Final Art Quilt for 2025

Here we are at the end of a turbulent year in our history.  Let it be done!  Meanwhile, I am planning some fun travel in 2026, so I have been working on getting some things completed before said travel begins.  I have completed my final art quilt for 2025.  I have created it to be donated to the SAQA Spotlight Auction coming up.  It has to be mailed out by February 23, so I will submit the application and mail it next week, as I will be traveling then.

I made four owl art quilts this year.  This one is Owl Time IV.  I have only experienced using Lutradur since last month and this is my first completed project using Lutradur, which I painted with Jacquard Dyna-flow dye.  Then I placed a mottled piece of pink fabric behind it to add depth and mystery to the background.  I used regular cotton thread, tatting thread, #16 pearl cotton, and #8 pearl cotton.  I hand-dyed the fabric for the body of the owl, except the wings which is from a commercial charm square I found floating around.  I really like this guy with the petite ankles and the sturdy branch.

To recap the year, I had another winning summer at the Western Idaho Fair with my improvisation quilt that I was aided in construction of some of the blocks . . .it was wild and wooly for a bit, but it came out great with lots of personality, and it took a blue ribbon.  I also entered two AG Doll backpacks with pockets and zippers, an art quilt, and a doll quilt.

Besides completing 24 art quilts this year, I completed four regular quilts, 14 doll quilts, and various small sewn projects.  The small sewn projects include quilted tennis shoes, zipper bags, handbags, etc.  I really enjoyed indigo fabric dying in the great outdoors.

The real highlight of my year was erecting my AG Doll Quilt Show inside a larger quilt show.  It was a tribute to Gwen Marston and Freddie Moran.  My 'girls' truly outdid themselves in creating a vast array of quilts honoring Gwen and Freddie. (It was exhausting!)

The AG Doll Quilt Show also led to doing a presentation for a doll collecting club called, AG Dolls Across the Universe.

I was honored to be the spotlight presenter at the November meeting of the Montana/Idaho Region of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).

We only got away in the RV twice this year, but I expect to do some traveling in 2026, and focus on whatever creativity my heart desires.

"Big Wind at Bay View" has been accepted to Road to California!

What?  You have got to be kidding me!  I have the acceptance letter to prove it!

It's true, you CAN see the wind in there!  I think I need a celebratory cocktail.

Some Art Quilt Challenges Completed

It was certainly a busy summer!  Now that all the activity of September is over, I have time to regroup and catch up on some projects.  The real problem is, I have quite a list of projects to work on and I want to just have some fun play time in my studio.  My friend, A, came over and we finally did a landscape with mountains.  We actually did some "Accidental Landscapes."

This piece, I was happy to use a scrap of the upholstery fabric left over from Pete's carpet bag.  Hmmm, I don't think I posted about that project.  Anyway, this landscape measures 6" X 7" and I completed it in one day.  Title:  Ditch Side Beauty

It is highly likely that someone should talk to me about how I name my art.  On the other hand, I should be true to myself.

This piece is 12" X 16" and is hand quilted.  My Unruly Quilt Artist group learned how to do Sashiko, last summer.  (I had taken a class years ago, but I never went anywhere with it.) We were each to make an art quilt with one of the blocks we hand stitched.  I used some of my Japanese fabrics to create my art piece.  Again, I found a scrap (of my Aoi has Two Sisters fabric) to fussy cut and include in my design.  I used some two-holed beads to add interest.  This was a challenge and not my usual design type.  I really like it.  In this last year, I have made quite a few hand-quilted pieces.  I like being able to take the time to make hand sewn/quilted pieces of art.

Title:  My Favorite Dish: Fish

Here Comes The Sun

While we were enjoying a leisurely week at Lake Walcott State Park, I pulled out the sewing machine and worked on my latest art quilt project.  I prepared the backing and batting before we left on our adventure, and I cut some chunks of fabrics I thought would work.  This way I kept the amount of fabric to a minimum.  I decided I would have to use whatever I took with me, so there would be no excuse to buy more fabric at my favorite quilt shop.  My favorite quilt shop is The Gathering Place in Rupert.

I was outside, under the huge Cottonwood tree, pressing my sun rays, when the gal from the next RV came over to visit.  She had noticed I was pressing fabric and came to chat about quilting.  She was from Twin Falls and also a quilter.  It is amazing how we can go here and there and not even know that some of the strangers around us are also quilters, birders, or what-have-you.  I did get my project about one-third quilted before we headed home, so there was not that much left after we got back.  This is not my first landscape, however, I have not done one in about twelve years.  I really like this one, because we sure need something cheery in our lives at this moment in U.S. History.

Four Art Quilts Completed This Month!

After completing "Spooky Houses" Kawandi style art quilt, I realized I had a chance to enter an art quilt into the Idaho-Montana Regional SAQA Trunk Show.  The trunk show title is "Stories".  I did a couple sketches in July for this, but things got so busy I entirely forgot about it.  Then there was another call, extending the deadline to October 15, so I thought about it on October 5, Saturday night, and decided to do a simpler sketch.  On Sunday, I got busy creating.  I finished it up on Monday night and had it in the mail on Tuesday.  It is a part of my childhood story of growing up on the Boise National Forest.  The piece is titled:  The North Cabin.  It is the required 7" X 9", for the Trunk Show.  I am pleased to participate.

I still had all my Halloween fabrics out, so I decided to do another Kawandi.  I wanted it to be light-hearted and different.  I used my ghetto reverse-applique technique on some of the words, some raw-edge applique, some over-dying, as well as Kawandi techniques.  I just had to have some cake in there!  I completed it on October 15.

Of course, I attended the Fall Frolic up at Cascade, last week.  I did a demo on Kawandi style, then on our last full day, I started another Kawandi.  I had brought my scrap bin to share in case anyone was inspired to try it.  Three people did!  We were all working on them simultaneously, which was a lot of fun.  I worked in some red scraps, I was given about five years ago, and it took me longer than I expected, but it was worth it.  It is titled:  Fashion Statement.  It is also my tenth Kawandi this year.

Fashion is ever evolving, just like quilting!

Art Quilt Update!

I have been having so much fun with my color wheel as of late.  It is not your average color wheel.  It is a "Stampin' Up" color wheel, that I misplaced several years ago.  I have made two new art quilts with the aid of my color wheel (CW).  Here is the pallet for the most recent one. 

I decided to use cut layers.  I made the backing, added batting on top, then put my layers on and stitched the layers together.

Then it is ready to be cut.  I cut out the insides of the letters.  I use a straight pin to lift the top layer away from the next layer down, so I only snip the top layer to reveal the one underneath.  If I want to go to the next layer, below that, I repeat the same process.  Be aware of what your final layer is, so you do not snip through it.  The photo, above, was shot on my ironing surface that is in front of my east-facing window, so it has some shadows, but I think it looks cool.

Ta-da!  Here is the final product.  I am quite pleased with the sharp outcome.  CW is not doing me wrong.

Green Monochromatic Art Quilt is Completed!

I take photos of all my completed projects.  I have completed twelve art quilts, so far, in 2024.  That is an average of three per month.  I will not be keeping up this pace.  My most recent completion is my green monochromatic quilt which celebrates a couple of special occasions in April; Earth Day and Arbor Day.

The quilt is actually much more vibrant in person, The stippling, in conjunction with the teal green tulle, really creates some depth.   To make this quilt, I used the skills I learned from Susan Carlson's Spiral eWorkshop.  I have signed-up for her new Fish eWorkshop.  Try the spiral to learn new skills and techniques. 

Monochromatic Art Quilt

Greetings!  I belong to the Unruly Quilt Artists, based in Meridian, ID.  At our meeting, earlier this month, we each chose a number from one to ten.  I picked nine.  I got the top tray, which had all green fabrics on it.  We were each given a piece of foam-core board to pin our pieces to.  This is a wonderful challenge!

I kind of knew what sort of thing was going to happen, so I came prepared with my backing fabric and a piece of batting, so I was a step ahead on that.  Above is what I started at our meeting.  I picked some of the fabrics I liked and trimmed them unevenly.  The one fabric reminded me of planet Earth, so I made an Earth.  Then I thought, all this green is for trees, so I made a tree trunk.  

When I got home, I pulled out my little stash of green fabric scraps, (I have very little green), and found one piece of mottled green that would work as a total background to work upon.  So, I removed everything, then added the background, the Earth and tree trunk back in.  Then I thought about orbits around the Earth.  I cut smaller pieces and made the tree top and some orbits.  I need to add more of the very deep green for darkness and depth.  I also want to add some words.

I recently bought a book of art projects for kids, using cursive.  Creative Adventures in Cursive, by Rachelle Doorley, copyright 2018.  I like this method of making a cursive word template.

Use a Friction pen to trace around the template, any ink left on the word will disappear when hit with a hot iron.

I think it is going to look amazing, when I get it finished.  You'll have to check back in a couple weeks to see the end result.

Graffiti Quilt (one type of artist inspiring another type of artist)

I heard about "graffiti quilts" last August.  The term intrigued and excited me.   When I went on-line to look this up, I was very disappointed that some long-arm quilters were making "thread paintings," but calling them graffiti quilts.  The "graffiti quilts" I was seeing were fancy immaculate quilts, which to my mind, have nothing to do with graffiti.  I think, actual graffiti makes a statement in a bold and raw fashion.  I had a discussion, about this situation with a fellow quilter, who's little group of quilters decided to each make a graffiti quilt, but not with thread painting.  They wanted to do small wall-hangings that had a message in a bold fashion.  I thought they were quite good and not fancy and elegant.  I started my own "graffiti quilt" in November.  

I decided to use some words from a song as a statement in my graffiti quilt.  I mulled it over for a while, then went with Once in a Lifetime, by the Talking Heads.  

My wall-hanging is 15.5" X 22".  I sewed a casing on the back and cut a branch from the bush in our front yard to hang it on, using a ribbon that had previously tied up a stack of fat quarters.  I used what I had on hand to make it.  The words are painted on white muslin with woodless watercolor pencils.  The entire thing is quilt-as-you-go.  The backing, batting, and the two pieces of fabric behind the Roman pillar started out as a piece to practice my stippling on.  I just added everything else to it.  This is my graffiti. 

Pizza Rounds Quilt

In late August, when I was not working at the Home Arts Dept. at The Fair, I was playing around with some of my favorite bright fabrics and some curves.  I started what I call my "Pizza Rounds" art quilt.  To me, it is an art quilt.  It hangs in my quilt room, where it adds nicely to the atmosphere.  My quilt room has a lot of atmosphere. 

Our daughter came to visit in the first half of November, and we had so much fun.  We went on a day trip to Twin Falls, where we strolled down Main Avenue, window shopping.  We discovered several interesting places and spoke with a number of engaging people, especially small businesswomen.  

We met a friendly print shop cat, and an adorable creativity shop bulldog.  This little bulldog was the shop greeter at "Altered Purposes".  The shop, Altered Purposes, is amazing.  It has stuff creative of all types, not limited to wood, ribbons, decals, metal, paper craft, paint, inspiration for upcycling, classes, and bunting.  I bought some small drawer handles, that I intend to use on an art quilt.  I also bought some woodless watercolor pencils and a length of plaid grosgrain ribbon, which I used to make my "Ever Was" graffiti quilt.  My daughter asked the owner, who happens to be a woman veteran like my daughter and I, if she had a room upstairs for rent, as she would love to live upstairs and come down every day to play.  My daughter does a bit of sewing and is very creative, and her true creative love is everything Halloween.  

She has inspired me to do some Halloween quilts, bunting, and some small art quilts.  I have taken about a month off from quilting, and now I am trying to clean the Christmas lights and wrapping stuff off my quilt table.  Just this evening, I got a little twitch to do some piecing, so I better get my table cleared off, so I can get going again.