Naps Are Recommended

Don't you love to read advice from an expert that agrees with your own philosophy? Robert Genn, who writes The Twice-Weekly Letter, caught my attention with this title this week, "Take a Nap." He reports that Sara Mednick, a sleep researcher at UC, Riverside, sees the value of sleep, especially short sleep. Mednick thinks humans have a biological need for an afernoon nap, as promoted in her book, Take a Nap! Change Your Life. She has researched the relationship between napping and performance. Genn states, "In sleep our minds become highly active. . . .Sleep also enhances performance, learning and memory. According to Mednick, after sleep, people are 33 percent more likely to be creative."
No matter how absorbed I am in my current art project, I realize that my concentration suffers and my enjoyment lags in the early afternoon. It has nothing to do with a large or small lunch. Inviting the cat to get on my lap for some petting is delightful, bringing on a short nap for both of us. After years of working when this was not an option, I am reminded of how blessed I am to be at home and able to enjoy this respite.

Sometimes Bigboy is ready for some lap time (nap time) before I am and he waits patiently on the arm of the recliner. 

Love Those Scraps--Part 2

Wild Scraps 1, Log Cabin Style
46" x 60"

Back on August 1 I posted pictures of the two scrap quilts I was working on. These are both quilted and bound now and I took them to guild meetings to get someone to hold them for photographing. They were so much fun to make--starting with a square or rectangle (from 4"-8") and adding strips. Wild Scraps 1 has strips on all four sides; Wild Scraps 2 has strips on only two sides, like an Offset Log Cabin. It's hard to decide which way I like best--just whatever gives the most exciting mix of colors and textures.
WS 1 seems slightly more orderly and predictable, while WS 2 is more chaotic. In WS 2 I did not always orient the starting square in the same place in the finished block--in other words, some are in the lower right (SE) corner, some in the upper left (NW) and so forth, which seems to blur the lines of the individual blocks and rows of blocks. I definitely plan on continuing with this free-form style of quiltmaking.

Wild Scraps 2, Offset Log Cabin Style
61" x 64"

Ghost Quilting Program for Rankin County Quilters

I enjoyed presenting a program on Ghost Quilting to the Rankin County Quilt group in Brandon, MS, a couple of weeks ago. The first piece shown here uses a rectangle of the green/red/cream poppy fabric being carried out into the cream inner border fabric with Caran d'Ache crayons and stitches.

Poppy

 Large fruits or vegetables work well and offer colorful options for thread painting. The framed parrot piece is sort of a novelty in that I used the same parrot fabric for the backing, except I had the right side facing the batting rather than facing the back. I carefully matched several places (remember how to line up pieces for Stack-N-Whack?)  so that after I quilted most of the center area, I turned it over and quilted from the back, bobbin drawing fashion. This allowed me to more accurately stitch the small birds than had I tried to do them free-hand. Sorry for the flash on the glass, but this also helps show that framing the piece is a good solution to showing the wrong-side-out fabric on the back!

Program for Chinese Group

It was my privilege to speak to a group of international students last week. One of the outreach efforts of my church, University Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, is a weekly meeting with students or spouses to help them with our culture, language, and our practice, led by my friend Virginia Butler. I had spoken to the same group a year ago,

and when they learned about my China trip in March of this year they wanted to hear about my experiences there. I gave a PowerPoint presentation about the quilt exhibit "The Sum of Many Parts" in Dalian and Beijing as well as describing the talks I gave at several schools. They were excited when I told them that the above picture was a part of each of my programs!
I also showed several pieces of my fiber art and explained the techniques and stories behind them.

 

Using scraps and strips



Telling how I used bobbin drawing to quilt sunflowers from the back

Scraps and Strips

I'm still in my scrap mode. After making two small quilts with large squares (6"-7") surrounded by large strips (1"-3"), I have been playing with small strips. Rayna Gillman's book Create Your Own Free Form Quilts calls working with strips "therapy sewing." She joins strips randomly and then slices and inserts and rejoins to come up with unexpected results. Here is the result of some of my therapy sewing. These strip sets don't have a plan yet; they are just addictive to stitch!

I liked three of the pieces enough to layer and quilt and finish them. The yellow/green piece has a traditional binding; the blue one and the sunflower (long) piece are finished with rat-tail cording.

The long skinny piece is backed with sunflower fabric; this gave an opportunity to quilt from the back to make the sunflower design show up on the strips on the front. Click to enlarge to show the stitches.





    

 

Love Those Scraps

I've been working with scraps lately and having a great time. Unlike a friend of mine who says "I don't like scraps--too much like eating leftovers," I really love scraps (well, actually I like leftovers, too). Most quilters who promote the use of scraps say to put them in a box or sack and just reach in and take whatever you come up with. Afraid I'm not that relaxed about the process--I like to pick and choose what I sew to what, so I suppose I'd say I like Controlled Scraps.

Scrap Quilt 1, Log Cabin

 Both of these quilts start with a square or rectangle about 6"-8". I chose mostly strong primary colors in busy prints and then added strips to enlarge to about 12"-13". In Scrap Quilt 1, I added strips to all four sides; in Scrap Quilt 2 I only added strips to two sides and varied the orientation of the square (upper right, lower left, etc.), with the guideline being what was the most colorful and interesting layout. All squares are not the same size, so the actual blocks are somewhat disguised. The rows had to be the same size to fit together. Scrap Quilt 2 has a striped border; Quilt 1 has no border.

Scrap Quilt 2, Offset Log Cabin

The cat didn't realize I was only spreading the top to take the picture, but he knew where the center was.

Outstanding Quilters Reception

Pictured at the Reception honoring 2013 Outstanding Quilters chosen for the exhibit at the Mississippi Forestry and Agricultural Museum are eight of the ten honorees. Also shown are chairpersons of the Legacy Project, who are the organizers of these exhibits (far left) Joan Alliston and (far right) Georgia Polk.

Ten honorees were selected for 2013. They are (left to right)

Julia Beth Crapps, Morton
Marjorie Williams, Columbus
Willie Mae Davis, Utica
Becky Jefcoat, Flora
Carol Vickers, Decatur
Yvonne EvansNewton
Ann Fox, Brandon
Martha Ginn, Hattiesburg
Mary Alice Harvey Box, Starkville (deceased)
Ella Lucas, Hattiesburg (not pictured)

The exhibit will remain in the museum through October.

2013 MQA Outstanding Quilters

The Mississippi Quilt Association was founded in 1991 to enhance the art of quilting in Mississippi and established the MS Quilt Legacy Committee in 2005. The purpose is to execute the search and documentation process and record the works of outstanding Mississippi quilters over the age of 65.

MQA accepts nominations for Outstanding Quilters, and these nominees are asked to display two of their quilts at the Mississippi Forestry and Agricultural Museum in Jackson from June through October.
I have two quilts on display during this year's exhibit: "This Is My Story, This Is My Song" and "Finding My Way." The quilts are hung from the ceiling throughout the historical exhibit of items which represent Mississippi's cultural history. It is an honor to have my quilts hanging in this rich historical setting.

This Is My Story, This Is My Song

Finding My Way (detail)



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