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.

Seasons of Life: Aullwood's Annual Art Quilt Exhibition

"Seasons" fabric mosaics by Pam Geisel, frame sizes are 5" x 7", art is 2.5" x 2.5"

When I make my fabric mosaics I arrange small pieces of fabric on a backing fabric or innerfacing then I cover them with tulle and quilt the layers together and frame them. For this set of four, each one features a tree in a different season and the mats were cut so they appear in a different place in the black wood frame. The frames are 5" x 7" but the art is only 2.5" x 2.5".

For "Spring" I used a light green for the background and sage green, white, and pink for the new leaves and blossoms.

For "Summer" I used a richer, darker green for both the background and also the leaves.

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For "Autumn" I used yellows, oranges, and reds for the leaves both on the tree and on the ground.

For "Winter" I used a white background to represent snow and no leaves on the tree but there is a tiny cardinal sitting on a branch.

More about Seasons fabric mosaics

These pieces will be in the 21st Annual Art Quilt Exhibition at the Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm which is June 29-Aug. 25. Aullwood is located at 1000 Aullwood Road in Dayton, Ohio and is open Mon.-Sat. 9 am-5 pm and Sun. 1-5 pm. There will be an artist reception on Sun., July 14 from 2-4 pm.

Springfield Museum of Art's Annual Members' Show

"Inside of a Dog," 22"w x 17"h x 7"d, Mar. 2012

The Springfield Museum of Art's 67th Annual Members' Juried Exhibition is June 22-Aug. 11 with an opening reception on Sat., June 22 from 5:30-7:30 pm.

The museum is located at 107 Cliff Park Rd., Springfield, OH 45504 and they are open Wed.-Sat. from 9 am-5 pm and Sun. 12:30-4:30 pm. Admission is $5 although Sundays are free.

"Inside of a Dog" and "Early Morning Nine Patch" are both in this exhibit.

"Home Tweet Home" in Miniature Show

 

"Home Tweet Home," 3" x 2", made by Pam Geisel, April 2013

We had a great Yellow Springs Street Fair last weekend and are looking forward to the Yellow Springs Art Stroll this Fri., June 14. There are several galleries open late that night including Would You, Could You In a Frame who is hosting their biennial "Miniature Show." All of the art in the Miniature Show is 2" x 3" or smaller.

My piece, "Home Tweet Home" (above) is shown unframed because the shop frames all the pieces, so I haven't seen it in the frame yet.

The Miniature Show runs from June 14-July 6. The gallery is located at 113 Corry St. in Yellow Springs and is open Tues.-Sat. from 10 am-6 pm. The opening reception is this Fri., June 14 from 6-10 pm. 

More about Home Tweet Home

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Village Artisans is hosting an interactive gallery "How Does Your Garden Grow." The walls in the Hall Gallery will be covered with large, blank paper and guests of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to draw their own garden visions with the crayons, markers, and color pencils provided.

Village Artisans is located at 100 Corry St. and will have refreshments from 6-9 pm on Fri., June 14. Several other galleries and restaurants will also be open late. To find out more about what's open, visit the Yellow Springs Chamber website.

Street Fair in Yellow Springs!

New bookmarks made with hand-dyed fabric.

For the first time since I've started selling at art fairs, I didn't have a show in May, so my first show of the year is the Yellow Springs Street Fair, this Saturday, June 8, from 9 am-5 pm.

We'll be in our usual spot, booth #185 (if you're facing the Little Art, we're to the right on the same side of the street). The Yellow Springs Street Fair is located on State Route 68 in downtown Yellow Springs.

One of the things that's makes the Yellow Springs Street Fair different from other art fairs is that we're allowed to sell baked goods along with the art. This year we'll have Springerles, German anise cookies made from my husband's family recipe. The cookies are $3 for a half dozen and the last time we sold them they were sold out by 2 pm. We also hope to have single-serving strawberry-rhubarb pies for $3 each.

Red Sky at Night - Bonus Project Quilting Challenge

"Red Sky at Night" 16.25" x 29.75", made for Project Quilting Bonus Challenge: Tradition Times Three, May 2013

Quick recap of the challenge: "Tradition Times Three"

1. Use 10 of the 12 fabrics in the "Project Quilting Bundle" from the Fat Quarter Shop in the top of the quilt.

2. You can add two additional fabrics.

3. Choose a traditional block and use it in at least three different sizes.

Because some of the fabrics in the bundle had a nautical theme, I decided I wanted to use a quilt square that also had a water theme. I went to my "5,500 Quilt Block Design" book by Maggie Malone and started looking for a block.

I found the "Sailboat" block. I noticed if I turned the sailboat block sideways and made a small alteration, it would look like a fish. In the spirit of the challenge when I made the sailboat block, I made the altered block even though it isn't obvious because I used the same fabric for all three pieces.

I reviewed the fabric in the bundle and decided I not to use the one in the upper left hand corner or the one below it (too much contrast). I did use them on the back of the quilt.

I added two medium blues (the second to the bottom and third to the bottom on my quilt) because I felt the jump from the lighter blues to the navy blue was too much.

I pieced my three traditional blocks (the sailboat is 12" square, the larger fish 6" square, and the smaller fish 4" square) and I enjoyed using the striped fabrics for the boat and for the fish. I've used striped fabric before for bindings and borders but haven't really incorporated them into the designs like I did with this one.

I didn't like using the checkerboard fabric as it turns out the squares are exactly square. One piece got turned sideways and it didn't line up like I expected it to.

I decided to use a scalloped quilting line for all of the quilting: the waves in the water (variegated blue), the fins on the red part of the fish (red), on the boat and the sail (cream), and in the red background on an angle to represent the wind pushing the sails (cream).

I did a facing for the binding and added two buttons for eyes on the fish.

As always, you can click on any photo to see it larger.

To see the other entries go to the Tradition Times Three page (sorry, there will be clicking involved but there are only nine entries so it's not too bad).

Book Reviews: "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker" by Jennifer Chiaverini and an autobiography of Elizabeth Keckley, Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

If you're a regular reader of Jennifer Chiaverini's books then her recent book "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker" might seen a little different. Not only is it not an Elm Creek Book novel, it's based on an actual person, Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave who became Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker.

Because Jennifer relied heavily on Elizabeth's own memoir "Behind the Scenes or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House." I decided to read both books. And even though the memoir was originally published in 1868, it is still available today.

Although there is a lot of overlap in the two books, "Behind the Scenes" covers more of Elizabeth's life before she became Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker. It includes her time growing up as a slave, how she was able to save enough money to buy her freedom and also the freedom of her son George, and how she moved to Washington D.C. as a free woman to become a dressmaker. "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker" includes what happens to Elizabeth after her memoirs were published.

Elizabeth first met Mrs. Lincoln on the day of President Lincoln's first inauguration. She remained as her dressmaker until shortly after the president was assassinated. It was after that time that Elizabeth was encouraged to write her memoirs, and although she thought she was presenting Mrs. Lincoln in a good light, Mrs. Lincoln wasn't pleased with the memoir and cut off all contact after that. Sadly, the book got bad reviews and Elizabeth never many any money from it.

Along with reading both books, I was able to attend a lecture and book signing sponsored by the Warren County Historical Society when Jennifer was at the Golden Lamb in Lebanon, Ohio, in January 2013. She's a gracious and entertaining speaker and it was interesting to hear about her process for writing this book.

It is believed that she made a quilt using the scraps from Mrs. Lincoln's dresses. That quilt is owned by the Kent State University Museum although it is my understanding that it is not displayed regularly.

We recently took a trip to Washington DC and the Smithonian National Museum of American History has an exhibit of dresses worn by the first lady. The purple velvet dress (left) that was worn by Mrs. Lincoln is believed to be made by Elizabeth.

Before we went on our trip we watched the movie "Lincoln" and Elizabeth is a character in the movie, although you wouldn't know that she was a dressmaker.

On a personal note, Elizabeth's son George attended Wilberforce University before he enlisted in the Union Army where he died during the Civil War. In 1892 Elizabeth taught dressmaking at Wilberforce, which is about 10 miles from where I live.

Here's a link to an article in the New York Times about Elizabeth Keckley.