Decorating Problem Solved

I’ve had so many customers come into my booth and tell me about their ugly utility panels near their kitchens.  They are usually customers who have just moved into recently built condos and they are searching for a decorating solution to this unsightly problem.

We are currently staying in a lovely little condo in Breckenridge, CO.  I can now see, first hand, what everyone is talking about!

Decorating Problem

Who were the architects who thought this was a good idea?  Why could they not have placed this ugly thing in a closet??

If this is a problem with which you are confronted I do have a couple of options for you.  Quilts are light weight and easily removable, should you need to access the utility panel.

Here is a photo sent to me by one customer of a piece I custom made for her.  It was similar in size to my “Wall Hanging – Red Purple Orbs”.  We changed it to a vertical orientation and made it a bit longer for the space.

Decorating Problem

The hanger is one that I often recommend to customers for easy hanging of my small to medium quilts.  They are from Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade company.  They are made in Vietnam and fit my work well.   They come in four sizes and only require that you  put one or two small nails or hooks in your wall.  I must warn you, though, that shipping on these items can be very pricey so look for a local store.  I also have them for sale at my shows.

Another option for a solution to the ugly utility panel problem would be my Blue Raindrops and Green Raindrops.

Decorating Problems

I did not have a chance to list these yet but they are currently for sale at $400 each.  They are framed with black metal frames and measure 33″x 14″.  Just contact me if you are interested.  They can also be made a few inches wider if you desire.  The photo was taken in my booth with the black mesh wall.

My Art Quilt – Looking Beyond 2 is also the perfect size for this situation.

Decorating Problems

There is a hanging sleeve on the upper back so this may be hung with a curtain rod, wooden dowel or the bamboo textile hanger mentioned earlier.

I’m happy to work with you on custom colors and sizes.  Art quilts are a perfect solution to the problem of covering up ugly utility panels and adding some beautiful art to your living space.

 

 

Mother/Daughter Road Trip

This past weekend I was scheduled to do the Old Town Fine Art Fair but Rod was invited to speak at the Dock Mennonite Academy commencement so I needed an assistant.  Our daughter, Katie, stepped up to the plate and drove up from Virginia to join me for a road trip to Chicago.

We had all day to see the sights before the 3:45PM load in so we took in as much as possible.  We started at Cloud Gate (“the bean”), then checked out the Tiffany Dome at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Mother/Daughter Road Trip

Road Trip

We walk the Magnificent Mile, had lunch at Eataly, drove to the Art Fair site and set up our booth.  We had just enough time to check into our Airbnb and change for dinner and an evening at The Second City comedy club.

road trip

What an experience!  So much young talent and how exciting to know that so many of today’s big comedy stars made their start right here.

Parking was truly a challenge in Chicago.  Our Airbnb host told us to use the SpotHero App and that was very helpful.  We also learned that the best way to ensure a timely load out on Sunday evening was to just find street parking near the Art Fair and cart everything out with our hand truck.  The best spot we could find was 4 blocks away so we left the car there for the rest of the weekend and used Uber to get around town.  We figured it out between the two of us and now we’re hooked!

There was decent customer traffic during the show until the late afternoon hours.  I sold several  smaller and mid size quilts and table runners.  On Sunday I said goodbye to one of my favorites, “Forest Windows”.

road trip

Katie’s friends, Steve and Monica Kniss stopped by to say high with their most adorable baby.

road trip

Katie was a trooper and trucked my whole booth the four blocks to the car while I broke everything down.  We drove late into the wee hours of the morning, stopping in a Toledo area hotel to grab some winks before driving the rest of the way home.

Katie was so helpful bringing me lots of water, lunch, spotting my booth while I took short breaks and walks.  The Old Town neighborhood was lovely.  The home right behind my booth was for sale at 2.2 million.  Any takers?

Katie said that for the next show we will pack a cooler with lots of ice.  The temps were 90+ degrees but we, thankfully, had shade trees.    I’m so glad she’s willing to consider a “next show”!  Thanks, Katie!!!

 

 

Lecture/Workshop for NeedleChasers of Chevy Chase

A synopsis of last week’s road trip to Chevy Chase to lecture and teach.

Kim Kellman visited my booth while at a show in Bethesda in October of 2015.  She is program chair for NeedleChasers of Chevy Chase and asked if I’d consider lecturing or offering a workshop for her quilt guild.  Thus began a series of emails back and forth over the next months.  This week I presented a lecture and workshop for them.

I was told that this was a great group and that I’d truly enjoy them.  I can confirm that this was definitely the case.  Guilds have very different personalities and this one topped them all.  They were a very eclectic group but they interacted with a strikingly positive spirit.  I was graciously hosted by Kim and her husband, Peter, in their Bethesda home.  Kim gave me a complete tour which included a considerable number of her many amazing wall quilts.  She is a talented quilter with skills in hand stitching which she often incorporates into her quilts.

Teaching quilting classes is a relatively new venture for me.  The class I taught at NeedleChasers was the Artful Couching class.  In this class we were to make a small square within a square quilt and do some simple couching on the surface.

Artful Couching

It turns out that making a square within a square quilt took quite a bit longer than I had anticipated.  Fortunately, I had some beautiful striped batiks with me in case some students didn’t have time to complete the squares.  Many students took advantage of this option and enjoyed trying out stitching circles and fiddleheads on whole cloth.  It’s a technique which is not very difficult and produces much texture on the quilt surface.

Artful Couching

Responses on my class evaluations were very positive but nearly all expressed a desire for more time to learn the couching technique.

Lecture/Worshop

 

I have modified my class listings with this in mind.  More options for couching classes have been posted on my lecture/workshop page.  You can check them out here.

Thanks to NeedleChasers for being such supportive students and hanging in there with me!  I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them and am looking forward to seeing pictures of their finished quilts!

 

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Easter Quilt – A Celebration of Spring

I was commissioned by Salford Mennonite Church in Harleysville, PA, to make an Easter Quilt this spring.  Here is a short summary of my process.

After multiple sketches and consultations with Beth Yoder, one of the pastors, and hand dyer, Vicki Welsh, we settled on a design.

Easter Quilt

 

This time I took the advice of a guild member during one of my lectures.  She suggested I take my line drawing to Staples to have them print it out to scale.  They were able to print it on three very long rolls of paper.  I was ever so happy to learn of this great option.

I used this scale drawing to trace all my pattern pieces onto freezer paper.  The fabrics were then cut out using these freezer paper pieces  and they were then appliqued to the whole cloth background.

Here you can get an idea of the size.  My friend, Karen, is holding it from my upstairs banister and it reaches nearly to the lower floor.

I made the grave portion from a dark, almost black, fabric that looked like stone.   The interior of the grave is a series of squares sewn into a checker board pattern of light and medium yellows.   This is a picture of the quilt hanging on my 8 foot design wall with a portion of the quilt laying on the floor.

The background is a gradation of purple from dark to medium and the flares are combinations of Vicki’s “Under the Sea”, “Key West” and “Solar Flare” gradients.  She was ever so patient in working with me to get a beautiful and vibrant combination of colors.  You can check out her website here.

Rod took this picture this morning.  Don’t you love how the choice of flowers complement the colors of the Easter Quilt, too?

Easter Quilt

Thanks to Salford for the opportunity to make another commission quilt.

Happy Easter, everybody!

Rachel

Quilt Competition Awards and One New Venture

I had not entered a quilt into a quilt competition for over a year.  I’m not sure why.  I had just been focusing on my Windows series for most of the year.  It’s hard to focus your attention on creating a body of work plus have the time to respond to all the calls for entry.   Also, I wasn’t sure that my new direction would be recognized or understood by quilt show judges.

As art quilters, we walk this narrow line between the art world and the quilting world.  Sometimes I feel like we are looked at as though we are strange creatures by both sides.  Nevertheless, I decided to enter two quilts into the Quilting and Sewing Fest of New Jersey this year.

I was pleased to learn that both quilts got a ribbon.  Autumn Windows won Best Innovative Style Quilt.

The Make of Autumn Windows

Dialogue won Judges Choice.

Art Quilt - Dialogue

I’m grateful for the positive comments from the judges and for the acknowledgement that there is a place for new direction in the quilt competition world.

I still have lots to learn from the technical precision of the traditional quilting realm.  One comment spoke to the fact that Dialogue had not been “blocked”.  No, I’ve never blocked any of my quilts.  Blocking means you soak the quilt in a bath tub and then lay it out completely flat to dry.  This is done before binding or facing the quilt.  I probably will never block a quilt since I use a lot of silk but I do understand that the goal is a quilt which lays completely flat against the wall.  I’ve often redone facings to make them shorter when I’ve realized one side of the quilt has a slight wave to the edge.  Sure enough,  when I took “Dialogue” out of the box upon it’s return from quilt fest, it had a slight wave on one side.  Back to shortening that facing a little bit!

My new venture will start in a few weeks when I teach my first quilting workshop at NeedleChasers of Chevy Chase.  We’ll be learning the art of couching (stitching) yarn to the quilt surface for added definition and texture.  I’ve presented lectures to quilt guilds and have learned to relax in front of a crowded room.  How is it that I’ve performed music so many times in public but lecturing could be so terrifying?  The first time was torture but now it’s very enjoyable.

The new part of this is teaching a quilting class in a more intimate setting.  I love my craft and can’t wait to show others how I make it.  I’ve also taught music for years so the instruction part is also not a problem.  I’ve been told that some of what I consider “easy” is not so for others.  I also work very fast.  I hope I’ll be able to break down construction elements into easy to understand increments so that it becomes easy for everyone.  Wish me luck!

Artful Couching

I currently have one lecture and two workshop topics to offer and you can find them here.

 

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New February Giveaway

Giveaway time is here but first a little story.

We just got back from a wonderful little spur of the moment trip to the warm southern states.  We had originally been on the wait list for the Fort Myers show but never got called – so sad!  Well, we decided we needed a true vacation which didn’t involve me sitting in a tent for a whole weekend at a time.  We packed our bags (not well enough, as it turns out) and left within an hour.

It was so wonderful to feel the temperatures warm up as we headed south.  We stayed near Richmond, then Beaufort, SC.  We kept looking at each other and kept agreeing to go further south.  We ended up in St. Petersburg, Florida where we saw the Chihuly Collection.  It was the highlight of the trip!

            

chihuly 1       His glass works are such an inspiration!  It was positively mesmerizing.  It also reminded me that lighting is everything.  This exhibit was well lit with reflective surfaces beneath the displays and black walls.  It made for a very dramatic effect.

We weren’t quite prepared for the very warm temps of Florida and were very sorry we hadn’t packed our bags with swim suits and sun screen.  The food was outstanding, though, and Rod captured this beautiful sunset in St. Petersburg.

We are back and refreshed!

Now, for the giveaway:

Give Aways/luckycatbag

Lucky Cat Bag Giveaway

Hope you win!

Rachel

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2017 Calendar Giveaway

Happy New Year!  I’m so proud of my new 2017 Art Quilt Calendar and have decided to do a giveaway.  Wouldn’t you love to be the lucky winner?

Below is a link to a video showing  you every page, month by month so you can see exactly what you’ll be getting.  Ready?  Click here to enter and fill out the form.   You are in no way obligated to “Like” my Facebook Page or to “Share” the giveaway link but doing so will help get the word out about a small art business like me.  You have only five days left to enter.   Be the lucky winner!

 

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How to Choose Art for Your Home

Art Quilt - Last Glow

Are you stymied by the daunting task of choosing art for your home or office?  Do you make plans to attend a gallery opening or art show with the intent of finding that perfect piece of art to fit in your space, only to have all ideas of scale, color and style vanish with all the distractions of seeing so much art at once?

Wall Hanging - Autumn Breeze 2 in situ

Aside from measuring your space and noting general color schemes, here’s an idea.  Take a look through the Art Quilts section of my website and click on the individual images of each art quilt.  When you do this you’ll see thumbnails of alternate images of my artwork hanging in interior settings.  I try to give you a sense of the scale of the work and an example of a setting where it would fit well.

Art Quilt - Urban Dusk 2

Lest you think I really have this many rooms in my home let me set the record straight.  These images are all created using Adobe Photoshop.  I simply purchase stock photos of interior spaces and paste my artwork into the photos.  I love imagining how my artwork would look in beautiful settings and I think it helps you to think about how it would look your interior spaces.

Art Quilt - Snowy Evening 2

If you would like me to place one of my art quilts onto a photo of your interior space, just send me a photo.  Try to have good lighting and take it looking straight at the wall on which you would like your art to hang.

Art Quilt - Autumn Windows

Better yet, if you are local to me and wish to audition a quilt in your home I’d be more than happy to bring one over so you can see how it looks in your space.

Also, if you’re local to me you can see most of my current work  in the Gallery At CMS.  The opening reception is this Friday, Dec. 2, from 6-7PM with a holiday concert following. Can’t make the reception?  No worries,  the exhibit will continue through January, 2017.

Hope to see you there!

Rachel

PS – Table runners and bags will also be for sale at this event.  Come and do a little holiday shopping.

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The Making of Autumn Windows

Last summer I took a class with Betty Busby, whom I’ve long admired for her gorgeous hand painted art quilts.  Last week I finally had a chance to  get out those painted silks and cut outs we made in her class.

The Making of Autumn Windows

Here you can see the textured copper and teal background behind the bold teal veining.  These were papers and silk fabric which we painted in class.

Betty also had a cutting machine which she taught us how to use in class.  We each drew designs with bold black marker which she photographed and uploaded to her laptop.  Then she scanned the image into the cutting machine and we prepared painted evolon paper which the machine magically cut out in these designs.  The dark teal veining is the design which I drew.

For this quilt I decided to create another overlapping windows design.  I like how it creates depth and tension in the piece.

The Make of Autumn Windows

The diagonal shibori near the bottom is Lisa Reber’s beautiful fabric, as is most of this background fabric.  I decided to use bronze and deep gold silk in the borders of the windows and curving slivers this time.   I’m very happy with how the rich colors play well with the blue.

Finally, I had to add my favorite element, the ever present circles.  This time I added them in the quilting.

The Making of Autumn Windows

They are often partially hidden behind the windows or going off the edge of the quilt.  Some are also quilted over the windows and slivers.  It all adds a feeling of depth and looking through many layers.

I always love staging my art in someone’s imaginary living space:

The Making of Autumn Windows

You can find the listing for this quilt here:

Art Quilt – Autumn Windows

 

 

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