Showing posts with label Louisiana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Louisiana. Show all posts

Saturday, December 28, 2019

My Best of 2019

2019 was pretty busy!

Cents and Sensibility was accepted to Alexandria Museum of Art exhibit, Concrete and Adrift: On the Poverty Line.

Back Yard Beauty went to Mid-Alantic Quilt Festival in Pennsylvania.

Lichen hung at Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center in Baton Rouge.



Too Raw (Too Soon Every Day to Talk About Gun Violence) was accepted to the Tom Peyton Arts Festival, and Alexandria Museum of Art September Competition, AND was awarded the purchase prize at the latter.
Feathers, Scales and Tails: Night Flight went to Quilteroo's in Ruston, La., and Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center.



Fatsia Fantasy, Into the Woods, and Leaf Party went to the Main Library and State Archive, both in Baton Rouge.

Her Eyes as Clear as Centuries went to Sacred Threads.

 Rhumba went to the Gallery One Ellleven Annual Competition Show and won a merit award (and will be in Curated Quilts in early 2020).


L'Homme Vert du Cyprie're and The Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep hung at Louisiana State Arboretum in August.
Shuffle sold at the SAQA auction.

Thoughts and Prayers was accepted to Collective (In)Action exhibit at Memorial Union Gallery, NDSU


Took a class in June with Wen Redmond, about digital printing on unusual substrates, and used my new knowledge to participate in SAQA's 100 day project.



These three quilts came home after a three year tour all over the US (and Birmingham, England) as part of Fly Me To The Moon By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Moonlight Serenade, and Moonlight Sonata.


A Suitable Boy toured libraries throughout the state all year, as part of a Contemporary Fiber Artists of Louisiana books exhibit.


 Naiad and Dryad hung at the Ascension Parish Library, Dutchtown, for the month of December, as part od  SAQA regional exhibit.






I also made two quilts, a doll, and a smocked romper for my granddaughter.  I've already got plans for 2020!

grab button for Meadow Mist Designs



Monday, September 17, 2018

Swamp Maple

Swamp Maple, artistic interpretation of Swamp Red Maple, acer rubrum var. drummondi
42.5" square (30" square on point)
Cotton fabrics, silk and bamboo roving, textile medium.
Machine quilted, hand embellished and embroidered.
Leaves are individually cast from actual leaves
For step-by-step progress photos, see this previous post.


Recently shown at Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza 2018, along with
Passion For Color
48 x 66"
Hand dyed cotton sateen & black Kona cotton
Machine pieced and quilted


Sunday, August 5, 2018

Back Yard Beauty - step by step



Original photo by me.  I grew the flower, too.

I’ve been busy.  I took a photo from my garden, photoshopped it to narrow & alter the color range a bit, printed on (I think) 18 sheets of paper & taped those together.  Outlined color areas with a red Sharpie so that the outlines would be visible on the back side of the paper, and color coded each area.  The large drawing (cartoon in artspeak) is divided into a 6 x 6 grid with a blue Sharpie, to make it easier to figure out where the pieces go.

altered photo

Part of the cartoon showing red outlines and color codes

Each piece is traced from the reverse side onto the paper backing of Soft Fuse fusible web, cut out, fused to the back of my fabric (my own hand dyed sateen), then cut out again and assembled.  Lighter colors underlap darker colors.  I separate the fusible from the darker fabric along the edge, insert the edge of the lighter fabric, and tack together with a hot iron.


Hand dyed fabrics selected and labeled

Pieces traced onto paper side of fusible web
Puzzle pieces cut out of fabric

The trick is to keep the paper backing under everything or it will fuse to my drawing.  I got about ¾ done in 4 long days, and the rest a few days later.

Starting to put the puzzle together

3/4 done
Next step involves lots of threadwork to blend the colors.  Background will be solid black.

Ready for the next step

Background fabric was added, and the whole top fused to DecorBond.  Next, to choose thread colors.

Threadwork in progress.

More threadwork in progress.

This glove was brand new a week ago.

Threadwork almost complete.  A zillion thread tails to pull to the backside.

The backside
Threadwork now complete

Finished backside
The background was quilted a week ago, but...the more I thought about it, the more unhappy I was with the quilting. Lots of little tucks, and it did not flatten out with quilting. Part of the problem was that the entire top was fused to a sheet of DecorBond. So, the rows closest to the flower were ripped out, and I carefully peeled up the edges of the black background and cut the decor bond around the edges of the flower fabric. I laid towels on my cutting table, dampened the flower on both sides, and ironed it flat. Had to cut along the edges of several petals to get things flat, but it finally is.
The black background fabric was a bit stark, so the new background fabric is a bit more interesting, without being overpowering. I basted thee flower to the back along the stitching lines, cut away the fabric over the flower, leaving a good inch or so. With a lot of careful clipping and trimming, I turned under the edge of the black, pinned, and stitched it down close to the edge, working on 8-12 inches at a a time. 5 hours later, the background was attached. It’s basted, and the background is partially quilted now. And, this time, it’s flat!


Quilting is finished!  The back looks pretty cool, too.



Completed!  Even added the hanging sleeve, label, and wood strip for hanging.