind. But the material I selected- a black and white print was far too busy for the fancy work of the cords to show up. Perhaps later I can try that. So I built a background of light green, with a pale purple and white strip across it. Then making a visual decision visually, I decided that this did not show off the bias to its best advantage and created a new color combo to use the strips on. This works a lot better for my eye. So I will build a new platform for the bias work using these fabrics.

Blue Fantasy

I have been working on this quite little piece for a while. I hold onto fabric for a long time as I made the marbleized fabric in a class at Quilting By the Lake before 1985.

I enjoyed applying the bead work and french knots to the surface to enhance the marbleized area. It is now a completed work. I like the horizonal format and the close color palate.DMC Project

There are several quilts in this project that I worked on this week.

Amended Squares is the oldest one. As the pictures shows I have done a lot of the machine quilting and some bead work here. I feel that it is complete at this point.

This sloution is far less clutterd than the first attempt with this lay out. I am still very close to the works and find they both have strong points. I do feel that this one is a better place to work from for the next two in the series however and so I kept the others similar in feel and simplicity.

Limber Loss is the next one in the series and they are Marty’s colors and her lay out of the pieces. I think it is a fine complement to Amended Squares.Limber Loss is in the bead application process.

Slit Slip

This is the third in the revised DMC series. I really altered this lay out one- but I followed the rule 5- If you want to do it- DO IT. I am plan to join the two units with beads in the opening….. I hope I can pull this off successfully.

Paper Quilts

I enjoyed my work with the openings on the paper quilt that I worked on last week that my mind went running in a new direction with that concept. So I painted up two more colored paper piles and built two addition surfaces to work on. No titles yet but that will come as I play with the work. I am enjoying the process.

I hope the week will be a good one you.

Keep Creating

Carol

A Few Fishers, Amended Squares, DMC Challenge, Limber Loss, Paper Quilts, Sphere systems

Adventureus…Jan 12, 2012

January 12, 2012 admin

I have been working away in the studio as usual this past week. One of the things that I was finishing up was the commission- Twinkling Tracings. The last step in the studio when I am doing something as large as this one is, becomes the flattening step. I do the ironing thing of course, then while it is still a bit damp, I lay it out on the floor on top of a sheet. I put a second piece of fabric on top and then place my big cutting matt or 3 matts in this case, on top of that. The final bit is book stacks that cover the whole area of the quilt. I had almost all the books from my studio shelves on top of the quilts. It was quite a sight- but I did not think to take a photo….next time. Anyway, when I started pulling the books off the quilt and re-shelving them, I realized I had not looked in some of the books in years. So I paused, spread the covers of ” Design &Sew it Yourself” by Louis Ericson and Diane Frode, a book I purchased in 1988, and my mind was off and running. This book is directed at clothing embellishment- but the same ideas can be applied to fiber work. I decided that I would be adventurous and try to use these ideas in some of my new works for this year. I am in a different place then I was when I got this book- so it will now be used in a different fashion. The Adventure Challenge will be to pull a technique from the old books( I saved five as I was re-shelving) and combine it with a concept or idea that I am thinking about using in my art over the next year. Now I love books and have a big collection-I got five new fiber and art related books for Christmas. So I am not sure how much of a commitment I am making, but the adventure will be stimulating!

Progress Report

Paper Quilt-A Few Fishers

close up showing details of gold sequin waste two partial openings and one added circle — Close up A Few Fractures

blue and purple paper quilt with gold cirles and openings — A Few Fishers- Jan 2012

A Few Fishers is the name of this new paper quilt. This first shot is a close up of the center area were you can see the painted paper and fabric as well as the sequin waste. You can also see the cut paper circle- pale purple- that was added and two of the reflective circles. The two openings have painted ground cloth behind them so you do not see the wall behind the quilt. The second shot is a full view of the final work. I need to add a hanging bar to this for total completion.

Scrap Happy-

Red and White

I am always working on what I call my Scrap Happy quilts. These are all full sized quilts that are made up of scraps from other works some of them are failed experiments. I just save the scraps and such in a box and when it is full I will assemble all the scarps into big sections that I then cut into 2.5 inch strips. The strips are then applied to both sides of a 4.5 inch strip that is cut into 8.5 inch blocks. A Roman Strip of sorts. The blocks are them arranged and built into a quilt. I build these to give away as fundraisers for organizations that I support and to give as gifts when I think someone needs a cozy wrap.

DMC Challenge- Circling Galaxies- Amended Squares-Limber Loss

This is the one going project were the limits were set by the three participants.

blue green backgrouns with turqupise strips and crimson blocks on top — DMC Carol's layout

1.Each of us chose a color-Crimson, dark Turquoise and I chose blue green.

2.Size limit 18″X24″- with at least one irregular edge.

3.If you want to do it – then do it.

We each purchased material to fit the color choices in amounts to make three tops. We selected the location of the parts and pinned them to the selected back ground color. Then shipped our selection off to the other two. Extra fabric was shipped as well.

Circling Galaxies

This one is my fabric selection so I started with it. I liked using lots of texture. I do feel that there is a lot going on in

this piece so I will try it again and try to be simpler with the presentation. There is always more than one solution and I am pron to try to put too much into a piece if I am not careful. I learned a lot about the irrugler shape challenge with this project.

1. Keep it simple

2. Make the protrusions at least an inch long

3. Press the corners and cut the binding at a 45 degrees

Amended Squares

Because I had a lot of fabric left over I tackled the problem a second time. I was going for a much simpler solution with this effort. I also wanted to use some unique metal candle floats that my friend Dorla had given me earlier this year. I liked the shape and thought they would work well with the triangle metal sequins that I had.

Blue green background , turquois strips and crimason squares- second approach — Amended Squares

This is a shot of the metal candle floats. They are sharp and I hope that they do not tear up the material.

Limber Loss

Cromsin background with tuquois rectangle and blue green square — DMC Project Marty's layout

This is the layout of Marty’s fabrics for the DMC projects. I am trying to stay in the same feel as I did with Amended Squares for this one as well and so I have cut and assembled it in this fashion.

Crimson turquoise and blue green squares top — Limber Loss- early

I am ready to trim this and start embellishing. I think I will use the metal candle floaters again- but see if I can change the shape a bit by trimming off the edges.

Capture

turquoise and pink quitl with 3-d parts on top — Capture

This is a quilt I am amending. The 3-D additions are plastic units that have big purple beads in the centers, and all of this is trapped under pale purple nylon net.

blue background with pink plastic and purle bead under nylon netting — Capture - close up

The close up shows better how the beads are under the nylon netting. But I am still not sure this is how it will remain.

I seam to have lots of stuff in process at the moment and that is true. I may not get back to some of the problems quickly but I am sure that with time I will do so.

Keep Creating

Hugs

Carol

Chamomile, DMC Challenge, Farctured Fragmants, Goddess Series, ISIS quilt, Machine Drawing, Paper Quilts, Sphere systems

Crows January 5, 2012

January 5, 2012 admin

Drawn by the sound of crow calls I watched the birds take there flight in the early dawn this morning. They were commuting against a strong gusting wind as they departed from Oak-wood Cemetery were they roost in the winter, to each of their respective hunting grounds. The flight is powerfully beautiful in its grace of movement as it was contrasted against a silver gray sky that was dotted with little blown snow flakes today. Living with the daily routine of these creatures has made me pay attention to their existence and has enriched my life. I have made several quilts with crows as the stars. Their simple dark forms show up so very well against so many surfaces that I always find it to be an enjoyable task to build a work around them. Sense they are present so much around were I live I have many opportunities to watch them in their daily routines. At the moment with the fresh snow they stand out quite sharply as they dance around the ground in there search for food. I like too how they cluster together in the evenings as they gather for the night. All heads facing the wind and raucously shouting to one another filling first one tree top then another. Then taking flight at the same time without a seeming signal as they then move a bit closer as a cluster toward the final roosting place. All the time the numbers increase as they move toward a movable base and the sound becomes louder and louder as more birds stream back. I have tried to walk to the center of were they gather for there night roosting- I have never been successful. But that is the fascination of it for me.

Progress Report:

DMC Challenge Sphere System-

This challenge started on my is visit to Marty in Oct. I spent a lot of time this week working on the DMC project.

This was one attempt with two partial copies of were I thought I was going. I experiment by pinning things up and this is an example of that process. As it turned out I hated the layered X- cut fabric on top. I like the texture- and the idea – but it is not the place to use this idea.

So what I ended up with is this:The irregular edges are proving to be a challenge, but I think I will work it out.

Machine Drawing

Chamomile

I had originally though that this quilt would be done as machine drawing of Golden Rod. But the silk thread was too heavy for the machine and kept creating a mess on the back of the quilt so I took it all out. I could not look at or deal with the work for several mouths. Returning to it, I found I really like the fabric lay out, so I looked for a new subject matter. I came across this card of Chamomile and used it as my inspiration instead.

I have only completed one of the plants in this photo. I have sense put in two more- one on each side of this one. the additional quilting adds to the final effect quilt nicely. I am in the process of adding the facings to this work and I am sure I will complete it this week.

Twinkling Tracings

I have continued to work on the commission too. It now has a title and is called Twinkling Tracings. This is the first panel in the series. It is currently being pressed flat under my big cutting matt with half of the books from my shelves resting on top. The two other panels will get the same treatment and then I will be done with the studio part of the job.

Gold and brown field with blue zig-zagging across — Twinkling Tracings-

ISIS Quilt

Horizonal quilt of Isis in gold on a cream filed surrounded by other Egyptian images — Isis

This is the Isis quilt all finished. It came out quite quickly for me . I think this will be the last of the Egyptian quilts for a while. I do not think I even would have done this last one if I had not been reviewing my goddess series and wondering how I could go forward with that idea. The question remains what will be the next goddess quilt?

Fractured- paper quilt and Fragments

We all have times when what we thought would work is a failure. Well such is the case with this piece. I started out making a quit that would feature a three dimensional tunnel shaped addition. The back got created and the tunnel got created- but they did not work together at all.

Paper quilt in blue and white with gold ribbon — Fractured

So I created a cracked paper quilt to put the tunnel on. They did not work together either……. So I played with the paper quilt . cut some triangular wholes- added some paint and gold ribbon. Fractured was born and I like it all on its own. OK- so this exploration has lead to one more project.

I took the fabric quilt back that I had originally made for the tunnel and applied the flattened beads I had created with play dough to its surface. The beads were made as a play project with my grand son a few weeks ago. I had stamped them with an Egyptian stamp and though they might be used on one of the first Egypt quilts. But they did not work there. Too much of a color contrast for those works.

Gold and blue background with blue add ons — Fragments

Blue playdought bead with silver paint — Fragments- close up

This detail shows a close up of one of the beads. The surface was brushed with a white paint to high light the presses images.

I still do not have a home for the tunnel- but it may be like the beads, something that just has to shift around in the studio for a while before it finds a home. I will be OK with it if that never happens because I know it was an experiment and there are bound to me miss fires when one is playing that way.

I have had a good creative start to the new year and I hope I can continue to work successfully solving the problems as they come my way.

Keep Creating

Carol

Cre-8

Category Archives: DMC Challenge

Vernal Equinox March 22, 2012

Spring and Distraction March 9, 2012

Hands Thurseday March 1, 2012

Feb 9, 2012 Active Week

Feb 2, 2012 Lost and Found

Jan 26, 2012 Power

Getting Started January 19, 2012

Adventureus…Jan 12, 2012

Crows January 5, 2012

Creative Fiber Collage Artist Carol Boyer