Black & White

After making 2 quilt tops, I finally felt I had found a good direction to go, but felt frustrated with color. So I decided to go to black and white. What a relief not to have to think about color, but just design. I made 2 black and white quilt tops in the last few days, and am ready to continue, until I run out of fabric! Maybe then I will be ready to tackle color contrasts. I could see I was beginning to use too many medium color fabrics. When I look at my fabric choices, I see I have darks, lights, and brights but I seem to not be using them!

I have also been using my sketchbook to try out ideas, and to help me find ways to start the black and white quilts. In this one, I divided the top into 3 parts, and worked in one section at a time, then put them together. I had to go back and change some of the sections, but dividing the quilt into parts is a good way to work in a quilt that is not going to be made into blocks.

This is what I have been working on the last few days. I have spent a couple of weeks sending our youngest son off to a first job, feeling happy for him, and a little strange as he leaves home for the final time!
I spent at least a week trying to figure out something: putting fabric up on the design wall, later taking it down, trying to make something work. I made one quilt top that I was OK with, and went on to something else. This one is not sewn together, but the T shape has been interesting to work with, and something I will continue with. I spent a lot of time dyeing fabric, but when I start designing, I never seem to have enough colors.

I have quilts in several shows and locations, including Quilt National! I entered 3 quilts for the first time, and got in. That quilt has been sent off to be photographed for the book that goes with the show, which begins May 28th. Starting November 1st, I will have several quilts exhibited at the Prospect Heights Library, in their lobby. I have a quilt in the show Quilts=Art=Quilts, at the Schweinfurth Gallery, in Auburn, NY which begins October 31st.

What's New

I started another quilt in this series with the idea of using fewer colors. I ended up adding a few colors, and taking some out. Then I needed to figure out a design. In the meantime, I made a pillow with 2 of the leftover blocks. So that led, of course, to using that layout in the quilt.

I really love these squares, but I am going to go on to work on something else and come back to this. There is a lot more that can be done with squares!

I just found out one of my City quilts was accepted into the quilt show: Quilts=Art=Quilts, at the Schweinburth Gallery in Auburn NY, starting November 1st. This is a series I had struggled with, but have always loved, and it is gratifying to have others like it too.

On my design wall...

This is what I have been working on this week: 2 series of quilts. The second, is back to a design I remember enjoying. I liked making the little squares, putting them together and then putting them into a bigger design. I was going to try to do something different than before, but I found myself putting the small squares into bigger squares to make blocks, and even thinking about borders! Agh! So I have a plan for the next one, and that will be to join the small blocks into rows, and maybe that will help me avoid squaring things up too much. I love all the colors! I started with a bag of scraps I was about the throw out and now I have used up quite a bit of my little scraps.

The other quilt was the result of wanting to work with big shapes and combine curves and straight lines. I finally got it to work in a way I like. It reminds me of bowls. I have a collection of pottery bowls, and wooden boxes too. I want to continue this too, and will keep using this bowl shape.

I have spent a little time dyeing this week-my fabric bins are almost full, but now I see I need more off-whites, and golds of all shapes.

I have a Plan!

I have recovered the small futon in my studio with some fabric I found at IKEA. It was hard to resist since it has my favorite color: orange! I recovered 2 pillows also, but need to find more fabric in solid colors.I am finding it to be the perfect place to work on my laptop, and write ideas in my sketchbook.

I have been trying different ideas, trying to come up with a plan and today I think I have something that will work. I am going to do 2 series, one in a method I used to do. I know squares and log cabin type quilts are done over and over, but I love squares, and want to see what more I can do with them. The second series I am going to do is to challenge myself to use shapes that are not square! I want to use large pieces, that are curved. And a by product of that is the machine quilting: what can I do that is different?

New Studio Space

I have just about finished the move to a new studio space. I decided to paint the walls white, and use accessories and fabric to brighten it up. The room is small, and it was hard at the end to figure out where to put things. The hardest job was going through all my quilts from the past 3 years and reorganizing them on rolls, and labeling. It is hard to look through work you have done, and feeling there are just some things you don't like at all! But it has been 3 years of learning what I want to say, and I feel now I am working slower and more thoughtful--and have a nice room to do it in! I plan to have something to show at the end of the week. One thing that has worked out well, is that I have a nice big design wall to work on, but have to work on the lighting situation more.

Back Again!

I guess I needed a break! There was a lot going on for me last spring, and I felt confused as to what quilts I should be showing on my blog. I always feel like fall is the beginning of the year, and although I don't have anyone going back to school this fall, I am ready to have time to get a lot of Art done. I was accepted into the Illinois Artisans Program, so I have 2 quilts in the shop at the Southern Illinois Art & Artisan Shop. In the early summer I made a few small quilts as I decided which ones I should send.

Last week I realized we have an extra room, just sitting there empty, except for the occasional guest. So I am taking it over, and moving my art from a corner of the laundry room, to a new space! I have been excited thinking over where everything will go, and trying to figure out where to put the things that are in there now. I can't wait to get started, although since I plan to paint, I know it will be a lot of work. It is a small room, but at least I will have a door I can shut, and a (small) space of my own-finally!

Does anyone have an opinion on paint color? I suppose it should be white...