I had a BIG surprise today, when A and I went to The Fair (Western Idaho Fair), to pick up our entries that had been in competition and displayed there.
I received this big ribbon and plaque, as the Sweepstakes Award for Clothing and Textiles. I am honored. Not slowing down with my creativity has paid off. Where in my quilt studio am I going to hang this award? Is it time to declutter? Surely not, but perhaps rearrange things a little.
My Unruly Quilt Artists have set some challenges for this year. I have sketched and started on one, two different times. The time was not yet ripe. I did get inspired and complete a challenge from 2024, just a couple weeks ago. Meanwhile, I have dawdled making some rag dolls, that I really love!
On with the Unruly project that needs an entry form, with photograph, by August 20, but the actual piece does not have to be completed for physical entry until September 20, I started from scratch yesterday. I am not inspired by my first two starts; those will have to be something else. So, I am gearing up! I have the back and batting basted to each other, and pieces are starting to make their way in that direction. The above piece is one of five, cut layer pieces that I am incorporating in the quilt art.
Here is my most recent rag doll:
I admit, I have been engrossed in art quilting. I have been making fewer regular quilts. Since I learned about Kawandi style in 2023, I have made quite a few. The method inspires creativity. I have completed my twentieth Kawandi style quilt.
I made it specially to be displayed on the quilt shelf I made, which hangs in the entry way of my home. I have always had only a few small quilts that fit on this rack. I felt like I needed to make another, and now I have! This Kawandi style quilt is 30" X 38" and has only fabrics that are not new to me. The fabrics are reg quilting cotton, given to me or inherited from quilters who have passed away, flour sacks given me be my cousin, a piece of fabric of my mother's that she used to make herself a dress and to make a dress for my Tammy doll. She made the Tammy dress in 1962 from the scraps. Also in this quilt are scraps from other quilts I have made, repurposed silk Sari fabric, more scraps from clothing making, drapery fabric, and pieces of saved lace bits. I used #8 Pearl cotton for the hand-quilting, which includes some different stitches and Sashiko stitching. The Sashiko is a tribute to my aunt Shige. The whole piece is a tribute to the people and things of the past that we do not want to let go of.
On March 13, I taught a "cut layers" class, to some of the new art quilters in Treasure Valley. I call it 'ghetto reverse applique'. The class is a way for them to learn a new technique that they can incorporate in their own art. It was a fun class. Following are photos of some of the completed projects.
I have taught two art quilt classes this year. In January, I taught Kawandi style. In March, I taught a cut-layers technique, that I call ghetto reverse applique. The fun thing about it is, you can create simple, yet eye catching, art quilts using this technique. Simplicity is the key.
For the class I prepared a piece with two layers of fabric beneath the top layer. The top layer becomes the background, to the parts you decide to "cut out". This was a gold square of fabric, which I stitched my design on top of, then I cut out parts of the design revealing colors from beneath. I used this piece to show attendees how to use a pin to lift the top fabric, then snip a little hole in it, so as to start removing some fabric to reveal the next layer down.
My friend, A, and I pieced a larger than average quilt top together. As she likes to say, some of the teenagers are rather big boys. We want to make sure they get a quilt big enough to cover them, which is also nice to look at and cherishable. My quilt group experience has been that most of the quilters are women. Some of them do have sons and grandsons and sons-in-law, so masculine quilts show up occasionally. Many quilters, like myself, just love quilting and do not require someone to give the quilt to as a reason to make one. I had to pay special attention to the fabrics, so they would not be deemed too feminine. Most of these fabrics were donated, by Phyllis O., to our quilt group for donation quilts.
