Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2019 i Quilting Arts Magazine

DO YOU USE YOUR ART FOR GOOD? Each year, I look forward to the October/November issue of QUILTING ARTS. Not only do the autumn colors of our New England landscape influence the palette of artwork in the magazine (my heart beats a bit faster every time I see burnt umber maple leaves against a pale blue sky); they also usher in the season of kindness and appreciation. Golden fields of grain are harvested and baked into bread; pumpkins dappled with green and orange become a ripe symbol of plenty; the deep purple of an eggplant inspires a charity quilt. The sights, smells, tastes, and colors of autumn are ingrained in our collective consciousness and, quite often, reflected in our quilts. And frequently, those quilts are used for good. Keeping this…

there are those among us who make personal sacrifices, who forgo comfort and safety, while striving to make the world a better place. They are persistent and dogged in their determination to lift, to save, to shed light, and to inspire. They are the helpers, the speakers, the ones who act. They soldier on in spite of persecution or personal risk. They seek to help one lone person or the entire planet. They represent the very best of humanity. This juried invitational exhibit of 40 quilts honors these women and men. Curated and juried by Susan Brubaker Knapp and Lyric Montgomery Kinard, this exhibition premiers at the International Quilt Festival, Houston, in 2019 and will travel to other notable venues for two years. The following pages represent a selection of…

Pole Wrapping: Secure the bottom point of the fabric with a larger rubber band, so the fabric cannot slip off of the pole. Holding the pole steady in one hand, place your other hand on the middle point (over the rubber band), and then twist and scrunch the bottom half of the fabric. Twist consistently in the same direction—away from your body—pushing down as you go. When you have pushed and twisted down to where the middle band is near the end of the pole, reverse the direction of the twisting/pushing motion for the other half of the fabric. Push it tightly down the pole and place a rubber band on the top part of the fabric so everything stays in place. (figure 1) Make 2. Rope Wrapping: Measure the…

Dear QUILTING ARTS, I saw the April/May issue at the library and became immensely inspired by the “Make Your Own Pet Portrait” on the cover. I ran out and bought a copy. Let me preface that I just received a sewing machine for my birthday in November and have very little experience with sewing. But this issue got me motivated to try the challenge of creating a cat. Then I fell in love with a picture I saw online of the happiest smiling dog from our local humane society and wondered if I could somehow duplicate that happy dog—and I did! I am donating the pillow to the humane society to help them raise money and will continue to make more for them. I don’t think I would have done…

there was a time when I was so busy and stressed it took a toll on my health. My doctor said to change everything about my high-stress life. I was committed to this ‘prescription,’ and began reading a variety of healing and spiritual books looking for the path back to health. I tried traditional meditation but it didn’t work for me. There had to be something already in my toolbox I could turn to. I was getting back to hand embroidery after spending months at the sewing machine. Hand stitching is relaxing and I thought I could turn it into a version of a walking meditation. Right about the time this thought began to percolate, a friend challenged me to create something for 100 days straight. “Well, this is the…

it’s hard to separate Cas Holmes from her environment—and you wouldn’t want to. It’s her muse, her subject matter, and even the source of many of her art materials. And, it’s her message: revealing how the landscape around her changes from day to day, year to year, and even decade to decade. “[My father] always encouraged me to look at the beauty and interest to be found in everyday things and the landscape and buildings. No one who has grown up in the flat Norfolk landscape as a child can fail to make connections between change and man’s impact on the land through farming, building, and use of world resources. “I believe that the impermanence of the Norfolk landscape had a large part to play in informing my narrative. It…

What are we looking for? • Artists with inspiring portfolios of work to be featured in our In The Spotlight, Artist Profile, Open Studio, and Q&A articles. Show us your work and tell us your story.• Unique techniques, new ways to use existing tools and supplies, and ideas we’ve never featured before.• Projects and techniques featuring mixed-media, collage, and fabric book art. How to submit • Write a brief description of your idea and email it to qasubmissions@peakmediaproperties.com. Your submission should give us an overview of what you are proposing to write with enough detail and supporting information for us to carefully consider your idea.• Attach up to three low-resolution jpg photos of your art or process to your email, and don’t forget to include your name, website, and contact…

I WISH I COULD TELL YOU ABOUT THE COLLEGE I WENT TO AND ALL THE ART CLASSES THAT I TOOK THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, but I can’t because that’s not my story. I never went to college and I have taken just two art classes. But I can tell you this: I remember drawing from an early age. I remember copying a drawing of the little girl from the Little Golden Book, I CAN FLY. I remember sitting on the stairs feeling surprised and happy that my drawing looked good. It looked really good. I remember creating furniture for dolls with my sister. We used cigarette boxes to create the shapes and “upholstered” them using textured wrapping paper and tape. I remember drawing all over our chalkboard, erasing everything and drawing…

Lori Sikkema is a self-taught fabric collage artist living near Traverse City, Michigan. Using fabric pieces and thread, Lori creates realistic fabric collage portraits. Her attention to detail and value help bring her pictorial quilts and portraits to life. Her work has been exhibited in juried art exhibits and national quilt shows. Patricia Kennedy-Zafred has been telling stories through art quilts for over 30 years. Her award-winning artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and has been published in books and magazines. Her work is included in permanent collections of the State Museum of Pennsylvania, The Textile Museum, and San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, as well as multiple private collections. pattykz.com Ann Loveless is a northern Michigan quilt artist who captures the beauty of her region in her…

COTTON FLAX PRINTS Featured here are the too-fun-to-resist chair prints from the Cotton Flax Prints collection. Printed on 80% cotton/20% flax, the weight and texture of this fabric is great to handle and sew with. With an array of printed seating, this collection pulls at our mid-century modern heartstrings. With a 12" repeat there’s lots of room to fussy cut or use a larger piece for dramatic effect. robertkaufman.com ROXANNE™ GLUE-BASTE-IT DIP & DAB XL This versatile basting glue is water-soluble but will hold firmly in place of a pin until washed. Now this handy basting glue is available with an extra-large, sponge-tipped wand for easy application on larger areas. Still just delivering a dab of glue, Glue-Baste-It dries clear and flexible for stress-free sewing. $4.98 • colonialneedle.com VICTORIA FINDLAY…

my floral collage art came from a play session in my studio where, as a budding mixed-media painter, I found myself wondering what would happen if I applied liquid watercolor to muslin scraps. The fabrics were so much fun to paint and dried so beautifully that I made a stash of colors and decided this was the perfect time to use them in a fabric collage. I struggled to find a “big” idea for a collage, and began to feel discouraged. As I played with the odd shapes and bits of fabric I had cut by accident while snipping larger elements for the original collage—an idea that wasn’t working to my satisfaction—out of nowhere and seemingly out of nothing, a watercolor flower bloomed right in front of me. Serendipity! Delighted…

landscapes are one of my favorite sources of inspiration for my art. Beauty is everywhere—I encourage you to take a few moments to view the world around you. Reflect on the colors, shapes, and textures in your neighborhood. I live in northern Wisconsin where millennia ago glaciers dumped huge boulders, carving out today’s rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Tall timbers dominate rolling hillsides nestled alongside waterways and bog areas. I cannot help being drawn to using inspiration from nature in my artwork. MATERIALS • Inspiration photo (your own or from a copyright-free source)• Wool roving in a color palette from your photo• 13" square white/light craft felt• 12" square batting• 12" square muslin backing• 13" square white/clear tulle or netting• Felting needle tool (These usually have 5–6 barbed needles encased in…

This idiom of mostly unknown origins applies to that heavy downpour that can drench you right through your rain slicker. We’ve had some incredible weather recently—much of it destructive. Our readers responded to the challenge of making an art quilt reflecting this theme with personal stories, heart-wrenching experiences—and a sense of humor regarding the weather. It was hard to choose but we are pleased and proud to present this gallery of our readers’ artwork. “Cats Go First” LYNN KAMOLA AUBURN, WASHINGTON “The challenge phrase is an idiom so I wanted the cats and dogs to blend into the rain. This is the first time I’ve used freehand quilting for anything other than a background meander. It was a learning experience!” “Montana Spring” MARJORIE VANDEREN WHITEFISH, MONTANA “I live in Montana…

art quilting is an international phenomenon, and at QUILTING ARTS we are fortunate to have opportunities to interview artists from diverse cultures and backgrounds. After seeing the work of Polish artists Ula Buczkowska, we asked Gul Laporte to help us gain an insight into her work. — The Editorial Team GÜL LAPORTE: Tell us why you choose to work with fiber. When did your interest in textiles and art quilts, in particular, begin? ULA BUCZKOWSKA: I am a graphic designer by profession, and I am also interested in textiles. I was surprised to discover that cotton prints had so much in common with graphic design. The colors, the designs—fabrics were and are still everything I like. In the beginning, I collected fabric just to look at it and to touch…

I recently received a call from a local tattoo artist who was looking for someone to create Masonic Lodge-type satin banners for upcoming tattoo conventions for him and a co-worker. Although I’d never done anything like that before, I have an adventurous soul and will typically try anything once. They gave me their conceptual drawings and I quickly realized that the 3’x6’ size that they envisioned was going to be too much for my regular embroidery machine (with a maximum hoop size of 10”x10”). A light bulb went off, and suddenly I had a great reason to add the Grand Format Embroidery module to my line-up! I was able to digitize their drawings, create cut files for the different colors of fabrics and the GFE appliquéd them beautifully! The GFE…