5 Artists: 5 Views

I'm so excited to share this project with you! You remember that The Frayed Edges did a collaborative project for our show at the Camden Library this past summer. We called the exhibit "5 Artists: 5 Views." You can read more about it here. We were all so thrilled with the results, that I decided to put together a "book" documenting the exhibit.

Since we're a pretty unique group, I decided on a unique format!
The collection includes pictures of each of the art quilts. There are 25 small quilts in the exhibit. They were inspired by five different photographs and each of the artists made a small quilt inspired by each of the photographs. I also included copies of the original photographs and a shot of the installation (you can see that picture on the top of the photo stack).

The book that accompanies the photos includes interviews with each of the artists. We discuss our inspirations, techniques, challenges and triumphs. There are tons of details about each artist's process. It's like peeking in on them working away in their studios. I loved chatting with my Frayed Edges friends and learning more about them through creating this book.

And those big 5s on the cover of the book are embossed in silver. So fancy. I really think it's a good match to all the beautiful work inside.

Look at all these photos! So inspiring.
I think it's super fun, because it's totally interactive. You can pull out all the quilts inspired by the beach umbrella picture, or you can pull out all the quilts by one particular artist and study the similarities and differences.

I packaged it up in a beautiful vellum envelope. You get just a glimpse of what's inside.It's a nice little package for storing the collection. (With a snappy little ribbon accent.)
Here is my quilt inspired by the beach umbrella picture.I'm definitely planning to use some of that Extravorganza again.

And here is Sarah's interpretation of the pool photo.

As usual, her free motion quilting is a perfect compliment to the design.

And that's just two of the quilts! Every time I flip through the stack of photos, I see something new. I'm so lucky to have such talented friends.

I had such great success with my "Small Art Quilts: Designing a Series" book, that I decided to add this to my publishing empire. (Ha.) It's up for sale in my new Etsy shop. It would make a fantastic Christmas gift for all your arty friends.

Speaking Christmas gifts... I haven't even begun shopping!

Yes, of course.

Kristin, Dee and Gerrie, you were all right!

The weekend before Thanksgiving we went to Annapolis and DC. The leaves were beautiful. Really stunning.One of the reasons we took the trip was to attend the season's last home football game at the United States Naval Academy. I've been to a few games. They are always exciting and all the ceremony and tradition is quite motivational. This is the brigade of midshipmen (all the students at the academy) marching on to the field before the game.

It was the kids first game at the Academy. They had tons of fun. (The funnel cake and cotton candy might have been the highlights.) You can see we are sitting on the grass. Our tickets were for the "hill" area. Also a great spot for sliding down the hill while riding on a cardboard box. That may have been even better than the funnel cake and the cotton candy. --- Oh, and Navy's win, of course!Sunday morning we went to church at the National Cathedral. Wonderful. Here we are outside one of the main front doors. The sculpture above the door is called Creation of Night.The cathedral is one of my very favorite places. Such a magnificent door leading to the cathedral garden.We didn't leave the cathedral until after 2 pm. The service began at 11 am, then we took a tour, then we explored on our own a bit... then we were hungry! We went to a near-by Greek restaurant and ordered Flaming Cheese! So fancy and delicious.

By the time we finally reached the mall area, it was getting dark.

Benjamin doesn't look too impressed with Mr. Lincoln.He's a bit more enthusiastic here.We returned to see all the monuments in daylight on Monday. We had a great day racing around.I've never been to the FDR memorial. It's impressive. Claire loved FDR's little dog, Fala.
And the over to the Jefferson Memorial.Jeff and I were quite moved by this quote. And though Claire and Benjamin don't look particularly interested, I think they really enjoyed the trip. Claire has an amazing sense of her place in the world and what it means to understand where we live, where we come from and how it will affect our future.Oh, you couldn't actually read the quote in this picture?

"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors." Thomas Jefferson, 1810

Sneak Preview

Can you guess where we went and what we did last weekend?
It was a superfantastic trip and then we returned home for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

... a book by its cover

I feel like a bad blogger. Sometimes I have "words" to write, but no pictures to accompany, so I don't blog. Sometimes I have wonderful pictures, but I haven't downloaded them, so I don't blog. Sometimes I wonder why anyone would care to read my mindless blabbling, so I don't blog. Sometimes I spend so much time reading other blogs that I get tired, so I don't blog. Sometimes I am busy busy busy in the studio, so I don't blog. (Only one of these is a really good reason not to blog, don't you think?) Anyway, enough of that pathetic rambling.

Here are the books I bought in Houston. (Ok. Confession. I ordered them from Barnes and Noble.com when I returned because I have a member card that gets me a discount and they are cheaper to begin with. I know I should "support" independent vendors. That's why I bought a bunch of other stuff which I will blog later.)

The Quilt of Belonging was one of special exhibits in Houston. Amazing. Awe inspiring. There are blocks representing every country in the world. AND every group of native people from Canada. It was conceived and coordinated by an ambitious Canadian woman. I believe each block is made by someone living in Canada with some kind of nearly-direct tie to the country represented in the block.

In the book, each block has a page with a lovely picture and stories of how the block was designed and made. It's an atlas and social studies book all rolled up in a fiber art package.

I also ordered this book, which I didn't really see at Houston.

Apparently, it's hard to find. Not online, of course. I am really inspired by the Kemshalls. They are doing some new things with art quilting! Refreshing. I haven't really begun to dive into the book yet. I'm bribing myself -- when I finish one of the projects on my table at the moment, I can read the book.

I'll be wrapping up a huge project on Monday night. Tuesday morning: cafe mocha and books!

This is also waiting for me on the bookshelf.

More truly fresh ideas for fiber artists.

And I couldn't resist this.

It's a children's picture book with illustrations from the Best of Show quilt from last year's Quilt Festival in Houston. Didn't we all just love that quilt and its charming maker? Delightful. The words are translated from the German and there is even a picture of the original publication that the quilt maker remembered so fondly from her childhood. I'll confess that my kids didn't seem to love it as much as I do. But it's a treasure to keep on the shelf.

Mini Workshop

In addition to a few "Make It University" workshops, I also was lucky enough to get one of 25 tickets to a Make It and Take It workshop with Sue Bleiweiss. We made this super cool and fantastically funky "padfolio." Sue publishes an online mixed media zine called Fibre and Stitch. You know how much I like zines, right? (A lot!) Issue 2 just came out and though I haven't ordered it yet, I've very very tempted. It looks like Sue is doing lots of amazing stuff and really getting creative with both her projects and her publications.

In fact, you can download excellent instructions for the padfolio right here. How cool -- and generous --- is that?! Here is the inside and some super cool fabric charms that Sue included in our workshop kit. (I believe there are free instructions for the fabric charms on the Fibre and Stitch website also.)

I really like this little notebook holder. The cover is a collage of various fibers between layers of MistyFuse. You know I am mostly a Wonder Under girl, but this is an excellent application of Misty Fuse. We laid of piece of MF on top of the base, then added a bunch of fibers, covered with parchment and fused. Then added another layer of MF and another layer of fibers and fused. We repeated several times until we had a pleasing composition of fibers and added a last layer of tulle on top. I think I did at least four layers. You really couldn't do that with WU, it would be too think and stiff.

What great little gifts they would make. And Christmas is only five and a half weeks away. (Yikes!)

And guess what else...

Sue works closely with Terri Stegmiller who is in the Twelve by 12 art quilt group that I am also in! I was thrilled to meet Terri! She was super fun and so enthusiastic. You can see her Twelve by 12 quilt from our dandelion challenge on the new Twelve by 12 website.

Also at Houston...

I was thrilled to see a big line of people waiting to make donations to Ami Simms' Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI). In January 2006, well-known quilter and teacher, Ami Simms started this program to raise awareness and fund research to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Hooray for Ami! She collects small art quilts donated by artists all over the country and auctions them on her website and at selected venues -- like International Quilt Festival in Houston.

In addition to the auction, I watched Ami talk with lots of folks about how Alzheimer's has affected them. She listened, made suggestions, offered ideas about insurance and care-giving. This is a miraculous ministry. I was able to say hello and tell her how honored I was to make a donation and win a quilt in the October auction.

And it's not just any quilt...Yes, of course, you recognize this work! It's Kristin LaFlamme's "Rooted." It's hanging in the window seat near our kitchen table. That's where we gather as a family for meals, and home work time and newspaper reading and card games. So it's perfectly suited that we have this charming artwork about home and roots. Thanks to Kristin for her generous donation and to Ami for organizing the auction.

My grandmother had Alzheimer's. It was a sad, struggle for my mom and her sisters and my grandfather. Raising money to support research is so important -- but it's also important to acknowledge the experience that so many families have shared.

I'll be donating a quilt in 2008. It's on my list of priorities and goals. In the meantime, you can bid on lots of other wonderful small quilts in the November auction.

Ok ok ok

After several requests for pictures, I'm going to just throw up a bunch with a few brief comments.

Here is Sarah Smith's journal. It's quite lovely. Of course, Sarah is one of the Frayed Edges and I owe so much to her friendship and creative spirit.She wanted a "neighborhood" shot of her journal quilt to see the other artwork hanging near by. The quilts were hung in alphabetical order by the artists' last names.And here is an even wider shot. The journal quilts generate an enormous amount of talent. So very inspiring. In fact, I think it's a bit difficult to really appreciate the artistry in each piece when they are hung one after the next and they seem to go on and on and on. Which is wonderful, of course. But if any one of these pieces were spotlighted in a gallery or at your local library or even in your home -- you would stop in your tracks to absorb every detail. Congratulations to all involved.

Speaking of beautiful journal quilts. Here is Gerrie's. I adore it! The grids, the colors, the composition, the quilting, the images -- perfection.

And here is Terry's which I also adore! I remember when Terry's blogged about handstamping that checkerboard arch. Wow. Terry has such talent for a beautifully spare composition filled with many wonderful details.And here is my friend Sherrie's journal. Honestly, I would have picked this as one of my very favorites, even if I didn't know Sherrie. Great surface design and inspired embellishments.There was also a special exhibit of several quilts from the Creative Quilting book. You can see Sarah again in the self-portrait in the middle. And Gerrie again with her portrait of granddaughter Mia. That's Elizabeth Poole's nude on the top right -- she has mastered the use of gradations in nude portraits. And Elin Waterson's swimming pool portrait. (I really love Elin's work. I'm always trying not to copy her.)But wait, here's Gerrie again! So sad that she wasn't there in person. That's her quilt, A Thin Place, on the top left in the Small Art Quilts category.Here is Kathy York's Vertigo which won second place in the Whimsical category. I hope to see this quilt again in the Dallas Quilt Show.Of course you remember Kathy's amazing quilt, Synchronized Swimming. There was a whole article about it in Quilting Arts recently. It was not accepted at Houston. Hmmmm.

And there is Liz Berg -- in the cloth at least. Not in person. I really love her work and her very impressive series work. Her's in the brownish piece with the lines and circles.

This is Barbara Hartman's work. It's spectacular in so many ways. Barbara spoke at the Dallas Area Fiber Artists meeting last month. She was delightful and impressive! She's been in Quilt National twice and exhibited every year at Houston for many many years in a row. This kind of consistent success is pretty amazing.

And here is Dianne Hire! (Well... her quilt, obviously.) I just love Dianne. I took a class from her in Jacksonville, FL when I was pregnant with Benjamin. Little did I know that I would eventually move to Maine and have the pleasure of seeing her again quite often.

Seeing this super dynamic quilt was also a pleasure!

Here is my friend Tonya Littman's dragonfly getting eyed by a hungry lobster. (I'm sorry I can't say who made the lobster. I just had to get him in the picture as a nod to my love for Maine.)

The wings on the dragonfly are totally sheer except for the amazing stitching. Next time I see Tonya, I must ask her exactly how she managed that process.

I have not made specific requests to any of these artists for permission to post their quilts, but I have tried to note their names and links as best I can. If any of you artists would like copies of these pictures, just let me know and I'll be thrilled to forward you a copy.

Later in the week, I'll post pictures of the treasures that jumped in my shopping bag while I was in Houston.

Play by Play

I can't believe it's been a week since I was in Houston for Quilt Festival. I'm not sure if this past week has flown by or plodded along. Anyway, I've been very busy and inspired. Nothing to show at the moment, but new stuff soon.

Lots of people have asked about my Houston trip and I've got lots to report, but how about a quick play by play for today and details next week.

I started Friday morning with a cafe mocha and a raspberry danish from Starbucks at the DFW airport.

When I arrived in Houston I just happened to meet Deb Baldwin in the taxi line and we shared a shuttle to the convention center. Hooray for splitting the tab!

After checking my bag, I rushed over to Make It University. It's a whole classroom set up right in the middle of the vast vending side of the convention center. The Quilting Arts and Cloth Paper Scissors folks have organized several one hour workshops taught by various artists, writers, teachers and vendors. You can put your name in a fish bowl, show up 15 minutes early and hope hope hope your name is drawn. Then you fork over $5 and get to sit and create for an hour. So fun. I put my name in several fishbowls.

Then I walked through a few aisles of the competition and got just a glimpse at the quilts before rushing off to greet some of my favorite folks.

Then my name was drawn for a Make It U workshop! Lucky me. I'll show you the details tomorrow.

Then more quilt-gawking. Meeting more people.

Then my name was drawn again! Yeah!

Then buffet dinner at the Hilton. The desserts were good. I love dessert.

Then gabbing late late late into the night analysing the state of fiber art and planning our futures.

Saturday I had a more focused plan to see the quilts. And shop for things I really needed. (Ahem.)

I also had my name drawn two more times! I feel a bit like I'm stalking those Quilting Arts people. But, they are so fun.

Sunday started with a delicious breakfast spread with Lu. Then a brisk walk to the convention center.

I had seen almost all of the quilts and the vendors, so I was able to slowly soak up the really spectacular items on Sunday. I went back to several quilts. Read many many many excellent artists statements in the Journal Quilt exhibit and scrunched up my nose about some of the judges choices.

Even though the flight from Houston back to Dallas is very short, I fell asleep almost instantly. The weekend was wonderful and exhausting.

I am ashamed to publish this post with no pictures. I'll try to make up for that next week.

Returning

I arrived home from an amazing weekend in Houston. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and excited -- at the same time. I've got several projects in the works and many many more just brewing.

It was thrilling to see and hang out with some new and old friends. And wonderful to see stunning quilts by artists I know. I bought lots of treasures. And I gathered up enough inspiration to hold me over until the next trip to Houston.

I promise to post all the details soon. Though I will apologize in advance for not taking any good pictures. I took lots of photos of quilts, but I don't feel comfortable posting those without permission from the artists. Instead, here is a shot of the convention center.
Really, you must come with me next year!