Fiber Art Options

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

2012-01-21T11:21:00.006-05:00

My latest obsession is making little art pieces to be sold by the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. Am hoping this will be a way to use the little handwork bits that I create when I stay with my 95 year old mother. Here's a detail of one using a handwoven inset created on a cardboard-loom.

Here's another combining a piece of digital artwork I created and printed on fabric with a couple of

threadwork appliques done on used Color Catcher sheets.

These probably won't be sent to the Initiative before April, along with more of these that I am working on with a group of playmates.

For more information on this initiative and how you can contribute as a buyer and/or creator, see

http://www.alzquilts.org/aboutus.html

Creative Lull?

2012-01-16T15:12:00.001-05:00

The other day a friend asked me what I’d been doing lately and I told her that I have been busy painting and organizing my home. She then said ‘but what kind of art have you been making lately?’ I told her I hadn’t been making any art. I wasn’t satisfied with my answer; in fact, I’ve been disturbed by it and wish I had said more.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar conversation? I usually find myself on the other side of these types of conversations. I do tend to be artistic and creative and people seem to feel compelled to tell me things like “I’m not creative” or “I’m not artistic”. It always saddens me to hear someone tell me they are not creative. I believe we all have the ability to be creative whether it is in the way we arrange flowers in our gardens, or choose vegetables that make the dinner plate look pretty, or in the way a pair of earrings or a scarf is chosen to set off an outfit.

Creativity is a part of my daily life and my routines. Creativity certainly allows me to make art when I am in my studio, but creativity is also what allows me to make a house into a home; a meal into a moment; an afternoon with my grandchild into a memory.

The past couple of months have not been months of producing works of art. They have been full of knitting hats and mittens and sock monkey ornaments for Christmas presents; of painting the walls of many of the rooms of my home; of making pillows and curtains for those same rooms; and of arranging and re-arranging the items that I love in such a way that they are pleasing to my eye. I am creating a space that is comforting, relaxing, and welcoming. Today, my home is my work of art.

Join me in The Sketchbook Challenge

2012-01-14T19:34:00.001-05:00

This year, I am serving as a “host artist” on the blog for The Sketchbook Challenge, an online project started last year by Sue Bleiweiss to encourage others to grow as artists by working in a sketchbook.

Other artists hosting this year are Jill K. Berry, Sue Bleiweiss, Pam Carriker, Laura Cater-Woods, Jane Davies, Jamie Fingal, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Lyric Kinard, Jane LaFazio, Kelli Perkins, Carol Sloan and Susan Sorrell.

The theme this month is “Doodling.” Here’s my doodle:

and here’s how I interpreted it in fabric and thread:

You can read all the details on The Sketchbook Challenge blog. If you’ve ever wanted to work more consistently in your sketchbook – or if you’ve never worked in a sketchbook before – please consider joining us as we sketch our way through 2012!

I'll be on the cover of Quilting Arts!

2012-01-14T19:32:00.001-05:00

Wow. I just found out that my piece, “Hope is the Thing,” is on the cover of the February/March 2012 issue of Quilting Arts magazine.

I started this piece the morning I found out that my mother had died, and it has come to represent the space between us now that she is gone. It was juried into The Space Between, an exhibition curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison for Dinner at Eight Artists, and has already gone to International Quilt Festival – Long Beach, and International Quilt Festival – Houston in 2011.

This issue of Quilting Arts also features the work of other amazing artists in The Space Between: Susan Fletcher King, Sherry Kleinman, Jayne Larson and Linda Teddle Minton.

In this past year, even as I have mourned my mother’s physical presence, I have felt her emotional presence very close to me in my darkest hours. This feels like another sign. Love you, Mom.

2012-01-14T09:57:00.002-05:00

Congrats to Susan! Her work will be on the cover of the upcoming Quilting Arts magazine. For more info, see her blog here

http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/2012/01/wow.html

Winter Gardens

2011-11-28T10:44:00.004-05:00

Sunday I walked around my garden and took photos of the beauty all around me. If you would like to see more flowers, leaves and berries - Nature's Eye Candy -- check it out at http://nancygcook.blogspot.com/.

Nancy

2011-11-14T20:26:00.003-05:00

Alliance for American Quilts auction has started.

My entry is #53: "PLAID - Peace Loving Alliance of Imaginative Dabblers".

It goes up for auction in Week Three (Mon, Nov. 28 – Mon, Dec. 5).

For more info on this auction, see http://www.allianceforamerican

quilts.org/projects/galleries/Alliances/gallery/.

--- PJ ---

“Maximum Cat Nap” wins at IQF-Houston!

2011-11-07T14:33:00.000-05:00

I am honored to announce that “Maximum Cat Nap” won third place in the Art Quilt-Miniature category at the 2011 International Quilt Festival – Houston. Woo-hoo! For a complete list of all the winners, please go to the International Quilt Association website.

I attended both International Quilt Market and International Quilt Festival this year, and have started posting photos and commentary from these events on my blog. I collected so much stuff (freebies and purchases) that I had to mail about 50 pounds of stuff back home while I was there. And my suitcase was still overweight on the way back home!!! I’ll be sharing some of this loot with my blog readers in the next few weeks.

I’ll also be posting soon about my experiences with teaching (this was the first time to teach at IQF), and with participating in an exhibition (I had work in The Space Between exhibition).

Push Stitchery - Wow! What a Book

2011-11-01T19:42:00.012-04:00

Loved this little book curated by Jamie Chalmers from first look and touch.
It is the perfect size to present work that is often somewhat diminutive, and fits the hand well for a long sit down and read. I read the book from cover to cover within the first 24 hours and loved every minute of it.

There are 30 top stitch artists in the book with a lovely spread of each one including lots of photos of work, insightful interview questions, and lovely details to bring the work up close and personal.
The first two photos are from a portrait done by Cayce Zavaglia from the USA. She has masterful use of space and thread color. As well done as any portrait in oil.

Yes, that is a shovel that has been drilled and cross stitched by Lithuanian Severija Incirauskaite-Kriaunevciene.

In Root Deep Meagan Ileana plays with the female form in just a touch of hand and feet with a strong sense of the goddess.

I want a pillow. Charlene Mullen of UK is best known for her blackwork embroidery of London landscapes. She has really pushed the envelop on taking "craft' at its most mundane level of both form and method and pushed it to art.

And the Lady in Red by Marloes Duyker, Netherlands, is a testament to what heights one can take free motion embroidery and a few bits of old lace.

This is a book that I will love and enjoy for many years to come.

Great News! Just got an email from Lark, that I can get a copy of the book to give away. Leave a message here, with your email address by November 10 and I will draw a random name to send the book to.

Nancy

2011-10-28T19:12:00.003-04:00

Denver Art Trail Last Weekend -- they caught me weaving!

A photographer for our local weekly newspaper came by our stop on the Denver Art Trail last weekend and managed to catch me doing a little cardboard weaving. I don't think any of my woven items sold, but folks seemed to have a lot of questions about how they were made.

See http://denverncweekly.com/news/2011/10/sights-along-the-trail/ for more trail photos.

The Sketchbook Challenge

2011-10-24T10:28:00.000-04:00

Looking for a way to re-energize your art? Consider joining me in 2012 with The Sketchbook Challenge.

I will be one of the host artists for 2012.

In January of 2011, Sue Bleiweiss and a group of other artists came together and started The Sketchbook Challenge as a way to encourage others to start working in a sketchbook, or revitalize their sketching, with the belief that keeping sketchbooks is extremely valuable to artists.

While I have occasionally sketched, I’ve never done it in a disciplined way, and I took the Sketchbook Challenge last year and was doing great until my mom died in late January. But the sketching I did do this year convinced me that I would benefit from trying to sketch more often. In 2012, I’ll be working along with the other hosts; we will post themes for each month, and by posting their sketches in the Flickr group, participants put themselves in the running for substantial prizes.

Each day, there are posts that include lessons and insights by the host artists. I hope you’ll join me on this journey! Participating host artists for 2012 are:

Jill Berry : blog / sketchbook profile

Sue Bleiweiss : blog / sketchbook profile
Pam Carriker : blog / sketchbook profile

Jane Davies : blog / sketchbook profile

Jamie Fingal : blog / sketchbook profile

Leslie Tucker Jenison : blog / sketchbook profile
Lyric Kinard : blog / sketchbook profile

Susan Brubaker Knapp : blog / sketchbook profile

Jane LaFazio : blog / sketchbook profile

Kelli Nina Perkins : blog /    sketchbook profile
Carol Sloan : blog   / sketchbook profile
Susan Sorrell : blog /    sketchbook profile

Diana Trout : blog / sketchbook profile

Laura Cater Woods : blog / sketchbook profile

2011-10-21T21:13:00.003-04:00

Denver (NC!) Art Trail this weekend!

Just a quick reminder that the Denver Art Trail is tomorrow (Sat, Oct 22) and Sun. Come to stop #11 at the Blue Heron Bed & Breakfast and see my fiber uniquities. For a list of all the stops, see http://michellenantz.com/2011/10/09/6th-annual-denver-art-trail-2011/ -PJ-

Barnful of Quilts 2011

2011-10-09T22:27:00.001-04:00

It was a beautiful, clear, cool day yesterday for Barnful of Quilts 2011, a benefit for Samaritan’s Purse at the Fox Family Farm in Waxhaw, NC. I ran around and took photos of everything, so I’ll let the photos tell most of the story.

The Prim Merchant – Alisa Deshields – www.theprimmerchant.weebly.com

Twisted Fibers – Ginny Long – s-g-long@msn.com

Amani Children’s Foundation – 704.542.0425

Carolina Llamas – www.carolinallamas.com

Members of Fiber Art Options were the featured artists, in the center ring:

Inspired Spirits – Joan Stephens – www.inspiredspirits.com

Handwovens by Sally – Sally Hagerty – 803.628.6238

Things She Carried – Cathe Hawley – www.thingsshecarried.etsy.com

Bev Nagy – ART McGuyver – www.bevnagy.com

Barbara Warholic – www.martingale-pub.com/store/index.php?author_id=295

Jan Smiley – www.jansmiley.com

Willa McNeill – willa.mcneill@gmail.com

Curlytail Creations – Kim McNeill – mkmcneill@hotmail.com

Carolina Sampler Guild meets the first Wednesday of the Month at Wing Haven Garden, Ridgewood Avenue, Charlotte. Contact Sharon Huffstetler at sehuff@aol.com.

Overall Quilter – www.overallquilter.com

And lots more!

Setting up at Barnful of Quilts 2011

2011-10-07T19:47:00.001-04:00

Today we set up for the 9th annual Barnful of Quilts at the beautiful Fox Family Farm in Waxhaw, NC. Members of Fiber Art Options are the featured artists this year. Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 8 – from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – is the big day. Come and see us! The event benefits Samaritan’s Purse, so your admission ($5; or free to those older than 80 or younger than 18) goes to a great cause. You can see photos of previous years, and get directions on the Fox Family Farm website.

Here are a few photos from today; I’ll post more on Sunday.

Nancy G. Cook with a piece by Deborah M. Langsam

Work by Linda Stegall

Setting up in the center ring

Linda Stegall selects pieces to hang

DeLane Rosenau’s work going up

P.J. Howard hard at work

Janet A. Lasher’s art cloth blows in the breeze

Work by Deborah M. Langsam, P.J. Howard, and Nancy G. Cook

The beautiful barn

Quilts hanging inside the barn

Quilts in the rafters

Only a few of the vendors had set up before we were done. Tomorrow, it will be packed to the gills with yarn, baskets, quilts, dolls, jewelry, weaving, and lots of other fiber-related crafts. I can’t wait to see it all! Here’s a peek:

Bead Riffs Review and Book Give Away

2011-10-04T17:10:00.011-04:00

This clever writer and bead artist, Rachel Nelson-Smith, combines her expertise in beading jazz in a very refreshing book full of detailed instructions, well executed examples and a number of fine pieces in the gallery showing work by different bead artists.

These projects are specific to increasing your skills using two foundation forms of off loom beading: the Peyote Stitch and Right Angle Weave. Nelson-Smith gives good illustrations on the foundations of these two forms and then shows the many different ways they can be used and combined.

The necklace is a good example of combining different stitches to create a very elegant product.

I have always loved the wonderful crystal rivolis and wanted to use them. The author shows several different applications with directions. This bracelet was one that I liked best.

The artist also shows her designs in different color ways which really helps point up how much can be changed with a simple color shift. the photo of the bracelets is a good example. Notice that you can change the sizes as well.

Please leave a comment along with your email address. October 15, I will randomly select one commenter for the book. Sorry, can only mail to USA.

Nancy

“Meadowood Stitched” opens Oct. 1st

2011-09-30T18:48:00.005-04:00

One hallway where “Meadowood Stitched” is exhibited

Today we hung the “Meadowood Stitched,” exhibition at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden near Charlotte. It is a beautiful venue. This is the second year we have exhibited our work here. The exhibition officially opens tomorrow, and Nancy G Cook will be there demonstrating how she creates her work.

P.J. Howard was among the first of us to arrive. Does she look prepared, or what? I love her t-shirt; it says, “I make stuff.”

We got to work. First we laid out all the pieces on the floor, and decided what should go where. Then we hung the pieces and took a preliminary look. Here is DeLane Rosenau hanging her lovely felted wool piece:

After determining correct placement, P.J. and Janet A. Lasher measured to make sure that the pieces were all hanging at the right height:

Nancy (right) worked out details with Cynthia Klemmer, DSBG’s director of education:

Here are photos of some of our pieces:

by Janet A. Lasher

by Linda Stegall

by P.J. Howard

by Deborah M. Langsam

by Susan Brubaker Knapp

by DeLane Rosenau

by Nancy G Cook


One of two hallways where “Meadowood Stitched” is exhibited

My butterfly invites people to come down the hallway to “Meadowood Stitched”

2011-09-21T14:48:00.002-04:00

Please mark your calendars and make plans to visit our latest exhibition, Meadowood Stitched, at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, NC, just outside Charlotte. It runs October 1 through November 14.

Psychedelic Peacock

2011-09-19T07:37:00.001-04:00

This weekend, I got started on my latest piece, which will be pretty large, about 48" square. The sketch above shows what I’m aiming for (except that the background will be black instead of white). I’m going to do it in a pretty realistic way, but change a lot of the original colors.

The piece is based on the photo below, which I took at the zoo in Colorado Springs this summer while on our family vacation. This peacock was uncaged, strolling the lawn, and was initially quite happy to have his photo taken. I was pretty close to him, maybe about six feet away, when he decided that he didn’t like me much. He hissed, and came at me, and I retreated … but not before getting some great shots.

I started by cropping my photo to a square and printing it out 8" wide on my laser printer. After tracing the main lines in the image on tracing paper, I blew up the line drawing in Photoshop to the 48" size I needed. Then I placed this image in InDesign, a page layout program, and drew dotted lines every 8" across and 13.5" down (as the pages would be printed out on 8.5" x 14" legal-size paper). I positioned the sections, one at a time, on the page, and printed each out – a total of 28 sheets. Then I cut and taped them together along the dotted lines. You can see the dotted lines here if you look closely:

Here’s how it looked all together on the work table in my studio:

I placed black fabric on top of this drawing, pinned it to the paper, then positioned a light box underneath, and slid it from section to section, roughly drawing the lines with a mechanical chalk pencil. These lines will help me position the fabric pieces, after I’ve put fusible adhesive on the back of each.

Usually, I trace my lines onto clear upholstery vinyl, and use that as a positioning overlay to place all the fabric pieces correctly. In this case, since the piece is so big, I thought a vinyl overlay might be difficult to use, so I am trying this instead.

Next, I needed to plan how I would color the drawing, since I’m not doing this in the actual peacock colors in my photo. My peacock is going to be kind of technicolor! So I took a copy of my line drawing, and had some fun with my watercolors. (The finished painting is at the top of this post.)

My next step will be to start tracing shapes onto my fusible adhesive. I use Lite Steam-a-Seam 2 from The Warm Company, because it works great for my process. Because it is slightly sticky after you remove the paper backing, it is very easy to position and reposition all the little pieces before you fuse them down. Sometimes I have a lot of little pieces, so this is an important feature for me. I also like the stability that the adhesive provides. Lite Steam-a-Seam 2 is not the lightest fusible adhesive out there – this is a plus if you are going to do a lot of threadwork on top of a piece, because it acts as a stabilizer, too. I will be using interfacing behind this piece to provide additional stability before I stitch; I’m doing all the little strands in the feathers with thread sketching.

By the way, my interest in peafowl goes back to the early 1990s, when my husband and I rented a late 1700s cottage on the Shadwell Estate. Shadwell is the land originally owned by Thomas Jefferson’s father, and where Jefferson grew up, just outside Charlottesville, Virginia. Our landlord lived in a spectacular mansion built by Jefferson’s grandaughter, and we lived in the older, smaller house, which we called Boxbriar Cottage. It was the most amazing place I have ever lived, surrounded by 20-foot-tall boxwoods, pastures, gardens, enormous tulip poplars, and woods.

Our landlords had peafowl; not long before we moved in, their peacock had been killed by an owl. His mate, peahen Emily, still sauntered the grounds, and we loved seeing her and hearing her eerie cat-like call in the evenings. When our landlords went out of town, we were given the job of feeding Emily, who ate quartered grapes, chopped walnuts and crushed Carr’s Water Crackers. I am not kidding you.

Qulting “Up and Away!”

2011-09-12T11:49:00.001-04:00

Here’s where my new piece, Up and Away!, stands now. Last night I added the purpley-blue at the top, since the piece was looking flat to me. I think it has a lot more magic in it now. Funny how one change like that can make such a big difference. I also went back in and re-painted some of the grass with more saturated color, and I like the way some strands look hazy, like they are out of focus in the background. This helped to add some depth, too.

The placement of the butterfly is not exact; I just plunked it down there for the photo. (It is already stitched and ready to position once I have quilted the sky). That is next.

Getting started

2011-09-09T17:24:00.002-04:00

Okay, I know I'm cutting it close. There are just three weeks until the opening of Meadowood Stitched, the exhibition by the members of Fiber Art Options at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. I have finished one piece, and have just started the second. Well not really, part of it has been done for years. I think I made this butterfly about five years ago. It is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

Clarification: The photo above is of a three-dimensional butterfly made from fabric and thread, positioned on impatiens. (I remember sending this photo to my mom, and she thought it was a real butterfly, until I pointed out the scale, and told her, “If you saw a butterfly this big on your impatiens, you’d be running for your life!” But I was really pleased that it looked that realistic to her.)

My idea is to position this three-dimensional butterfly on a painted background, soaring up into a bright blue sky, with grass at the bottom. Something like this grass:

I took this photo at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden’s meadow area that they are calling Meadowood, which will officially open this fall. This afternoon, I started the piece I am planning by tracing this grass:

I am going to have to “hustle my bustle” to complete this piece by the deadline. But hey, I love deadlines! Stay tuned.

Masters Vol 2 winner announced!

2011-09-07T01:29:00.000-04:00

Mary Jo Bowers is the winner of Masters Vol. 2. Congratulations Mary Jo!! Please send me your snail mail address to: ngcook1atbellsouth.net and I will send the book to you.
Nancy

Come see me this weekend at Matthews Alive

2011-09-02T21:54:00.000-04:00

I’m all set up for Matthews Alive!

Matthews Alive, one of the biggest festivals in North Carolina, and one that boasts the biggest Labor Day Parade in the Southeast, is this weekend. I’m the featured artist at the Quilt Show, which contains work by lots of local quilters. The show encompasses beginners and experts, and many types of quilting; I got a preview, and it is just terrific!

Carnival midway, rides, corn dogs and cotton candy, music, arts and crafts – it’s all here. There’s music, too, everything from rock and pop, alternative, beach music, and a Beatles tribute band. The festivities start tomorrow and run through Monday.

One of the coolest things about the festival is reflected in its motto: “Good times funding good works.” The celebration is dedicated to the support of non-profit organizations through music, arts and community involvement. Nearly 1,000 volunteers – including Megan Shein (who organizes the quilt show) and her husband — put in more than 2,000 hours of volunteer time to run the three-day festival. One hundred percent of profits go to local non-profits; to date, that is more than $750,000! Everything from marching bands, scout troops, adult day care centers, and charitable groups all benefit.

Quilt Show organizer Megan Shein with one of her beautiful quilts

The online map shows you where I'll be; in the Community Center, just off the main drag. It is a beautifully restored school building. I’ve been warned to expect a lot of traffic. Last year, the quilt show got more than 2,500 visitors! I wonder how much of it has to do with the fact that we are indoors, and the air conditioning in the Community Center is excellent! I’ll have my books, DVDs and patterns for sale, and will be working on new work and demonstrating the whole time I’m there. Come and see!

They even gave me a VIP all-access pass, which I am wearing around the house this evening so that the kids don’t mess with me. Hey, I’m a VIP!

Come and join me tomorrow. The parade starts at 10!

"Heat Waves" for SAQA: evolution in action

2011-09-01T14:10:00.000-04:00

A while ago (yikes...where did the summer go?) I posted about the piece I was making for the SAQA auction. The auction is right around the corner...it starts on September 12th.

Like so many things I start, I thought I was all set.

I'd fuse a square from my UFO pile onto a piece of dupioni silk. The silk would bring some texture and shine to the piece. A little free motion quilting would finish it off and the piece would be done!

The project was practically finished before I began.

But the best laid plans....
Once I put the two pieces together, I wasn't satisfied. Everything looked too static, too blah.

What did it need? Maybe a little shine, a little *bling.*

So I went diving into my small stash of lame (shades of frowning French professors -- this needs an accent on the "e" -- but my blogging skills aren't that refined).

I cut some strips and extended them beyond the square to bring extra movement and that extra bling.

I thought that helped.

But now the light green top and bottom edges of the square weren't "weighty" enough to anchor the square on its silk background.

Better, but I still wanted more weight

So back to the design board to add some strips of dark blue velvet...

Okay...let's make the strips a little thicker.

I also wondered if it might be fun to extend the patterned fabric into the background.

No go on this idea...the extra pattern distracted from the main square and the flow of the lame.

So maybe I needed a little more lame...something that would help integrate those two large strips of lame with the rest of the design. So once more, back to the lame stash for two more pieces of the shiny stuff.

This did the trick for me (plus the deadline was rapidly approaching).

A little hand-guided machine stitching, some blue metallic thread around the large pieces of lame, and here's the finished piece.
In the midst of the blistering summer heat, the title seemed to be a natural: Heat Waves (you can find it on page 3b of SAQA auction site).

A side note: I thought it might be apropos to include the word "evolution" in the title of this post. Here's why: the project that was "practically finished before I began" - a 10.5 X 12 inch piece - took on a life of its own. Between cogitating and experimenting, 2 1/2 months passed between start and finish (and this doesn't count the time I spent on the little UFO square!). All I can say is that I'm glad quilting efforts aren't measured in geologic time.

Looking forward to the cool breezes of Fall

Debbie

Synchronized Synchronous Fireflies, Part 2

2011-08-20T09:28:00.002-04:00

“Synchronized Synchronous Fireflies” by Susan Brubaker Knapp. (Work in progress)

My latest piece, “Synchronized Synchronous Fireflies,” is coming along nicely. I have added some synchronized grass – regular grass would have looked weird, I decided — and started the threadwork. The shot above shows it pinned to interfacing (Pellon 910), with a bit of the thread sketching done. I have also added smaller circles of lime green Angelina on top of the green Crystalina fibers that make up the fireflies’ glow. They were not showing up quite as much as I wanted with just the Crystalina.

I am having fun with this piece, but it is very different from what I’ve been doing in the past year or so. More playful perhaps, and definitely less realistic. I added the grass to give the piece some more luminous color, and I love the way it glows against the blue twilight fabric, and how it plays off the fireflies’ glow.

But there is something somewhat sinister in the way everything is perfectly aligned. It gives me the same chill up the spine that much of Jane Sassaman’s work does. I think it has to do with taking the marvelous chaos that is nature, and making it mechanical, clinical — more perfect, and at the same time, less perfect. Messing with the work of the Creator. The Stepford Wives effect. There is some malevolent intent here. This may go back to my childhood battle with poison ivy. I am incredibly allergic to poison ivy, and had many very bad cases of it when I was young – so bad that I had to have monthly shots as a child, and that I missed several weeks of school. But that is enough psychoanalysis for today.

This is one of two pieces I am doing for Fiber Art Options’ exhibition called “Meadowood Stitched,” which will premiere this fall at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden near Charlotte. All the pieces will be based on meadow life, to celebrate the opening of a new section of the garden that includes meadow and woodland.

I have a good idea for my second piece; I will be using (or as they say in the crafting world, “repurposing”) a three-dimensional Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly that I made about 5 years ago. He has a wingspan of about 20" (the photo below shows him sitting on my impatiens. Stay tuned!

Bead Book Give Away

2011-08-19T14:00:00.001-04:00

Amanda Jensen is winner of Bead Book.

Amanda, please send me your snail mail address and I will send you the book.

Nancy

Masters Art Quilts Vol. 2 Free Give Away!!

2011-08-13T02:09:00.004-04:00

In Masters Art Quilts Vol. 2, Martha Sielman has gathered the art work of 40 contemporary art quilters into a lush volume that is a perfect companion to Masters Art Quilts Vol.1. Each artist is represented with 6-12 pieces of their work, including some details to give a really rich overview of their style. Sielman accompanies each of the artists' work with a brief description of their work, their inspirations, and their techniques. Each piece of artwork is labeled with title, year created, dimensions, materials and techniques.

The book is well designed, easy to use with a softcover and front and back flaps, and the photography is exquisite.

I selected several artists' work for this review to illustrate the level of work in the book. It was truly a hard decision.

Urubamba by Jan Myers-Newberry showcases her exquisite shibori dyed cloth. She has used a lively interplay of small and larger textures, warm and cool colors, and has created much energy and movement by connecting shibori patterns across many different fabrics.

While Myers-Newberry's work showcases her fabrics, Frisian Sky by Dirkje van der Horst-Beetsma owes its pattern to her intense machine stitching.

Horst-Beetsma creates pattern with multiple small squares of hand dyed fabrics, and also with stitched lines on whole cloth.

This piece consists of five panels that are attached with zippers of varying lengths. There are even half zippers on each side, indicating that the piece could be zipped together into a three dimensional column. Her thread choices make the sky lively. Her sky abstraction tugs at memories of beautiful sunny days.

Rise Nagïn works with sheers. They may be layered, painted, appliqued or any of the other techniques of the quilter. By working with sheers, light becomes a constant in her work. Heliotaxis at 138 x 420 inches ( 3.5 x 6 m) is large enough for the audience to walk in and among its panels.

The energy of the piece comes from the overlapping layers of abstract organic designs, some in the foreground and some shadowed in layers behind.

Each of the artists in the book has developed their own signature styles, but the book shows how one can work within a very defined oeuvre and still be growing and changing.

Please leave a comment about this book on the blog with your email address by August 23. One lucky person will win a copy of this book.

Nancy

Synchronized Synchronous Fireflies, Part I

2011-08-09T17:46:00.000-04:00

Synchronized Synchronous Fireflies by Susan Brubaker Knapp

This week, I started work on one of the pieces I am doing for Fiber Art Options’ exhibition called “Meadowood Stitched,” which will premiere this fall at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden near Charlotte. All the pieces will be based on meadow life, to celebrate the opening of a new section of the garden that includes meadow and woodland.

I am calling this piece “Synchronized Synchronous Fireflies.”

“What the heck does that mean?” I can hear you all thinking.

Well, synchronous fireflies are a phenomenon that you can only observe in two places in the entire world – the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, and Southeast Asia. The Smokies are only about four hours from where I live. My mother told me about this phenomena demonstrated by the species Photinus carolinus, and she went to see it in the Smokies, but my family has not made the trip yet.

According to a website for Gatlinburg, Tennessee, “This species of fireflies has an internal sensor that lets them know when a nearby firefly has lit, in which they respond with their own light as quickly as possible. It may take a minute for them to get in sync, but all of a sudden that start performing together with flashes that last as long as six seconds. This, in turn, presents an amazing wave of blinking lights that is truly astonishing.” You can watch a video about these fireflies here.

The name made me think about synchronized swimming, which in turn made me think about cute little beetles lined up in the night sky in perfect formation, like the synchronized swimmers in the Olympics, firing up their little green lights at just the perfect moment in an outstanding example of simultaneous bioluminescence, tiny swim caps on their heads. Okay, maybe without the swim caps.

So I made five little fireflies and arranged them in a position reminiscent of the synchronized swimmers. Their lights are made of Angelina fiber that reflects the light and gives them their signature glow. The fabric is a piece I hand-dyed last summer; I picked it because it reminded me of twilight, the gloaming – the time between twilight and dark.

As a child, I spent many a summer evening in Pennsylvania with friends, chasing and catching lightening bugs (another name for fireflies) and putting them in Mason jar to make a lantern. It was magic. I didn’t realize until recently that there are no fireflies in the western United States. My husband had them in Oklahoma, but when I took a class with California artist Jane LaFazio when she came to North Carolina last June, she was all abuzz because she had seen fireflies the night before. Apparently they don’t have them in Europe, either. How sad!

What’s next for this piece? I’m going to add some grass coming in on either side. The finished size needs to be 24" square. I think it will be very orderly grass, to emphasize the very orderly nature of the insects. And then I will thread sketch the fireflies, and quilt it. I’ll post more photos as it progresses.

Fiber Art Options to exhibit at Barnful of Quilts

2011-08-07T22:36:00.000-04:00

Fiber Art Options will be featured October 8 at the ninth annual “Barnful of Quilts.” This year’s show will benefit Samaritan’s Purse, an organization that provides food, medicine and assistance to the world’s poor, sick and suffering.

The show will feature exhibits, vendors, a bake sale and a quilt sale. Admission is a $5 donation to Samaritan’s Purse; it is free to those older than 80 and younger than 18. The show is in the amazingly beautiful barn at Fox Farms in Waxhaw, just south of Charlotte, NC.

For information, e-mail Valerie Fox at vfox@windstream.net, or call 704-516-8060. We will have more information on this blog as we get closer to the date.

Book Review of Maggie Meister's Classical Elegance - Free Give Away

2011-08-01T15:12:00.011-04:00

I really enjoyed reading this visually delightful hardcover 127 page book published by Lark Crafts.

Maggie Meister has written an excellent book for the beader of intermediate skills. However, to widen its usefulness, she offers opening chapters on tools and stitches that are good for review, or as a reference for the learner.

Meister draws from classical art for inspiration to create exquisite designs for her motifs and wonderful chains to enhance the motifs.

I loved the spiral designs on the necklace in the second photograph. It is built up of small components that are then attached to each other.

This last photograph has a delightfully complex and visually interesting three dimensional pendant and separate chain each of which would be lovely created and worn separately.

The illustrations - both photographic and graphic - make the instructions easy to follow.

There are 20 unique designs and there are several options available to further enrich the offerings in the book. The designs are based on individual components that Meister then gives instructions for combining. By building on basic stitches, the projects build skills step by step. The author then gives suggestions for other ways the individual components can be combined to spur the reader into new interpretations.

If you love a good visual treat on beading, I recommend this book. If you are an intermediate beader looking to increase your skills and design options, this is a great book.

If you leave a comment by August 15 along with your name and email address, I will randomly draw a name and send the book to one reader.

Nancy

DeLane Rosenau

2011-07-20T21:01:00.001-04:00

DeLane Rosenau

DeLane Rosenau of Denver, NC, is the latest artist to join Fiber Art Options.

DeLane’s work is organic and spontaneous – rarely working from a sketch, she lets the materials she is working with dictate how she works and what she makes. Her work is eclectic: pieces can be realistic or abstract; traditional, modern, or folk art; and can contain fabrics of all kinds including those she dyes herself or wool she has felted. DeLane loves trying new techniques and styles and enjoys using the various methods to create one-of-a-kind pieces.

“Cold Foot Contest”
by DeLane Rosenau

Doll by DeLane Rosenau

Beaded button by DeLane Rosenau

“Asian Dance” by DeLane Rosenau

E-MAIL: delanequilts@bellsouth.net

BLOG: http://delanequilts.wordpress.com

My book will arrive July 20!

2011-07-15T11:03:00.002-04:00

Me with no makeup and still in my jammies, holding my advance copy of my book

I just got news that the big box of my new books is on its way from C&T Publishing in California, and will arrive next Wednesday, July 20. I’ll start shipping them out either that afternoon, or the next morning. If you want to get one of the first copies available – with an autograph! – you can purchase one here: http://www.bluemoonriver.com/PointClickQuilt.html

"Queen Charlotte" is Getting Ready to Travel....

2011-07-02T11:52:00.009-04:00

It's fun to open your e-mail and receive good news (far more rewarding than those advertisements for pills online or requests for credit card numbers to "verify" an account).

I just got word that "Under the Watchful Eye of Queen Charlotte" is one of 20 pieces - selected from 141 entries - for SAQA's (Studio Art Quilt Associates) Layers of Memory exhibition.

The show is curated by Doria Goocher and it's designed to represent the human processes of memory.

"Queen Charlotte" uses images of Charlotte, NC people, places, and events to explore the city's past and present.

The images represent the collective human memory of the city.

They come together to form a section of Queen Charlotte's face (the British monarch for whom the city is named).

(BTW: Here's a photo of of the statue of Queen Charlotte that served as the model for her face. The statue stands in uptown Charlotte. It's probably a highly romanticized version of the queen since she was never known as a particular beauty)

The exhibit will be touring with the Mancuso Quilt sho ws starting in August at The World Quilt Show in Manchester, New Hampshire and ending at the Denver National Quilt Festival in August, 2012.

In between, "Queen Charlotte" will be thumbing her way to venues across the country (Santa Clara, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Somerset, NJ; Hampton, VA; West Palm Beach, FL)...a well-traveled lady to be sure.

Wishing everyone a Happy 4th,

Debbie

Fun with Glasses Cases

2011-06-27T23:00:00.004-04:00

About once a summer I have lunch with 5 high school (aka, "old"!) friends. I like to use these irregular meetings to test drive a new technique or pattern. For this summer's meeting, I've made eyeglass cases using a pattern from Quilting Arts Gifts 2009-2010. I started with some peach colored cotton from some unremembered-but-definitely-not-purchased-by-me source. Using acrylic paints, I randomly whisked on some pink, purple, yellow, aqua, and green, with the rough thought of creating a mid-century pattern. Then I stitched with similar colored threads, layered, quilted, satin-stitched the edges, added alcohol-inked buttons, and some conveniently variegated yarn, and voila! 6 unique-but-related glasses cases. Hope my friends like these!

My new book is almost here!

2011-06-17T10:31:00.000-04:00

My second book will be here very soon! If you want an autographed copy, and you want it as quickly as possible, you can pre-order it on my website here now. I'll ship the books out as soon as I get them!

Point, Click, Quilt! Turn Your Photos into Fabulous Fabric Art will be released by C&T Publishing in mid-July. It includes 16 artful projects inspired by my digital photographs. I teach how to compose and shoot dynamic digital photos from a quilter's perspective. There are lots of fun exercises to help you become a better photographer, and step-by-step directions to help you turn your photos into small art quilts, both realistic and abstract. Most of my projects use fused batik and hand-dyed fabrics, but four projects include innovative materials (paint, Tyvek, Angelina fibers, and foils).

The book is 112 pages, and retails for $27.95. My shipping prices are $5 to the U.S. and Canada, and $11 to anywhere else.

PAQA-S Part I: Marketing Your Art

2011-06-06T10:49:00.011-04:00

I recently spent a fascinating two days in Durham, NC attending this year's PAQA-S Spring Conference. Our speaker, Alyson Stanfield, led an extraordinary "Shameless Self-Promotion" workshop on the art of marketing art.

Alyson, a former museum educator and curator, is the author of I'd Rather Be in the Studio (the artist's no-excuse guide to self-promotion) and has a successful career as an art business coach.

She's definitely a model of terrific marketing. Case in point, her website and blog are treasure troves of information and good reminders for artists at any stage in their marketing careers.

We began the workshop, at Alyson's urging, with the following mantra:

I Can't Do It All!

(Five simple words that apply not only to art marketing but to just about everything in our hectic lives.)

Next on the agenda...a guided tour through the steps of comprehensive, soup-to-nuts, promotional planning.

Not surprisingly...the workshop attendees were part of the bonus of attending the workshop. We had about 50 folks there...and not all of them fiber artists. Mixed in with the fabric-addicted were ceramic and wood artists, a good handful of painters, a children's book publisher , and, of all things, a professional Santa Claus (and yes, he really looks like that - minus the costume - in real life).

It was a lively group and Alyson's presentation was informative, fun, and engaging.

Also not surprising...we spent a lot of time on social networking --- the pleasures, the pitfalls, and the practicalities. The social networking section led to another mantra...

one that's specifically designed for blogging, Facebook, and Twitter; but it too applies to almost every area of life (ever regretted hitting the "send" button on e-mail?):

Be Helpful, Be Generous, Be Nice...

Words to live by....

PAQA-S Part II: a post for another day!

Cheers,

Debbie

Work continues on "Fall Farm Stand"

2011-05-16T16:55:00.000-04:00

After some delays, I‘m back to work on a piece based on a photo of gourds I took last fall. I’m calling it Fall Farm Stand. It is for a nice couple who traded me a piano for my daughter to play.

The gourd I painted today is the one in the upper right hand corner of the photo below. It is dark orangish-red with dark gray sploches and a big yellow place where it was sitting on the ground while it grew.

I’ve decided that I should try to keep track of the hours I spend on some of my new pieces. Everyone always asks me “How much time did it take you to make this?” and I never know exactly what to say. I wonder whether these people place a monetary value on things that take a long time to make, or whether they are simply curious. Or do they think I just whip these things out, and that my prices are way too high? What is the appropriate hourly wage for an artist, anyway? Pricing is always a difficult issue for an artist.

After about two hours, here’s how the gourd looked, with the dark orange and yellow painted in:

Here’s how it looked after four hours, with the dark and light grays filled in, and some highlights and shadows added:

I will be adding the rest of the details with thread sketching and quilting. I’m doing all of the gourds on this piece separately. Some of the bumpier ones will have melted Tyvek pieces on them. Then they will all get needleturn appliqued down to the background before thread sketching.

I spent about two hours working on the gray pumpkin earlier. You can read about it in my previous post. Total hours on this piece so far: approximately 6.

Underway: SAQA 2011 Auction Piece

2011-05-08T18:19:00.003-04:00

I've started working on a piece that will eventually (hopefully sooner rather than later) be submitted to SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) for inclusion in their annual fund-raising auction. The pieces for the auction are small...measuring between 10" and 12" on each side.

Last year my piece was a miniature version of my "Out of the Mouths of Babes" mosaic series.

This year, my starting point is a single 5"x5" square that I made some time ago.

The technique for the square is one I learned a while back from Phyllis Tarrant, a member of the Charlotte Quilter's Guild. Phyllis, in turn, learned it at a workshop that she took. Phyllis, can you help me out here? I'd love to give credit to the workshop leader. (Phyllis to the rescue: the workshop she took was from Sue Brenner...)

You start out by ironing some fusible web to the wrong side of a fabric square. In the picture here, the fabric is sheer organza.

Other squares of fabric (also with fusible web) are cut up into funky shaped strips and shapes which are arranged on the the first fabric square.
Eventually, the various bits of fabric are ironed down and the "embellished" square is ready for use.

The squares can be used in any number of different ways.

In this piece (called "Havdalah") I took 16 squares, butted them up against one another, fused the squares and a border onto a piece of batting and backing, quilted the piece and then bound it.

The auction piece, will be different. I plan to use a single square and place it on a background of orange Dupioni silk. I like the texture and sheen of the silk.

The fun will be in making the rest of the decisions: what fabrics to add, what type of quilting, how to handle the binding....

Stay tuned, I'll let you know how I progress....

Debbie

Great News!!

2011-05-03T15:45:00.007-04:00

Just received word that Kousa: A New Dogwood's in Town will be in Sandra Sider's upcoming publication: The Studio Quilt, no. 6: State of the Art.

A detail of the quilt is shown here.

Originally planned for 30 artists, Sandra is including 60 because of the great response and quality of the submissions she received.

This makes four books that will carry some of my work in the coming 12 months. The first out will be Susan Brubaker Knapp's book. Point, Click, Quilt! coming out next month. Susan's book will feature her extraordinary work, projects using her techniques, and a gallery photos and art work from other artists who use photos for imagery for their quilts.

Martha Seilman's book: Art Quilt Portfolio; The Natural World will be published in 2012. She selected me for one of the featured artists for the book and it will include both an interview and discussion of my work, my inspirations, my work processes and several of my quilts. I am very humbled by this terrific honor.

The last book will be the next publication of SAQA's Portfolio series of work by the Professional Art Members. It will be available as an on-line e-book on the SAQA site and as a printed book. This should be out in October 2011.

Nancy

2011-05-03T14:45:00.001-04:00

PJ's Little Weaving Obsession

Inspired by a small handwoven pincushion from one friend and a credit card/cell neck wallet by another friend, I began playing with some small cardboard loom handweaving. As you can see by these photos, I've gotten a little obsessed -- maybe because it's so portable or easy or mindlessly soothing.

I started with some simple "intro to weaving for children" info on the web, like that found here http://www.biglearning.com/article-cardboard-loom.htm. Here's my starting loom: a cardboard insert from an old 5"x7" photo frame, notched with scissors every 1/8", and warped with pearl cotton.

A small (about 4"x6") not-yet-lined bag woven from leftover acrylic yarns.

A similarly sized bag woven from fabric strips

And, a smaller (about 3.5" x 5") drawstring pouch

I suspect these are not the last of my little wovens. -PJ-

Chuppah completed...wedding celebrated!

2011-04-23T17:21:00.017-04:00

A while back I posted an entry about a chuppah (a traditional Jewish wedding canopy) in progress. I was commissioned to do the piece for two dear friends (Leslie Winner and Jerry Postema) who were about to be married.

Well, the chuppah got done in time to make its debut at the wedding.

You'll see, from the picture that the chuppah was held above the couple's heads, suspended from four wooden poles. As is traditional, the poles were held by those closest to the bride and groom - in this case their children and other beloved relatives.

I solved the problem of attaching the chuppah to the poles by sewing a fabric loop (heavily reinforced - but easy to remove at the end of the wedding) to each corner of the chuppah.

I threaded a binder ring, first through each fabric loop, and then through the "eye screw" found at the top of each wooden pole.

To pretty up the attachment, I passed streamers - made with fabrics used in the chuppah - through the ring binders.

The wedding itself was a joyous occasion...a celebration of two people finding each other, and love, in the 2nd half of life.

Here's the piece now...both the front and labels on the back.

I took off the loops, placed two sleeves on the quilt --- one for the hanging rod and a second on the bottom for a "weighting rod" (to keep the quilt hanging flat).

Of course, I'm looking forward to seeing the piece in Leslie and Jerry's home. But even more than that, I'm looking forward to watching them enjoy their lives together for many happy and healthy years to come.

Mazel tov!

Debbie

Grading a Quilt

2011-04-22T11:46:00.015-04:00

Nope, we are not sending the quilt to school for one of the infamous tests.

At yesterday's meeting of Fiber Art Options, grading came up. Some of our members were not familiar with the term or concept. Those with some tailoring background were familiar with it, and why it is used.

Grading is a tailors term and technique to soften the edge that is created under the top fabric when sewing multiple fabrics together.

To see an explanation of the technique, tools used and results, check out my blog http://nancygcook.blogspot.com

Nancy

Shooting "The Quilt Show"

2011-04-21T18:40:00.000-04:00

I went to Colorado Springs last week to shoot an episode of "The Quilt Show" with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. What a thrill to be on set with two quilters whose work I respect so much! “The Quilt Show” is an online TV show that can be viewed through the Internet by subscription. The shows feature fun interviews with all kinds of quilters and fiber artists, as well as lessons and information, and some great free stuff.

I figured you might enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at my day. Ricky and Alex shoot some episodes on a set with a live studio audience, and some “on location.”

C&T Publishing had kindly provided copies of both of my books, Appliqué Petal Party (2009) and Point, Click, Quilt! (coming out in July). Actually, it was just a mock-up of my new book (the cover glued to the front of another C&T title), since my book has not gone to press yet. Here is the producer, Shelly Heesacker (below) holding the mock-up. Shelly produces segments for Oprah, and she was fabulous to work with, and a lot of fun.

Make-up on, quilts up, Ricky and Alex comfortably installed on the sofa in the Eaton’s family room, me squirming in an armchair, cameras rolling! We sat down to review with the crew how the interview portion of the show would run.

After that segment was shot, we moved to another room for the how-to parts of the show. Alex told me a funny story while I pressed the step-outs for the segment on creating bias vines that I shot with her:

Step outs are how you show all the different parts of the process you are demonstrating. (On a cooking show, they will show the ingredients, then some of them mixed together, then the batter in the pan, then the pan going into the oven, then the baked cake, then the iced and finished cake. Same concept here.)

Ricky found a piano and of course Shelly and I had to join in:

We even shot a little bit of me singing with Ricky as a lead-in to my segment with Alex. I have not sung much since high school (I starred in a few of my high school musicals), except in the shower, so I hope I sounded all right!

Alex and Ricky made shooting these how-to segments really fun and easy. Before each one, we set up all the equipment, step-outs, and the things we would use or talk about. Ricky patiently gave me a little lesson on how to use a high-end Bernina that has some features I was not familiar with because I don't have them on the Bernina I use at home. And yes, I had to free-motion thread sketch standing up!

Here is Ricky with the producer, director and crew watching me thread sketch to see if the camera was capturing everything from the correct angle:

This is a shot of me holding one of the projects (Nestling) that I demonstrated, which will be available from The Quilt Show as a free project when my show airs. I don’t know yet when that will be, but it will be part of the next season, which starts later this summer and runs through the end of this year, I think! Stay tuned and I’ll tell you the details once I get them.

New Work Under Way

2011-04-02T10:45:00.006-04:00

I have a new series of small work underway. These rose hips are the first design. It is also a study in creating depth. For more details on depth, check out an earlier post on http:nancygcook.blogspot.com. For background on the rose hips check out my recent blog at: http:nancygcook.blogspot.com

Nancy

Sewn By Hand Book Review - Loved This Book!

2011-03-23T06:46:00.008-04:00

Sewn by Hand, by Susan Wasinger and published by Lark Crafts, is a delightful book of two dozen projects to be stitched with needle and thread.

The projects are varied to suit many interests and styles. The inside front states: unplug sewing from the machine and make 24 super-cute projects the slow crafts way: by hand. Sewing without electricity is fun, eco-friendly, and mobile, allowing everything you stitch to tag along to cafes, on trips, to sporting events, and to other social occasions the way knitting and crochet projects can.

The layout of the projects makes it easy to determine the level of skills needed, the portability of the materials, the required materials and tools. Templates are included as well.

My first project will be the Sewing kit for on-the-move stitchers. The author states :"This clever little kit carries all the tools-of-the-stitching-trade. Even better, the very making of it teaches you all the stitches a competent hand seamstress will ever need. It's a tiny treasure (5 x 7 inches closed, 11 x 13 open) that holds your gadgets, your notions, and a good bit of your stitch wisdom, too." Looks like the perfect way to stay organized with my hand sewing needs on trips and moving from studio to living room sewing. Practical but a fun project as well.

The project on the cover, Owie Puffs for Boo-Boos, is perfect for a new baby gift or the loved grandchild. It consists of 3 sizes of thermal packs to soothe little ones' bumps and bruises.

The author, Susan Wasinger (who was taught to sew at age four by her couture-trained grandmother) reveals simple embellishments and embroidery techniques that will give your work designer style.

This book is the perfect way to join the slow crafts movement. When you sew without a sewing machine, you plug into community and portability.

It was a great pleasure to read this book and to contemplate the different projects. I recommend it heartily.

Nancy

Twelve by Twelve Book Review - A Charmer!!

2011-03-02T19:37:00.004-05:00

This delightful art quilt book was sent to me by Lark Books to review. What a pleasure that is! I love books, especially when they are interesting, tell me something I want to know, and are written by people who have a new experience to share and share it well.

The concept for the book is simple, 12 people each came up with a different theme for a 12" x 12" quilt series, such as: Shelter, Illumination, Water, Identity. Then each person interpreted the theme in her own way, resulting in 144 different small quilts with unique styles and concepts for 12 themes. For each theme, the artists had 2 months to create and reveal their artwork to each other.

In the two years of doing the challenges, the twelve women from three different continents, got to know each other well and formed on-line friendships. Since beginning they have each gotten to meet at least one of member of the Twelve.

While the concept is simple, the execution is excellent and the resulting book that documents their two-year quilt adventure is a highly engaging book that can be read quickly or slowly for more depth. Each of the twelve themes is laid out in a chapter, with one of the Twelve writing about her experience and often telling a bit about the others' experiences as well. Each person writes a brief note about her quilt on the theme. Photos for each of the pieces makes the book rich. In addition, there is information on how to form a challenge group, even an international one. And lots of tips along the way.

I wanted to wait until I had read the book entirely, but it has become my favorite bedside book for slow reading and absorbing. So this review is based on a overview of the layout of the book and a careful reading of the first three chapters (themes). The book is a delight. I recommend it heartily.

Nancy

My new book is coming out in July!

2011-02-20T22:40:00.000-05:00

I have some very exciting news that I’ve been wanting to share with you for more than a year, but I had to wait until now… I’ve written a second book! It is called Point, Click, Quilt! Turn Your Photos into Fabulous Fabric Art, and it will be released by C&T Publishing this July.

The book includes 16 artful projects inspired by my digital photographs.

In the book, I show how to compose and shoot dynamic digital photos from a quilter’s perspective. You can follow the fun workshop-style exercises and step-by-step directions to turn your photos into small art quilts, both realistic and abstract. Most of my projects use fused batik and hand-dyed fabrics, but four projects include innovative materials (paint, Tyvek, Angelina fibers, and foils).

I think you’ll also be inspired by the gallery section of the book, which includes beautiful work by other gifted art quilters I know, including some members of Fiber Art Options.

If you are interested in learning more about my book as it gets closer to the release date, please e-mail me at susan@bluemoonriver.com. I'll add you my mailing list and let you know when you can order the book.

Here’s a peek at the projects:

The Unexpected Rewards (and Awards!) of Internet Surfing.

2011-02-06T20:26:00.026-05:00

I was off in cyberspace a while ago and came across a call for entries from the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences in Rocky Mount (NC).

Rocky Mount lies between Raleigh and the North Carolina coast. It's a town rooted in tobacco and cotton...the hometown of musician Thelonius Monk and novelist Kaye Gibbons. If you're looking for a burger and fries, it has the oldest operating Hardee's fast food franchise.

But the arts? Not exactly - or so I thought.

Still, the description of "Handcrafted," a juried national show intrigued me.

The show celebrates traditional and non-traditional craft media and so I took a chance, sent in some images. I was delighted when "Out of the Mouths of Babes: Purple Lips" and "Under the Watchful Eye of Queen Charlotte" were juried in.

Husband Joal and I had the pleasure of attending the opening and seeing the Arts Centre firsthand. We were stunned by what we saw:

a 135,000 square foot state-of-the-art cultural facility that houses an arts center, children's museum / science center, and community performing arts theatre.

The Centre occupies the former sites of the Imperial Tobacco Company and Rocky Mount's Braswell Memorial Library.

The huge iron doors of tobacco furnaces and the high-ceilinged exposed brick galleries are a perfect backdrop for the center's eclectic collection of sophisticated contemporary art and craft.

The show itself was a treat, with its mix of metal, ceramics, glass, and - of course - fiber.

Including "Emergence" by Nancy Kimpel (Oconomowoc, WI)...

Laura Gaskin's (Fairview, NC) "Lost"

and a stunningly different piece, "Nasar," by Leslie Pearson (Leland, NC). This intriguing scroll (10 feet long?) was accompanied by a time-lapse video showing the scroll as it was being created.

..

Of course, I was delighted to see my pieces hung in the gallery as well...

Both "Out of the Mouths of Babes..."

and

"Under the Watchful Eye of Queen Charlotte."

And if a lovely day at a wonderful opening wasn't enough, "Queen Charlotte" won 2nd place!

A very happy ending to be sure....

Debbie

A "Chuppah" Under Construction: process and progress

2011-01-12T18:52:00.039-05:00

I've recently been commissioned to do a chuppah for some friends who are about to tie the knot.

"What's a chuppah?" you may well ask.

It's a Jewish wedding canopy, a structure that forms a roof over a bride and groom during their wedding ceremony. Although the chuppah symbolizes many aspects of love and marriage, it's most often described as representing the couple's future home. It's openness -- no walls surround it -- symbolizes the hospitality and generosity that the couple hopes will be a hallmark of their home.

Fortunately, my friends prefer simplicity. A good thing since the wedding is at the end of January and a highly complex design might have put me in a tailspin.

Since I've never made a chuppah, I thought it might be fun to document the process:

So where to begin? I wound up being inspired by a Celtic chain that forms the borders of my friends' ketubah (a traditional Jewish marriage contract) and abstracted the chain into a series of braided designs.

The braided theme seemed apropos. It's reminiscent of braided challah bread that's served for Sabbath and festival meals. But it also seemed symbolic of the marriage: two friends weaving the individual strands of their very full and active lives into a new, even richer, life together.

The couple chose the 2nd design...shown
here with the strands of the braid shaded.

The basic design seemed "okay," but I wasn't quite satisfied
with the dark strand. It seemed too clunky...

So back to the drawing board for revision:

I decided to add a couple of twists to the darker braid and this has become the final sketch....

and here's the mock-up with fabric in the couple's chosen colors: deep blue, claret red, and harvest gold.

The only problem here, the braids seemed too "flat."

So back to the drawing board one more time to add some dimension with some lighter colored fabrics.

Here's the pencil sketch mock-up for the "final" final draft...

and the "final" final mock-up in fabric...

Well almost...the braids need to be lowered a bit so that the design is more or less centered on the vertical.

And I'm still pondering the top and bottom borders (shown here in blue)...

We've all (bride, groom, and me) decided not to use a border on the sides. We wanted nothing to restrict the flow of the braids and the life that my friends will share together.

But perhaps the border should contain all three colors? or maybe just the blue and claret (since a light gold will form the background for the piece).

I'm on my way with this...and I'll post the finished product...*eventually.*

But in the meantime...suggestions for my border conundrum are welcome. Please feel free to leave a comment!

Debbie

Fire And Fiber opening reception at Mint Hill Arts Friday - 7-9

2011-01-05T19:06:00.007-05:00

Three members of Fiber Art Options, Susan Brubaker Knapp, Deborah Langsam and Nancy G Cook, have work in the exhibition that features pottery and all kinds of fiber art at Mint Hill Arts, Mint Hill NC. Exhibition runs through January 28. Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturdays, 11 - 3. Admission is free.

Debbie has one of her photo based pieces in the exhibition as well as one of her pieces from the Orchids; Sensuality Stitched collection created for Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.

The photo to the left is of Orchid Rhythms: Stems and Leaves by Nancy. There are several other pieces of Nancy's work in the exhibition as well.

Hope you can join us for the reception!

Studio Spirit now has a name!

2011-01-03T12:20:00.004-05:00

Linda has decided to honor my initials and call her new studio spirit "Penelope Jane".

It’s time for The Sketchbook Challenge!

2011-01-02T22:38:00.002-05:00

Have you heard about The Sketchbook Challenge? It is being hosted by a group of artists — including many fiber artists and mixed media artists whose work I greatly admire. Basically, the idea is to encourage yourself to sketch daily, or as often as possible, and to share your work with an online group. The incentive is great prizes, including wonderful art supplies, from their sponsors.

Each month, the hosts post a theme that acts as a creative “prompt” to get you going. January’s theme is “Highly Prized.” The Sketchbook Challenge’s blog will include lots of tutorials, ideas, and information about materials to help you out.

So far, there are several hundred people signed up, including very experienced artists, complete novices, and artists who work in many mediums who wish to stretch their creative muscles or build their drawing skills.

I have sketched my antique alarm clock collection (above) – to represent time, and my eye – to represent my vision. I’ll be documenting my sketches on my blog. I wonder how many of these ideas I will end up using in my fiber art? The last time I tried regularly working in a sketchbook, I found it to be very valuable, so I am excited to try again.

Color Study

2010-12-24T12:03:00.010-05:00

I am doing a series of reviews of books and tools that have helped me develop my use of color in my quilts. The series will be on my blog. If you are interested, please check out : http://nancygcook.blogspot.com/

Here is the first book that I reviewed.

And Happy Holidays everyone.

Nancy

FAO Members at Mint Hill Arts Winter Judged Show

2010-12-12T16:55:00.003-05:00

Nancy G Cook and Deborah Langsam have work at the Winter Judged Show at Mint Hill Arts in Mint Hill NC through December 30. Hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10 - 3. Admission is free. Great gift shop for Holiday gifts created by local artists.

More details can be found on Nancy's blog at http://www.nancygcook.blogspot.com

Studio Spirit

2010-12-06T12:03:00.003-05:00

One of our number has a new studio which we are all looking forward to seeing soon. I wanted to make a little "studio spirit" to give some good energy to this new place. Here are a couple of glimpses of what I created. Full photos to follow after the spirit gets to its new home. -PJ-

2010-10-25T14:18:00.004-04:00

"New from Old" Auction Begins on eBayTonight!
Thirty gorgeous little quilts to collect or give!

The AAQ's annual fundraising auction of 16"x16" quilts donated by artists from all over the US and Canada (including me!) begins tonight on eBay.com, and will continue through December 6 with four one-week auctions. During the auction week go to the eBay website and search keyword "Alliance for American Quilts." All of the quilts for that auction week will be displayed and all registered eBay users can enter a bid (please note: if you search anytime before or after the auction dates, the quilts will not be viewable).

Don't miss this opportunity to pick out special gifts for the holidays or add to your own quilt collection. Click here to view all 118 quilts and read complete auction information. All proceeds support the Alliance for American Quilts, a national nonprofit organization documenting, preserving and sharing the rich history of quilts and quiltmakers.

My quilt "7 of 9" goes on sale in the second round starting on Monday, November 8th! -PJ-

2010-10-19T10:38:00.004-04:00

Denver Art Trail 2010 -- PJ's work at Blue Heron Bed & Breakfast

The Denver Art Trail is this Saturday (Oct 23 10-5) and Sun (Oct 24 1-5) on the west side of Lake Norman in/around Denver, NC. This year's trail features 44 artists at 11 stops. A new feature this year is the preview house provided by Keller Williams Realtors, with displays of art from all of the trail artists as well as art from local high school art students. Trail brochures are available before the trail at Honeysuckle Gifts, Lake Norman Flowers, Lake Norman Frameworks, Red Rooster, Sweet Vine Winery as well as all the trail stops on Saturday and Sunday.

To glance at a trail map, see http://www.blueherononlakenorman.com/id12.html

Come see us on the Trail!

AutumnFaire at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

2010-10-03T18:23:00.001-04:00

Some members of Fiber Art Options spent this weekend manning our space at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden’s AutumnFaire, part of their “Fall with a Flourish” celebration. We had two lovely days of clear October weather to display our goods and talk to shoppers.

“Look, Mom!” A youngster had fun at the pottery display in the tent next door:

There were horses to meet:

And carriage rides to take:

Here’s another wonderful reason to go to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden this fall. Nancy Cook’s beautiful “Seed Play” exhibition is hanging in both halls near the entrance:

For more details on Nancy’s show, see her blog here.

At about three o’clock on Sunday, the dark clouds were coming… Time to pack up and head home!

Susan has a new DVD

2010-09-23T12:00:00.001-04:00

I am thrilled to announce that my second Quilting Arts Workshop DVD will be released in October. This 70-75 minute DVD is called “Master Machine Stitching: Thread Sketching Beyond the Basics” and it follows up on the techniques I introduced in my first DVD, “Master Machine Quilting: Free Motion Stitching and Thread Sketching.”

Here’s more information from the blurb on the back of the DVD jacket:

Following up on the concepts introduced in her first DVD,
“Master Machine Quilting: Free-Motion Stitching and
Thread Sketching,” Quilting Arts columnist Susan Brubaker
Knapp delves even deeper, teaching you how to add color,
dimension, texture, pattern, line, and movement to your
quilts using thread. After a quick overview of the basic
materials you’ll need, as well as some helpful tools to make
things easier, Susan breaks down each of the six topics (from
color to movement) and provides step-by-step machine
stitching demos. She shows numerous samples that illustrate
the basic thread-sketching concepts being discussed. Prepare
to expand your view of the opportunities for using stitch on
your quilts.

Thanks so much to all of you who have purchased my first DVD. My oldest daughter has braces because of you! :-)

Here I am on the set of Quilting Arts TV about three weeks ago. I was there to tape three segments for the TV show, and my DVD. All in one day! Whew; what a whirlwind! Quilting Arts managing editor Helen Gregory took this photo. (Thanks, Helen!)

Here are some photos of the projects I used to demonstrate techniques on the new DVD. This one is called Prepared for Takeoff:

The second project I work on in this DVD started with this photo of a Cripps Pink apple:

I used the photo to create a very simple pattern, with only two colors for the apple:

On the DVD, I demonstrate how I got from the simple fused fabric piece above to this:

I can’t say enough kind words about all the folks at Quilting Arts and at Beachwood Studios for helping me make this DVD. In particular, I must say many thanks to the smart, sweet, kind and incredibly helpful Helen Gregory.

The DVD will be available for purchase from Interweave/Quilting Arts website, and on my website, sometime in October. I’ll keep you posted. I’m off to sip some champagne and celebrate!

Art Meets Science - 3 Quilts by FAO Members

2010-09-07T19:42:00.003-04:00

Art Meets Science Exhibition Catalog

Susan Brubaker Knapp and Nancy G Cook have quilts in this exhibition. Susan has two pieces in this traveling exhibition, Coleus and Lepidoptera. For more details check out Nancy's blog.

Nancy

Quilting Arts TV taping

2010-09-01T18:04:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, I flew to Cleveland to film three segments for the 700 series of Quilting Arts TV. Here I am with host Pokey Bolton on the set. All the shows I shot – #703, #707 and #712 – will air this fall/winter on many public TV stations across the country, and will be available on DVD at the end of the season.

One of the best things about doing this is that you get to meet all sorts of wonderful fiber artists, quilt designers, mixed media artists, and fabric designers… and hang out with them in the green room and see their work up close. Check out my blog to see lots more photos of all these folks, and read more details.

Whoo Hoo Best of Show

2010-08-28T14:49:00.004-04:00

Pelton's Rose-Gentian

Just found out that Pelton's Rose-Gentian won Best of Show at the Aullwood Audubon Quilt Show. You can read details on my blog at http://nancygcook.blogspot.com

Please take a look and tell me what you think.

Nancy

Janet and Susan teaching on Joggles.com

2010-08-20T20:32:00.000-04:00

Janet and I are both teaching classes on Joggles. com this fall. Starting Oct. 1, I'll be teaching my Tyvek Explorations class. In four lessons, I will cover working safely with Tyvek; painting Tyvek; melting it with an iron and/or heat gun; manipulating Tyvek before heating to change the effects; making beads; and embossing Tyvek with rubber stamps.

The focus is on exploring the many ways this versatile material can be manipulated to create beautiful textural embellishments. You will be encouraged to experiment and share your work with fellow students in the class. You will need to be a confident free-motion quilter to complete the maple leaf quilt; the other projects involve only simple embroidery and beading.

After you learn the techniques in the first two lessons, I’ll provide detailed instructions for making a small art quilt with Tyvek maple leaves, as well as a bracelet, pins, and small Tyvek embellishments for art quilts, artists trading cards and postcards.

Tyvek Explorations is a four-week class; the cost is $40.

Janet is teaching Dyeing Made Easy starting Sept. 23. This is an introduction to all over-dye techniques for cotton, rayon and silk. Learn to create your own fabrics using MX dyes. Starting with basics, learn step by step to mix your own colors and dye over all pattern and color to make what you need for your next project.

This introductory sampler class is for anyone interested who has ever been interested in learning how to dye fabric, using easy formulas and explanation, dyeing is very approachable. Using MX dyes you will learn all the basics of “small batch” dyeing.

After you have mastered the very basic, you move on to learn techniques to create those awesome crackle and parfait patterns and those coveted gradation collections. Now that you are a master of the dye pot, we will learn the basics of resist dying. Using techniques including: stitches and binding, wax, and flour paste resist, you will learn to create loosely controlled patterning with dye. MX dyes are perfect for dyeing cotton, rayon and silks. You can make fabrics using natural, white and even transform those “ugly” fabrics you have in your stash into something great for your next project.

Lesson 1. Introduction: Learn how to prepare fabric, about using dye and chemicals, MX dye safety, and start dyeing!

Lesson 2. Hand-dye Crackles and Parfaits: Learn about color strength and direct mixing to create a spectrum of colors on one piece.

Lesson 3. Dye me a Rainbow: Learn how to control color to dye a rainbow from primary dye colors, making “solid” colors, and how to make coordinated fabrics and gradations.

Lesson 4. Resists 1 – Getting started with resists: Learn to use tied, sewn and clamped resists to create pattern.

Lesson 5. Resists 2 – Water soluble resists: Learn to use paste made from your pantry as resists to create subtle crackle effects.

Lesson 6. Resists 3 – Drawing pattern: How to draw patterns and control color flow by using liquid resists such as: “gutta,” dish soap, jacquard resists, soy wax.

Dyeing Made Easy is a six-week class; the cost is $75.

If you have never taken an online class, you can read more about it on Joggles by clicking here. Basically, here’s how it works: You sign up and pay online, and about a week before class starts, you receive the supply list via e-mail. When the class starts, Joggles e-mails you information about how to get into the class forum, an online place where you can post photos, ask questions, share your work and get feedback from the instructor. Each week of the class, you receive a link where you can download a PDF of that week’s lesson.

Barnful of Quilts 2010 is coming soon!

2010-08-20T20:22:00.002-04:00

Here’s a wonderful event… make sure to mark your calendar! The eighth annual Barnful of Quilts will be held Saturday, October 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fox Family Farm in Waxhaw, NC. I’ll be there vending; I’ll have some of my art quilts, patterns, and my DVD for sale. This year’s show will feature the Charlotte Quilters’ Guild Best of Show winners, so two of my quilts will be on display. Harbinger’s Hope (below) won a Best of Show ribbon in 2008:

And Sunrise, Sunset won a Best of Show ribbon in 2006:

The cost is $5, and all proceeds benefit the Waxhaw Presbyterian Church. If you have never attended this event, it is really wonderful. There is usually nice crisp fall weather, and all the vendors and exhibitions are housed in a spectacular barn in the rolling hills of Union County, south of Charlotte. It is owned by Valerie Fox and her family, who generously offer it for this event. Church volunteers scrub the barn clean in the days before the show, and offer tasty baked goods and drinks at the show.

There’s also a silent auction, raffle quilts, and quilts for sale. Vendors offer a wide variety of art and craft items, mostly quilt or fiber related, but usually there is fabulous pottery and jewelry as well.

You can see many photos of the past Barnful of Quilts on the Fox Family Farm website, or see and read about the 2008 event on my blog here and here. I participated in 2008 and 2007, but was unable to do so last year because Quilt Market in Houston was held early that year and the dates conflicted. I’m thrilled to be able to participate again this year. Please join me!

"Queen Charlotte" and "Pink Petal Party" Win in Asheville...

2010-08-13T16:19:00.008-04:00

The Asheville Quilt Guild held its 28th annual quilt show last weekend at the North Carolina Arboretum.

It's a beautiful venue, a wonderful show, and lots of great people. And then there's always Asheville, a town that seems to have just about everything: the mountains, wonderful galleries and music, great restaurants.

The icing on the cake? Two pieces from Fiber Art Options members won ribbons.

Susan Brubaker Knapp's "Pink Petal Party" took an Honorable Mention in the Applique/Mixed Large Quilt category.

And Debbie Langsam's "Under the Watchful Eye of Queen Charlotte (II)" won first prize for Small Pieced Quilts.

(Thanks to Susan for the photos!)

Art Meets Science

2010-07-14T20:12:00.000-04:00

Nancy and I both have pieces in a Studio Art Quilt Associates’ (SAQA) exhibition called “Art Meets Science” that will have its opening at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England, next month. Here is Nancy's Southern Hospitality:

… and my Lepidoptera:

and Coleus:

All of the quilts that are available for sale are listed on the SAQA website so even if you can’t get to one of the exhibition venues, you can see all the quilts there, and read about their connections to science.

An exhibition catalog will be available in the SAQA bookstore soon. The cover has a piece by Ita Ziv called Fire Fingers. SAQA always does a beautiful job on their publications.

The venues for this exhibition that have been announced to date are:

Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, England, August 19 - 22, 2010
Pfizer, Inc., New York, New York, Sept. 16, 2010 - March 16, 2011
Visions Gallery, San Diego, California, January 1 - April 1, 2012
Global Health Odyssey Museum of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, June 1 - Sept. 1, 2012

The juror for this exhibition was David W. Fraser, MD. He is research associate at The Textile Museum, and a consulting scholar in the Asian Section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The curator was Jill Jensen, a professional fiber artist from Virginia who works with cloth, paint, printmaking and stitch. She has worked extensively as an artist-in-residence throughout Virginia, and holds degrees in Chemistry and Metallurgy. Surely both of them are a perfect combination of art and science! You can read Fraser’s and Jensen’s statements about the exhibition here.

2010-07-05T18:41:00.006-04:00

7 of 9 wins honorable mention in Alliance for American Quilts "New from Old" Challenge

Just learned that my piece "7 of 9" won an honorable mention in this challenge.

For all the winners, see

http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/projects/galleries/New%20from%20Old/gallery/

Earlier someone asked what 7 techniques I used. They are:

1) pieced 9 patch black and white areas

2) pieced 9 patch overall background

3) 9 patches in puff paint dots on circular appliques

4) iron-on 9 patches

5) stenciled 9 patches

6) 9 patch quilting around iron-ons and stenciling

7) 9 patch couched grid

All of these entries will be displayed at the upcoming AQS show in Knoxville. And, they will all be up for auction soon. -PJ-

More news on this piece. Just learned today (7/8) that it also won a C&T Publishing honorable mention!

Stegall and Cook Win First Place in Mint Hill Arts Judged Show

2010-06-30T17:28:00.007-04:00

After the Frost

Linda Stegall and Nancy G Cook took first place awards at the June Mint Hill Arts judged show. Stegall took first place in 3-Dimensional art for her fiber vase. Cook took a first in Mixed Media for After the Frost. This was an art show with most works being paintings, pastels, clay, photography and a few other pieces of fiber.

Mint Hill Arts throws a great reception, art work sells, and it is a real party, with some of the very best work in the gallery that can be found in the region.

The organization is moving next door to a larger, updated, AIR CONDITIONED space that will make it even more delightful for art exhibitions.

Is fiber art getting into art exhibitions in your area? Are you entering your fiber art into art shows? Inquiring minds want to know.

2010-06-19T12:04:00.003-04:00

PJ's "7 of 9" piece

The Alliance for American Quilters is an organization whose mission is to document, preserve, and share the American quilt heritage by collecting the stories that historic and contemporary quilts and their makers tell about our nation's diverse peoples and their communities. One of their fund raising events is an auction of small quilted pieces. This year's challenge "New from Old" seemed interesting to me, so I donated this little piece called "7 of 9". It contains 9 patch patterns made with 7 different techniques.

To see all the pieces that were submitted and to get more info on the upcoming auction, see

http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/projects/galleries/New%20from%20Old/gallery/

--PJ--

Samples for my new class

2010-06-10T16:36:00.001-04:00

This week, I finished three samples for my new workshop, Wholecloth Painting. In September, I'll be teaching it to the Cotton Patch Quilters of Athens, Georgia. In this class, students will learn the basics of creating wholecloth painted quilts based on photos. Students will be able to pick from one of these three projects, and will work from line drawings and my photos to recreate the image on fabric.

The goal is to teach the techniques, so that students can go home after class and work from their own photos to create original work.

These pieces are all little (all smaller than 8x12") because I needed to whip them up fast. But I'd love to do them really big. Wouldn't they look fabulous hanging together as a big triptych?

Here are some larger photos of each:

Croton

Painted Sunflower

Hibiscus

Susan’s quilt selected for 2011 QA Calendar

2010-05-11T10:26:00.000-04:00

My “Candy Corn” art quilt has been selected for the 2011 Quilting Arts Calendar! Hmmm... I wonder what month they will use it?

It is painted on white fabric (Pimatex by Robert Kaufman, my favorite fabric for painting because it is very fine and tightly woven). The photo below shows the heavy thread sketching I did on this piece before I quilted around the individual candy corn candies.

This is the third year that my work has been selected for the calendar, and I am no less thrilled this time than the other two years. Yippee!!! Just wait until you see some of the other pieces Quilting Arts has selected. (If you are a member of the Quilting Arts community, you can see some of them in the photo gallery section.) They are really spectacular, and I am honored to be in their company.

– Susan Brubaker Knapp

... and now for fiber arts beyond quilting!

2010-05-05T10:35:00.002-04:00

The Red Sky Gallery in Charlotte is showing a collection of Janet's beadwork! Click over and search for Janet Lasher on their search tab!

This collection of beaded brooches using large cabochons, Austrian crystals, semi-precious stones, and pearls.

Each piece is unique designed to accentuate the cabochon stone. These vary in size from about 2.5" to 4" across. Janet starts with the special stone and a small collection of beads, crystals, pearls, and stones - beading a bezel around the stone to hold it firmly in place, and then begin to embellish the piece until it feels done. Then each is finished up with a beaded picot edge and back with coordinating deer leather.

She says that this work is a labor of love working in this small scale playing with repetition and color. One bead at a time.

Natural Turquoise, coin & baroque pearls, Swarovski Crystals

Chinese Chalk Turquoise, coin, baroque and rice pearls, glass mirror, Swarovski crystals

Chystaphase, glass mirror, baroque & fancy pearls.

She is expanding the collection of brooches that started using small divine feminine faces- like this one worked on this past fall.

Janet teaches beading in her studio and online at Joggles.com

-janet

"Save Our Signs" Show

2010-05-04T13:22:00.014-04:00

A Post from Debbie -

For many years, Charlotte (NC) had the reputation as a "tear down" city. We tore down homes, factories, trees - if it was old, it was gone. And we made room for the new: big box stores, strip shopping malls, steel and concrete office buildings, and lots of parking decks. But over the last decade or so, things have begun to change.

We still have plenty of new development. Two fabulous examples are the breathtaking Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and the inspiring Havey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture.

But the good news is that we're also starting to protect and celebrate the old.

This weekend I'm participating in "ARTevation: Save Our Signs," a show celebrating Charlotte's vintage painted and neon commercial signs. These are the iconic symbols of old roller skating rinks, Mom and Pop restaurants, full service garages, and neighborhood hang-outs.

artEVATION: Save Our Signs

May 7th, 2010 4 - 10PM (South End Gallery Crawl)

May 8th, 2010 10 AM - 4 PM

Atherton Mill, 2000 South Blvd.
Charlotte, NC

The show is sponsored by the Historic Charlotte, Inc., a non-profit organization that works to promote and protect the region's history, as part of its National Preservation Month celebration.

From what I've seen, it's going to be a spectacular show. Plenty of great photography, painting, and a really amazing ceramic artist - all focusing their work around the sign theme. I'll be the only fabric artist, so that's exciting. The signs have a way of getting into your psyche; some of the artists moved away from the city years ago and still find themselves returning to those images for inspiration.

I'll be showing thirteen pieces. Four of them come from my "Queen Charlotte" photomosaic series. From a distance, each piece shows a different view of the Queen Charlotte statue in Uptown Cha rlotte. Here are two of them:

Close-up, the viewer sees 1/2" x 1/2" photos of Charlotte people, places, and events...and of course the vintage signs. They're printed on fabric and then pieced together to make up the larger image.

The other pieces focus primarily on the signs themselves....such as this one, of the JFG coffee sign (photo: Brandon Uttley).

It turns out that the removal of the JFG coffee sign, a longtime and much beloved Charlotte landmark, was the catalyst for the "Save Our Signs" movement. This has become a joint venture between Historic Charlotte and the JFG Coffee Company (they're putting up to $15,000 towards the effort to help save and restore some of these vintage signs).

For those interested in historic preservation, at least one happy ending is coming soon. The JFG sign is being restored and the company is about to announce the sign's new Charlotte location.

Watch for an update on (and pictures from) the show. And, of course, if you're in the neighborhood be sure to stop by and enjoy the artwork.

Cheers,
Debbie

2010-04-17T13:03:00.023-04:00

PJ's Quilting Arts "Stitch This!" Entry

Susan mentioned this challenge in her blog some days back and I decided to use this as an excuse to practice more photo-to-simplified piecing. The challenge called for "plenty of visible machine stitching", so I chose built-in machine stitches as embellishment. Here is the photo to be used as inspiration.

I liked the lines of the head and neck, so I cropped the photo to this. Using Quilt Assistant software I created a simplified piecing pattern.

Here's the final piece, with some detail shots of embellishment using built-in stitches on my Pfaff Creative Vision.If you are a member of the Quilting Arts community, you can see all the entries and vote for your favorite, starting Monday, May 3, on the Quilting Arts site in the “Stitch This!” photo gallery. Voting closes on Monday, June 28, 2010, at 12:00 PM EDT.

To vote for this entry, use this link http://quiltingarts.com/media/p/17984.aspx

Susan’s work featured in SAQA ad

2010-04-13T12:36:00.001-04:00

I got word last night that my work Red Coleus is featured in an advertisement for the SAQA Auction! SAQA, or Studio Art Quilt Associates, is a group of fiber artists, and this auction of several hundred small art quilts donated by its members brings in a lot of money each year. The money raised goes towards SAQA’s exhibtions, education, and outreach programs.

The ad will run in Fiberarts, Surface Design Journal, Selvedge, and American Craft magazines. Here is the whole piece:

If you are a fiber artist and don’t know about SAQA, you should! SAQA offers so many things for fiber artists who are serious about their art. There are great professional development opportunities, including conferences and programs, exhibitions, online galleries, and publications. You can join as an active member, professional artist member, or as a student member.

– Susan Brubaker Knapp

500 Art Quilts

2010-04-06T14:47:00.015-04:00

500 Art Quilts: An Inspiring Collection of Contemporary Work

This luscious publication, by Lark Books, featuring art quilts from 363 artists and an insightful Introduction by the juror, Karey Patterson Bresenhan, deserves a place beside an easy chair for reading page by page. Art lovers and quilt lovers will both relish this one. I find a cup of tea and my legs up make for a relaxing stroll through the pages of this 8 inch square book.

In the essence of full disclosure, I am one of those quilters, with two of my recent works in the book on pages 325 (Spring Rhapsody) and 406 (Summer Split). Each has been given a full page and details. I couldn't be more pleased with how well they made my work look. While chock full of wonderful pieces by artists from around the world, the book fits easily in the hand and is the size I love to pick up and browse through time after time.

Karey has chosen a wide variety of work that well represents the breath of work seen today.

Karey's introduction places this work in context with her statement: "Quilts created as art, destined from their inception to be displayed on walls, began to be noticed and acknowledged during the last quarter of the twentieth century. These art pieces are made with needle and thread instead of paint and brushes, but their creators' kinship to the painters of the past is as strong as their connection to women who hand-sewed traditional pieces in order to keep their families warm. Today's quilters draw from both sources. They've established a new genre of art." Emphasis mine.

The book can be obtained from Amazon and from other major book stores.

This would make a lovely Mothers' Day present.

Let me know what you think of this little book.

Nancy

2010-04-03T14:18:00.003-04:00

From UFO to FO

Every now and then I get the urge to do something with one of the many unfinished objects that seem to accumulate in my craft closet.

Here's this week's completion: from last September's Barbara Olson Jumpstart your Creativity class. Like normal, I bent some of the class rules and only used a portion of the pattern she provided, as well as doing fusible applique instead of the turned version she prefers.

Now I need a name. Any suggestions?

-PJ-

(For more on Barbara, see http://www.barbaraolsonquiltart.com/)

Bollywood Update....

2010-03-23T11:42:00.011-04:00

A Post From Debbie:

A while ago I wrote about my recycling venture with a cloth rice bag (empty of all its rice), a few strips of stash fabric, and some beads. Well the finished product has been finished for quite some time...but life intervenes and it's only now that I've come around to giving a little blog update.

My favorite part of the piece is the avalanche of seed beads coming out of the basket being held by the lovely lady that I've come to think of as "The Rice Princess."

Of course, when I started beading, I thought I'd be doing just a few lines of beads...mostly as an accent to what was actually printed on the cloth.

Ha!

Several lines into the beading, the whole thing seemed a bit sad and anemic looking.

And so I added a few more beads, and then a few more, and then a whole lot more.

I became intrigued with the way the beads piled up as more and more beads were closely attached to one another on the surface; And now, in its completed state, I like the elevated look and the bumpy, smooth feel of the beads.

The trick, of course, has been to stop myself from beading the entire surface...

So after beading the water (behind the Princess)...

And after beading parts of the Princess' outfit...

...and around the "Premium Quality" banner....

not to mention some of the top...

...I decided to call it quits (at least for now).

However, If truth be told, my fingers itch a little bit each time I pass the piece and I hear my box of beads calling out to me from time to time.

Sigh....

Best to all, Debbie

SAQA Auction Donation

2010-03-16T19:00:00.000-04:00

I recently sent in my quilt for the annual SAQA Donation Auction. This is SAQA's biggest fundraiser of the year.

Many small, 12" x 12" works from a wonderful list of fiber artists (including a few from this group) will be available to don your walls come September. My donation, "Amidst the Fire" is below. You can see more pieces here.

I can't wait for the frenzy in September to begin and the joy that comes from owning a small piece of art.

--Grace

Susan's work on the cover of Quilting Arts

2010-03-12T15:08:00.001-05:00

My art is on the cover of the next issue of Quilting Arts magazine! I made this peacock feather piece called “Vanity” to demonstrate how you can use thread to highlight the element of line in your work. It’s featured in the second installment of my thread-sketching series, which will run through 2010.

You can pre-order the April/May 2010 issue of Quilting Arts right now by clicking here. It will be going out to subscribers in the next few weeks, and on newsstands (including Barnes & Noble) soon after that.

Pretty Little Mini Quilts - Review

2010-03-07T16:24:00.007-05:00

Pretty Little Mimi Quilts

At a posted request from Lark Books, I volunteered to do book reviews. This little 144 page book arrived along with 500 Art Quilts in my mail last week. Books are second only to chocolate in my list of things to love, so the opportunity to get free books to review was met with eagerness.

Pretty Little Mini Quilts, by Ray Hemachandra, is an enjoyable and easy read that feels good in the hand and is refreshing to read. It is well designed to intrigue the beginner to want to learn about quilting and to tackle a project.

There are 31 different projects that range from fairly traditional to very artsy. None of the projects require extensive knowledge or equipment to do. All are designed to be accomplished with minimal time and monetary investments - a boon in this economy. No quilt is larger than 36 inches.

Breezily written to inspire, it is not a detailed "how to" book. An experienced sewer will recognize missing details that may cause a problem for a beginner.

I could easily see a quilting grandmother using this book to introduce a grandchild to quilting. Another good use for the book would be a beginners' quilting class at a fabric shop. The projects are tempting and feel very doable.

In summary, this little book can help increase the numbers of new quilters, especially younger ones. It will not answer all the questions, but may help at least get a younger generation trying to find out some of the questions about quilting. And goodness knows, we do need to help the next generation discover the wonderful world of quilting!!

Enjoy.

Nancy

Fiber Art Options

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Creative Lull?

Join me in The Sketchbook Challenge

I'll be on the cover of Quilting Arts!

Winter Gardens

“Maximum Cat Nap” wins at IQF-Houston!

Push Stitchery - Wow! What a Book

The Sketchbook Challenge

Barnful of Quilts 2011

Setting up at Barnful of Quilts 2011

Bead Riffs Review and Book Give Away

“Meadowood Stitched” opens Oct. 1st

Psychedelic Peacock

Qulting “Up and Away!”

Getting started

Masters Vol 2 winner announced!

Come see me this weekend at Matthews Alive

"Heat Waves" for SAQA: evolution in action

Synchronized Synchronous Fireflies, Part 2

Bead Book Give Away

Masters Art Quilts Vol. 2 Free Give Away!!

Synchronized Synchronous Fireflies, Part I

Fiber Art Options to exhibit at Barnful of Quilts

Book Review of Maggie Meister's Classical Elegance - Free Give Away

DeLane Rosenau

My book will arrive July 20!

"Queen Charlotte" is Getting Ready to Travel....

Fun with Glasses Cases

My new book is almost here!

PAQA-S Part I: Marketing Your Art

Work continues on "Fall Farm Stand"

Underway: SAQA 2011 Auction Piece

Great News!!

Chuppah completed...wedding celebrated!

Grading a Quilt

Shooting "The Quilt Show"

New Work Under Way

Sewn By Hand Book Review - Loved This Book!

Twelve by Twelve Book Review - A Charmer!!

My new book is coming out in July!

The Unexpected Rewards (and Awards!) of Internet Surfing.

A "Chuppah" Under Construction: process and progress

Fire And Fiber opening reception at Mint Hill Arts Friday - 7-9

Studio Spirit now has a name!

It’s time for The Sketchbook Challenge!

Color Study

FAO Members at Mint Hill Arts Winter Judged Show

Studio Spirit

"New from Old" Auction Begins on eBayTonight!Thirty gorgeous little quilts to collect or give!

AutumnFaire at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

Susan has a new DVD

Art Meets Science - 3 Quilts by FAO Members

Quilting Arts TV taping

Whoo Hoo Best of Show

Janet and Susan teaching on Joggles.com

Barnful of Quilts 2010 is coming soon!

"Queen Charlotte" and "Pink Petal Party" Win in Asheville...

Art Meets Science

Stegall and Cook Win First Place in Mint Hill Arts Judged Show

Samples for my new class

Susan’s quilt selected for 2011 QA Calendar

... and now for fiber arts beyond quilting!

"Save Our Signs" Show

Susan’s work featured in SAQA ad

500 Art Quilts

Bollywood Update....

SAQA Auction Donation

Susan's work on the cover of Quilting Arts

Pretty Little Mini Quilts - Review

"New from Old" Auction Begins on eBayTonight!
Thirty gorgeous little quilts to collect or give!