We’re Close To The End, My Friends

In June 2012 I inaugurated this blog as follows: “Another quilting blog, ugh!  Why?  Well, I’ve been trying to neaten and straighten my notes, thoughts, resources, works in progress, and my work.  So, I thought a blog might be the way to go.  It’s for me primarily.  If anyone else stumbles on it, that’s fine.  I considered using Pinterest, but decided I needed the ability to add words.  So here I am.”

I had no idea I would continue writing posts for 11 years. Yep, that’s 11 years of at least one post a week, for more than 1,000 posts. Alas, all the pictures in those posts have added up and WordPress has notified me I have reached my data storage limit. For the past five years I paid an annual fee to WordPress to gain more media storage, but when the renewal came up in September I decided to revert to the free version. I did think I had a bit of storage left, but I was wrong.

I have gone through my pages and posts and deleted items I thought weren’t worth keeping, and have done the same with the thousands of photos. It’s a time consuming and tedious process. However, I think the effort has bought me only a bit of breathing space. So, it’s highly likely this is my last original post.

The notice from WordPress is just one of many reasons I may retire my blog. As I suspect you have noticed, I have been writing more about non-fabric art in the past year or so. Hand, neck, and shoulder issues have made cutting and sewing fabric more of a pain than a pleasure. So I have turned to collage and mixed media as my art outlets. I still make quilted items, but they sometimes leave viewers scratching their heads. Maybe my earlier quilts were “better” but they were made in part to enter in shows. I’ve pretty much stopped that (with a few exceptions.) In fact, I have found myself drifting away from the quilting world. Local groups I belonged to have folded their tents, and I haven’t found any online groups that work for me.

Snarky Quilter was a labor of love and a wonderful way to make blogging friends. I have so enjoyed reading and responding to your comments. This blog should still be as accessible as it’s ever been, just without new material. I plan to post occasionally on Instagram (@snarky_quilter), so you can see any new work there.

I do have have one more piece of news for you. My quilt “Dreams of Freedom” was selected for SAQA’s virtual exhibit Imprisoned.

“Dreams of Freedom” 2021, 28.5″ by 20.5″

I’d love it if you want to drop me a line at snarkyquilter@gmail.com.

Still Puttering (A Blast from my Past)

The Purpose of Aimless Puttering

I’d like to add this quote to the above, as it sums up my approach to art:

If I knew what the picture was going to be like, I wouldn’t make it.
― Unknown

Summer’s Empire Is Falling Down

Sometimes revisiting my scrap hoard sparks an idea for a new quilt. While shuffling through fabric I had Spoonflower print from a photo I came across large leaves that I hadn’t used in an earlier quilt. Here’s that quilt.

“Sycamore”

For my new quilt I pulled all sorts of autumnal colored scraps – cottons, silks, synthetics – and grouped them around the leaf panels I had left. I spent some time moving parts around and began construction in chunks.

I had another reason for making this quilt, a regional SAQA exhibit (Indiana, Michigan, Ohio) that’s to feature a bit of the color known as poison green or Scheel’s green. Here’s how the prospectus describes it:

In 1775 the color, Scheel’s Green, was discovered and later in 1814, the much
improved Paris Green was developed. Both pigments were created by chemists and
produced a remarkable shade of emerald green by combining chemicals that produced
arsenic poison. This vibrant green was extremely popular among the privileged because
it symbolized royalty and wealth. Despite the deadly drawbacks, fashions, wallpaper,
soaps, paints, and toys were produced in abundance. Factory workers who produced
these commodities as well as consumers suffered severe side effects including death.
By the end of the 19th century the deadly greens were replaced with less toxic pigments
and dyes.
The art quilts produced for “A Drop of Emerald Green” will have just a touch of today’s
safe emerald green as a reminder of the tragic history of the color green.

So, there’s a drop of emerald green on my quilt in a spot where there might well be a bit of vivid green left on a leaf.

“Summer’s Empire Is Falling Down” top

The entry deadline is November, so I have plenty of time for fine tuning and quilting. I am considering doing wavy edges as they aren’t straight now, and I have deliberately avoided straight seam lines. And I do have a title, the heading of this entry, which comes from a Joni Mitchell song.

I am linking to Off The Wall Fridays.

Closing The Circle

In the early days of the pandemic I spent a lot of mental energy on a project to make circles and ovals out of silk fabrics I had painted, dyed, and printed. I ended up separating the shapes into groups of cool and warm colors, and hand sewing them together into lattices. The warm color piece was finished in 2021, while the cool colors chilled out in my black trunk. A few months ago I was struck by an urge to clear out unfinished projects, so the cool color circles came out of storage.

“Roundabout” 2021

I decided not to use wire again as sewing that to the fabric was a pain, but I still wanted some bling. I tried small log cabin shapes made of silk, but my product testers nixed that idea. Then I remembered embroidered sheer scraps from the costume shop that I had painted. They added lots of bling. Finally, I dug out thin glittery ribbon I obtained from a quilter who was giving away all her stuff. It was flexible enough to curve around all the connected shapes, and could be machine sewn.

No name yet. 2023

I plan to hang it to stand slightly away from a wall, using a 1 inch deep piece of wood. The wood will have D rings to hang on nails, while the quilt will be attached to the wood with cup holders or some other type of hook. I think I can sew plastic rings to the back of the piece that will hang on the hooks. Then I will need some sort of modesty skirt to hide the bit of wood that might show. Please let me know if you have other ways to work this. I am not a carpenter. I have painted and sanded the wood, but have gotten no further.

I also have made no progress on naming this piece. I think it’s shaped like a map of South America, but don’t want any reference to that continent. Maybe something related to a pond might work. Any ideas?

I’m linking to Off The Wall Fridays.

It’s A Quilt National Year

Just about every other year I travel to Athens, Ohio, to take in Quilt National, one of the more prestigious art quilt shows that’s been around since 1979. This year for my birthday my husband drove me three hours each way, and took a long walk while I gawped to my heart’s content at the 81 works this year’s jurors had selected. Size, style, techniques, and subjects were varied; which is perfect for representing the diversity in art quilts.

I’ll try to recap some of the themes and trends I saw this year, and provide photos where I can. Photography isn’t allowed, and I couldn’t find online photos of some works I wanted to show you. Please bear in mind these are my opinions only, and others will have different perspectives.

Increased use of digitally printed fabric and other materials

Russ Little and other artists developed their designs using software like Procreate and then had it printed on fabric. Some created their design the old fashioned way and then photographed and printed the result. The design is original throughout the process, but the artist can tweak it to their heart’s content before committing to fabric.

“Mindful Scribblings” Russ Little. The sewn/embroidered circles were added after the scribble design was printed.

“Puzzled” by Cecile Trentini is made up of pieces from a puzzle printed from a digital scribble by the artist. Each piece is hand sewn onto a velcro square that can be swapped out for another square.

More off the wall work

I mean this in all senses. Some of the pieces, like “Saint Jude by the Dumpster,” tell unusual stories. Others stand away from the wall, while a few are totally 3D. And one, “Like Words That Shape Poems…Like Notes That Shape Music,” are 3D and light shows.

“Say Their Names I” Patricia Montgomery. The coat projects from the wall from attachments at the neck and front lapels, and is embroidered with names. This was the best photo I could find, and is of a note card.

Use of paper with fabric

I noted two quilts that were partly made of paper: Jane Lloyd’s “Paradise -Paradise Lost,” and Eszter Bornemisra’s “Late Afternoon.” I haven’t read the QN rules, but I assume a certain percentage of the submitted work must be fabric. However, given my interest in paper I was glad to see ways to use it in quilts.

Eszter Bornemisza, another quilt in her Late Afternoon series similar to the one in QN. The cut out squares and rectangles are paper strung together with stitch.

Irregular edges, non-rectangular shapes

What a delight to see so many oddly shaped pieces. Many had irregular edges and holes and took advantage of shadows created.

“Drought of Honesty” Susan Hotchkis

“Forest of Seasons” Diana Fox. The open spaces between the circles and the irregular edges create intriguing shadows.

Still plenty of hand quilting and applique

Amid high tech software and cutters, some artists still do it all by hand. The quilting is often looser than that favored in traditional quilting.

“Mimi, Mimi, Mimi” Heidi Parkes (detail)

“Under Drifting Stars” Judith Martin (won Handwork Award)

Increased use of recycled materials

Many pieces used old clothes and linens, but some were made entirely from them.

“Interwoven 3” Rachel Dorr. An old bed sheet was torn into strips that were knitted and crocheted, then attached to another section of the sheet that was quilted.

“Saint Jude by the Dumpster” Anne Smith. All recycled clothing.

There were still plenty of impressionistic landscapes and brightly colored abstract quilts

Here are a few I think my husband would like.

“Stormy Sea” Jean Sredl

“Wattle Time” Linden Lancaster

“Trees at Dawn” Shin-Hee Chin

While I can’t direct you to a website for a digital version of this show, I can mention several short YouTube videos by selected artists about their work. Some are straightforward explanations of how the work was created. Others are more mysterious. I loved learning that Jean Sredl sees herself as a fabric listener, and I have no idea how John Lefelhocz made his light quilt.

Finally, if you fear the show has no eye candy, never fear. There are lots of brightly colored pieces, many made of solid colors. I wanted to show what was different, which ended up being more subdued work.

“Celebration” Heather Pregger

I’m linking to Off The Wall Fridays.

Thanks for your help

Last week I posted a photo of a mostly finished silk quilt and asked for your advice. And you delivered. Thanks to you my quilt is new and improved, and now almost finished except for burying some threads and a title.

25″ wide by 33″ high

The log cabin block was snuggled against the purple and blue blocks with the blue sides facing out. The purple/cranberry block was broken up with a broad orange stripe. I quilted over the additions (I had already quilted this) to join the existing vertical stitching lines. The hanging tabs are part of a border from sari fabric. The edges are zigzagged with hot pink thread, and sari silk yarn is sewn on top of that. The back is made of gifted fabric (thanks Jackie) that got bled on in the wash and the last of my Washi fabric.

The numbers fabric says JoAnn in the selvedge.

About a title – any ideas are welcome. So far I have Bazaar, Silk Road, New Directions, Right This Way, and Caliente.

I’m linking to Off The Wall Fridays.

Is It Vibrant or Loud?

A look through my quilt galleries will reveal that I have a fondness for bright colors. Occasionally I work in subtle colors, but then I usually feel muffled as I create. My brain keeps telling my feelings to dial it down. Why do I try? Because I view such restraint as part of artistic training. Sometimes bright colors are set off by subtle ones, and I need reminders that subtlety is possible.

However, my latest silk piece makes no pretense of subtlety. My fabrics collection has many pieces of bright, even vivid, silks; so if I want to use what I have the results will likely be bold.

Here’s what I thought was the finished piece, minus edge finishing. Please put on your sunglasses before viewing.

As I looked at this photo I began to wonder if I needed to add something on the purple/cranberry block of fabric. I sewed up a few block possibilities and tried them out.

I tried multiple log cabin blocks, but that was too fussy.

Of course at this point I am thoroughly confused as to what looks best. Any opinions are welcome. I am putting it in time out before my brain implodes.

Instead, I can work on a long abandoned circles and ovals project that needs more…something. I had hoped to used little wonky log cabin squares to liven up the surface, but my testing group thought they weren’t the optimal choice. Now I remember why I had abandoned it.

Beyond Bindings

When I was clearing out files on an old computer I came across a folder of photos from an art quilt group presentation on different ways to finish and display quilts. My friend C applied her creativity and her extensive collection of sewing and craft notions to several small quilts she made. I was delighted to come across the photos as my latest silk quilt will need a nonstandard edge finish, and I am looking for ideas.

Here are just some of the many possibilities presented.

A decoupaged paper pattern backing with a smaller fabric quilt velcroed to it.

A collection of ARCs (artist trading cards) joined with beading and hung from yarn wrapped bamboo.

Detail of joined ATCs

A zipped triptych that opens to reveal a quilt, hung from bundled twigs.

More zippers and front wrapped bindings

Shapes created with Solvy mounted on a bubble wrap printed canvas

Embroidery displayed on fabric wrapped embroidery hoop

Small three layer quilt mounted between bamboo poles

Solvy and Angelina created fabric and repurposed thread fringe hung from fabric wrapped shape

Facing wrapped to the front, shaped, and stitched down

Quilted fabric decoupaged on painted canvas

As you can see, the artist used scraps of thread, beads, buttons, and found hangers creatively and sensitively; as well as her hand stitching expertise. She combined fabric, paper, and pre-stretched canvases to make her small pieces intriguing wall art rather than mere pot holders. I’d love to point you to more of her work, but she has a minimal online presence.

Thanks for letting me share some of your lovely work, C.

I’m linking to Off The Wall Fridays.

Along My Silk Road

I’ve returned to regularly scheduled programming, which means I’m back to my drawer of silk fabrics. Over the years I’ve bought all sorts of silk, augmented with 1960s/70s era dresses discarded by a theater’s costume shop and men’s ties. Because the silks range from tissue thin to heavy, I’ve fused backing onto many of them so they are easier to use.

So far this year I created my fantasy village from silks.

A few years ago I developed pieces made of silk ovals sewn together, then layered with wire and cording. Most of the fabric I used was printed or painted.

“Roundabout”

I began, but never completed, a larger companion to “Roundabout.” Finally I have an idea for completing it. Originally I planned to quilt it, then thought about hand embroidery. Now, I’m adding little off kilter log cabin blocks to create a path through the piece. It may still need additional stitching, or perhaps a tail?

And I have just finished a small (14″ square) piece based, very loosely, on one of my 100 day project collages. I’ve glued it to a pre-stretched used canvas that I failed to turn into a work of art. It’s mostly silk with a bit of hand dyed cotton thrown in.

The working title is “Turbulence Ahead”

My current design wall project continues the silk log cabin block theme. I may make the edges irregular just to have some fun.

Of course I haven’t yet delved into my silk organza so the current wall project could change – a lot.

I’m linking to Off The Wall Fridays.

Jumping Off Points

While we art quilters, or at least this one, would like to think all our work springs fresh from our creative minds, sometimes already made sources give us a head start. Like cheater cloth, fabric that mimics the look of patchwork but only needs quilting, I have used a tea towel and motifs from a bedsheet to do the heavy lifting for two of my current projects.

Because I follow Clare Youngs, a talented collagist and print maker, on Instagram, I learned she had designed a tea towel for Werkshoppe, a company that prints original artwork on products like puzzles and tea towels. Even though I find the company’s name painfully precious, I ordered a few towels and set about to translate one of Youngs’ motifs into a border.

This should finish at about 25″ wide by 30″ high

Youngs uses a flying geese type pattern a lot in her work, so I thought a wonky version would make a good border. To keep the long pieces straight I created a freezer paper piecing pattern and used my tutorial for construction. It’s a good thing I could refer to it as I had forgotten a few steps. I scrapped my original plan for a double border when it became apparent I didn’t have enough fabric bits. I always underestimate the amount of fabric triangular paper piecing takes.

For the back I dug out an old unfinished top that was partially disassembled and will add solid strips of orange fabric that’s been in my drawer for too long to bring it up to size. I am thinking of a traditional binding in black as I may use this on a table.

I never added the flying geese and have taken off the top and bottom rows.

My other assisted start project came about as an effort to use my fused fabric scraps. That’s right, yet another scrap collection. A friend had given me pieces of a sheet that was printed with stylized birds. I had attached fusible but never used them. I picked out any fused scraps that could represent leaves or flowers, found a blue piece of a tablecloth I used under painted fabric, and started composing with my scissors.

This should finish at 23″ wide by 19″ high, including the black border

Next, I got creative with Fabrico fabric markers (I have had them at least 9 years) to touch up stems, leaves, and petals. I plan to quilt it to the piece of black felt shown in the photo above and call it done. My working title is “Three Little Birds,” a tribute to the Bob Marley song. I mean, you can’t get more upbeat than that.

However, all quilting will have to wait for my injured left hand index finger to heal (I am a southpaw.) You should see me trying to type – slow and inaccurate.

I am linking to Off The Wall Fridays.