Quick Draw for Kids

Usually nothing about quilting or creating art is quick! When my local art association (South Mississippi Art Association) in Hattiesburg announced plans for a Quick Draw at Brewsky's to benefit South Mississippi Children's Center, it sounded like a fun activity.

     The plan was this: artists would bring their supplies (in my case, sewing machine, table, threads, etc.)—and set up at the venue, where they would have one hour to create their piece, and 15 minutes to frame it. Then the pieces would all be sold through a live auction. A very loud and lively band was playing while patrons were enjoying hors d’oeuvres and drinks and circulating among the artists to watch the pieces take shape.

     Being the only one of the 25 participating artists with a sewing machine makes my station a must-see, so this is quite fun! This is the fourth year I have participated, and I have done landscapes, ghost quilting, and this year did thread-painting on a large floral print, adding polyester and rayon threads to enhance the design. I had lightly adhered the print to a stabilizer with a glue-stick on the edges. The fabric I chose had two major flowers in orange and pink, so my thread choices were fairly limited to shades of these plus a green stem. My frame was 11x14 with a white mat, and I knew batting would make it too thick to pop into the frame. That meant the stabilizer was essential for keeping the work flat.

The band, Bobby Walters, Sherry Kuespert, Scottie Whigham, me in background

Fitting the mat over the thread-painting

    

     There were many positive comments, even this one: “I love your work, and can you fix my favorite pair of jeans?”

MQA Gathering--China Trip, Ghost Quilting, and Back Basting Applique

     Mississippi Quilt Association has a Workshop Gathering in the Jackson area every June. This year's meeting was held at Christ United Methodist Church on Old Canton Road. During the Friday night meeting I presented a PowerPoint presentation on my recent trip to China for the Dalian opening of the exhibit The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quiltmakers in 21st-Century America. I showed about 100 pictures of the exhibit, the lectures, Chinese buildings and architecture, and the happy faces of the Chinese people who welcomed me so warmly. Hosted by the Embassy of the United States in Beijing, the meetings were a successful interaction of our cultures.

 

     I enjoyed teaching a class on the Ghost Quilting technique and introducing the students to Neocolor II crayons as they learned free-motion quilting to extend the center design out into the border. Everyone took to the method quickly and got most of their square colored and stitched, ready to finish at home.

     Ollie Jean Lane taught "back-basting applique," a technique introduced by Jeana Kimball, which most quilters in Hattiesburg have adopted as their favorite method for applique. She showed a recently completed quilt top by Ella Lucas as an example of the outstanding results achieved with  this method.

Ella Lucas and her quilt top

Ollie Jean Lane with Ella's quilt top

The students were interested in the neat look of the back. It is possible to get the pieces exactly where they need to be with no slipping or shifting.

From the back

The next Gathering will be in Corinth, MS, October 4-5, 2013. Jean Tincher from Bay St. Louis was in charge of the meeting as she began her year as MQA president. She had assistance from all the Jackson area guilds, and door prizes were furnished by members from all over the state. The presence of four vendors was a treat for many quilters who do not have a local quilt shop.

Report on China Trip at MQA Gathering

 

In the Beijing Airport

   It will be a pleasure to give a PowerPoint presentation about my trip to China at our state-wide MQA workshop gathering in Jackson this weekend. From the 500 pictures that Linda and I took, I have organized them into a slide show to share the quilt exhibit, scenes from Dalian and Beijing, and amazing sights we saw. I've entitled it The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quiltmakers in 21st-Century America--Martha's Adventure.

     The weather in March was still quite cold (30s-40s) and many buildings had no heat. The students and others kept coats on all the time and we rather enjoyed the temperature. Many buildings had steps or stairways with no guardrails, making us realize how much we enjoy the benefits of handicap accessible laws.
     I will have to be my own tech person and manage the laptop and projector without Linda. Here's hoping she has taught me sufficiently!

Apartment buildings as far as the eye could see

     My Saturday class will be on Ghost Quilting, and I think the students will enjoy learning to use the Neocolor II crayons to extend their focus fabric out into the borders before free-motion quilting.

Another Critter Quilt

Here's another quilt made from the colorful fat quarters of animals, bugs, toys, and polka dots. I arranged these four-patch squares so they would all track on the diagonal, also sashing the blocks and rows with black and white fabric. It's on the floor--sorry I did not put up on the design wall so it would look square!

I enjoyed working with the black and white fabrics so much that I made a small diagonal strippy wall quilt. A little red inner border really gave it a more dramatic look. I've been gathering black/white fabrics but rarely use them for fear there won't be a huge stack of them in my fabric stash. Like a security blanket. I finished the edges with a facing--my favorite finishing method.

More from Santa Fe

This huge buffalo head was on the third floor of the capitol building as part of the Capitol Art Foundation collection of New Mexico art. Holly Hughes constructed it in 1992 as a community-related art project that emphasized recycling and environmental awareness. She said, "The buffalo has inspired art in man since the first cave drawings. For this reason, old paint brushes form the bridge of the nose and film was woven into the brow.  News headlines from the 1992 Superbowl . . . are found in the horns. Pottery shards are worked into the nose, connecting Native Americans to the buffalo through pieces of dried mud. One eye is a lantern, symbol of light, hope, strength. The other eye is a fishing reel, with a horseshoe surrounding it. The buffalo, once as plentiful on the plains as fish in the ocean, were slaughtered by men on horses wearing horseshoes. This piece is a sample of how I enjoy combining materials that are not only the appropriate color and texture, but symbolically relevant to the theme of the piece as well." (Identification label on the wall.)

 Betty Busby's amazing "Nambe Lake" in the SAQA Exhibit at the Capitol

Detail of "Nambe Lake"

 

I just loved these fences made of small logs.

 

Shuttles were provided between the Lodge and the art galleries, St. Francis Cathedral, Loretto Chapel, restaurants, and shops. We had to walk or find other transportation to other points of interest, such as the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, and then find our way to a pick-up point for our shuttle.

 

SAQA Santa Fe "Expanding Horizons" conference

The Lodge at Santa Fe

The Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) four-day conference "Expanding Horizons" in Santa Fe was a great experience. I attended presentations by Patty Hawkins from Estes Park, CO (My Art Odyssey, Taking Twists and Turns), Pat Pauly from Pittsford, NY (Have Venue, Will Install: Mounting Your Exhibition 101), and Melody Randol from Loveland, CO (Color Works!).
     Then there was the "speed dating" event where we each had 90 seconds to introduce ourselves to our table of ten people before moving to another group of ten. At one of the night meetings a silent auction of small art quilts brought in more than $5,000 for SAQA. Leni Wiener (New Rochelle, NY) conducted an Art Quilt Voice Coaching session for four courageous souls who had sent her photos of their work, as the audience listened and learned from her comments. Another session featured Sandra Sider (Bronx, NY) in a Quilt Critique Workshop. A panel discussion (Local Horizons: Art in the City Different) moderated by Katie Pasquini Masopust of Santa Fe featured Betty Busby of Albuquerque and two others, sharing their creations in various formats.


Kris Sazaki, incoming president of SAQA
Works by Terri Mangot, Betty Busby, Katie Pasquni Masopust, Ed Larson

There were many opportunities for meeting and visiting with people I had only met through email and websites and blogs.


Gwyned Trefethen, Martha, Carol Ann Waugh, Michele David

Shuttles ferried us from our hotel to museums, galleries, restaurants, and shopping venues. My favorite trip was to the contemporary fiber art exhibit at the State Capitol Rotunda Gallery entitled "New Mexico" Unfolding" which presented New Mexico SAQA members' work.

In front of Susan Szajer's quilt

Quilt by Cheryl FitzGerald

Aspens at the Lodge

Overlooking the Lodge patio

The Critter Quilt

Here's how the little critter quilt came out--a gift for a precious little boy!

A little traditional sewing

 Pine Belt Quilters makes children's quilts all year long. We also make isolette covers for the NICU at Forrest General Hospital. The bright flannel prints are cheerful for the families and nursing staff. The underside is light gray, which allows the nurses to see the baby's true skin color.  We also make walker totes (which can be used as catheter bag covers). After being so involved with my art quilts, it was time to do some traditional sewing, and these projects fit the bill.  Placemats can be repurposed to make these totes, or almost any leftover fabric can be used.


Walker totes

I had some wild fat quarter packets that are perfect for a bright and happy child's quilt. I think I will add strips of black/white prints for sashing. Easy cutting into 4" strips and fast sewing. I wonder if a baby can sleep under all these bugs and other critters!

After China

Mike Peters, writer for China Daily

I was interviewed by Mike Peters, writer for China Daily Sunday edition and European Weekly.  A reporter for NetEase, China's Leading Internet Technology Company, also conducted an interview at the US Embassy, after providing me with a list of topics and questions to be discussed.

The Chinese have a flair for design. Presentation is all-important, as shown by the displays in a grocery store.

 

I wish I knew what kind of trees these are. I first thought that woodpeckers had marked them as they searched for bugs under the bark, but the little holes opened up in a diamond shape. US Embassy Cultural Affairs Specialist Xiaotao Song (call him XT) and assistant Laurel Menser are shown on the left as we arrived at the next site for my quilt presentation.

XT Song and Laurel Menser, Embassy staff

Flying home: It was interesting to follow our plane's path from Beijing to Seattle on the screen on the back of the seats. Also watching three movies in a row helped with the long flight. We flew over Russia and the Bering Strait, even capturing the ice-covered sea and the moon over the plane's wing.

 

What a memorable trip! After letting my body and brain adjust from the effects of what is called jetlag, it's time to get back to more unexciting and mundane tasks. But I'll be glad to get away from the computer and back into the studio, even if it is for mundane tasks. My cat Bigboy has needed lots of lap time, making the finishing of this piece of fiber art challenging.

I wish I could share all the pictures and experiences of this trip with my many friends who have wished us well, and I hope seeing these have allowed you to share in the excitement and joy. Having Linda with me was an added blessing! Thanks for reading and following along with us.

Home from China, part 8

There were wonderful sights everywhere. The buildings were interesting, and in a variety of architectural designs.

The white domed building is the Dalian Modern Museum

 

In front of Beijing East Hotel

Sculpture in Beijing East Hotel, representing wine poured into a glass

The sculpture is made up of thousands of Chinese characters

U. S. Embassy

 

 The little children looked like dolls, and the parents enjoyed having them photographed.