Interpret This!

Interpret This! (2010)

2011-02-01T06:22:00.001-06:00

The Interpret This! Challenge was a yearlong challenge during 2010 between 9 quilters. The goal was to interpret a photo each month with fabric and thread. The interpretation was solely the decision of the quilter and the monthly progress was kept a secret until the end of the month when each piece was revealed.

The monthly photos were:

February: Shanghai Food submitted by Rian Ammerman
March: French Dolls submitted by Kay Scheidt
April: Geologic Layers on Snake River submitted by Nellie Durand
May: Heather Farms Park submitted by Libby Fife
June: Butterfly Garden submitted by Karen
August: Annecy France Castle submitted by Beverly Hart
September: Indonesian Gate submitted by Debra Spincic
October: Saratoga Springs Fountain submitted by Jdemillo
November: Sissinghurst Castle Garden submitted by Kim Campbell
December: Along the River submitted by Barbara Lardon

You can see the photos as a continuous post by clicking on the label/tag in the sidebar of Challenge Photo

The artists were:
(the link will be to that person's pieces each month as a continuous stream)

You may also view our group Photo Album on Flickr. The photo album includes many detail photos of individual pieces.

If you would like to get to know the individual artists through their blogs, the blog names are listed in the sidebar under Artists Personal Blogs. Click the link for the artist.

Artist Pages and Techniques are also listed in the Sidebar.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed your Visit!

Spring Returns--Debra--Grand Finale

2011-01-31T18:00:00.004-06:00

Spring Returns

32 x 36 inches

Monoprinted fabrics, vintage fabrics, commercial decorator fabrics, lace, fabric transfer printing and embroquilting

While participating in this challenge, I had the freedom to explore some techniques I had wanted to try with the embroidery machine. The monthly deadlines forced me to stop my normal studiowork and play a little with some ideas. I think it is valuable to have some experimental time and I'll miss this opportunity. I plan to continue on my own.

During the course of the challenge, I wanted to see how abstractly I could make the embroidery machine work. By it's nature, it's a very structured machine using preformatted designs. Learning how to take those designs apart and apply them to these pieces has been valuable for me to learn. One of the concepts I worked with was "embroquilting", a term coined by Rian to describe using the embroidery machine to quilt through 3 layers like a quilting machine would do. This piece has very successful embroquilting that helps reinforce the piece's spring theme--water droplets or puddles.

My other design idea for these pieces was to maintain a connection to my traditional quilting values but see how I could abstract it to some degree. Again, this piece worked well for me. I had the traditional grid of a quilt but was able to embellish it with the liveliness of scraps that spelled spring. It shows an abandon I don't normally allow in my more controlled pieces (and that on a good day I wish I would explore more). I remember feeling quite a rush when this piece was done; thinking of the "new direction" I could go with my quiltwork.

Overall, I enjoyed the challenge very much. It had its moments of frustration and confusion, its challenges with pictures and with people but it was a year of self-discovery that I am happy I took. Thanks for making and continuing the commitment with me. Best wishes for more discoveries along the quilting pathway.

Take Me to the Mardi Gras - Rian

2011-01-31T12:10:00.000-06:00

Take Me to the Mardi Gras

I chose this piece to highlight my year with Interpret This! because I felt it was my most creative effort vis-à-vis the inspiration photo, and I had the most fun with it. I was in the middle of selling my house when I made it, and it evokes that memory for me when I look at it. As far as I can remember, it was the first time I worked with a light subject on a dark background. I found I enjoyed working with darks. The colors seem so much more spirited against the dark background. It gave me the idea to do a jazz series, which will be my focus in 2011 once I get all this travel out of the way.

And while on the subject of travel, I must apologize for not commenting this month because I will be away.

Tetes au Dessous- Beverly

2011-01-31T08:00:00.003-06:00

15 1/4 by 10 1/4

Cotton sateen, oil paintstiks, machine quilted, hand embroidered

I had a very difficult time choosing one piece. I had to spend a lot of time trying to remember what my original goals were! I know I wanted to get better at abstracting, and using surface design to create cloth.

This piece stands out for me for a couple of reasons. First, the figures in the picture freaked me out- I don't do people, even dolls! Once I got over that hump, though, it was a real learning experience. I learned to take parts of the photo, and don't worry about the whole. In this case, there were a lot of distractions. Second, I had to come up with a way to represent one aspect of the chosen element- in this case, hair. I originally had the idea to use cheesecloth, and when that didn't work, had the epiphany of the embroidery. I think my success with this piece encouraged me to use hand stitching in others, and it is something I want to continue to incorporate into my work. I think I succeeded in evoking a mood. I found the picture rather disturbing and eerie, and think my piece conveys that also.

And, it took my out of my comfort zone of strip piecing. I still love it, it can be relaxing and meditative- but I don't want it to be my 'signature.'

It's not perfect. I learned that using quilting to represent less distinct elements in a photo sometimes works, sometimes not. If I were to redo this, I would use quilting that is just background- maybe simple vertical lines, like the lines of the curtain. I originally put a binding on this, but when a friend commented that I'd made a place mat, I took it off and replaced it with facing.

Most people in this group have a very recognizable style. Me, I still feel like I am all over the map, trying to figure that out. Here's a photo album with all my work- I've looked at it multiple times, trying to find a common thread that unites them all! If you want to know about my thought process while creating, it's on Beverly's Page, along with photos of each finished piece also.

I think part of the issue is working with a photo that I otherwise wouldn't have chosen. It was sometimes difficult to get inspired with those, and I know others felt the same way some months. I'm not even sure I'll continue to work with photos as a starting point. Some of my best work in the past has just originated inside my head! I do know I want to continue to use my fabric in my work- I just love the idea of starting with white fabric that I alter in some way. On the other hand, I know I learned a lot from having to work from someone else's photo. I totally agree with Kay- half of creativity is just showing up to do the work, regularly and consistently.

This has been a wonderful year that challenged me on multiple levels. Completing a piece monthly was definitely a huge accomplishment for me- like Kay, I'm proud that I did each and every month. I enjoyed getting to know the other members, and valued their input about my work. I'm working to be more objective about my art, learning to be better about self-critique. This past year has definitely helped with that. I've made cyber-friends that I will continue to follow through their blogs.

It was a year well spent. I will miss those reveals, it was such fun to see what everyone came up with!

The Bridge - Barbara

2011-01-30T08:00:00.009-06:00

"The Bridge"

30" X 23"

Designed, Raw edged fused applique, Shiva paint sticks

& machine quilted .

I chose "The Bridge" as the one piece I learned the most from creating and because it was my first attempt at doing a architectural scene. I found it daunting to start with but at the same time loved it. Once I got the first few structures up it just started flowing and became easier and easier.

I love using the Shiva Paint Sticks to make the reflection on the water and thought it worked perfectly in this piece. I plan on doing more of this type of theme in the future and incorporating more structures in some of my work.

I enjoyed this year and enjoyed being pushed out of my comfort zone right from the very first photo of all the doll heads. I did something right with that one as I have already sold it and I would never have thought to use that image on my own.

Unlike Kay, I love doing pictorial quilts as most of you know. I don't always take the whole photograph and duplicate it but often do. I enjoy the world around me and love to try to duplicate the beauty and texture found in nature in fabric. Although I have attempted new techniques and materials in the past, I find myself returning to fabric and textiles. I may add beads but I would rather search for the perfect fabric or combination of fabrics to achieve the effect I am attempting than paint or other new discovered embellishments. I do use fabric markers and paint sticks for shadowing and reflection regularly, however I began doing art quilts because I loved the fabric and I still feel the same way after this year of interpretation. So in someways I have confirmed my "style" and the direction I am meant to travel.

See all my work in my

ALBUM

It was a joy being a part of Interpret This and I loved the group of talented artists that were a part of it. I wish all of you continued success in the years to come and will definitely keep up with your work on your blogs.

What a challenge--jdemilo

2011-01-30T08:00:00.008-06:00

When I started this challenge I was a piece-maker with commercial fabric. All my quilts were pieced either using a pattern or paper piecing, or crazy piecing. My goal in participating was to enlarge my skill set in surface design. Since that time I have low-water immersion dyed, snow dyed, parfait dyed, shibori dyed, wax batiked, soy wax batiked, stamped, stenciled, shiva paint sticked, Smooched, painted, printed, silk screened, thermofaxed, beaded, couched, discharged, shrunk, photoshopped, CitraSolv, and probably several other techniques that don't come readily to mind. In other words, I have experimented more in the last year than ever before. Here is where you can see the monthly efforts.

I was also hoping in this challenge to develop my unique voice in surface design style and I think that I did that. The style is best portrayed in Garden of Eden. The style includes using my own fabric and handwork. There is nothing more exciting than to look at a quilt and knowing that it was just plain white fabric before you started! Here is Garden of Eden as it was shown at the Reveal.

After I showed the Garden of Eden for the Reveal, I continued to work with on it till I felt satisfied. Here it is finished in what I consider to be my signature style.

Behind the Gate - Kay

2011-01-30T07:00:00.011-06:00

Behind the Gate 22" x 22"

Machine pieced and applique, machine quilting

This piece exemplifies what I tried to do throughout the year, although I only gradually became aware of these aims. What I hoped to do in each piece was not reproduce the photo, or create something suggested by the photo, but find one element of it that I thought most interesting and build a composition around that element.

This piece is one of the most successful, very largely because it fit so easily into my way of working. A central design element of lines was there, there is an obvious technique (strip piecing) that could create those lines, and the theme or idea of wild foliage barely in control was also clear and easy to do technically.

The only new technique in this piece was the way I created the two-sided leaves so that they could be partly attached to the whole after quilting. This isn't totally new, but the use of Liquid Thread in this way is new to me, and one I worked out myself. I can see using it again where appropriate.

Several people commented that this piece uses traditional quilting techniques in a way that is not traditional. I hope that I can do more work along that line. I do know that what appeals to me in quilting is line, shape, and color, not realistic pictorial images. This preference became more and more clear to me as the year went on, and that insight into my own taste and style was one of the benefits of the challenge.

This year's challenge has been an eye opener in other ways too. I learned the difficulty of having to meet a creative deadline, sometimes with very little in the way of "inspiration." Creativity is not only about inspiration, but about practice and regular work, about gritting your teeth and just doing it. The challenge proved that, and I'm proud that I finished every piece, every month.

Last, but not at all least, I loved the spirit of this group. Every month, after struggling with the "Interpretation" I looked forward to the reveals and the comments. Thank you, Debra and Libby, for the work you did to organize this challenge, and thanks to everyone else for your creativity, your talent, and your support. I'm going to miss that.

All my pieces for this challenge can be found here.

I did it my way -- Kim

2011-01-29T18:00:00.005-06:00

Every time I thought about sitting down to write this post, I found myself humming Frank Sinatra's My Way:

Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way

I struggled to choose the one piece that best exemplified my work this last year. My favorite piece is not necessarily the piece that challenged me but rather one that I have an emotional attachment with. I enjoyed the challenge of creating another piece that demanded more technical competence but I wasn’t as happy with the end result. Yet another piece resulted in a quilt that I will most likely hang in my house – pretty wall art, but doesn’t pass the omg-look-what-I-created test. Which made me wonder, was I trying to create pieces that would pass that test?

As cliché as it is, it wasn’t about what got done but more about the doing for me. I’m addicted to the process of exercising my creativity - fed by my inner motivation to create for my own personal enjoyment, satisfaction and challenge. Hmm, that makes it sound like it’s all about me. Well, duh, of course it is.

So, the piece to pick would have to be that very first self-portrait quilt, in large part because of my commitment to the sketchbook I used throughout the yearlong challenge. I had had a vision of what I thought I wanted to do with this quilt that changed as I worked with ideas in the sketchbook.

I learned, and am learning that I like to research and document my progress. To have a place to record and annotate my ideas, and later, to go back and trace where my inspiration came from. I believe that this habit of keeping a sketchbook will strengthen my skills in thinking both inside and out of the box, help me to develop new perspectives, and find challenging ways to express myself.

I don’t remember which month it was but there was one moment when I looked at the photograph and just didn’t feel anything. As soon as I sat down with my sketchbook and started the process of connecting with the photograph things would start to change. I think the activity of putting something on an empty page helped me to manufacture my own “breakthrough” and begin work.

I really enjoyed the challenge each and every month. I’m going continue using a sketchbook with my projects. In addition, this year, I'm going to focus on developing my technical skills: keeping notes/plans in the sketchbook and building a portfolio of samples using a range of mediums and techniques.

It was good year. Cheers!

Final Thoughts - Nellie

2011-01-29T12:01:00.001-06:00

The piece that best exemplifies all of my creations for this year long challenge to interpret a chosen photograph is this one of a scene in Annecy, France submitted by Beverly.

"Under the Bridge" 13" x 17"

Fabric, tulle, mono filament thread,

oil stick pastels, ink-jet printing

The physical elements that comprise this interpreted picture are a combination of my signature "ortwork" technique with an ink-jet printed portion of the actual photo. The piece is readily recognizable as my style as well as the particular place presented by the photo. It represents my perceived intent of these challenges for the group. The line of thinking for my approach to these challenges is akin to how musicians interpret, or translate, a musical score ... a successful interpretation being one that's recognizable as the composition written by the composer.

I very much enjoyed the monthly adventures in exploring possible view points and techniques to meet the challenge. One direction that was new to me, and that I took often, was using the computer as a design tool. Previously, it had only been used to check out the values of a composition by converting a photo to black and white.

Otherwise, it was used to edit and store photos of my work. I learned to utilize the Photoshop Elements program. In particular, experimenting with the image in all the various "filters" to get a different view ... to gain a mental distance from the actual image. And, too, printing those results or portions of the photo onto fabric is another aspect of the computer I had never done before. In the piece pictured at the top of this post two copies of the building's reflection in the water were printed on fabric. They were cut apart into serpentine shapes and recombined to fill in the width of the piece. The butterfly in this piece is cut out from an image I found online and had printed onto fabric ...

Using the computer is now added to my "tool box" of skills and will be readily considered in making future work.

You may have noted that all my pieces are the same size, 13" x 17". The first one, my self-portrait, just happened to end up those dimensions. That size fit the place mat setting for the plate of Chinese food of the first photo challenge, so I used it again. After that, I designed each piece to fit this format either in a vertical or horizontal orientation. A consideration for an exhibition of all these pieces was part of my thinking, too.

The piece that I had the most fun with is this one.

"Nelliephant"

Before taking part in this challenge I had never considered working from a photograph. Now I realize that it's possible to incorporate my view and techniques to make a unique piece that still relates to its source. This success, plus enjoyment of the challenge, makes me consider the prospect of doing commission work ... something to which I had previously said, "NEVER".

I will miss being a part of the monthly reveals. Finally letting everyone see what had to be kept under wraps for the month was as exciting as getting to see my fellow participant's results. I loved that!

Photos and brief descriptions for all of the interpretations can be found on "Nellie's Page" (clickable). At the end of each month's description is a link to the full post for that particular piece.

Photos of each month's challenge are also posted in my Flickr Album.

Challenge Wrap Up-Libby

2011-01-29T06:12:00.003-06:00

Over The Fence

11" x 14" Painted fabric affixed to 3/4" profile canvas

Of the pieces that I made for this challenge, I think this one best exemplifies all aspects of what I learned during this time period. I treated the piece as I would have an actual painting and utilized all of the current skills that I had at that point with regard to painting techniques. For me, this piece is successful because I was able to put in to practice my method (for lack of a better word) of taking a photograph to which I have no connection and combining it with figurative work to produce a completely different story; my own version of what the photo could say. I learned how to do this during this challenge and it helped me to work with photos that were not my own and as I have said, to which I have no emotional connection. Also, the piece is important to me because it was the first one I did where I painted the figures directly on to the painting-not appliqued and "tried out" on something else first so as to not ruin the painting.

With regard to techniques, this piece is also the first one where I heavily employed chalk pastels to fill in gaps in the acrylic paint. I found out that although they are two different mediums, they can work successfully together (regardless of their different textures) on the fabric.

I also learned some valuable things about working with the photos of others. Everyone really has their own concept of what is inspirational to them. I am going to write more about this at some point on my blog in order to work through my thoughts on this. I learned something too about developing a concept and when to go with the first idea you come up with; how to not reach too far afield and make something more complicated than it has to be. Editing is crucial to not killing yourself. I also learned some things about working in a group.

In any case, I am pleased to have discovered a love of illustration of all types and also that I have a real liking of working with acrylics and pastels. There is just something about painting (whether on fabric or paper or whatever) that allows me to express an idea in a way that is more fluid and flexible than fabric.

Lastly, thank you to everyone for your participation. It is my firm belief that a group can only be as good as its members allow it to be. Involvement and commitment are key components to success. Twelve months is a long time so thank you again for sticking with the challenge.

Libby

Where the Wild Things Are- Beverly

2011-01-15T18:00:00.001-06:00

Like several others in the group, I was taken with the strong diagonal lines created by the closer stems. The yellow flowers also drew me, and I loved all the greens. I knew I wanted to try abstracting the photo. So on my first attempt, I came up with this:

I knew before I finished it that it wasn't right. I liked the hand stitching at the top, but the bottom half just bugged me. I finally decided that the mixture of abstract and somewhat realistic just wasn't going to work.

So before I finished this one, I started another, determined to make it abstract- all of it!! So here's my interpretation of Barbara's photo. A name didn't come easily to me- I finally settled on the title from a favorite children's book, since the wildness of the scene was one of the things I liked.

'Where the Wild Things Are'

19.5 X 17.25

Hand dyed and commercial fabrics, machine pieced and quilted, hand embroidered

I wanted to go for a fractured effect, so I pieced and then cut and reassembled with the insets. The 'flowers' are just small torn pieces of hand dyed cheesecloth. The embroidery is what took the most time!

I enjoyed watching the interplay between the machine quilting and the hand embroidery as I worked.

I finished the edge with two strands of yarn twisted together, then mounted it on a separately quilted 'mat'- the same process I used for the piece I did of Nellie's photo. I like the way the dark fabric grounds the scene.

So there you have it. Not a perfect rendition of my vision, but better than the first.

Libby-December Concept

2011-01-15T11:30:00.000-06:00

As I See It...

11" x 14"

Painted fabric piece

I wish that I could say that the idea of Barbara as my model was the first thing that I thought of; my concept. I also wish I could say that the image of a painter was the first thing that came to mind. Anyway, I thought of how I might insert a person into this landscape. Then I just thought about the landscape. It seemed to me that the reeds made a frame, like your hands might do if you were scoping out a composition to paint or a picture to take. I wondered if Barbara had done something similar in taking this shot? Barbara has painted pictures in the past so the idea of her as a painter in the foreground sort of popped in to my head. I guess the rest is history:) Thanks Barbara!

Three Leaves - Rian

2011-01-15T08:00:00.027-06:00

Three Leaves 12" x 20"

Rian Ammerman

I had trouble finding a focus/subject in this photograph. Sometimes I would see the grasses, sometimes the background. So I printed it out, and folded it this way and that, until I had what I thought was a decent composition.

What struck me about the photo were the diagonal lines of the grasses and reeds, so I focused on them and let the background fall away and just be color. I was bored with all the green, so I took artistic license and made the forest (that's what I called it) purples and other darks to give it a dark, forboding look. When I made the drawing, I drew in a bunch of leaves like in the picture, but decided that was a piecing nightmare and zoomed in even closer.

Again I wanted to fracture the landscape so I did the piecing flip-n-sew style. I don't often work this way, so it was something different for a change. I like the clean seams more than the ones I get with the overlapping piecing I usually do, but I like working with the latter better. I like the curves, and if I get a piece wrong I can replace it easily. With the flip-n-sew method, I have to remove a bunch of pieces to get to the "wrong" one. Which happened, so I fused the correct color on top of the wrong one. Voila.

I really like the long zigzag quilting in the grass and think it would look great as quilted rain.

Verdure and Bloom -- Kim

2011-01-14T18:00:00.002-06:00

Verdure & Bloom

13 x 19 inches

hand-dyed fabric, raw-edged fused appliqué,

machine quilted

I was immediately drawn to the yellow bloom in the upper left quadrant of the photograph. Early in December, I did a couple of sketches, made a decision about fabric choices, and put the project away. This week, I pulled out the sketchbook and enlarged the design. I kept everything simple and the piece came together quickly. I had originally intended for the weeds to be rooted in the binding but I ended up liking the way they floated on the background.

It was a joyful little piece to work on - great way to start a new year!

The title comes from Thoreau's Journal (Aug 5th 8:30am) where he writes, in part:
"The immediate bank is now most verdurous and florid, consisting of light rounded masses of verdure and bloom, and the river, slightly raised by the late rains, takes all rawness from the brim."

Moon River - Nellie

2011-01-14T12:50:00.001-06:00

Moon River - 13"x 17"

fabric, netting, yarn,

oil stick pastels, paints,

machine stitching

There were a couple of events that led me to the idea of interpreting Barbara's photo of weeds along the Mullet River in Plymouth, Wisconsin under moonlight. One was the winter solstice in mid-December and the other was this piece that was the result of "just playing" (read about it here) earlier that same month.

Moonlit - 11"x 16"

To get started I played with the picture in Photoshop Elements. I flipped the photo to change the direction of the angled lines and position of the blossoms. I prefer the focal point to be in the upper right quadrant of a composition. Also, I like to guide the viewing path from right to left within a picture. These changes help to keep the viewer's eye circling within the composition rather than allowing them to sweep out that lower right corner. Also, the "hue/saturation" was adjusted in PE to see more the effects of low light conditions.

Then I went online looking for photos of "moonlit scenes". Here are three of the many, many pictures that I scrolled through to help me decide how to present this landscape on a moonlit night.

I very much liked my bright and fanciful "Moonlit" landscape. I chose background fabrics that have pure, but watered down hues (left). Bits of wool roving were applied to add softened light as well as to soften shapes (right).

Instead of my usual choice of tulle to trap the roving, I chose this netting with a camouflage design printed on it. My thought was that it would add random shadows and spots of light to the composition.

It's pinned onto the piece in the picture on the left and you can see the camouflage patterns scattering pools of shadows and light across the piece.

As you can see in the picture on the right, the machine quilting diluted those effects. They're still there, but much more subtle than I had anticipated.

On this IT piece I decided to stick closer to realism than the fantasy exhibited in "Moonlit". So I got out my oil stick pastels to darken many shadowy areas as well as to highlight a few areas reflecting the moonlight. At one point, I was dismayed at having lost/buried the wonderful colors and patterns that I had at the beginning. However, I was on a quest to achieve night time effect so I kept going. Silk flowers and leaves were cut to shape and arranged over the background (left). A yellow-orange tulle holds all of them in place. It was cut away from the background areas after the machine quilting around the plants was done (right).

And then more ... much more ... work was done with the pastels and paints to get the effect of seeing colors and shapes on a moonlit night. All along the way through this creative adventure photos were taken. Converting them to black and white let me see whether I maintained a contrast as well as a balance of lights and darks.

I wish you could see this piece in person. There's a softness to this dark piece that doesn't come across in the photos. The few who have seen this in person react with an intake of breath and say, "It's moonlight!"

Weeds - Kay

2011-01-14T06:00:00.032-06:00

Weeds 8" x 10"

Altered photo-transfer images, hand-dyed fabric, couched fibers

Machine appliqued and quilted

I've focused on the yellow flower, which provides the only color contrast in the photo, and on the diagonal lines of the stems and grasses.

Except for the strips of yellow and green hand-dyed fabric, this is entirely done by photo transfer. The flower images are enlarged and altered versions of the flower in the photo, and the green print is also done by selecting part of the image and using a filter to alter it. I spent part of several days on Photoshop, much more time than might be apparent from the final result. There's lots of trial and error involved, and it's difficult to tell how what's on the screen will print on paper, let alone on fabric. Like Debra, I experimented, learned more about the technology, and have a greater repertoire of skills from this project. Time well spent, and I'm not unhappy with the result.

I've put details about some of the work I did in Photoshop on my blog.

A Weed--Debra

2011-01-13T12:01:00.001-06:00

A Weed

7½ x 11½ inches

machine embroidery

What is significant about this month's piece is that every single bit of it was machine embroidered. And further, I was motivated to learn various techniques with my embroidery software that had previously frustrated the daylights out of me. So . . . . this little piece just tickles me to no end!

I was able to "auto stipple" the background, choose the "weeds" & play with flipping them in various ways, combining colors so each color stitched out on all the weeds before moving to the next color, adding patches with decorative stitches, trying a new font, remove and resize the butterflies from another design and the best of all--doing the satin stitch edging on the machine (automatically while I sat on the couch and ate bonbons!). While this piece took about 2 hours to stitch, it took about 2-3 days to learn to stitch. In the end, I am so happy I took the time because now my skills portfolio has increased tremendously.

"A Weed is just a Plant whose Virtues have not been Discovered."

Reeds On The Mullet River - Barbara

2011-01-13T08:00:00.042-06:00

"Reeds On The Mullet"

18 1/2" X 28"

Pieced, Rawedged fused applique

Machine Quilted

Couched Yarn Binding

When I photographed this scene I did it with the intent to someday add birds to the scene. When this photo was chosen I had my opportunity.

I began with piecing the background and then cutting it in strips, staggering them, then resewing them together. I fully quilted the background at this point and then began adding the reeds, fusing them on and quilting them.

Next came the foreground branches and leaves, also quilted after fusing.

The flowers were added....

A small wren a bit hidden.....

And finally a pair of finches, male and female, bold and in the front.

The perfect binding was Nellie's couched yarn binding to finish it all off.

I enjoyed working on this piece and am happy with the results. It felt good to finish this year with one of my photos. I hope you enjoy it too.

December Concept - Nellie

2011-01-02T14:13:00.001-06:00

I missed the mid-month check-in because I was out of town ... plus I only just began working on this challenge yesterday. However, Barbara's photo has been thought about a lot since it was first posted and I've known the direction of my interpretation for some time. Yesterday, the first day of the new year, I pulled the fabrics to build the foundation for the picture that's in my mind's eye.

Now to get on with the adventure of completing it.

Mid-Month Check in- Beverly

2010-12-19T14:11:00.000-06:00

In the midst of sewing for Christmas and general holiday preparations, I have spent times working on my piece. Drawing is as far as I've gotten, but since I will have time off next week, I'm not worried. I am looking forward to getting into the fabric stash once I have a clearer idea of where I'm headed! So for your viewing pleasure, here's one of my sketches--

Libby-December Check In

2010-12-18T08:43:00.001-06:00

I wish I had a photo to share...

My hint is that I infused this piece with something to do with Barbara...:)

December Check-in Rian

2010-12-17T18:50:00.000-06:00

I actually have something to show. Don't faint!

December Check-in --- Kim

2010-12-17T18:43:00.000-06:00

Sketched out the IT! challenge I plan on making

and selected fabric without hesitating.

With precious time to lose,

before I'm off on the cruise,

I better get to work and stop procrastinating!

December Concept Check-in -- Kay

2010-12-17T11:13:00.004-06:00

I've finished all the Christmas must-do chores except for the dinner, and am so glad to have some time to work on this. Here's a shot of the stuff on the work table. It took an amazing amount of trial and error to get this far.

Dec/Jan Hint - Barbara

2010-12-16T08:49:00.000-06:00

Here is my hint for the Dec/Jan Interpretation.

I am actually moving along with this pretty well considering all the Christmas "stuff" that is being done simultaneously.

Explanation of photo - Barbara

2010-12-01T10:46:00.000-06:00

The city of Plymouth, where I live was first settled by native americans because of the river running through the middle of town. The river used to be called Ta Quit Qui Oc or crooked river. Somewhere along the way it was changed to the Mullet River (not near as colorful).
If you are interested you can go here for more information:

Ta Quit Qui Oc

I go down to the rivers edge on the north side of town a lot because it is where the Canadian Geese are usually gathering in abundance. I was there in early fall to photograph them when I decided to take this shot of the shoreline. I love the reeds and plantlife that you can find there.

Can not wait to see how you interpret this.

December Photo-Barbara

2010-12-01T09:06:00.003-06:00

Welcome to December! This month's photo comes to us courtesy of Barbara. Barbara submitted some wonderful photos and I bet there is a story behind this one.

Good luck to everyone and please remember to check Debra's posting about our extended timeframe on this piece.
Libby

Final Schedules

2010-11-30T21:00:00.002-06:00

December Reveal Schedule
(will actually be in January 2011 due to the holidays)

for the AM slot have your work posted by 8:00 AM
for the Noon slot have your work posted by 12:00 PM (noon)
for the PM slot have your work posted by 6:00 PM

You can schedule beforehand if you want.

January 13: AM: Barbara
Noon: Debra
PM: Judith

January 14: AM: Kay
Noon: Nellie
PM: Kim

January 15: AM: Rian
Noon: Libby
PM: Beverly

Grand Finale Schedule:

January 29: AM: Libby
Noon: Nellie
PM: Kim

January 30: AM: Kay
Noon: Rian
PM: Judith

January 31: AM: Beverly
Noon: Barbara
PM: Debra
For the December photo, use the tags December Concept, Your name.
For the Grand Finale, use the tags Grand Finale, Your name

Home--jdemilo

2010-11-30T18:00:00.010-06:00

Home

12" by 14"

Commercially dyed cotton fabric, water color pencils and crayons,

hand dyed embroidery thread, hand quilted

I tried a new technique (my goal for the IT! challenge) with this picture that really turned out to be very easy. In fact, one of my biggest problems when working on the quilt was feeling like I was making a kit. You know, those crewel kits where you can buy the pre-printed fabric, add a few stitches for highlight, and call it done. Anyway, while I like the result, I expect to fuss with it a bit to find those finishing touches that will turn it from okay to outstanding.

Here are the steps in the technique that I used.

1. I played with the photograph a bit in Photoshop to crop it just a bit, flip it so it would print correctly, increase the contrast, and then to turn it into a black and white picture.

2. I printed the picture on my home ink jet printer and then later copied it using a carbon-based copier.

3. I transferred the black carbon copy onto white cotton fabric using CitraSolv. The process is simple! Just place the picture face down on the fabric (which is why I had to reverse the print), rub the back of the picture with a cotton ball soaked in CitraSolv, and "presto!" the carbon is transferred onto the fabric.

4. The next step was to color in the back and white picture using water soluble pencils and crayons. If you can color in a coloring book then you can do this step. There are three techniques to use with the watercolor pencils and crayons: you can work with them dry and then later wet them, work with them wet, or work with them dry and dry bond them to the fabric. I used all three techniques depending on how much blending I wanted.

5. I added texture to the work by using my hand dyed embroidery thread to hand stitch the vegetation. I used a variety of stitches but the primary one was simply the seed stitch--simple straight lines.

6. The next step was to layer it into a quilt sandwich and do some quilting. I used minimal quilting and used it primarily to add more texture the chair and building.

7. Last step was to finish it off and I used a simple double fold binding.

Here are some detail shots of the vegetation.

In the Garden--Debra

2010-11-30T12:01:00.001-06:00

After my false start with the collages, I decided to return to my roots. Once I got started on this composition, I was delighted with every stitch I took.

In the Garden

20 x 22 inches

various fabrics, machine embroidery with hand embroidery, broderie perse

Bird Embroidery with hand embellished leaves

Corner Detail with small embroidered and crocheted pieces

My Window View - Barbara

2010-11-30T08:00:00.069-06:00

"My Window View" - Barbara

Raw-edged fused applique

Embroiderie Perse

Shiva Paint Sticks

Fabric Markers

Doilie Embellishment

Machine Quilted

I began this interpretation with enthusiasm for the scene. After choosing the fabrics the construction of the building began, then the foreground, vines and chair.

After the main objects were finished and quilted I began adding the details.

The long stalk behind the chair looked like it needed to by a hollyhock.

I used a fabric marker to paint in the details on the flowers before quilting.

Leaves were added to the vine.

The foreground flower pots were done with embroiderie perse flowers and ferns.

The window frame and vase were added and quilted.

Last was the curtain made from a vintage doilie.

I like the comforting feel of this piece. I thought it would be nice for someone who does not have this view out their window and could hang this and it would take them to this world as though it were their view from their window.

Bricks, Boards, and Window Panes - Kay

2010-11-29T17:45:00.004-06:00

Bricks, Boards, and Window Panes

20" x 29"

machine pieced and quilted

The central part of the photograph is geometric shapes and lines, all of them accessible through traditional piecing. So I thought I'd give that a try, ignoring the flowers, and stylizing rather than trying for realism. The bricks were fun, just slightly uneven strip piecing, and of course the door was a cinch. I'm suppressing the memory of the window.

I chose the green border to suggest the foliage surrounding the door, and kept the quilting minimal so that the loft of the batting would give depth.

The starkness of this seems a long way from the rich detail of the photo, but once I started down the very plain, geometric road, any additional detail like embellishment or realistic quilting seemed wrong. I'm left with something that doesn't really please me.

Somewhat Eccentric- Beverly

2010-11-29T07:00:00.004-06:00

Somewhat Eccentric, 20" X 26"

Hand dyed, painted and commercial cottons, fused applique, thread painting, machine quilted

Nellie went for understated, I went for the whole enchilada. Something told me that if there was ever a time for me to try to render a realistic quilt, this was it. Along the journey, however, something else happened. As I was searching the stash for the perfect gray/taupe for the door and chair, and coming up empty handed, it occurred to me- Why? Why does my door have to be weather-beaten gray? Why does my chair have to be nondescript taupe? What if some wildly eccentric musician or writer occupied this charming cottage- what might it look like then?

You can see how I answered that question- it would have a purple door and a chartreuse chair, of course! And the brick would be a brighter red- no missing this home from the street! I found some wonderful buttons that worked great for the medallion hanging over the door- when I get tired of Bacchus, I can sub a lovely art deco woman or a Roman profile.

I'm not actually done with this- I want to find the perfect 'thing' to hang on the door. I just haven't found it yet. And I don't know if this eccentric resident is a gardener or not, so I don't know if the pitchfork will find its way here or not. I toyed with placing a guitar against the door instead of the pitchfork, I'm still thinking on that one.

As I got close to finishing the piece, I decided to border it like it had a heavy, dark wood frame. I like the look this adds to a somewhat tongue in cheek rendering of the photo.

As for my success at pulling off realistic, I'm mostly happy with this. My steps aren't perfect, but work better than I'd originally thought. Here's some closeups of the brickwork and plants.

Every brick was laid by hand, individually, on a variegated gray fabric I found. Three plants were created with fabric confetti on water soluble stabilizer, the others were thread painted and the red 'flowers' were beaded. (I wanted to do French knots, but wasn't successful with that one!) And the ironwork on the window is black crochet cotton couched with invisible thread.

I must say I had fun with this one- and it provoked a lot of thinking while I was doing it. For that, you'll have to read my blog.

"Door of Yore" - Nellie

2010-11-28T18:00:00.029-06:00

"Door of Yore" - 13" x 17"

fabric, tulle, oil stick pastels,

water color pencils, pastels,

and yarns

It took a while for me to narrow my focus to just the door in Kim's beautiful photo. The patina of the aged wood very much appealed to me.

To get layers and depth of texture and color for my door I began with a piece of marbleized fabric. A silver metallic oil stick pastel used to make a rubbing over a course wood grain made a good start.

My next decision was to select a suitable fabric for the grout between the bricks. Surprisingly, the back side of a metallic printed fabric in my stash had the gradations that would work. Pieces were cut and laid in place directly on top of the batting.

The prepared door fabric was cut and placed in the opening along with the timber frame. Then bricks were cut from the same marbled fabric the door is cut from. That, too, surprised (and delighted) me in how wonderfully well it played its roll to portray those old bricks seen in the photo. The bricks were held in place with a temporary spray adhesive.

A triangular shaped piece of dark purple tulle laid over the top left corner of the door created a base shadow. I then overlaid another layer of a lighter lavender tulle over the whole piece.

Then the quilting began. First, I free-motion quilted around all the bricks. Then a variegated yarn that had a strand of metallic thread was couched to define the boards within the door and it's frame. I used a thin irregular black cotton yarn along the top and bottom of the door frame.

Water color pencils were used to add more texture as well as deep shadows to the door. More shading was done with oil stick pastels. Water color pencils were also used to deepened the orange color in the section of bricks next to the door. That stronger color balanced the block of green on the opposite side.

The greenery was created by cutting up many different green pieces from my scrap bags. Each section was composed and quilted separately. Each has a different color of green tulle overlay, as well as different greens for the "crumbs" to help differentiate the plants. Different quilting patterns also helps to define each kind of plant. The potted plant in the photo below is ready to be quilted. The excess tulle will be trimmed away afterward.

There's a bit of oil stick pastel work to punch up highlights and shadows in the various plants, as well. Note the terracotta pot in the above photo is cut from that same marbleized fabric used for the door and bricks.

To create a focal point as well as to personalize the composition, I referenced my own front door for the placement of the stone face...

... and used a photo of one of the stone faces that hangs on our patio wall.

It was a struggle for me to get started with this one. The photo features an idyllic setting that is almost too perfect and too pretty. Narrowing my focus to feature just the door let me get "into it" ... let me enjoy the journey of interpretation.

The Window-Libby

2010-11-28T12:00:00.000-06:00

The Window

11" x 14" Painted Fabric on Canvas

I originally thought to do a man and woman in the doorway kissing under a light or a child sitting on the bench. It seemed sort of predictable to me. The idea of switching up the view seemed better so I imagined a child looking out of the window instead. I learned a lot about curtains and the values of interior hues, in general. Rich said it looked like she was in a cave originally! I pumped up the lights and darks at the end, adjusted the curtains, and sky and am now pretty happy.

Tussie-Mussie Wrap -- Kim

2010-11-28T06:52:00.000-06:00

Tussie-Mussie Wrap

10" high by 20" (kinda sorta)

Hand-dyed fabric, inkjet print, assorted yarns

I almost bailed on this month and then yesterday I felt well enough to give it a try. I sent my husband off to buy some flowers and started making bricks. I zigzagged three different yarns together, made some leaves, enlarged the green man and printed it onto a piece of fabric. I had decided to wrap a vase I had after I had read that Vita made tussie-mussies for Harold each week. In the 1930's poorer people were given tussie-mussies, in this case Harold was considered poorer in Vita's eyes for having to spend so much time in London - away from 'Sissingbags' as she affectionately called it in her daily letters to him. (Wow, daily letters.)

Love the flowers (he did good), not so sure about the wrap... but it's done and I'm moving on!

November Check-in--Debra

2010-11-16T15:50:00.000-06:00

It seemed so obvious in my head . . . sigh. Another idea bites the dust. I can't get my Mojo working today.

Oh well, onward to Revision #5.

November Check In - Rian

2010-11-15T23:06:00.000-06:00

I've had an incredibly busy month.

I've had all these people from out of town and state.

We had a great time. We did so many fun things. We golfed--three times. I cooked--a bunch.

Soon the family will go back home and we will have precious few days to rest (badly needed), clean house, do laundry, and pack for our cruise in less than a week. We won't be home until December-something.

So I won't be here for reveals, and my studio has been occupied by the cute little toddler wearing the life jacket--and her parents--so there is no possibility of sewing. Sew sorry. Couldn't be helped.

See you in December.

November Check-in - Nellie

2010-11-15T13:18:00.000-06:00

At first glance this photo looked to be full of possibilities. Actually, too many. I'm leery of ending up with a too pretty and sentimental "Kincade-type" piece.

Relocating to and settling into our winter residence has kept me extremely busy. Although while unpacking, cleaning, and gardening I've been thinking a lot about this piece. Maybe tomorrow I'll have cleared my workspace in the studio and can begin implementing those thoughts.

November Check-in -- Kim

2010-11-15T12:12:00.000-06:00

I'm checking in. I had mad grand plans for this piece, but then I got sick. After three nights in the hospital and surprise-to-me days to recuperate, I am starting to get enough energy to think about the working on November's challenge once again. Yay!

But first, find that damn rabbit and one of those hats...

Libby-November Check In

2010-11-15T09:40:00.001-06:00

Just checking in. No photos to show but I am in the final stages.

November Check-in, Kay

2010-11-15T09:34:00.003-06:00

I must be totally insane. Glad everyone else is having fun!

Welcome Home - Barbara

2010-11-15T08:00:00.001-06:00

As you can see I have part of the background quilted and am adding details.

So far so good. I am having fun too!

November Hint--jdemilo

2010-11-14T20:25:00.000-06:00

1. Get the November picture. Check.

2. Play with it in Photoshop. Check.

3. Transfer image to fabric using Citrasolv. Check.

4. Color in with aqua crayons and pencils. Check.

5. Embellish with hand dyed embroidery thread. In process.

6. Quilt. Coming up.

7. Reveal. YEAH!

Mid Month Teaser--Beverly

2010-11-13T08:09:00.001-06:00

A real switch- I am well along on this month's piece. Thanks, Kim, no angst for me with this photo!!

Now that my background is down, it's on to the details. So far, it's been a fun journey!

November Challenge Photo--Kim

2010-10-31T07:03:00.004-05:00

This month Kim has provided us with a photo of a cottage in Sissinghurst, England. Kim mentioned that this area is one of her favorite areas in England.

Good luck to everyone this month and congratulations as well to everyone on last month's work. Don't forget to post your hint mid month (or so) and if you are batting around ideas and want help, the blog can be used for that as well.

November Reveal Schedule

2010-10-30T09:16:00.000-05:00

Here is the November Reveal Schedule:

Remember if you have the morning slot to have your work posted by 8:00 AM
If you have the afternoon slot have your work posted by 12:00 PM (noon)
If you have the evening slot, post your work by 6:00 PM

Be sure to have your Reveal Entry posted on time. You can schedule it ahead of time, if needed.

The person who submits the month's picture reveals first and last month's picture person goes last.

November 28: AM: Kim
Noon: Libby
PM: Nellie

November 29: AM: Beverly
Noon: Rian
PM: Kay

November 30: AM: Barbara
Noon: Debra
PM: Judith
In the Title of your Entry state the Name of your Piece and your Name
For the Tags, Use November Concept and Your Name

Splish Splash - Rian Ammerman

2010-10-29T12:00:00.038-05:00

Splish Splash 12” x 18”

Artist’s Statement: I had a lot of trouble finding inspiration in this month’s photo and I just decided one day to dive in and have fun with it (or miss the deadline). I tried to be abstract by just laying down an oval and a square and an octagon and changing up the perspective, but when I laid down the fabrics, ie. added color, it took on a realistic look which I didn’t want. So I made the water rather cartoonish.

Every month I have tried a new technique, some were successful, some not. At first I tried painting the water but I had so much trouble with the paints and the fabric (I think I wasn’t using cotton--how did polyester get in my stash). So I went and bought some paint pens by Prismacolor. Wonderful pens, but I had trouble with them bleeding, and again I think it was the fabric. But by now I had had it with painting, and just went with a technique I knew. Some of the appliqué has turned edges, some is fused. The background is pieced. I quilted most of it on the top and batting before I attached the backing.

I put on the backing by sewing completely around the piece, right sides together, and cutting a slit in the back to turn it. This probably wouldn’t be acceptable at a show, but it was a good method because I could take up the slack so none of the backing would show in front. I fused a strip of fabric over the slit. I’ve always wanted to try this so I could make irregular shaped quilts.

Lava Lamp- Beverly

2010-10-29T07:00:00.002-05:00

What does a lava lamp have to do with the photo this month? Absolutely nothing, but the title seemed to fit my piece. At least it was all I could think of!!

Lava Lamp- Beverly

12" diameter, rusted cotton, batiks; machine pieced, appliqued, and quilted.

Sorry, Judith, but nothing spoke to me in your photo. I played with drawings, even did some piecing, but nothing flew. Then a crisis at work left me with only a couple of days before my reveal.

I really should credit my daughter in this one. She's the one that pointed out the interesting shapes and colors in the cylinder on the fountain. I wanted to find a way to include the mineralization I saw in the fountain, and some like the geometric shapes in the brick on the ground.

The lava lamp in constructed separately. I wanted it to be smooth, so it's not quilted. I quilted the background before I appliqued the lava lamp to it, then finished the edge with satin stitching and couched yarn.

It's simple, but I like the fact I was able to pull elements from the photo into a piece that references rather than portrays it. Beyond that, I can't say- I am still trying to recover from that lost night's sleep!

On Spring Street -- Kim

2010-10-28T12:36:00.002-05:00

"On Spring Street"

10.5" x 23.5"

raw edge appliqué, monofilament thread

My favorite parts of the photograph were the light/shadows and the way the water fell from the right spigot. But it wasn't until I was reading about the mineral water from the Hathorn Spring - the water contains 888.403 grains of solid contents in a gallon - that I thought about making the quilt by using lots of tiny little pieces.

I keep a box under my work table that has leftover scraps with fusible web and found all the colors I needed to "paint" this piece. I started off with a white piece of fabric, sketched the design, and began the tedious job of filling in the color.

I spent a few days telling myself that this was stupid and too time consuming and it wasn't going to work

Abandoned the self-doubt and pushed ahead!

By the time I was about to start working on the base of the fountain, I had settled into a wonderful working rhythm... lost in the joy of creating and happy with the progress I had made.

The studio was a disaster: bits of paper and tiny snippets of fabric everywhere; the iron stained and ironing board trashed.

I wasn't sure how I would finish the piece. Finally decided to use only monofilament thread the secure the fabric, it didn't add much but it didn't interfere either.

I struggled with the binding. Couldn't seem to make it work. I found a larger piece of the fabric used for the brickwall in my stash but it need something else. The white 1/4 inch border around the whole piece brought it all together.

I'm really very pleased with the result.

The Fountain--jdemilo

2010-10-28T08:00:00.003-05:00

The Fountain

8 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches,

handdyed and rusted cotton, organza, tyvek

This quilt started off bigger but when I ruined the other half, I took my courage in my hands and cut it in half. The background fabric started off life with me as a clean up rag for dyeing and painting. I took that rag and wrapped it in rusty metal and sprayed it with vinegar to get some lovely rust on it. Then I dyed it with some green dye for the bowl of the fountain. I have been experimenting with heating fabrics so the rusty flowers in the bowl of the fountain and the water are both fabrics that were heated to make them partially disappear and be more see through. The flowers are organza and the water is Tyvek that was colored with water pencils.

Here are some details of the burned fabric:

Saratoga Ovals - Kay

2010-10-27T12:02:00.002-05:00

Saratoga Ovals 12 x 9

Machine applique, machine quilting, commercial batik, organza

When I traced, cropped, and rotated this photo to decide what to do with it, the only thing I found interesting was the oval shape of the basin, and the swirl of light and dark made by colors in the stone and the pattern of light and shadow. I decided to make the piece a study in the repetition of that simple shape, contrasting it with the vertical of the base and the smaller vertical water spout.

Originally, I intended to make the swirl with stitching, but when I found this batik with appropriate colors and the swirl pattern in my stash, I took the easy way out. I can't really say why it seemed right to use organza for the background and the vertical shape representing the base; perhaps it suggests the sheen of sunlight in the photo.

I considered using the herringbone pattern of the brick as a quilting design, but although I like the pattern and it stands out in the photo, it didn't seem to play well with the ovals, so I just echoed the ovals and the vertical design of the fountain base in stitching. The spacing of the applique pieces wasn't planned carefully, and when I added more quilting I was pleasantly surprised by the pattern formed by the interlocking stitched ovals. Sometimes you get lucky!

The Fountain-Libby

2010-10-27T06:30:00.004-05:00

The Fountain

11" x 14"

painted and stitched fabric

In working with these photos, I try to find my own meaning in them. I am not a surface designer but more of a "concept/idea" person. I did learn about the history of Saratoga, NY and the role that these underground springs played in shaping the economy and social background of the town. Good stuff but I still couldn't grab onto anything. My next move was to see if I could insert a child figure into the scene. I think there is something really wonderful about taking a walk and coming upon a fountain hidden from view or where you just didn't expect to see one. I especially love the idea of a grown up helping a child to drink from a fountain-what a treat! I imagined the water running underground and pushing up to the surface, ready to drink. While my figures aren't as relaxed as I would have wanted and the fountain ended up being dead center, I like the concept and the colors along with the motion and direction of the paint strokes. I kept the scene sparse to just highlight the child, the adult, and the fountain.

Saratoga Spring Fountain - Nellie

2010-10-26T12:47:00.001-05:00

Saratoga Spring Fountain

13"x 17"

fabric, wool roving, yarns,

tulle netting, oil stick pastels

The fountain itself is about the only thing that appealed to me when I looked at Judith's photo mounted on my design board this month ... so I cropped in close to feature it.

But first, a background was needed. I chose to feature the brick foundation under the fountain. I found a photo in Flickr of bricks laid out in a herringbone pattern. I printed it out on paper and assigned a number to each brick, then cut them apart to use as patterns. The grout part is a whole piece of cloth torn slightly larger to extend beyond the outside bricks.

The bricks were held in place on the grout fabric with a temporary spray adhesive. For the background surrounding the pavers, I chose a batik that reflected colors and elements of the surrounding courtyard. A piece of violet colored tulle netting was laid over the background and then quilted.

I played with the fountain by cutting out shapes on brown craft paper and coloring in with pastels. The fountain part was good, but the basin was too small.

I redrew the basin and used the paper pieces as patterns for cutting the fabric. I can't believe a photo wasn't taken before details and texture were added with wool roving. Here it is (before the quilting) next to a photo of the fountain.

A layer of yellow-orange tulle trapped all the pieces of fabric, roving, and variety of yarns and thread to create the running water. The excess tulle beyond the edge of the fountain was trimmed away after the machine quilting was done.

Final details and shading to define edges and highlights on the fountain were added with oil stick pastels.

I'm not satisfied with how the front edge of the fountain looks with the quilting. That part may get reworked sometime in the future IF this piece is ever displayed anywhere other than my studio.

Fonte De Sulfer - Barbara

2010-10-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

" Fonte De Sulfer"

29" X 8"

Raw-edged fused applique

Shiva paint stick shading

Commercial Fabric

Machine Quilted

Metallic Thread

I was not inspired by this month's photo. The more I looked at it the more I thought of just using the colors within the fountain rather than the scene itself. Then I began thinking of taking closeup

parts of the actual fountain so I began drawing them out. After four drawings were done I really did not like any of them so the idea came to me to group them and the quilt was born.

The fabric was some stone-like fabric I had used before but it did need some shading done to

make it appear three dimensional so I used my shiva paintsticks to add that.

I also chose to use metallic thread for the water dripping out of the two spouts. I continued the

splashing and pouring water through each of the four blocks.

I am not totally excited about this piece but actually was happy to have come up with something this month. It was a difficult month for me personally and it made it more difficult to be creative.

Late Mid-Month Check in--Rian

2010-10-20T19:43:00.001-05:00

You must picture a pile of fabric. Blues, tans, greens, and a deep red.

Why?

Because Blogger is down for maintenance and won't allow images to be uploaded. Picasa is also unable to upload because of maintenance. What's the deal! I don't want to wait any longer, I am late enough to the party as it is.

I had a really cool idea--something very unusual--but I have had the dickens of a time executing it. I tried painting on fabric, but either I've gone south or my paints have, because it was just not working out. I think it's the paints, they are about 5 years old and I think the desert heat killed them--they went all funky. Or maybe it was the fabric. I was using what I thought was PFD Kona cotton, but it acted so funny I almost think it was polyester. I couldn't iron the freezer paper to it, the fabric bubbled up. Strange. Picture painting on a bumpy surface with gelatinous, lumpy paint.

So I went to an art supply store and got paint pens. Or maybe they're ink pens. They're Prismacolor, really nice pens ($4.49 each), and the clerk said they would work on fabric. Well, they work, but the color bleeds. At least it did on that mysterious white fabric. Not so bad on some unfortunate WOW fabric I had left over from some previous project. But I didn't want to use WOW fabric and I don't have time to buy more fabric. Long story short, after many false starts, I ended up piecing the thing, and, while I have a long way to go to catch up, I'M GONNA MAKE IT!!!

Check-in-- jdemilo

2010-10-17T21:24:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love the colors here?

October Check-In Kay

2010-10-15T10:06:00.004-05:00

I've had lots of notes and a sketch lying on the desk by the computer for the last week and a half. Yesterday, I finally touched some fabric.

Let's just say it's going to be a loose interpretation.

Octobr Check-In

2010-10-15T09:20:00.000-05:00

This has been a hard one for me. I've pulled out my rusted fabrics, I've done some quilting and surface design samples. None of those came out like I'd hoped, although I do think my rusted fabric will find its way into this.

And, I've been playing with the photo in PSE. We'll see where all this leads.

October Check-in - Kim

2010-10-14T20:52:00.000-05:00

I'm still thinking about what to do.

After reading about the Hathorn Spring,

I don't think I'd drink the water.

Libby-October Concept

2010-10-14T16:41:00.001-05:00

Here is my hint: I am done! What the hell am I up to in this photo??? It does relate...

Libby

October Check In - Nellie

2010-10-14T16:23:00.000-05:00

I'm still thinking about this one. However, cropping will very much be a part of it ...

... and not necessarily what I've pictured here.

October Check-in - Barbara

2010-10-14T16:04:00.000-05:00

Here is my hint for this months interpretation. I have to admit I struggled with this one but I have come up with something finally and am moving along now.

Can not wait to see what others have come up with.

October Challenge Photo--jdemilo

2010-10-01T05:33:00.005-05:00

This month's photo comes to us courtesy of Judith. Judith took this photo herself and indicates that it is a natural spring fountain located in Saratoga Springs, New York. She was very interested in the colors in the photo. The fountain itself certainly offers up a wealth of possibilities for surface design interpretations as well as color extractions and movement oriented pieces. There is certainly more to the photo than meets the eye!

Good luck to everyone this month. Don't forget to post your progress mid month or any other thoughts you might have during the rest of the time.

Libby

October Reveal Schedule

2010-09-30T18:00:00.007-05:00

Here is the October Reveal Schedule:

Remember if you have the morning slot to have your work posted by 8:00 AM

If you have the afternoon slot have your work posted by 12:00 PM (noon)
Be sure to have your Reveal Entry posted on time. You can schedule it ahead of time, if needed.

The person who submits the month's picture reveals first and last month's picture person goes last.

October 26: AM: Judith
PM: Nellie

October 27: AM: Libby
PM: Kay

October 28: AM: Barbara
PM: Kim

October 29: AM: Beverly
PM: Rian

October 30: AM: Debra
In the Title of your Entry state the Name of your Piece and your Name

For the Tags, Use October Concept and Your Name

Be sure and Check-in Mid-month with your Teaser!

Don't Fence Me In - Barbara

2010-09-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

"Don't Fence Me In" - Barbara

24 1/2" X 20 1/2"

Pieced, raw-edged fused applique,

machine quilted, paint stick shadows

and button, ribbon & yarn embellishments.

When I first looked at the challenge photo, I like some of you, was immediately struck by the starkness of the scene. I read all the comments by other members of "IT!" and how they were struggling with this scene due to lack of color and that is when my idea blossomed.

I choose two colorful fabrics and pieced and quilted them for the background.

I went online and found birds that were native to Indonesia and drew them out.

I added the fence straight across and then decided....no the blue bird of paradise is the bird that needs to open the gate by pulling out that stick freeing all the color into the scene.

I broke the piece into three sections because I felt the photo had done that with the two white edges and the center fence.

This is when I quilted the fused pieces, added the embellishments to make my birds into quilters and used the paint sticks for the shadows of the fences.

Last was the binding.

The only disappointment that I had....I should have brought the colorless sections (seen on the side pieces as black and white leaves & fence and the beige ground) further into the center of the quilt. I do not think it is effective and may even go unnoticed. It is a fun piece and I enjoyed working on it.

Behind the Gate - Kay

2010-09-29T12:00:00.018-05:00

Behind the Gate 22 x 22

Machine pieced, quilted, and appliqued

There's no big concept for me this time. This photo is all about lines, so I used Quilt Pro to draft a traditional-looking block, following the general appearance of one side of this gate or fence. Then I rotated the block until I found an interesting pattern, and colored half the blocks with a green background suggesting the foliage and half with a neutral background suggesting the road. It's constructed with strip piecing; this small-scale precise piecing is a pleasant. focusing activity for me.

Debra's comment about the jungle foliage bursting through suggested the appliqued leaves. Rather than make them flat like traditional applique, I made two-sided leaves and attached them by stitching only the vein down the center so that they have dimension. They were stitched on after the quilt was quilted and bound.

They extend beyond the edges of the piece to increase the look of natural, overgrown foliage. (I photographed this against my yellow bedroom wall because a white background doesn't show the extending leaves as well.) I included a bit more detail about how I made these leaves on my blog, and you can see a neutral background there too.

The idea for this came very easily; the execution was more laborious than I expected. I enjoyed the strip piecing, but the leaves were a pain. Next time I may think twice before going for the first obvious idea I have!

Outside Looking In--Rian

2010-09-29T08:00:00.003-05:00

Outside Looking In
18" x 21"
Rian Ammerman
September 2010

When I first studied the photograph, I felt like the fence/gate was holding me in, preventing me from seeing the world beyond. But then I got to thinking, was I on the inside looking out or the outside looking in? I couldn't tell. So I decided to tell a story about what might lie beyond the gate, or what was contained within. I stepped through the gate and turned around to look back at the other side, seeing what is behind the viewer. The world looks very different on the other side of the fence. The fence is a Twilight Zone, separating day from night, light from dark. The road disappears over the crest of a hill, so we never see what is beyond, if anything. Maybe there is a destination. Or maybe it's just our imagination.

I have wanted to do a series of night scenes, so this gave me the opportunity to work with darks and see how they play off each other. In the photo, the trees are easy to see. In person, it is very difficult to make them out, so I outline-quilted them in silver thread. I fiddled around a lot with metallic threads, breaking several needles, but I think I finally overcame the obstacles. Not that I would use metallics again, but I happened to have the appropriate colors on hand. I also used glitter and fusible crystals, just for fun. The glitter adds a lot, the crystals not so much.

Commercial batik fabrics, applique'd and fused.

Over The Fence-Libby

2010-09-28T12:00:00.002-05:00

Over The Fence

11" x 14"

Acrylic paint and chalk pastels

Stitched cotton affixed to 3/4" profile canvas

Earlier in the month Beverly asked for input from our group regarding coming up with concepts and generating ideas for these pieces. One of the things I mentioned to her was that barring my ability to find something personally meaningful in the photo, I might try and see how I could turn the photo into a venue for one of my favorite subjects-children. The fence seemed to be the starting point and when I came across the image of the children, well, that was what I decided to go with. My personal challenge was painting those children's images since I hadn't done this yet.

For those interested, it is extremely difficult to cover large areas of fabric with acrylic paint that has not been watered down with some type of medium. The fabric just doesn't perform like a canvas and even with the medium, you get bare spots and lots of feathering. Chalk pastels were the answer for additional coverage and they provided an unexpected depth of color too, an added bonus.

Lastly, I did an additional piece which can be found on my blog here. If you haven't already, please have a look at the piece and the comments to see what we all thought about it:)

Peeking Through- Beverly

2010-09-28T07:00:00.029-05:00

'Peeking Through', 28 X 18

Hand dyed and commercial fabrics, machine pieced and quilted.

Yes, I went for the obvious- the fence. Not only did the potential for strip piecing jump out at me, I was intrigued by the interplay of color and value behind the fence. I tried to contrast the more rigid man-made element of the fence with the organic, light filled area it enclosed, and tried to used my quilting to emphasize that difference.

The button idea occurred to me after I'd finished quilting- why not, the fence has closures! I lucked out and found a couple I thought fitted the mood and the place of the photo perfectly.

I enjoyed doing this one- piecing is an almost meditative activity for me, even when I do it freeform (without a ruler) like I did with this one,. The fabric I used for the bits behind the fence is not one piece, but several from two different value gradations I did last year. I knew I'd find the perfect quilt for them!

This one intrigued me enough I may do some more playing with the idea, varying how the light plays behind the fence and trying different quilting ideas.

Nelliephant - Nellie

2010-09-27T13:00:00.004-05:00

"Nelliephant" - 13"x 17"

fabric, tulle, yarn

oil stick pastels, watercolor pencils, ink

I had literally "hit a fence" for most of the month in trying to decide how to interpret Debra's photo. My usual playing around with the picture in the Element's filters had not provoked any ideas. Expressing my frustration in a conversation with my husband got me going.

He said, "How about playing with the lyrics to that song 'Don't Fence Me In'".

I said, "I've already made a quilt with a that."

He said, "How about putting an animal behind the fence?"

I said with a BIG smile, "Yeah! A 'Nelliephant'"

I knew there was just the right sized elephant in a printed fabric somewhere in my stash. Finding it got all my fabrics resorted and refreshed in my mind as to what I have stored here at the cottage.

All of my IT pieces are the same size, 23"x 17". However, the size of the elephant wasn't large enough to scale the whole picture for this one that big. I cut a piece of batting about 12"x 9" and started layering the background in my "ortwork" collage technique.

I was so absorbed in creating this piece that I neglected to take anymore process photos than the one above. That's black tulle making the shadows in the foreground and a bit of blue wool roving for the sky.

To turn an ordinary elephant into a "Nelliephant":

Strips of various black fabric scraps were cut for the hair.
The glasses were drawn on the paper side of a fusible web, then ironed onto black fabric and cut out.
The eye glasses were ironed into place. The dots of color were made with watercolor pencils over the tulle netting after the quilting was done. The tip of the pencil was dipped into water and gently rotated in place to leave just a dot.
Face color was added with oil stick pastels. The pigment was rubbed into the fabric through the tulle with a stiff stencil brush.
An eyebrow and lashes were drawn in with ink.
The glasses strap is yarn laying loose on the surface.
The earring is a jump ring with a metal charm ... a key to unlock that gate?

I played with varying the the layers of batting, as well the sequence of quilting the different areas to get a bass-relief effect.

Two additional layers of batting were placed behind the elephant's head and the corrugated metal parts of the fence. I machine stitched around those shapes and then trimmed away the excess batting on the back.
One additional layer was added behind the slatted part of the fence. The slats were quilted and the excess batting beyond it was cut away. The fence and foreground was quilted first before it was placed on the large beige linen background piece.
Then the small picture piece was trimmed to size and the edges finished with couched yarns.
It was centered on the large beige linen fabric that also had a layer of batting and backing. The sky and and trees were quilted through all the layers so that part would be compressed into the background.
The elephant's head and ear was again stitched around again through all the layers.
The corrugated fence parts were quilted through all the layers. In reality it appears closer than the gate.

Decorative yarns were couched to surface of the linen on each side through the batting and backing before the picture part was added to it.

At the end I outlined the slats of the gate with ink. Using a heavy black thread to quilt them may have done the job. However, I didn't see that they needed emphasis until the piece was finished.

This piece ended up being fun to make. It sure does elicit smiles and giggles from everyone who's seen it.

Out of Eden--jdemilo

2010-09-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

Out of Eden

25" by 20"

Hand-dyed cotton and silk;

turned edge, raw edge and fused applique; hand quilted and embroidered.

Fences always make me wonder, Who is in and Who is out?

When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit at the enticing of the serpert, they got thrown out of the Garden. Scriptures don't say where the snake ended up but surely he got thrown out too. I hope the quilt tells a story about the fruit and the snake but the focus of the quilt is the barrier that separates the snake from Eden.

If you are wondering if I am just that bad of a photographer... well, okay I am not great... but the quilt is wonky in shape intentionally and is not all caused by the angle of the camera. All quilts need to be interesting from far, a bit closer, and really up close. Here are some detail pictures.

This quilt has quite a bit more piecing that I have done on others in the IT! series. I am not sure how I feel about that but I have decided to think of it as progress. My goal was to increase my skill with surface techniques. All of these fabrics--ALL-- are my hand dyes or batiks! Wow! That is something I could not say a year ago. Learning to use the hand dyes as elements in the piecing techniques I have used for ages is new. So, progress!

Memagari Dari -- Kim

2010-09-26T11:59:00.002-05:00

"Memagari Dari"

21" wide x 54" long

Commercial and hand dyed fabric, machine pieced and quilted

Well, it's done. I had planned a horizontal piece that was bigger but decided I didn't like the bigness of it, so I made it smaller and decided it looked better as a vertical hanging.

I liked the photograph and how the fence was constructed from many different types of wood pieces. I also found inspiration in thinking about the fences and walls that we build to keep others out of our personal spaces.

Exclusive: By Invitation Only--Debra

2010-09-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

Exclusive: By Invitation Only

19 x 23 inches

Cotton Trimmings, Bridal Satin, Sheer Overlay and Netting

Embroquilting

We all know that a gate or a fence signifies that some are in and others are out. I've lived in many places that were surrounded by fences & I have often wondered about the idea that "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence". While in Indonesia, I can almost positively assure you that the grass was greener inside the fenced in area. The distance between the Haves & the Have Nots was immense. The Haves were very determined to keep their belongings safe behind any kind of fortress. So while working on another project and thinking about the picture, I began to remember times when I felt excluded and imagined that those behind the fence were having a much better, a much livelier time than I was having at that time.

So following in the Indonesian tradition I commented about of making something from nothing, I decided to use the little matchstick trimmings from my project to construct a fence that was lively and gay. I was also tickled by the text along the selvedge that said "exclusive" so went down that path too.

In an effort to try some very close quilting (but not actually do it myself--life is short), I programmed the embroidery machine with a longer 5.0 stitch length and began securing the little trimmings to a bridal satin background. I had some sheer drapery samples I wanted to add in for a change in texture and shine. I added these as the machine stitched (which was spontaneously fun). To finish off the composition and keep a raw edged look, I used folded netting. I love how this worked and will use this idea again.

This is not a serious piece and it's not even a complex piece but it is one that I did freely and spontaneously. I think it abstractly captures the gate idea and asks the question, "Where's the party?" Do you have your invitation? Is the grass really any greener over there?

September Check in--Rian

2010-09-14T13:12:00.004-05:00

Good news!!! I have an idea! I am working up a drawing. Behold, the palette:
Woops, Blogger and Google and Picasa are all having hiccups today. Well, hell. I'll try Photobucket.

Sorry it's so small, but you get the idea.

September Check In- Beverly

2010-09-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

Like Kim, I've spent a lot of time watching tennis this week. Not too many sports I watch on TV, but I've always enjoyed the major tennis tournaments.

I got a fair amount of piecing done today. I thought I'd be adding more- the 'twist'- but I'm happy with what I've done thus far, so I'll leave it on my design wall a couple of days and see if I am still happy with it. I actually liked a lot of the color palette, so on this on I'm not a rebel!

September Challenge - Nellie

2010-09-11T16:35:00.000-05:00

Today I printed out the photo and pinned it to my design board.

Now that it's a hard copy in my studio space it will be ruminated on while the small "Piece of The Lake" quilts are being created. The foundation of these are the cut-off pieces from the twenty-five panels of my ArtPrize installation piece ... which will get installed tomorrow for the exhibition.

September Check In - Barbara

2010-09-11T12:35:00.000-05:00

I know, you think I have the wrong picture don't you? Fortunately or unfortunately I do not. Not sure about this one.

September Check-in - Kay

2010-09-11T10:31:00.000-05:00

As I said, I'm going for the obvious. I hope there'll be a bit of a twist too, but I'm not there yet.

September Check-in--jdemilo

2010-09-11T08:28:00.002-05:00

So far my September piece is untitled but it will be a whole cloth quilt using the above fabric that I dyed last week and the fabric below that is batching right now.

September Check In-Libby

2010-09-09T07:56:00.002-05:00

I am finished with my piece. In order to get some inspiration from the photo I went online to learn a little bit about Indonesia and the culture. I can't give any hints without giving away the subject matter. I would only say that the subject matter is pretty timely...

Libby

September - Check-in - Kim

2010-09-08T19:48:00.000-05:00

I know, it's early but I got my teaser for the month:

(a little more here.)

Help With September Photo

2010-09-03T11:49:00.002-05:00

Last month's photo was a struggle for some of us. I think this month's photo is challenging also. If we all agree how does everyone feel about using this month to test out something new? I am suggesting that if you need assistance with your piece that you do a post with photos and a few, very specific questions. Not for critical feedback on a finished piece but just for suggestions to help you over the hurdle. The FLICKR site is not being utilized so how about we think outside the box a little here? It would give people a chance to see our individual processes and I just don't think it will detract from the surprise element of the challenge.

Please post or email on the above idea as soon as possible so people can get help if they need it...or not:)

Libby

September's Challenge Photo--Debra

2010-09-01T08:00:00.007-05:00

This month's picture comes to us courtesy of Debra. She took this photo while living in Indonesia in 1999. As per Debra, there is no "printable" back story. Because of this, I urge everybody to find some aspect of this photo that you can grab on to in order to make something uniquely yours. We have had some innovative interpretations so far so I know that even though this is a tough photo, people will do well on one level or another.

I wanted to say thank you also to everyone. Many of you have been generous in your time, commenting when I know that schedules are busy. Please continue to try your best to comment on the pieces. I think it helps us all to know that our fellow members are looking and thinking about each other's work.

Also, in reviewing our work to date as a group, I think we can be proud of what we have done. I did want to mention something that I think would be helpful. Now would be a good time to review your IT! pieces (and even your other work) to see if you are headed in the right direction. Maybe you don't know what that direction is but now would be a good time to review since we are nearly done with the challenge. I did this yesterday and saw some things in my work that I want to improve upon. I also remembered that I was looking for a way to tie these pieces together. Take a couple of minutes if you can to do this. I found it to be helpful.

Thank you again to everyone for your participation so far to date. There are just a few challenges left so good luck!

Libby

September Reveal Schedule

2010-08-31T17:00:00.002-05:00

Here's the posting schedule for September:

Sept 26 AM: Debra
PM: Kim

Sept 27 AM: Judith
PM: Nellie

Sept 28 AM: Beverly
PM: Libby

Sept 29 AM: Rian
PM: Kay

Sept 30 AM: Barbara

Remember to post by 8:00 for the AM slot and by Noon for the PM slot.

In the title: Title of Piece--Your Name
For the Labels: September Concept, Your Name

Let me know if there is a conflict anywhere and you need to change dates or times.

Remember to check-in mid-month with your Teaser! Photos, if possible.

Bridge out--expect delays: jdemilo

2010-08-31T08:00:00.005-05:00

Yeap, the bridge started out well but then turned into a disaster! If you would like the blow by blow account of the failure please check out my blog.

Under The Bridge - Nellie

2010-08-30T23:08:00.000-05:00

"Under the Bridge" 13" x 17"

Fabric, tulle, mono filament thread,

oil stick pastels, inkjet printing

It's the reflections in the water as well as the bridge that captured my attention ... the reflection of the one large building in particular.

I had masked that off from the rest of the photo so I could play with Photoshops filters on the top portion of the picture. When I hit on the above combination, I got excited about mixing the realistic reflection in the water with an impression of the actual scene. Woo Hoo! I get to use my "ortwork" collage technique.

I printed two copies of the reflection on "InkJetPrinting" fabric by Jacquard.

This was because I needed more than one width of the 11" across that prepared fabric. I rotary cut each of them into sections and then gave those serpentine edges. Then they were combined to portray the building and fill out the dimension to the 13" that all of my IT pieces measure.

Those bits cut away from the serpentine edges became reflections in the water ... along with a lot of threads, bits of roving, and "stuff".

I let that one building fill the width at the top of the piece.

The collage work made the details. The people in Beverly's photo look as though they're having a good time. I added many more revelers partying on the bridge.

And then I fell in love with the bridge.

I hadn't intended to make it so solid and realistic ... that happened with the quilting. So it has become the focal point. Of course, it's commanding the prime visual spot of just above the center in the composition which ensures attention.

Even though my life has been hectically full for the last two months, this challenge piece had been in my mind often. It was physically begun and finished in one day.

Rapunzel in the Tower- Karen

2010-08-30T12:01:00.003-05:00

Rapunzel in the Tower

I started out with a rather large drawing of the castle like building in the center back of the photo. Played around with that and various ideas from photo realistic to abstract shapes. I really liked the tower. I kept on coming back to that one part. While doodling around with the tower and bridge the fairy tale of Rapunzel would pop up in my head. She became a part of the tower drawing. I contemplated putting her into the tower with the other buildings and part of the bridge as drawn in the first draft.

But, I decided that she would have to be too small for me to do her justice. OR the whole quilt would be a years worth of work if I wanted to make her a good size. Sooooo, in the end I just made the tower with a decent sized Rapunzel!

I strayed from the photograph and played with inspiration a bit ( maybe too much ) and in the end I am very happy with this one. I would have loved to do this whole castle like building with Rapunzel in it if only I had the time!

After doing the lovely rocks from Nellie's April photo I was totally ready to add french knots in and around the cobbled bricks of the tower. Again, time only allowed so much. I don't know if that would have really worked but it is a moot point now. This one is so much more a work that feels like 'mine'. I was really happy to have the extra month to work on it. Could not have done this in a months time at all!
For the slate tower roof I pieced together some hand painted fabrics I had done last year. The blue/grey/green color seemed just right.

face detail

hands holding hair detail

bottom end of tower detail

Finished size of Rapunzel in the Tower is 35" x 7". painted cotton with hand embroidery using cotton floss. Machine free motion stitching for the tower bricks/cobbles.

Palais de l'Isle - Kay

2010-08-30T05:06:00.000-05:00

Palais de l'Isle 15" x 17"

Machine pieced and quilted

I chose to focus on the Palais de l'Isle, the medieval castle in the center of the picture. I stripped away all the modern detail, and tried to emphasize its strength and solidity, the stern, forbidding quality that it might have had in the twelfth century. There's no sign of a town left at all, just the river with a stone bridge, and a suggestion of the surrounding mountains.

This photo was a joy for me; for some time I have been wanting to try a more complicated piece using Ruth McDowell's piecing technique, and this was a perfect subject. In addition, at the beginning of July I was taking an on-line class from Elizabeth Barton, who suggests overlaying a shape with triangles to simplify and abstract it. The two techniques fit together perfectly to create a pattern for the building. (For someone who can't draw, the Layers tools in Photoshop worked wonderfully for outlining the shape and the pieces.)

I printed the sketch, enlarged it, and planned the piecing order to make a master pattern.

The really tedious part is tracing this master pattern onto freezer paper and labeling each piece. The piecing itself went smoothly; any small problems I had were due to marking less carefully than I should have. I chose tone on tone fabrics because I didn't want the impressionistic quality given by batiks, but a very solid, architectural style. When choosing fabrics, I used Photoshop again to make a print with the saturation increased by 25%, making it easier to see the slight color and value variations in this monochromatic picture. In the end though, I was less interested in accuracy than in a pleasing combination of neutrals to contrast with the blues.

The quilting adds some details of the stones and the roof.

Although there are some things I'd have done differently, I'm happy with this piece. Thanks for giving me the opportunity, Beverly.

Temps Jaloux -- Kim

2010-08-29T13:03:00.002-05:00

Temps Jaloux

7.5 x 4.25 inches

fabric scraps on Timtex, machine stitched, crayon, colored pencil

This summer I have been everywhere except in front of the computer - so it seems fitting that this month's challenge is a postcard! The title, Temps Jaloux, which translates as 'Envious Time' is from the poem La Lac by Alphonse de Lamartine.

The challenge came together quickly - procrastinating until the very last moment: I did a sketch; laid out snippets of fabric directly onto the Timtex; ironed in place; stitched; and added some marks to highlight certain areas.

For the back, I borrowed a few lines from Lamartine's poem:

('Temps jaloux' are the first two words after this part of the poem)

C'est fini!

Memories of Annecy--Libby

2010-08-29T07:13:00.004-05:00

Memories of Annecy

11" x 14"

painted and stitched fabric affixed to 3/4" profile canvas

I have an alternate title too, just like Rian. Mine would be called Down The Rabbit Hole. I have done this a couple of times now (twice) where I have reached too far and too hard for a project that didn't require it. I had several ideas and should have stuck with my original concept; it was the simplest to execute and conveyed what I wanted which was an abstraction of the colors and lines of that photo. The only thing I didn't add was the woman's outline-I ran out of time and was moving in the process.

Just a funny side note to the above: Everything was packed in my workroom practically but I left out some supplies. I did not leave out the exacto knives (I have two mind you) and so could not make a stencil for the woman or any line work. What I did have was contractors' tape so I did the line work with that.

My favorite parts of the piece are the colors and composition. It feels like a light filled scene to me-like I lit up the photo. The painting was done quickly, in one sitting, and with lots of energy and just a mental map of the overall design.

Brasserie Duxelles--Rian

2010-08-28T12:35:00.001-05:00

We could call this piece "Nothing Worked." Because nothing did. I had no inspiration, no love for this photo (no offense Beverly). I found the prison depressing, so I zoomed in and made a gay French cafe scene. I wanted to put people and flowers and life in the piece, but I couldn't make it happen. I tried to do some painting on it, but that didn't turn out well either. Every so often you get a dud, and this was it.

"Brasserie Duxelles"
by Rian Ammerman

Wish You Were Here--Debra

2010-08-28T08:00:00.002-05:00

Wish You Were Here

42 x 44 inches

variety of fabrics, raw edge sewn, embroquilting, buttons

Two of the elements of the photograph that appealed to me were the windows and the texture. I decided to explore/experiment with those in the comstruction of this piece. I'm not crazy about a neutral color scheme even though in my head I always think I would like to work on one. But, what I did enjoy was playing with the fabrics in their original states. I did as little as possible to change them when I added them to the composition. I wanted to honor the journey these fabrics had taken to get to this point. There actually are some fabrics in here that I have had for a very long time -- waiting for their 15 minutes of fame.

Once I got to the end of the work, I began to think that this piece needs to continue as a handwork project with more textures developed. Whether that happens or not, I don't know but I don't feel like it is completely done yet. It does follow in the footsteps of other pieces I have posted for this challenge and it gave me another opportunity to experiment with quilting on the embroidery machine.

The Bridge - Barbara

2010-08-27T12:00:00.012-05:00

"The Bridge"

30" X 23"

Designed, Raw edged fused applique, Shiva paint sticks

& machine quilted .

Since this was a complicated photo I began by eliminating the post on the right hand side and then drew out the photograph on a grid so that I was sure not to lose the perspective.

Then I chose my fabric and used shiva paint sticks to paint the shadows under the bridges.

I did this before placing the bridge on top and trying to paint under it later.

I fused the fabric and then cut out the shapes and began applying them to my batting on my design wall. I wanted the buildings to be a bit uneven and free cut rather than

straight up and down precise. I think it adds interest and movement across the piece

I continued along the background areas before moving to the foreground.

When it was all together I began quilting and painting the reflection in the water.

I took the liberty to add the umbrellas to the people who were standing outside of the Cafe. It just seemed so "French, oui oui!".

I am pretty happy with the results. I thought about adding a border and opted for just the binding. I am not totally happy with that. Maybe it is too dark or maybe it could use a small border. I will stare at it a bit longer to decide.

Buildings and Bridges- Beverly

2010-08-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

Buildings and Bridges, 25 1/4" by 20"

I had a number of ideas I wanted to explore with this challenge. First, I approached it from a shape and lines perspective rather than images of specific objects. I wanted to explore the juxtaposition of straight lines versus curved, rigid versus organic. Those arches intrigued me, and I wanted to figure a way to cut them out of the quilt. Finally, I wanted to do something besides abstract strip piecing- which would have been really easy with this one!

There's a lot I like about this piece, and a lot I'd do differently. I love how the colors work together. I'm really happy with the quilting on the water- I used about six different colors of thread. I figured out how to cut out the arches.

The quilting on the top didn't work the way I'd hoped. The lines off to the right were meant to suggest other buildings that were further out. Instead, the difference between those and the diagonal lines on the rest of the top is just a distraction.

The whole style of the piece is neither abstract nor realistic. To me, it has the flavor of an illustration from a child's book- not a bad thing. I'm just not sure how well it all works together.

I did a lot of quilting- and learned lessons that I'll put to use in future quilts. Here's a couple of detail shots-

This month for me was mostly a grand experiment, with a number of lessons learned.

August Teaser--jdemilo

2010-08-18T08:52:00.000-05:00

Here are my two inspirations for the landscape inspiration this month.

This is a Matisse landscape.

This is "Oh what a lovely smokestack" by one of my favorite quilt artists.

What I like about both of these pieces and the general work of the artists are the big shapes and the letting go of the little details. That is what I am trying to accomplish in my Bridge art quilt this month. It is still a piece in progress. I am in those final stages of creation where I am always fearful that I will make a decision that will ruin weeks of good work. LOL I definitely pray more over my work during this stage! Wish me luck!

August check-in- Beverly

2010-08-03T20:28:00.000-05:00

Kay's is all about the method, mine is all about the fabric! I spent two days dyeing and screenprinting in Colorado a week ago, and serendipity- the perfect fabrics! It's all figured out in my head, let's see how it translates once I actually get working on it- hopefully, this weekend after I'm done quilting another piece.

Obviously, I'm not one of the overacheivers this month! :)

Libby-July/August Concept

2010-08-01T16:36:00.001-05:00

"Hail Mary" anyone??? All done after going back to the original concept:)

Rian - July/August Check In

2010-07-18T22:56:00.001-05:00

Pffft. I got nothin'.

Libby-July/August Check In

2010-07-18T17:27:00.003-05:00

OK, no physical pictures but picture this...ARGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you hear me? My immediate and subsequent thoughts have been blank as a new chalkboard. I am not clever and this photo doesn't want to talk to me. I had one idea and then another. Both scrapped for being too similar to what others may be doing. One sketch today and then another sketch. Anyone know that this castle was once a prison??? Just sayin'

I think I have an initial sketch and concept that will work. Think, "What came before..."
I think.