Posts Tagged ‘Birds’

Focus Friday – Seasons

Friday, October 2nd, 2015

Fall has officially arrived and with temperatures last night in the 30’s, I can believe it! I do love the change of seasons, though, and fall is one of the best, but it does promise winter, which is NOT a favorite with me!

In honor of Fall, and the changing seasons, today I decided to feature the SEASONS banners. I designed these to hang either separately or all together with the shared fabrics complimenting each other across the surface.

Seasons-2

They are grouped as patterns in sets of two that share the same fabrics. The backgrounds are pieced and the simple applique shapes can be added either by hand or by machine. They were inspired by the plants and animals that are drawn to our water garden/fish pond throughout the year.

SEASONS – Winter and Fall  $8.00

winter_fall
SEASONS – Spring and Summer $8.00

spring_summer
To order, click on Patterns in the side bar.

The SAMPLE quilts are also for sale at $150.00 each, email me if you are interested!

SAQA Auction Sale

Wednesday, September 30th, 2015

Word just in that “Red Bellied Woodpecker” has sold, raising $550.00 for SAQA! Thank you Susan Arnold!!

SAQA Benefit Auction

Monday, September 28th, 2015

The SAQA 12 x 12″ Benefit Auction started last week. With the preview auction and the Week 1 pieces, already 87 works of art have sold raising $25,700 for SAQA to fund their  traveling exhibits.

12x12Woodpecker

My offering, “Red Bellied Woodpecker is in the Week 2 schedule which starts today at 2PM EDT. Check it out!

August

Thursday, September 3rd, 2015

August has been  busy month! My last multiple day engagement for Guild programs/workshop in Oklahoma happened and it was a fun trip with lovely ladies.  Even fitted in some fabric shopping, though we did not find the one I was looking for.  One more trip – next week to Kansas City, then I will be officially retired!!

We went to Wichita over the weekend for the Opening Reception of the Wichita National All Media Craft Exhibit where “Snow Buddies” is being exhibited. It has a great spot , well lighted where you see it as you enter the gallery; looks good!

WCFTA-SnowBuddies

While we were in Wichita we visited the Botanic Gardens, The Indian Museum and the Zoo.  The weather was near perfect and I was exhausted by the time we got back home! But it was fun!

Since coming back I have finished the Heron top using some of the fabrics that I found that looked like they might have possibilities.  I un-sewed some of the previous work to insert the new fabrics and I think it is going to be OK. HeronTop

Yesterday I squared it up and selected a backing fabric but have not yet layered it for quilting.  I think another deadline has squeezed in that will need my attention first!

News came that all four of my entries to the Visions of the Flint Hills Art Benefit and Sale at the Buttonwood Gallery in Kansas City were accepted.  “Harrier Hunting”, “Prairie Power”, “Drifted”, and “Grasslands” will be there.  This is an art exhibit so it is always gratifying when my quilts are recognized as art! The opening reception is on Oct 2 and the show runs through Nov 27.  Sales benefit the Friends of Konza Prairie.  Be sure and check it out if you are nearby.

HarrierHunting

HOT!

Monday, July 20th, 2015

With the return of hot weather, I have mostly stayed inside and am working on the beading of the last prairie fire piece. It’s a slow process, hopefully worth it for the spark effect.  The Heron is still on hold; I’m still hoping to find the fabric I need on my travels later this summer.  I have trips planned for Des Moines, Oklahoma City and Kansas City for guild programs. In case any of you visit a quilt shop keep an eye out for this fabric, and please let me know if you find it!

Batik

 “Seasonal Palette” containing my “December Dawn” continues to travel and a new venue has been added. It will be going to the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, MI from  July 1, 2016 through August 31, 2016.It has been one of SAQA’s most successful exhibitions ever.  When it finishes its travel it will have been viewed by over 100,000 people at 11 venues on 3 continents including 5 museums.
DecDawn450It is currently showing at the New England Quilt Museum til July 26, then will be going on to show at Texas A&M University.  I’m so lucky to be a part of this SAQA exhibit!

It’s Coming Along

Saturday, June 13th, 2015

Sometimes life gets in the way and things don’t go as planned. Progress on the art has taken a back seat to more important things, but still there has been some progress.

Heron13

Unless I decide to add a bottom border, that is going to be the lower edge. I will have to tweak the reflection of the legs so that it doesn’t just look like extra long legs. Maybe with the quilting.

Some of what I had cut as feathers turned out to be background so I had to change that. I have shopped a couple of stores for some more sky fabric to finish up the top, but so far the perfect one has eluded me. Maybe I will look on line.

The spring rains continue and have produced an abundance of flowers.

2015Flowers

The ponds are full and there has been flooding in some areas but not for us. We are ready for some sunshine but unfortunately that comes with 90-100 degree temps, that I am never ready for.

Catching Up

Sunday, May 31st, 2015

Yesterday I took the day off and went to an Art Fair in the KC area with friends.The weather was good, the art was especially nice and it was a fun day out and a yummy lunch. Then we visited a couple of galleries for more great art.

Before that, I spent all of Friday working on the Heron while it rained outside. I did some tweaking like adding more of the yellow/orange to the right side to bring in some light and adding to the legs. Sewed a bunch of seams and I needed to cut the cat tail leaves that will go between the sections so I can complete that portion on the left.

heron10-1

Not sure that I like that dark fabric; maybe it needs to be lighter. A nice medium tone would be more realistic but it would get lost against the background.

heron11

Nope. It needs to be dark to balance the other side, but that bit of dark between the leaves needs to go. Adding to the water and sewing more seams helps.

heron12-1OK, better. It’s starting to come together now.

 

Background

Tuesday, May 26th, 2015

Continuing on with the background, I am auditioning some new fabrics. I think that new sky fabric has definite possibilities. Sewing some of the seams tightens things up and makes it easier to see and fix mistakes.

heron8-2

 

I am liking this new grassy fabric and I have purposely cut it at several angles which I think gives it a sort of nice windblown effect, and will give judges something to complain about I suppose.

heron9Within the lower left portion there is a clump of smaller cat tails which I pieced in using a darker fabric which didn’t even show from a distance and needed to be taken apart and replaced with this lighter bit. It is not unusual for me to audition and cut several fabrics before settling on the right one.  It is always best if that happens before the sewing is done! But fabric choices are so important it is worth it to do the work.

There is also a new dark brush fabric as I like to get larger scale more detailed fabrics near the front. Laying in some water fabrics helps, too.

Progress

Sunday, May 24th, 2015

heron6Quite a few more seams are sewn and I found this neat batik for the legs that looks sort of scaley. The bird is starting to moosh into the background so I need to get some more contrast going on.

heron7-1

This dark batik helps a lot. Nature wants to camouflage everything but in art— not so much! It also helped to tone down the black on the bird. So much to think about!

It is STILL raining!

Starting The Heron

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

It is always so exciting to start something new! After pulling out all of the fabric possibilities it became apparent that the actual work cannot be the picture in my mind’s eye. Which is a let-down, I just don’t have those fabrics! But, never mind. I will make it work. (That picture is soft and dreamy, lots of soft peachy dawn colors, even paler shades for the bird.)

This first picture is at the end of the first working day, using the color palette that I have to work with. My artist friends don’t know how lucky they are to be able to mix up the colors they need!. I will change the head from cream to white for better contrast.  I decided that curved seam piecing would compliment this design.  It’s harder to sew but worth it I think.

heron1

The eye is an actual lucky find already printed for me in yellow, black and white. I will ink in some of the white center, leaving just a little white sparkle. And YES it is pieced in, not appliqued! For nice contrast, I chose dark brown for the beak, but checking the books, they all say the beak should be yellow, so I will have to change that. This is approximately 40 x 50″

heron2