Alice's Odyssey

 Look at this!  It's the Best Of Show quilt from this summer's Quilt Show extravaganza held by the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston (QGGH).  See the names?  Mine is on that list !

"Alice's Odyssey"

This quilt, Alice's Odyssey, was made by members of Beyond the Borders art quilt group (BTB) - my fiber art friends.  It began a few years ago when we were dreaming up a new challenge to taunt everyone with.  Bethany suggested we do a puzzle quilt and off we ran ..... this quilt is a puzzle, made of separate smaller quilts shaped as puzzle pieces.  Each puzzle piece depicts some aspect of our many favorite stories and plots found in the classic "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll.

We each "signed up" for a specific puzzle piece -- they vary in size -- and also selected which mini-story within the larger story we wished to illustrate.  Then we were off and running, tackling many problems as they arose, and forever pushing back our "must be complete by" deadline (beware of this phenomenon if you choose to participate in a group piece).

Perhaps the largest puzzle, err, challenge, was figuring out how in the world to put all the puzzle pieces together.  Or how to transport the final version of our quilt may have been a larger stumbling block.  Regardless of the many issues we hurdled together, this is our glorious end product.  I find it stunning, if I may be so bold to say so.

Good news:  Alice's Odyssey will be in a special exhibit at this year's annual International Quilt Festival and Quilt Market that start later this month.   As it is very true that photos simply do not do justice to fiber art  ... this is one quilt that has to be seen in person, so be sure to come to the International Quilt Festival this year!!!

Best of Show!

Back to Alice's Odyssey -- Above is simply another photo of our prize-winning group quilt.  Congratulations to all my friends in Beyond the Borders (BTB)!  We were quite pleased when our group quilt won "Best of Show" this summer in our local quilt show.  It is the highest place one of our BTB group quilts has every achieved!

I'm ready ...

I'm Ready For My Closeup, Mr. deMille

Liz Broussard, the creator of this cute bird quilt, sent me this photo to share with everyone.  I must agree, it is much better than the one I snapped at the QGGH Quilt Show this summer.  Enjoy!


For more details on Liz's quilt, read the post below .....

Bird-Brained Blocks

This is the latest group quilt made by my friends in Beyond the Borders (BTB), a local Art Quilt group affiliated with the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston (QGGH). 

Bird Brained Blocks

Our original challenge was to create a small 8" x 10" quilt (no larger and no smaller) with a whimsical bird theme.  Additional parameters were to use "Honeysuckle" (declared the 'color' of the year - as of last spring) and to use silk (preferably raw or dupioni).  Five quilts were gathered to create our finished quilt "Bird-Brained Blocks".  The five bird quilts were made by Elaine Connelly (our current BTB leader), Jo Sweet (the longest participating member of BTB), Janice McKeehan (who made two quilts for this challenge) and myself.  We were quite tickled and honored to win a 2nd place ribbon in the Art Quilt category at our guild's 2011 Quilt Show, "A Quilt's Odyssey".

I confess, I was surprised to find myself making another variation of my oft-repeated Big Foot theme.  My piece is the flamigo curiously peering at the egg that is cracking open to reveal a new member of the family.  Click here to see a few of my earlier Big Foot pieces.

Two other bird-brained quilts were in the Quilt Odyssey show as solo entries.  Liz Broussard  named her quilt "I'm Ready for My Closeup, Mr. deMille".  She used snow-dyed silk as a backdrop for a henna inspired design.  Inktense pencils, crayons and acrylic paint were also used.

I'm Ready for My Closeup, Mr. deMille

Barbara Jensen made "Tripped by the Tulle, a Ballerina's Fall".  Her original piece was inspired by the movie "The Black Swan".  She had fun adding detail elements to her prima donna ballerina -- such as her false eyelashes, her fancy tulle and her glamorous hot-fix crystals.

Tripped by the Tulle - A Ballerina's Fall

Barbara won a 2nd place ribbon in the miniature quilt category for her birdie quilt!  Go Barbara!

Focus on Fiber 2011

Houston Area Fiber Artists

presents their
Annual Member Gallery Show

FOCUS ON FIBER 2011

Juror: Mari Omori, Professor of Art,
Lone Star College Kingwood

October 1 thru October 26, 2011
Opening reception Saturday, October 1, 2011
from 6 to 9 PM
includes a Silent Auction

Complimentary valet parking will be available.

Betz Gallery
www.betzgallery.com
1208 W. Gray in Houston, TX
(713) 576-6954
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 am – 6 pm

A call for entries

The deadline for applying for this year's Texas Museum of Fiber Arts Exhibit is nearly here. 

Deadline for entries is September 17, 2011.

Texas by the Yard and Yarn – Texas a Fabrication
 Fiber Arts Exhibit

This state-wide fiber arts exhibit will be held October 18 – November 18, 2011 in Austin, Texas.

THEME:  The art may reflect the wondrous and varied landscapes of Texas by “the yard,” may tell the tall tales of Texas by “the yarn,” or may show “Texas a Fabrication – the People and Sites of Texas in Fabric or Yarn!”

ELIGIBILITY:  All submissions must be original in content and executed in a fiber arts technique or process. Applicant must be currently living in Texas, born in Texas, or is currently or has attended or graduated from a Texas educational institution. Once a Texan, always a Texan. (No age requirement.)

The annual event provides a social, cultural exhibit of fine artworks of Texas fiber artists. All events are free and open to the public.  For more information go to  www.texasfiberarts.org   or
 

Click here for further details.

                                        


SPONSORING ORGANIZATION:  The Texas Museum of Fiber Arts (TMFA) fosters education and creativity in fiber art expression, experience, and appreciation. TMFA exists to generate expressions in fiber arts of all kinds through its emphasis on fiber arts education, acknowledgment of established and emerging Texas fiber artists, and celebrating art made from natural and man-made fibers. In keeping with TMFA’s mission to exhibit excellence in Texas’ fiber arts, and to educate Texans about a wide range of original fiber art works, we call for entries that reflect the biggest and best Texas has to offer.

Another Little Quilt Swap 6

It's official...

I've signed up for Another Little Quilt Swap #6 and hope to finish one (or maybe two) quilts to trade.

This is a fun, no guilt, swapping group run by the gracious hostess, Kate North.  If you are interested in learning more about this swap, click here.  There is not a deadline for showing interest in the swap, but there is a deadline to get your digital photos sent to Kate (Oct. 3rd, 2011).  The swappers are scattered across the world, so before reading further, please be aware that you must be willing to ship internationally!

It is great fun and I hope you will join me in this swap ....

Reflecting...

 The tenth anniversary of 9-11 has arrived

with much reflection, thinking back and remembering simpler days.

My first (or one-and-only?) Presidential quilt. 

     This quilt was made for a local quilt shop's challenge, (required to use the colorful Washington, DC print at the center of the courthouse steps blocks).  My quilt won first place (visitors to the store were allowed one vote per canned item brought for the local food bank ... I may have stuffed the ballot box a little ... or did I?).  The quilt shop has closed, and I am still proud of this quilt.

Note: the presidential blocks were "inked" with crayons and archival pens.

 

We do treasure our life in the land of the free, the home of the brave.