Kristin's Peace Flags

Last summer I posted these pictures of flags that Kristin and I printed.  They hung in her yard all winter.

This is what they look like now.  Not too bad.  But it looks like they have done their work.  Interesting how the red and fuchia have faded to nearly the same color.

New Work, May 2012

This is a post about what I have completed since the first of the year.  I usually have several pieces going at any moment, and I tend to wait until I have a few pieces to quilt before I switch the machine over.  Even if I practice before I start on a quilt, I find that my stitching gets better if I do several in succession. My intent was to enter them in the Crab Festival Art Show, but here I sit with no way to deliver them, or pick them up on Sunday, so they will wait for another day to be shown in public, but I will show them here. I broke my ankle a month ago, and although I expected to be on the mend by now, that is not the case, and I am still not able to drive.

Crab
14" x 12 1/2"

This quilt actually came after the one that follows.  I ended up with more of the border squares after I had tried out some different layouts, and I had one more of the crab prints from a print session last Fall.  The quilting on this one is very simple, but I like it.

The King
20" x 15"

This is the first of these King Crab quilts that I started.  I tried a few different settings for the border squares before I finally settled on this.  I wanted to have room for quilting on the border.  You can see the quilting in the close-up picture that follows.

Three Kings
34 1/2" x 19 1/2"

I wish that I had used a heavier thread.  This was done with trilobal polyester variegated thread, which I love.  I am trying to be more bold with my machine quilting.  This light weight thread is great for texture, but I would have liked to have seen a bolder line here. I just ordered a set of Sulky Blendables-30 wt.  It was spendy, but now I know I have all the colors.  I have a problem remembering what I have when I order thread!

Three Kings closeup

There are two red quilts in this batch of work.  I was just having too much fun with the rich reds, and I probably overcut as I often do when i am working on a strip piece.  The idea was to put cross strips in as I built the strip pieced fabric.

Reeds
23 3/4" x 16 1/2"

Reeds-fish closeup

Reeds-border closeup

I am still stuck in the red zone with this next piece but it is the accent fabric.  On this piece the goal  was to build the stripped fabric around the prints-very improvisationally.  There were a few times that the plan shifted-to get it all sewn together.

The River
24 1/2 x 34"

This last quilt is probably my favorite in this grouping.  This piece started with two fairly large pieces of stripped fabric.  I then cut panels from each, offsetting the strips in opposite directions to get the zigzag effect in the background.  This piece hung on my wall, with freezer paper depicting the circles for a long time.  The fish were not tightly packed enough on the original piece of fabric, so I added some fish. You can see before and after in this post: http://sallysartquilts.blogspot.com/2012_03_01_archive.html.

Streamside
34 3/4 x 13 1/2

It took me a long time to get the color of the ink correct that day.  For some reason, I thought that I had used more blue ink, so I had to do alot of printing to use up all the ink I had out!  I was pleased with the addition of more fish.  

Streamside closeup

I faced both of the red quilts, rather than applying borders as I normally do.  It is a good option that I have never before utilized.  Sometimes you want that extra bit of color that the binding can provide, but as these pieces show, sometimes you don't. 

Streamside back

All of these quilts started with prints that I did from my own handcarved stamps on fabric that I dyed.  I love handdyed fabric, but I also love the combinations you can achieve from commercial prints-texture, texture, texture!

Repurposed tablecloths

I had these three tablecloths that were destined to be disposed of when we start packing up our house sometime soon.  I had dye left in the refrigerator from dying the fabric for Kristin's wedding flags, so I decided to dye these tableclothes and see if there was anything worth keeping.  This one I really like alot, and the light colored areas were a surprise although I did suspect that part wasn't cotton. 

Closeup

napkins

 This one turned out wild and crazy but I like it.  If I decide it is too much for the table I have some ideas for cutting it up and using it in quilts.

 I was going for a gradation on this one-dark in the center to light on the edges, but it wasn't working so I did some rubber band binding and overdyed in Cerulean blue.  It is still green in the center, but the edges blend better than they did after the first dye bath.

I did the quilting on this piece today.  I used heavier thread than I normally quilt with and am happy with the results.  You can see a closeup of the stitching below.  The water was stitched with Signature variegated quilting thread-40 wt, I believe. The red section was stitched with Sulky Blendables, 30 wt. Unfortunately, I don't have many spools of heavier thread, but I have lots of trilobal polyester!  Oh joy, another thing I need to collect!

   

So, now I am down to one more piece that needs quilting.  Although it has not been a joyride fracturing my ankle, I would never have gotten these 6 pieces quilted.  Bindings, labels and sleeves and they are done.  Oh yeah-naming the, too. I don't enjoy naming my quilts!

The Reef

The Reef
30" x 40"

About a month ago I was asked to create a piece to hang in Representative Alan  Austerman's office in Juneau.  Very exciting, because it was my first commission, and because of where it will hang.  They looked at the pictures on my blog and decided that they wanted one with similar colors to the quilt on my header, and specified the size of 30" x 40".

The background is pieced-first by sewing strips together, then I cut squares from the resulting fabric.  I did 3 different strip sets- one for the forground, one for the mid section, and one for the water.  The fish and crabs were printed with blocks that I carved, and Daniel Smith water soluble printing ink. I carved a second, smaller crab so they appeared more distant.  I cut them out and fused them to the background.  The seaweed was stitched on tulle layered with angelina fiber and water soluble stabilizer.  I shaped the rocks using freezer paper, then used an invisible stitch to apply them to the quilt, with various ribbons tucked behind for more seaweed.  Finally, I added more embellishments with buttons, beads and hand dyed pearl cotton.  I love the little beaded jelly fish.

Detail

Foreground Detail

Prayer flags for Andy

I got up this morning with a plan.  My brother's wife is having surgery next Friday so I wanted to make her some prayer flags.  Since the ink I print with takes a few days to dry, I needed to get it done today.  I only photographed 2 of them as I was working today, but will take a picture of the string once they are done.  I made a string of 7, colors running from yellow green through red-violet, each with a different image and word on it. 

It is silly, but it makes me feel like I am doing something to help the person in need-good thoughts... 

Then, sincer I had the ink out, I printed some terns, crabs, and kingfishers for future quilts.  I love the crab and kingfisher but the tern stamp need some work.

Kodiak Bear Paw Quilters Annual Quilt Show

The Kodiak Bear paw Quilters hold a quilt show every year.  The show is Saturday and Sunday, October 8th and 9th, at the Kodiak High School auditorium Foyer.  These are my entries. The photo above is called Big Dipper.  It is 21.5 x 20.  This piece started out with a piece of hand dyed fabric.  I had a block left over from a reduction print I made in Liz Mitchell's print workshop, with which I printed the distant mountains.   I decided to extend the mountains beyond the silk border.  The gradations in the border are hand dyed.  I originally printed the stars with gold Lumiere paint, but they weren't  as bright as I wanted, so I stitched with gold metallic thread.  This is the quilt that led me to a thread crisis about a month ago.  I ran out of thread with only 12" of the border left to quilt!  I asked the wrong daughter to quickly send me thread!

 This quilt is 15 x 20 and is called Joy.  The print is an Alutiq petroglyph.  She is actually the only recognizable female figure.  Arms upraised signifies dancing.  Although I am not Alaskan Native, she is my Goddess.  The people who carved these images in the rocks many, many years ago, came to this island from someplace else and made it their home, just like I have.  I was not born here, but after 35 years, I am from here.

 Alaskan Sky is 21 x 12.5.  This piece shows one more stage of the reduction print.  The stars and the Northern Lights were printed first, then that was cut away, and the mountains were printed.  I really like that the red border does not extend into the mountains, making them look more authentic.  The gradations in the border are hand dyed.

 Kings is 15.5 x 20.  One morning, I just decided to start cutting this print up and inserted strips thinking sea grass.  I was happy with the layering effect, and though everything matched up quite well for freeform work.  I don't normally do alot of hand embroidery-I am pretty much hooked on beads, but the stitching on this piece was fun and I am pleased with the results.  I used 3 stands of red embroidery thread on the distant blades, and  hand dyed purple Size 5 pearl cotton on the closer blades.  I will not try that again-multiple layers of pimatex is not easy to pull that thick of a thread through.  I used hand dyed size 12 pearl cotton to outline the starfish, which turned out great.  I bought both of those thread at Visions in San Diego last Spring.  Then, of course the required beads and buttons were added.  I used higher contrast thread than I normally do.  I have thought that my stitching gets lost when i use lower contrast thread, but I am not all that great of a stitcher.  Of course, when my thread really show is when my sewing machine started misbehaving and eating the thread.  I tried new needles, rethreaded, put on some thread treatment.  She just was angry with me that day, I guess.  Our first bad day!

 A close-up of my starfish and button creatures.

Over the Mountains is 12 x 12, with a portrait quilt measuring 4 x 6.  I posted about this piece several months ago.  i wasn't happy with the placement of the mini quilt.  I moved it around for months, then I read somewhere to leave blank space in the upper left corner, which works for me.  This is my donation for the silent auction.

I have been playing with Decolorant and paint with stencils this week, as a means of procrastinating binding and hanging sleeves!  I had some ugly scarves that I experimented with.  I used spray decolorant on one which was a mistake-it crept under the stencil.  Then I did three with plain decolorant paste.  I was working on a table with batting, covered with plastic.  I guess paper or cotton underneath would be better.  The paste went through the scarf and seemed to just sit there on the plastic.  You can't move the scarf until it is dry, also.  Anyway, one of those is beautiful.  Then, I used yellow Decolorant and a leaf stencil on a red scarf.  That one is pretty awesome.  Finally, I printed Lumiere paing with a stencil.  those turned out OK, but it is hard to apply the correct amount of paint.  Tomorrow, I will take some photos and post them.

And I almost forgot-my SAQA Auction quilt sold for $250.  Of course, there was family politics involved-it was purchased the Aunt of my daughter, Kristin's, fiance.  All the same it sold for a good price and I wasn't shamed by having it sent back like last year. 

Truckies Prayer Flags for Darlene

When I got off the plane last night, my grandson Truckie, met me at the airport with his bag packed to come spend the night at my house.  We got up this morning and he printed his flags for his Grandma Darlene.  Unfortunately, the phone started to ring and I was not as attentive as I would have liked, but he did a pretty good job on his own-aside from the upside down HOME.  We decided to go with it-it will give Darlene a laugh!  My friend, Ron, had a stroke a couple of days ago, so while we had the stuff out, I printed a set of flags for him, as well.  Truckie used fabric paints, so they are dry.  I used oil based ink, so mine need to dry for a couple of days.  Then I will post a picture.

SAQA Auction

My Quilt, "Homeward Bound" is in the third line on this page for the SAQA Auction.

http://www.saqa.com/news.php?ID=1900

It is grouped with the work of some very illustrious artists.
You can read about details of the quilt in an earlier post, here:  http://sallysartquilts.blogspot.com/2011/06/saqa-auction-quilt-complete.html

Productivity

I tried to upload these pictures with the previous post but it wasn't happening.  I got some precut stencils in the mail last week.  Someday I will cut my own but for now, this will do.  I added the branch on the chickadee piece above.

 This is a less successful attempt of using Shiva paintsticks with a purchased rubbing plate.  Try as I might I couldn't get everything to stay still.  Will have to do some research. It does have a nice texture,so perhaps not a complete lost cause.

More stamps.  I am excited to use the crab but I need to dye some fabric, which is why I am wrapping poles and folding and stitching fabric.  No point in mixing dye until I have everything ready.  I want to attempt more than simple dying, but the resists take a rediculous amount of time.

Every Day

I am trying to accomplish something every single day-before I go to work at 1.  This morning I fused Angelina fiber onto misty fuse, cut strips with my shaped rotary cutter(the word escapes me right now), cut out petals and fused them to this 6" x 4" piece that I previously printed a baby sparrow.   I don't know where I go from here, but eventually all of these little things become a quilt.

Soaring

This is another of my Arctic Tern quilts.  I carved away the background on the block on this since the last tern quilt that I posted.  The clouds are angelina fiber fused to the quilt.  This piece is 12" x 9.5".

Arctic Terns

Another completed small quilt.  The clouds are angelina and I put a layer of purple organza over the top of this.  I have tried a couple of other pieces with angeling clouds.  On those I fused the clouds down, over seams, which didn't work out so well.  I am happy with this.  Todays progress has not gone so well.  My machine does not  like something in the combination of a piece I was trying to quilt today.  The machine was skipping stitches.  I rethreaded the top and the bottom and changed the needle, trying a larger size.  Can't figure it out.  I tried stitching on another piece, no skipped stitches on that but I am just not in the groove today or something.  Better quit before I destroy something.  I really don't like to take out quilting stitches.

Island Girl

Another 6" x 8" piece completed.  I put this on the bed of my scanner rather than taking a photo.  Maybe better for small pieces.  This girl is modest-the vine covers her private parts.  I love this image-the only female petroglyph found on Kodiak Island.

SAQA auction quilt complete!

My SAQA auction quilt is complete and in the mail.  It is called Homeward Bound and is 12" x 12".  The auction is held online in September and supports a wonderful organization.

The fabric was dyed wrapped, tied and scrunched around a piece of rope.  Then I printed with a wine cork stamp and textile paint.  The fish were printed using Daniel Smith relief printing inks.  Next I quilted, then added bias strip and bead embellishments.  Below you can see a closeup.