Knitting practice

I'm busy practicing my knitting skills -- but I have difficulty remembering the order of knits and pearls when doing a simple pattern.  How will I ever master doing cables or other fancy knit designs?  Fret not, just keep practicing....

Rather than knitting more scarves for everyone I know, I'm now knitting 8" squares.  They will be pieced together into larger patchwork knit blankets and given to SEARCH Homeless Services here in Houston.  Eventually my simple practice squares will help warm someone struggling to get back on their feet.  Think I'll get prettier yarns for my next batch of knit squares ....

SEARCH Homeless Services works to engage, stabilize, educate, employ and house individuals and families who are homeless. Our essential services are highly effective in transforming lives because we meet individuals where they are and provide what they need to get off the streets and back on their feet.
Learn how you can help by looking at the SEARCH website at http://www.searchhomeless.org/

Or start by knitting some 8" squares ....

2012 IQA Group Quilts

For years I have been fascinated by the wonderful work displayed in the Group Quilts category of the International Quilt Association's show (IQA) which is the mainstay at the International Quilt Festival (IQF).  Below are four of my favorites.  I've included the information displayed with each quilt (Name of quilt; IQA member entering the quilt along with names of others who participated in the making of this particular quilt; their home town, state/country; their description of their quilt; techniques used; materials incorporated; and design source).  Enjoy!  

 

This quilt won Honorable Mention in the Group Quilts category this year.

 The Jennings Homestead

Suzanne Mouton Riggio

and 26 members of the Milwaukee Art Quilters

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

The Milwaukee Art Quilters, a group of 40 artists, have been meeting for over ten years in the business space at Plank Road Publishing owned by Teresa and Paul Jennings.  In gratitude for the Jennings' generosity, the group made a slice quilt of their Victorian home.

Techniques:  Machine piecing; hand, machine, reverse, and raw-edge applique'; fusing; bleach discharge; inking; machine quilting; machine and hand embroidery

Materials:  Commercial and hand-dyed cottons, cord, paint, fabric markers, ink, thin batting, threads

Design source:  Inspired by a photograph by Teresa Jennings

Guitar Blues

by Julie Poirier-Mathur

and the Beaconsfield Quilter's Guild

Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada

The puzzle quilt begins with an image divided into pieces.  Each artist is assigned a piece of the puzzle and constructs a quilt block independently, as accurately as possible, following specific instructions.  Once assembled, the blocks divulte the original image.  The rule for this particular quilt was to construct the block in blue.  The guitar strings were added after the quilt was assembled.  

Techniques: Hand, machine, and fused applique'; had and machine piecing; machine quilting, couching, embellishments.

Materials:  Cotton, fusible web, buttons, embroidery thread

Design source: Original design adapted from a photo at MusicRadar.com

This quilt is the First Place Award winner of the Group Quilts category.

 Ms. MacDonald Had a Farm

by Lynn Czaban

and members of the Hanging by a Thread group

Vancouver, Washington

The topic is appropriate for these ladies whose lives are rooted in the colorful farming community in Boisfort Valley, Washington.

Techniques:  Piecing, fusing, machine applique', thread painting, inking, machine quilting

 

Materials:  Tsukineko inks, Quilters Cotton, Thermore batting, Steam-A-Seam 2 

Design source:  Designed by Bonnie Keller

 Balancing Act

Sherri McCauley

Frances Holliday Alford, Barb Forrister, Connie Hudson, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Susan Lewis Story, and Kathy York

Lakeway, Texas

Group dynamics are complicated.  Working together is a balancing act.  With our mutual fascination with cairns and balanced rock sculptures, we independently created our rocks and worked on the rock placement together.  As a group, we were able to form the balanced stacks, and as a group, we balance.

Techniques:  Machine pieced, machine and hand quilted, hand embroidered, applique'd with fusible and by hand; background pieces are individually machine quilted and joined with zigzag; shadows are hand painted.

 

Materials:  Hand-dyed cottons, felts, velvet, silk organza, and batiks; metallic foils; fabric paint; ink; commercial fabrics, embroidery floss, batting, fusible 

Design source:  Original design



If you'd like to see more of the award-winning quilts from Festival this year, go to  http://www.quilts.org/winners.html

International Quilt Festival winners!

This year's International Quilt Festival was filled with lovely quilts.  Here are close-up details of my three favorite top prize-winners:

The Founder's Award (prize of $7,500.00) goes to

 ElaTED
by TED STORM
of 'S-GRAVENZANDE, THE NETHERLAND 

Sponsored by International Quilt Festival (includes transportation to and hotel accommodations at International Quilt Festival/Houston).

Click here for a direct link to Ted Storm's website.

 http://www.tedstorm.eu/eng/

The World of Beauty Award (also $7,500.00) goes to

 Hot Africa
by JANNEKE DE VRIES-BODZINGA
of KOLLUMERZWAAG, FRIESLAND, THE NETHERLANDS 

Sponsored by e-Quilter.com (includes transportation to and hotel accommodations at International Quilt Festival/Houston).

Click here for a direct link to Janneke De Vries-Bodzinga's website.

http://jannekequiltstudio.com/

The Fairfield Mastery Award for Contemporary Artistry ($5,000.00) goes to

Prairie Fire
by RUTH POWERS
of CARBONDALE, KANSAS

Sponsored by Fairfield Processing Corporation (includes transportation to and hotel accommodations at International Quilt Festival/Houston).

Click here for a direct link to Ruth Powers' website.

http://ruthpowersartquilts.com/

These are merely a slice of the entire quilt.  Be sure to look at them on the International Quilt Festival website and also look at the award winners own websites too.  There were many more award winning quilts and others that were simply favorites of mine.  I will share more photos soon ... that's the plan!

Fairfield

What else can you do with batting (besides slipping it between two layers of fabric and quilting it)? 

I know that pondering over this has kept you up late at night.  Well, fret no more!  There are 1,000 and 1 things on display in the Fairfield booth at this year's International Quilt Market and Festival.  I know, I saw them -- and counted nearly every single one!

I love this shady tree with the lovely flowers -- there is also a waterfall and more flowers and trees and .... even a brick wall!

Be sure to stop by their booth and see for yourself!


P.S.  I do miss the ol' Fairfield Fashion Show ..... the last one was held in November 2000 (seems like just yesterday)....

A Play Day in Kingwood

Today is Tuesday, the flip day between Quilt Market and Quilt Festival.  It can be a very busy day for vendors changing, flipping, moving or simply setting up their booths for the big show opening Wednesday evening.  For others, it can be a day for relaxing and visiting with one's quilting friends who are in town for the show.

I spent this Tuesday in Kingwood, playing with my silk artist friends Sara Hochhauser and Marlene Glickman in Ginny Eckley's studio (with Anne Eckley too) where we screen-printed cards and envelopes, dyed silk scarves, sewed new garments and enjoyed fun, friendly companionship.

Sara pauses while sewing a new silk garment. Come see her demo how to make it at the Quilt Festival, Thursday, 2:00-4:00p.m.

Marlene screening a leaf onto a silk scarf.  She is doing a few demos at the Quilt show, too, with her first one is before Sara's on Thursday, 12:00-2:00p.m.

We used Color Hue dyes with shaving cream as a thickening agent to print designs, first practicing the easy technique on paper, then moving to silk.

Marlene paints the dye on the screen above.
Below is the resulting image of three green leaves.

In the afternoon, we created our own PhotoEZ Silk Screen Stencils with Ginny's expert guidance.  See Marlene marveling at her design that Ginny reveals.

I made a stencil too, but will show it later, after I have used it ...

Meanwhile, as the stencil was developing, I dyed a silk scarf, trying a neat technique that begins with pleating long rows up the two sides of a scarf, ending with a crumple of silk at the top.....

The Color Hue dye is applied and allowed to seep into the folds and crevices.  We tilted the table to encourage further running of the dye.  I added additional colors, in this order: blue, black-tinted blue, a limey green, a black-lime green, ending with yellow.  This is the lovely result, photographed while drying in the crisp autumn sun.

I had a grand time all day long!  Thank-you to Ginny, for the use of her studio, to Anne, for her smile, Marlene, for her ColorHue expertise and Sara, for her unique laugh.  Thank-you everyone for a fabulous day!!!

Tomorrow I will be ready to see the new vendors and to peruse the award-winning quilts at this year's International Quilt Festival when it opens.  Hope to see you there!

Kaffe

Guess who was at Quilt Market this year, signing both his new books?

 Liza Prior Lucy and Kaffe Fassett

Kaffe has written his autobiography and will be speaking at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts this Tuesday evening, October 30, 2012 from 6:30-7:30p.m.  

I purchased his newest quilting book, then snapped this photo (he was busily signing more books and barely glanced my way - was that a wee smile in my direction? probably not.).  The title of this new quilt book is cute, Kaffe Quilts Again, but did he stop quilting for a bit?  (if so, I confess, I missed it!)

Butterflies!

 My butterfly collection began over two years ago with these butterflies:

This is a small portion of the many colorful butterflies made by my dear friend Carol C in New York.  She made them for the centerpieces of a luncheon that I was hosting (when two special people were celebrating a momentous life marker).  Carol could not travel to celebrate with us in person, so she made these lovely butterflies to decorate each table at our kiddush luncheon.

Why butterflies?  Because we were planning to donate these butterflies (the ones above and the others below) to the Houston Holocaust Museum.  The museum is collecting over one-and-a-half million butterflies for an exhibit in memory of the many children who perished during the Holocaust (click here for more details on the Museum's Butterfly Project).

These butterflies were made the day of my sons' B'nai Mitzvot; made by their friends who came to witness as they chanted from the Torah and shared their insights into the Torah portion of the week.  As the luncheon was taking place, guests were invited to make a butterfly or two to be given to the Holocaust Museum.

Other friends heard of my butterfly collecting and asked to be included too, so I delayed turning in the B'nai Mitzvah butterflies to allow time to gather more ... and more ... and more.

My quilting and fiber art friends made fiber butterflies: some quilted, others embroidered and each one unique and special.  Each is a gift from the heart ....

My friend Sheryl L made five butterfly garlands with her daughters to add to my collection.   I love that her garlands are ready to be displayed!

Tissue paper can be used in a variety of ways to make and/or decorate butterflies.  This collaged collection is made in honor of my recent Toddler classes and Kindergarten classes.  In another class, we dyed coffee filters then gathered with a pipe-cleaner into a butterfly shape (see below).

This is my full butterfly collection, shortly before I bundled it all together and delivered it to the Houston Holocaust Museum last week. While it seems like a lot, remembering that I collected them from many places, people, students and friends alike, this is a teeny tiny portion of the over 1,500,000 children who perished in the Holocaust.

If you wish to add to the butterfly collection - you may send (or deliver) your own group of unique butterflies to the Houston Holocaust Museum.

The current deadline for submission is June 30, 2013.  

The final exhibit promises to be amazing, moving, one-of-a-kind -- just like each of these butterflies -- and just like each of the children lost to the horror of the Holocaust.