Trick or Treat!

My sister's husband really enjoys Halloween. He makes amazing themed costumes for the whole family. My sister asked if I could make her a quilted wall hanging with Halloween fabric and photo corners so she could display photos of the costumes.

There are 4 rows of 4 photos spots, with yellow, orange or purple backgrounds. Each has 4 photo corners which I made with the same background fabrics by cutting small squares with fusible web on the wrong side, folding them diagonally then did a zigzag stitch on the horizontal and vertical sides.

I found some adorable Halloween fabric, which I used as vertical sashing including Halloween images spelling out "Trick or Treat" and ghosts on a purple background for the borders. The whole thing measures 26" by 41".

"Conversations in Fabric" Quilt Exhibit at the Ohio Craft Museum

"If your quilt could speak, what would it say?" That was the question posed by the Ohio Craft Museum when the put together this wonderful exhibition. My friend Lori and I went to see it today and it was a real treat.

My background is in graphic design and I have a particular interest in typography, so this show was especially interesting to me. Several of the quilts did have words on them or incorporated into them, which is something that I have just recently had some experience with (The Big E and the personalized quilt I did earlier this month) and I really want to do more of.

Two of my favorites were made by Lisa Binkley and Marlene Ferrell Parillo. Lisa's "Floating and Grounded" has an embroidered haiku while Marlene's "Dream City" uses images to describe what her dreams are saying to her. She also incorporates a lot of ceramic fixtures which she also makes and you can see at her website. Both had a significant amount of beadwork, which is another reason that I liked them.

If you do get a chance to go see it in person, the Ohio Craft Museum is located at 1665 W. Fifth Ave. in Columbus, Ohio, and is open Mon.-Fri. 10 am-5 pm and Sat. and Sun. 1-4 pm. The exhibition is free but donations are accepted.

I'm mentioned in the Nov/Dec issue of National Geographic Traveler Magazine!

Here's a copy of the article! Click on it to read it.

Aminah Robinson Exhibit at the Springfield Museum of Art

"Along Water Street" is a collection of work by Columbus (Ohio) artist Aminah Robinson. Most of the works are paintings with facials and hand details drawn in. As a quilter what I find fascinating is the way Aminah uses fabric glued to the painting for the clothing the people wear. Because her works are fairly large, she's pieced several pieces of paper together by sewing them with buttons. They have a function but are also artistic.

There is one quilt in the exhibit, although it is really more than one quilt, it's a piece that is a "RagGanNon" (because it keeps ragging on and on). The title of this piece is "Water Street (The Legend of Chipo Village)" and it's 60 feet wide. It is impressive to see it all at once. There are thousands of buttons of all colors and shapes.

The exhibit is currently at the Springfield Museum of Art, a real treasure located in Springfield, Ohio. It runs until Nov. 28, 2009. The museum, located at 107 Cliff Park Road is open Tues.-Sat. from 9 am until 5 pm and Sun. 12:30-4:30 pm. Admission is free on Sundays and $5 for non-members on the other days. Aminah will be at the museum on Sat. Nov. 8 from 2-4 pm.

Also on exhibit at the museum is Gretchen Cochran's "Bounty or Burden" whose colorful, giant basket-type figures represent women in Africa who have to carry items on their heads and Gretchen is exploring the concept of whether what they carry is a bounty or a burden. The pieces are so animated I almost expect them to start moving around the museum. This exhibit will be up until March 7, 2010.

If you're in the area, I highly recommend checking out both exhibits.

Personalized Quilt

This is a custom quilt that I made which is going to be a Christmas gift for a special little girl. The checkerboard background is made of white, red, yellow, green and blue with blue borders and her name in white letters across the middle. There are five blocks that use all four of the colors in a 4-patch arrangement and three with a diamond combination.

Because the letters are made with white fabric, I used two layers of fabric to keep the colors from showing through. Very similar to the "Big E" that I made, the letters with straight edges are actually folded under (like with needle-turn applique) although the "C" and "O" have raw edges. All the letters have a tight, white zigzag stitch all the way around them to keep them attached for years.

This quilt is 48" x 58".

Eclectic Art Quilts on display

"Virginia Reel," 8" x 8", by Pam Geisel

The opening reception of "Eclectic Art Quilts" will be held in the Yellow Springs Arts Council Art Space at 108 Dayton St. on October 16 from 6-9 pm. The show highlights 10 Yellow Springs artists. Refreshments will be served and this event is free and open to the public.

That same night is also the monthly 3rd Friday Fling. Many of the businesses in Yellow Springs stay open late, so there's a lot to see and do.

This piece of art is my "Virginia Reel" fabric mosaic, which is a traditional quilt square but presented in a non-traditional way.

Yellow Springs Artist Studio Tour this weekend

I'm am honored to be included on the annual Yellow Springs Artist Studio Tour this weekend, Oct. 17 & 18 from 11 am to 6 pm. I'll be joining 13 other exceptional artists as we open our studios so you can explore the inner workplaces of some of the finest artists in the region. Along with my fiber art, there are potters, sculptors, painters, a clock maker and more.

Print a map from the website. Or pick up a map the day of the event at Young's Jersey Dairy or The Winds Cafe.Make an event out of it and eat at one of the local restaurants or go for a hike in Glen Helen or John Bryan State Park.

October Street Fair in Yellow Springs this Saturday

It's time again for another Yellow Springs Street Fair. This time we'll have yummy berry pie (made from a mix of many yummy berries) and my Springerles, German anise cookies made from my husband's family recipe, which requires one day to roll out the cookies, the next day to bake them, and three weeks for them to ripen and get nice and strong.

This time we'll be in booth #127 (across from US Bank). Along with the pies and cookies, we'll have my quilts and quilted art, and copies of Gravity Fiction, an anthology of short stories by college writers, with commentary on the craft of writing fiction.

There are many other interesting things to check out at the Yellow Springs Street Fair. Be sure to stop by and say "Hi!"