"Cosmic Connectivity" part of Art in the City

Me and my art quilt "Cosmic Connectivity"

My art quilt “CosmicConnectivity” was selected for inclusion in the city-wide art show “Art in the City,” which is sponsored by the Downtown Dayton Partnership and the Dayton Visual Arts Center. My piece, and 25 other artworks, will be exhibit in one of 26 downtown businesses during the period of June 3-17, 2016. The public will be invited to view shows and vote for their favorite work of art. Votes will be tallied and Art in the City will culminate with a prize award and announcement on Fri., Jun 17, 2016.

Both myself and my piece will be at the Wheat Penny restaurant for the Friday, June 3 kickoff event from 6:30-8:30 pm. My piece will remain at there through June 17. The Wheat Penny is located at 515 Wayne Ave. in Dayton. Here's a map that includes all of the locations plus other art events going on in the city.

Another one of my pieces, the third panel of the slice quilt “Industrial Dayton” that I made with the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network, was accepted as a group submission and will be on display at AAA Tire Auto Service located at 200 E 3rd St. in Dayton.

Both Sets of Dayton Landmark Quilts on Exhibit in 2014

 

Back in 2011 the members of the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network decided to make a set of Slice Quilts. Member Ronnie Doyal went out and took some photos of landmarks around the Dayton area. Six photos were selected and then "sliced" into parts with each quilter getting a separate part.

Each quilter could use any fabric or technique that she wanted but the colors had to be true to life and it was important that they all be the same height. Once the quilts were finished, they were hung next to the other slices in the photo.

We had such a good time that in the Fall of 2012 we chose 8 more photos to slice.

The first time we did it, I made the 6th slice in the "Dayton Skyline" quilt and the 1st slice in the "Sacred Heart Church" quilt. For the "redux" I made the 3rd slice in the "Industrial Dayton" quilt.

Both sets of quilts (made up of 40 total slices) will be on display at Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm from Jan 6-Mar 9, 2014. There will be a reception on Sun. Jan. 12, 2-4p. 

The center is located at 1000 Aullwood Rd. in Dayton, Ohio and is open M-Sa 9a-5p and Su 1-5p. There is a $5 fee for adults ($3 children) that also allows access to the center, farm, and hiking trails.

12 Quilts...Six Locations!

Details of quilts and fabric mosaics by Pam Geisel on exhibit this summer.

Last year there was one day in June where I had several local art exhibits overlap and I had a total of eight quilts in six locations. This year it turns out I have 12 quilts in six locations that will overlap for 35 days! From Fri., July 12 through Thurs., Aug. 15 these are the six locations:

Ohio Designer Craftsmen's Best of 2013 Show 

at the Southern Ohio Museum, 825 Gallia St, Portsmouth, OH 

"Cosmic Connectivity" is in this exhibit

 

Annual Members' Juried Exhibition
at the Springfield Museum of Art, 107 Cliff Park Rd, Springfield, OH
"Early Morning Nine Patch" and "Inside of a Dog" are in this exhibit

 

Seasons of Life: the 21st Annual Art Quilt Exhibit
at Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, 1000 Aullwood Rd, Dayton, OH
My"Seasons Fabric Mosaic" set is in this exhibit

 

Adventures in Design: Miami Valley Art Quilt Network art quilts
at South Park United Methodist Church, 140 Stonemill Rd, Dayton, OH
My "Adventures in Design" series is in this exhibit

 

Dayton Landmarks Quilts Redux: Miami Valley Art Quilt Network slices
at the Dayton Metro Library, 215 E Third St, Dayton, OH
My slice is "Industrial Dayton #3"

 

22nd Annual Open Members' Show
at the Dayton Visual Arts Center, 118 N Jefferson St, Dayton, OH
"Indigo Dreams" is in this exhibit

Dayton Landmark Quilts Redux on exhibit through Aug. 31, 2014

 

Original photo taken by Ronnie Doyal.

"Dayton Landmark Quilts Redux: Industrial Dayton" #1 made by Dianne Boley, #2 made by Chris Landis, and #3 made by Pam Geisel.

Since the members of the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network had such a good time making the Dayton Landmark Slice Quilts, we decided to make another goup. Above is just one of the seven sets of quilts that were made.

This time everyone was randomly assigned a slice from one of the seven photographs, although trading was allowed.

We already have five venues lined up to display the quilts through August of 2014. Here's where you can see the quilts:

Jul 1-Aug 31:
Dayton Metro Library, 215 E Third St, Dayton, OH

Oct 1-27:
The Schuster Performing Arts Center, 1 West Second St, Dayton, OH 

Jan 6-Mar 9, 2014:
Aullwood Audubon Center, 1000 Aullwood Rd, Dayton, OH
Both the original set and the redux set will be on display at Aullwood.
There will also be a reception TBA. 

Mar 16-May 11, 2014: 
Southminster Presbyterian Church, 7001 Far Hills Ave, Centerville, OH 

July 1-Aug 31, 2014:
South Park United Methodist Church, 140 Stonemill Rd, Dayton, OH

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If you'd like to read about how I made my slice (with lots of step-by-step photos) click here and follow the links.

Industrial Dayton - Day 1

"Dayton Landmark Quilts Redux: Industrial Dayton C" (number three of three) to be made by Pam Geisel, 17" x 42", April 2013; reference photo on the left taken by Ronnie Doyal.

A few years ago the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network made several slice quilts from photos of Dayton landmarks. We enjoyed the project so much we decided it was time for a "redux." The photo above on the left was the piece that I was assigned. It's the right most slice of a three part quilt.

This time we were also given an outline drawing. Ronnie, the photographer, used a photo editing program to assign outlines to the buildings then printed it out the actual size that we would need. This one will be 17" wide and 42" high. 

Last time we did this, there were some issues because people went to different copy shops to have their photos enlarged and some of them weren't the correct height. The height is important so that all the quilts will line up when they are hung together.

Having the outlines given to me saved me the step of having to trace the outlines to work from.

If you're familiar with the Dayton area, Ronnie took this photo from the pavilion at the lookout at Woodland Cemetery. The red box shows the part that the three quilts will be made from. The mist behind the buildings (on the left side of my slice) are from the fountains at Riverscape.

Last time I traced my outlines on a back ground fabric and built the quilt on top of that. This time I traced the outlines onto a piece of lightweight fusible innerfacing (with the sticky side up). Because the innerfacing is so thin, it was easy to see the outlines when I was tracing. That also makes it difficult to photograph.

Since you need room for the binding and also extra space if the images shift during the quilting process, I extended all of my shapes 1" beyond the edge of my printed outlines.

Tomorrow...picking fabric and getting started.

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To read about all of the steps in making this quilt, click here.

Industrial Dayton - Day 2

"Dayton Landmark Quilts Redux: Industrial Dayton C" (number three of three) made by Pam Geisel, 17" x 42", April 2013; reference photo on the left taken by Ronnie Doyal. 

It might not look like I got a lot done but I spent several hours going through my fabric stash to choose the fabrics I wanted to use for this quilt. I like to use batik fabrics for a few reasons:

- They are usually a fairly solid color but have some pattern (texture) to them so they don't read as a flat color.

- They are a higher thread count and less likely to fray on the edges. This technique is raw edge applique so the edges remain exposed.

- They have color all the way through so I don't have to worry about light "outlines" on the edge of the pieces.

I fused the tree and sky pieces directly to the fusible innerfacing.

Tomorrow...starting the buildings on the right side.

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To read about all of the steps in making this quilt, click here.

 

Industrial Dayton - Day 3

"Dayton Landmark Quilts Redux: Industrial Dayton C" (number three of three) made by Pam Geisel, 17" x 42", April 2013; reference photo on the left taken by Ronnie Doyal.  

I worked on the buildings on the right side of the photo, including the top of the church. 

I used fusible web on the back of the fabrics, making sure to trace the shapes from the back side of my outline reference so they are the reverse on the back of the fabric. I usually use a light box to trace the shapes onto the fusible web.

I like to work in small sections so I don't get the fused pieces mixed up.

Tomorrow...the buildings on the left side.

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To read about all of the steps in making this quilt, click here.

 

Industrial Dayton - Day 4

"Dayton Landmark Quilts Redux: Industrial Dayton C" (number three of three) made by Pam Geisel, 17" x 42", April 2013; reference photo on the left taken by Ronnie Doyal.  

I was able to finish most of the buildings at the bottom of the quilt, and the top of the building on the left.

Where the fabrics meet I like to make them a little larger so the fabric will overlap the piece beneath it so there isn't a gap. The black windows were fused on top of the brick colored fabric. It's also important to mark on the fusible web which part of the shape is the top.

Tomorrow...finish the buildings, make the graffiti, and figure out how to make the mist/spray.

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To read about all of the steps in making this quilt, click here.

 

Industrial Dayton - Day 5

"Dayton Landmark Quilts Redux: Industrial Dayton C" (number three of three) made by Pam Geisel, 17" x 42", April 2013; reference photo on the left taken by Ronnie Doyal.

I finished the buildings, the graffiti, and started on the mist/spray.

For the graffiti, I chose a white fabric that had a fairly large weave to it. I used some fabric markers drew the image onto the fabric. Because it had a large weave there was a little bit of bleeding, but I was OK with that because I was trying to imitate the look of spray paint.

For the spray from the fountains I used some roving that I pulled apart and covered with netting. I tucked the netting behind the buildings to help hold it down. Because the netting will melt if you get it too hot, I wasn't able to fuse the buildings on top of it, I had to pin in in place, which can be seen around the smoke stacks.

Tomorrow...quilting!

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To read about all of the steps in making this quilt, click here.

 

Industrial Dayton - Day 6

 

 "Dayton Landmark Quilts Redux: Industrial Dayton C" (number three of three) made by Pam Geisel, 17" x 42", April 2013; reference photo on the left taken by Ronnie Doyal.  

It doesn't look much different from yesterday's photos but I spent 6 hours and got most of it quilted.

Here's a detail shot of the quilting in the middle. The fused pieces on the buildings were quilted on their edges to hold them down. The background has free motion quilting which also holds down the netting. (As always, you can click on the photo to see a larger view of it.)

And a view of the quilting from the back. The thread was chosen to match the fabric on the front, so some of them really show up on the pale green backing fabric.

After I quilted the netting down at the top of the treeline, I trimmed the netting away from the sky. I put some fray check along the edge as extra insurance.

Tomorrow...finishing!

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To read about all of the steps in making this quilt, click here.

 

Industrial Dayton - Finished!

"Dayton Landmark Quilts Redux: Industrial Dayton C" (number three of three) made by Pam Geisel, 17" x 42", April 2013; reference photo on the left taken by Ronnie Doyal. 

I finished the quilting then did the binding. Because we don't want any visual interruptions when the quilts hang together, we were asked to "face" the quilts. I used my favorite binding technique although I faced the two sides first, then I laid my outline reference on top of the quilt to figure out where the bottom needed to be. Then I faced the bottom. I measured up from the bottom exactly 42" then added the facing to the top. Then I signed the back. Finished!

The quilts will all be on display soon, I'll be sure to post dates one I know them. Below are some detail photos of my quilt. As always, you can click on the photos to see larger versions.

Detail photo of the sky, treeline and mist.

Detail photo of the middle of the quilt.

Detail photo of the bottom of the quilt.

Detail photo of the spray from the fountains.

Detail photo of the church bell tower.

 Detail photo of the graffiti.

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To read about all of the steps in making this quilt, click here.

Dayton Landmark Quilts are Back!

If you missed seeing the Dayton Landmark slice quilts when they were at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in the spring, or if you just want to see them again, here's your chance. They will be on display on the second floor of the Dayton Metro Library, 215 E. Third St. in Dayton through Dec. 27, 2012. The library is open Mon., Tues., and Thurs. from 9:30 am to 8:30 pm; Wed., Fri., and Sat. from 9:30 am to 6 pm; and Sun. from 1-5 pm.

There is an opening reception this Sun., Sept. 30 from 1:30-4:30 pm.

This time the quilts, made by members of the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network, will be displayed with the original photo that each quilter worked from, and we will also have the piece of the Dayton Skyline that wasn't finished last spring.

This set of Dayton Landmark quilts will also be at the South Park United Methodist Church, 120 Stonemill in Dayton, from Jan. 6 through Feb. 27, 2013, and at Southminster Presbyterian Church, 7001 Far Hills Ave. in Centerville in March and April, 2013.

Since the exhibit is on the second floor, some of us decided to make small Dayton Landmark quilts to go in the display case on the first floor to let library patrons know about the exhibit upstairs. I made two small Dayton Landmark quilts of the Dayton Dragon's stadium, Fifth Third Field titled "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game (outside)", 11" x 8.5", Sept. 2012

Above is the view of the stadium from the outside, with the giant bats and balls. The red stitching on the balls is actually hand stitched. (Click on any of the photos for a larger view and to see the stitching details.)

  "Take Me Out to the Ball Game (inside)", 11" x 8.5", Sept. 2012

And this is a view from the inside. Because the quilts are small, in this quilt the batter is less than 1.5" tall and the pitcher is about 1" tall. At this size, the out fielders were too tiny to make with fabric.

Because we had such a great time making these quilts, the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network is planning on doing another round of Dayton Landmark quilts. We all have our assigned pieces, and the plan is to have them finished by April, 2013. I'll be sure to post photos of those and announce upcoming exhibits.

More about Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Dayton Landmark Quilts at the Schuster Center

"Dayton Landmark Quilts: Dayton Skyline," #4 made by Sara Lynne Walsh, #5 made by Pam Geisel, and #6 made by Joan Sterr. The photo on the left was taken by Ronnie Doyal.

Last year my art quilt group the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network decided we'd make some "slice" quilts. Ronnie Doyal, a member who is also a photographer, took photographs of six Dayton landmarks. The photos were divided into several pieces with each quilter taking a piece (or two).

Participants got to choose which of the six photos they wanted to work on but the order of the slices was pulled out of a hat.

The top photo shows just three of the six quilts that make up the Dayton Skyline quilt. I did the middle one, the one with the KeyBank logo. All of the quilts in this set are 42" high and 17.5"wide.

"Dayton Landmark Quilts: Dayton Skyline," #6 closeup by Pam Geisel

All of the quilts are now finished and will be hanging in the Schuster Performing Arts Center, One West Second St. in downtown Dayton during the run of the musical "Wicked." The quilts will be on display from May 30 to June 24, 2012. We've got tickets for the show in late June and I'm really looking forward to seeing the show and also all the quilts hanging together.

We hope to have them on display in other locations in the Dayton area and I'll be sure to blog about them. Plus I'll do a blog about how I made this quilt and the other Dayton Landmark quilt that I made.

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UPDATE: You can see all of the Dayton Landmark Quilts on the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network Facebook page, and you should be able to view them even if you don't have a Facebook account. Click on the thumbnail photos to see the whole quilt.