Rana Quilts

Random Mention

2012-03-08T15:35:00.001-08:00

I opened my e-newsletter from Maine Fiberarts today and got a nice surprise! A detail photo from my quilt, "Being Alive is the Magic" was featured in the header. I know the photos are random, but it was still great fun to see it! If you have not had the opportunity to check out Maine Fiberarts, you must take a minute to do so:
http://www.mainefiberarts.org/

Should you find yourself in Topsham, be sure to stop by their building at 13 Main Street. They always have a fiber art exhibit on display, and you can pick up a copy of the Maine Fiberarts Tour Map while you are there.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Mug Hugs

2012-03-05T18:13:00.002-08:00

My friend Alessa requested a 'mug cozy' to keep her tea cup warm. While I was at it, I decided to make a mug mat (coaster) and a mug hugger as well (modeled here on a drinking glass). It was fun to pull together from pieces of this and that I had on hand, in fabrics I hoped she'd like. I thought the mug hugger was especially appropriate as they are off to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge this week--in addition to the Leopard, a Zebra and two Giraffes peek out of the windows on this fun 'Kidani House' fabric.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Forever in Bloom

2012-03-02T15:30:00.001-08:00

Three of my pieces will be on exhibit through March 25 at the Pearson Legacy Gallery in Deer Isle. Here's what the gallery owner has to say about the exhibit: This exhibition provides a dazzling display of what we all need right now - flowers. Forty artists from all over Maine (and beyond) are showing painted flowers, quilted flowers, flowers in metal, ceramic flowers, flowers in glass, flowers in photographs, and in many more media. The flowers may be easily recognizable or be an abstract interpretation. They may be local or exotic. But, the one common denominator is that none of these many blossoms will ever fade away - they will be "forever in bloom."
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11:00 to 4:00. Let me know if you get there! (Photo is of 'Rags to Riches', a "scrapture" piece--made with layers of fabric scraps and cuttings)
Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Small Projects

2012-02-16T18:20:00.001-08:00

While I have not embarked on a new project this year, I have completed a few small items. As a member of two guild chapters. I signed up for this year's challenge in both chapters. While one challenge is completed (I can show you in April,) the other is yet to be begun. Meanwhile, we took a class on fabric twiddling a la Jennie Rayment in Art Quilts Maine, and I turned my results into a pillow to donate for sale at the Calico Quilter's show. I've also just about finished Macaw, begun for a class sample.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

CTN 5!

2012-01-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

The Art Quilts Maine Guild traveling exhibit, "Storybook Quilts" is on display at the Portland Public Library until February 24. Recently I was interviewed about the quilts by Community Television Network. You can view the short piece at this link: CTN5. Mine is the first interview, so it's just a few minutes in. From Portland the quilts will travel to Rockland and Skowhegan, so you may have other opportunities to view them, but if you have the chance, the Library's children's section is a wonderful venue.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

New Class

2012-01-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

Linda and I are working on a new class series! It's called 'Picture This!', using applique to transform photos and images into fabric art. So much fun to see your photograph come to life in fabric! I started working on the sample this weekend--tracing the image, getting it enlarged, creating a pattern, then fusing fabrics to create the various elements. Tomorrow I hope to work on the background, then thread paint, layer, and quilt. Six sessions, which will hopefully allow time to complete the pieces, or at least get very very close! Here is my original photo, taken at the Animal Kingdom, and the two parrots, ready for a background.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Portland Public Library

2011-12-31T07:26:00.000-08:00

'Inspiration-Transformation', the collection of quilts created by members of Art Quilts Maine in response to 2011's challenge, are on display at Portland Public Library, in the children's area, through the end of February. The challenge, taken up by 15 guild members, was to create a quilt inspired by your favorite children's book. Books selected ranged from Miss Rumphius to Go Dog Go. While some artists chose the same book as their favorite, the resulting quilts could not be more different. The renovated Library is wonderful, and the children's section lends itself beautifully to art, with wall space above the book shelves and plenty of natural light. If you are in Portland, you must really try to stop in!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Photo from the Show

2011-11-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

File Under Fiber's blog post from Nov. 6 includes a photo of Mom and Auntie Jean play Gin at the Nashua, NH show, A Quilter's Gathering. The quilt took second in the category, "Reflection of Theme." What theme? Sisterhood Swirls. I was talking to Mom yesterday and she said she and Jean had played the same game since way back when our families used to vacation together at the Caspian. Although she said is wasn't really Gin Rummy, they called it Crazy Rummy. Go figure. Got some great comments from the judges as well. "Fascinating to explore this beautiful piece: and "So much attention to detail is appreciated" were two comments that made me happy. Hope to hang this one back up in Mom's apartment before long.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

News from New Hampshire!

2011-11-06T17:21:00.000-08:00

A friend just called to say that her sister went to The Quilter's Gathering show in New Hampshire this weekend and 'Mom and Aunti Jean play Gin' had a ribbon attached! Very awesome. She says I won "Best interpretation of the theme" which was Sisterhood Swirls. Can't wait to get the 'official' notification. I had two quilts in the show, this one and 'Bali Bloom', the big pink flower with beading. You can see it in the slideshow on my sidebar. Made my week!
Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

It's Official!

2011-09-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

On a lark I suggested to a friend that we offer to teach a class this fall. Well, a conversation or two later, and here we are! The blurb below is from the Sew Portland site, where we will be teaching. Wow!

Not Your Grandmother's Sampler Quilt! ( 6 to 8:30 )

Beginners will learn to select fabrics, piece a variety of blocks, and assemble a quilt with Rana O'Connor and Linda Morrisette in this 6 session class. Class begins Tuesday October 11 at 6 to 8:30 and continues through November. $60 plus materials; no book or pattern purchase required. More than a beginner? You can benefit from Rana and Linda's expertise and "outside the box" approach.
Event Location: Portand

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Three Wishes

2011-09-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

I took a class this summer with a quilter I have long admired, Katie Pasquini Masopust, called Ghost Layers and Colorwashes. We worked on a practice piece, learning to draw the elements, then add floating 'ghost' layers and set brush strokes of colorwash behind the piece. We also brought in photos and began drawing the pattern for a quilt of our own based on the techniques learned in class. I finally finished the practice piece. It's called "Three Wishes" and has three leafy shapes floating on the purple and yellow strokes of color. Katie PM gave each of us a piece of wool batting to use with our practice pieces. I had never quilted with wool batting before. It has some great qualities--very light, and the quilting shows because any areas not quilted down kind of puff up. I totally did not expect the thread-painted leaves to be quite so puffy--my usual batts would not have created such pillow-like effects! The brush strokes of color seemed to need some connection to the quilt so I added a few beads. Next stop: finish my pattern and get started on a bigger piece using this technique--I am thinking of calling it "Lightning Bug Light". You'll see.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Publisher's Weekly

2011-08-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

The touring show, "Inspiration Transformation", the series of quilts based on favorite children's books, is on display at Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers in Farmington this month. Judith Rosen of Publishers Weekly took notice and wrote a great article about the exhbit. Click here to read all about it!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

VOTE Online for Bali Bloom

2011-08-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

I entered an online quilt contest! The theme this week is quilts with flowers. Of course I thought of Bali Bloom, with that one big pink hibiscus flower and sparkly beads. Take a minute between Friday morning and midnite Sunday to head over to the Quilting Gallery and vote for your favorite flower quilt. It is all in fun.

On another front, the Art Quilts Maine travelling quilt show, Inspiration Transformation opened at Devanny Doak and Garrett Booksellers this week with some great publicity. There were stories in the Sun Journal and the Daily Bulldog, and an article is in the works for Publishers Weekly Children's Bookshelf, an online newsletter about the children's book business. You may recall the 16 quilts in this travelling show were inspired by favorite children's books. It is awesome to be a part of this talented group of artists.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

AQM Travelling Show

2011-08-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

I don't think it was the intention when the Art Quilts Maine guild chose this year's challenge that we would create a travelling show, but as it turns out, the theme is a natural fit with bookstores and libraries, so why not? The 15 quilts were inspired by our favorite children's books. They debuted at the Maine Quilt Show in Augusta and will open this week at DDG Booksellers in Farmington. From there, the quilts will be at the Saco library for two months this fall, and finally at the Portland Public Library (in the children's section) for early 2012. Mine is based on The Secret Garden and is called, "Being Alive is the Magic," a quote from the book. Maybe you will have the chance to see this collection of quilts and see if you can guess what book each is based on!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Happy Dance!

2011-07-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Today's mail arrived with a self-addressed envelope. That could only be good news! And it was. The quilt, "Mom and Aunti Jean play Gin" will be headed to New Hampshire immediately after the Maine Quilt show for World Quilt Show New England. It is pretty exciting to get in to this juried event. Just to remind you, here is a photo of the finished quilt. I am so glad it will finally be out in the world.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Fiber Arts Tour Weekend

2011-07-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

46 fiber art studios and farms statewide will open their doors and offer special demonstrations for the Fiber Arts Tour Weekend, August 5, 6, 7 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Weaving studios, cashmere farms, yarn spinneries, galleries and supply shops will offer craft demonstrations, hands-on workshops, farm tours, and crafts for children. Activities are detailed online at http://www.mainefiberarts.org/ or in a printed 2011 Fiber Arts Tour Weekend brochure. The event is part of the ongoing Maine Fiberarts Tour Map listing 134 sites to visit all year long. Free maps and brochures are available by visiting Maine Fiberarts, 13 Main Street, Topsham, ME 04086, 207-721-0678, fiberarts@gwi.net.

See a selection of 2011 Weekend images at:

http://gallery.me.com/fiberarts#100024&view=mosaic&sel=0

See a list of destinations open for the Fiber Arts Tour Weekend at:

http://www.mainefiberarts.org/

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Deadline Looming

2011-05-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Working on a piece that is due next Saturday. I decided to join a challenge, knowing it would put me under a deadline and that I would stress about getting it done in time. The top is complete, though. With the quilting left to do, I may have a shot. Especially if I don't get too detailed with the quilting. Can't reveal much until after we show them to the group, but I can say it is a quilt based on my favorite children's book, "A Secret Garden." The design process was really fun. I made a list of items, phrases, images from the book, then narrowed the list down to 5--although now that it's done, I think I ended up with 7. It's a little cluttered, like an English country style living room. I had just enough beautiful green dupioni silk to complete the border. Photo to follow, soon!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

At the Seashore

2011-04-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

Completed a wallhanging today commissioned by a friend. She is off to meet her new grandson soon and rather than a quilt, which I made for her other grandkids, decided on a wallhanging. The nursery has a sailboat theme, so the boats were the inspiration. A lighthouse for Maine seemed appropriate; the whale and starfish were my friend's idea. Fun touches included tiny buttons edging the starfish arms and a few sequins to make the whale spout sparkle.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Food Wine and Beer

2011-03-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

The quilt for Tara and Missy is done! I tried out a curved edge and bias binding, and finished it by machine, which saved mucho time, and for a quilt that will not be hung in a show, turns out to be a fine option. It was fun making the food and wine blocks and adding the bubbling circles. The quilting, done in bright variegated thread, turned circles into flowers and suns, with feathers wandering across blocks of oranges, beer steins or mushrooms, and a dark blue thread filling in the background. A thank you to Heather for the idea of a curvy edge which not only harmonized with the circles, but pulled the quilt together in a whimsical way.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

This one's for T

2011-02-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

My daughter and her girlfriend moved into a new apartment this fall. Nice place, old victorian building intown. Those lovely old windows don't do much to keep out the cold, though. They asked for a new quilt please. Since they both work in the restaurant business, a foodie quilt seemed like a natural choice. I lucked into several fat quarters of Farmer's Market fruits and vegetables, and the quilt evolved from there. Spent the weekend piecing, so I wanted to share it with you so far. There is a little nest of thread on the rather electric blue background--just testing out a multicolored variegated quilting possibility--meant to brush it off before I photographed, sorry!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Quilting Details

2011-01-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

It took a few days, but here is a shot of some of the quilting on the 'Best Friends' quilt. Still not quite sure what I am going to call this piece, but 'Best Friends' works for now. In this shot you can see the tablecloth, with sheer organza over the part that is in the direct path of the overhead light. The wine glasses got a wash of paint, a hint of glitter, then a layer of tulle. The cards are drawn with pigma pens on muslin, then pressed to set the markers. Where the tablecloth drops, you can see a thick band of thread paint to delineate the edge of the table top. Finally, the hands and arms are raw-edge applique with thread painted details. See the shadow of the arm? That is a piece of fabric under the organza--it added just the right quality. I hope to have the embellishments done and the piece ready for exhibit soon. I definitely plan to have it at Maine Quilts this summer--maybe other venues if something looks promising.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

New Quilt

2011-01-06T17:46:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak peak at the new quilt I am laying out. The next two quilts up are both bed quilts. This one is to replace the king size quilt on our bed, which has totally frayed. In the planning stages is a bed quilt for my eldest, who wants an upgrade from old and faded twin to a new queen size. This design took shape when I bid on and won a packet of dupioni silks at the guild meeting. Beautiful jewel tones--what to do with them? I pulled lots of batiks, and came up with the idea--intially of all little squares, randomly laid out, but as it has developed, there are 5 blocks--at this point still randomly scattered. The size of the basic unit was determined by a collection of batik strips I bought at the quilt show we went to in New Hampshire this fall. Since the strips are 2 1/2 inches wide, I went with blocks that finish out to 8 inches square. The 5 blocks are an Ohio Star, 4-patch, Double 4-Patch, Puss in the Corner, and 16-patch. Can you find them? With just over half the blocks pieced, I am loving the rich, warm tones in this top!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Almost Done!

2010-12-19T16:02:00.000-08:00

I've been quilting every free block of time I can find, and am very very close to finishing! I quilted all the elements with just the top and batting, then cut away any unquilted areas, put a new layer of batting and a backing on, and have been busy filling in the background. The two layers do make each element stand out nicely, but boy is it heavy! Plus I am not at all sure it will lie flat. As soon as the quilting is done, I can trim it to square everything up, stitch on a binding, and add a few embellishments. Don't know that the quilting made a huge difference--can you tell? It would probably help to have a better photo. Maybe I am just too close to this piece right now!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Too Busy to Blog

2010-11-13T05:40:00.000-08:00

Ever find that happens to you? Get too busy to blog? Thought I'd do a quick note before the day gets away from me. YES! The quilt I have been working on is finally getting quilted! I spent a day working on the flowers outside the window, another on the tiffany lamp, and yesterday, got up my courage and quilted the faces. I am wondering if I quilt all the elements, should I trim the batting away from the background and re-layer a backing/batting before quilting the background? I am currently working on the top with batting behind but no backing. I was just wondering if it would provide some dimension to the elements and push the background further or if it would just be a lot of work for not much effect. Any thoughts on that? I'll post a photo soon!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Thank You Gifts

2010-10-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

Today's mail brought an unexpected and most delightful surprise--a thank you gift from Henry Dallal, whose photo inspired the Marwari horse quilt! Inside was a copy of his book, Horse Warriors, with my favorite photo on page 57, and a lovely inscription. As an added bonus, a DVD of his first book, Pageantry and Performance was also in the box! I was so touched and pleased. And I know it was the right choice to send the quilt to Henry for his London flat. To see some of Henry's work click on this link.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Tackling the Background

2010-09-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

Work on the quilt had ground to a halt as I needed to find fabric to make the floor of the room, and allow the ladies to settle, rather than float around in space. Finally got out to the fabric store today and came up with a mottled gray. That set in motion today's bits--mostly I worked on the glass door on the right side of the quilt. Really love the floral outdoor fabric! I had debated whether to add a rug, but this dark purple really warms up the room, and if I run it at the right angle, should help with the perspective. I didn't cut it yet, so it's kind of smooshed on there, but hopefully you can get the idea. Tomorrow we're working on a new group quilt, so it will be a few days before I can get back to this. I'll have to take all the elements off and piece the background, then layer everything back on. And then? Time to set up the sewing machine! It has been waiting in its case for two months! I am really looking forward to some thread play.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Aaah

2010-09-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

Finally gave the ladies chairs to sit in! they had spent weeks 'squatting' as their legs were done but the chairs were not. Aaah. Now they can relax and look forward to a card game and a glass of wine. Almost done with the various elements! Time to give some serious thought to the background--wall, floor and sliding glass door. Here's where we are now:

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Home at Last

2010-08-28T18:34:00.001-07:00

After nearly a year of false starts and missed connections, Postcard from Rajasthan has finally been delivered to the man whose photography inspired the quilt, Henry Dallal. I wrote this to accompany the wallhanging:

Captivated by the craggy-faced man and beautiful Mawari horse, I was inspired by Henry Dallal's photo to create this 45 x 60 inch wall hanging. I worked on this piece for about a year. The photo was enlarged to create a pattern, from which various commercial fabrics were cut and assembled on a muslin base. Intensive thread painting defined features and provided dimensionality.
In a nod to traditional quilting, I pieced the sky from half-square triangles in a close range of blues. The beaded fringe was created over many July evenings, while watching the Red Sox on TV with my father-in-law. The ornate frame, quilted in hexagons with gold thread, harkens back to Persian hand crafted woodwork known as Khatam-Kari.
Completed in 2007, the quilt was exhibited at several venues including: Maine Quilts: Augusta, Maine (Judges' Choice)
Northeast Quilts Unlimited, Arts Center Old Forge, New York
Road to California: Ontario, California (Honorable Mention)
Art Quilts Maine Exhibit, Saco Museum: Saco, Maine
World Quilt Show-New England: Manchester, New Hampshire

While I derived a great deal of pleasure creating and exhibiting this piece, I always knew it would ultimately be a present to my dear friend and inspiration, Henry.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Sold!

2010-08-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

I had a very exciting phone call last night. A member of my guild, Art Quilts Maine, called to say one of the quilts I had in our summer exhibit at the Central Maine Artist Gallery in Skowhegan had sold! I had three pieces in the month-long exhibit: Wish, Tiger Two and Rags to Riches. Wish sold, and the gallery owner has asked to keep a few pieces, including Tiger Two for a few more months. I am so thrilled! I am posting a photo of Wish. You can see the others in my Album. Wish, which is 12" square, features a painted face (a photo of my youngest daughter served as the model) thread-painted hair and dandelions, and fairies embellished with beads and sparkly thread. I totally loved the way the background quilting came out on this piece.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Elements Added

2010-07-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

Worked on a few new elements for the picture-quilt. I hadn't planned to include the overhead lamp, but decided it would be good to have that light source, so I gave them a Tiffany lamp. I liked that it brought some color to the composition as well. There is a scrap of tulle over part of it--one possibility to avoid stitching down every small piece. Bit of a side road--12 to 15 hours in and threadpainting awaits. Worked on arms as well, so they look a little less like Weebles, and strung some beads for a necklace. I've been wondering if I can find a miniature deck of cards or if I will be making fabric cards for them to hold. Any opinions?

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

New Work

2010-06-23T04:50:00.000-07:00

Here are the first photos of my latest work in progress. Another photograph-based quilt--this photo taken by my friend Andy Waterhouse when we were in DC. When I saw his photo I knew I wanted to interpret it in fabric--it would be a challenge to get the light and the wine glasses to work out. First though, the faces. If they didn't work, may as well abandon the idea. So that's what I have been playing with--tracing, sketching, familiarizing myself with the subjects, then cutting and layering fabric shapes in various shades. I am pretty pleased with the result so far. Still so many ways this could get derailed, but a good enough start to post some photos. Enjoy!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Baby Brights

2010-06-06T19:54:00.001-07:00

Has it been over a month since my last post? Guess that's what happens when the weather improves here in Maine--can't spend those sunny weekends indoors! Garden is growing, home projects started. Haven't made much progress on my new quilt--it is ready for me to pull fabrics, but I have procrastinated, waiting for a day with a block of undisturbed time to work. In the meanwhile, we presented the Wedding Tree to our co-worker and put together a baby quilt. Everyone made blocks using lots of bright scraps--either flowers or pieced squares, then we got together to sew blocks into a top and add borders. I brought it home and quilted it (see pictures.) Now it goes back to someone else to bind, another person is working on a label, and with luck we can present it before the baby arrives!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at:http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Something New?

2010-05-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

Puttered around in my 'studio/dining room' all day Saturday. Organized fabric. Thought about new quilts. When I realized I was planning new projects to avoid starting on the next pictorial quilt I decided, "that's it." Either start this quilt or give up on the idea already! So I spent much of today putting everything I have reviewed about drawing faces for quilts to work and started creating patterns. The way I see if, if I can't execute the faces, there's not much point in working on the rest. I pulled fabrics. Next block of time will be devoted to cutting the shapes and figuring out if I can pull this off. Wish me luck! What is the quilt going to be? I'm keeping it a secret for a bit. If it starts rolling, I'll post photos.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

We will miss you, Jeanne Marie

2010-04-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday several of us spent a couple of hours in the a.m. at the Calico Quilter's annual show then off to lunch at a very nice Indian restaurant in Brunswick. After lunch it was over the bridge to Topsham to spend the afternoon drinking in the quilt artistry of the late Jeanne Marie Robinson, a member of Art Quilts Maine. A ballerina in her youth and co-founder of the Robinson Ballet in Bangor, Maine, Jeanne Marie created mostly hand stitched quilts that combined traditional blocks with amazing applique, often featuring animals. Maine Fiberarts Gallery hosted the restrospective. You might still be able to see some of her work on their site.In looking through her quilt photo albums, we were struck by a rather dramatic shift in her work. Over a year or two the quilts went from following traditional patterns to springing to life from her own, fertile imagination. Just breathtaking.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Art Quilts Maine

2010-04-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

I went to the guild meeting Saturday. It was, as usual, lots of fun. Sally Rowe taught a workshop on "Happy Villages", a technique by Karen Eckmeir that you are probably familiar with. Sally makes it all so easy and fun. She is working on a series of village quilts--I think she said one for each letter of the alphabet! The technique is fabric collage, and I figured out a way to glue that was actually fast and not at all frustrating, so that's a bonus. Here's a shot of my tiny village in process--4" x 6"! The guild exhibit this summer is at the Central Maine Artist Gallery in Skowhegan. Opening reception is Sunday, July 11 at 3:00. The show runs through August 11. All pieces must be 16" x 20" or smaller, and most are available for purchase. I am planning to show "Tiger Two" and if there is room for a second, "Rags to Riches" (see photos below.) We saw some wonderful pieces during show and tell--a beautiful Caspian Trout by Anne and intricately woven fabric art by Kathy. As I was leaving, I browsed the guild library and found three books to borrow. Definitely worth the trip!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

The One Week Quilt

2010-04-06T19:15:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick little baby quilt for a shower I am going to soon. I pulled the blue and yellow fabrics from my stash, and when I found the dark blue batik with dinosaurs, I decided on a pattern that showcased it. I had already started the swirly quilting when I hit upon the idea of adding the pink dinosaur, so she got placed in a corner that wasn't yet quilted. I don't know if you can see it in the photos, but I am using several different variegated threads--four total, just for a little variety. Just one quarter left to quilt. Don't you love the dinosaur applique? I think it really makes the quilt! I've got a mix of blue fabrics pieced for the binding, which I hope to apply by this weekend--that would be a new record--concept to completion in One Week!

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Catherine Wheels

2010-03-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

A quick post to show you the *probably* finished (and revised) quilt! Here is a full shot and a detail showing the switched blocks (note that I went with the original Libra in the small block) and the constellation stars in place. I think it is about as done as it gets. Label, secure the sun to the center and good to go! I have decided on Catherine Wheels for a name--a type of firework that spins like a pinwheel.
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Yikes!

2010-03-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

You will not believe this. I woke up this morning having glued stars on all but one constellation in the border and looking forward to completing the four larger constellations, representing the zodiac signs of the family this quilt is going to. For no good reason, I rechecked their birthdates. Dec. 4, Sagittarius. May 1, Taurus. January 23, Aquarius. September 21, Virgo. WHAT? September 21??? How is it that I have Libra in that square? Frantically recheck lists of dates. Nope, September 21 is never Libra, always Virgo. Good Grief, now what? I had redrawn Libra because it was the only illustration I didn't feel worked in the larger squares and now--it doesn't even belong there! No sense crying. I thought about ripping out all the quilting stitches, but after 20 minutes spent ripping out Virgo's foot I realized that wasn't going to fly. So I cut out new blue squares, hand appliqued them over the finished blocks, then quilted Libra in the small block and Virgo in the large block where she belongs. 5:00 and I am caught up to where I was this morning. Well, it would have been the END if I had gifted it with such a major mix-up. "That's nice, but my daughter is a Virgo." You can see the mixed up squares if you click on the detail photo. I'll post a new photo once the blocks dry--had to spray water on the fabric because I don't think the quilt should go thru the washer with all the rhinestones glued on, but the new blocks look flat since they haven't been washed. Fingers crossed!

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Bound and washed!

2010-03-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

That close! I got the binding and hanging sleeve done while away on a business trip last night. Tonight I put the quilt in the wash. Now to attach the central painted/appliqued Khorshid Khanoom and start madly glueing on stars. Just about a week before we leave--I'd really like it to be done in time. Today's pictures don't look much different from yesterday's--except hopefully better color, and imagine the hand sewing is done--big relief for me! I want to call this Cartwheels or Catherine Wheels but I can't find a Farsi translation for either. That's the connotation I want though--any ideas?

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Quitled Motifs

2010-03-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

Seems I missed posting a shot of the zodiac motifs. Here is Sagittarius--I will be adding crystals in the constellation positions as a final touch. The quilting is done--I can't find anything more to quilt! Feathers filled in open space as did some echo quilting. While I mostly used matching thread for texture and background, allowing the motifs to take center stage, I did go back and quilt over the petals/flames in each corner of the motif blocks with gold thread to match the center. They were lost once the whole background got quilted in. Take a look at the binding--a small flange of hot pink will peek out of floral binding using the star fabric . I have to thank Heather for her unerring eye and good ideas. I haven't been happy with the color of most of the pictures of this quilt --in artificial lighting it has been photographing more gray than in life. Any ideas? Except take it outside since it is pouring rain?

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2010-03-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

The quilting is coming along and making a difference. I have plans for feathers in some of the open spaces, but before I get to them, I keep finding fiddly bits to quilt, like around all the points, and within the kaleidoscope stars. Here are a few shots-you may be able to see the quilting better if you click on the photos.

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Lady Sun

2010-02-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

I don't know that this quilt will get done in time to bring to DC in March, but at least I am back to making some progress. Having decided to quilt zodiac symbols around the sun, I went in search of a series that I liked. The ones I chose are from an old children's book. Here is a practice piece, trying out different threads and getting the hang of quilting the motifs. My process is to print the motif on tracing paper, glue the paper to the quilt sandwich with a spritz of spray glue, then free motion stitch over the lines. The worst part is getting all the bits of tracing paper out of the stitching. Here is a shot of the quilt center with Khorshid Khanoom in the center. She is very nearly done--painted and beaded. She will be the final addition to the quilt--along with a scatter of glittery crystals.

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Wedding Tree

2010-02-07T14:34:00.000-08:00

What a difference a border makes! The tree quilt got a beautiful batik border of flying geese, chosen because geese mate for life, followed by a bright red border which brought great warmth to the piece. I spent the weekend quilting the center panel and am ready to pass it on to Linda to quilt the borders, then someone will add binding and a label, and voila! Ready to gift! Today's photos show the quilt with center quilting done, and a close up of some of the fill-in quilting--borrowed from Leah Day's 36 5 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs Thanks, Leah!

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Accepted for Show!

2010-02-01T14:38:00.001-08:00

Woo Hoo! Today's mail brought a letter of congratulations from the jury at the American Quilting Society's Quilt Show and Contest in Lancaster, PA March 24-27, stating that I am a semi-finalist! They even included a press release, which reads in part: "Bali Bloom was chosed from a large field of entries and will compete against others within its category. . .all semifinalists' quilts will be displayed at the show, which is expected to draw nearly 20,000 people. . .Quilts were entered in this international contest from 38 states and 7 other countries." How cool is that! Off to a guild meeting this evening--maybe I will bring it for show and tell.

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Feathered Star

2010-01-30T14:37:00.000-08:00

OK, back to quilts. I have been working on the piecing for the feathered star blocks. Next time I decide to do a quilt with lots of piecing, remind me that I don't really love matching points, sewing lots of tiny seams or trying to make everything match up beautifully. That said, here are some photos of this quilt in progress. Still rough, but coming along.

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Trust Women

2010-01-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

Today, a diversion. I am a firm believer that abortion has no place in politics and should rest in the hands of a woman, her family, and her health care provider. Tomorrow is the anniversary of Roe vs Wade. How private decisions ever became politicized is beyond me, but here we are, 37 years later, still fighting. The murder of Dr. Tiller last year, simply because he provided legal, safe abortions was dispicable. Would those who wish to ban abortion choose a return to coat hanger, back alley butchers? Is that a better solution? Dr. Tiller wore a button that read: Trust Women. Couldn't be simpler. Trust Women.

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Feathered Star

2010-01-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

I am excited to be starting a new quilt. I will post a few photos of the "background" in process, which hopefully will feature a face in the center. If all goes well, I plan to give it to a friend who has talked about this idea for quite some time. It has been a long time since I have made a quilt from a pattern, with piecing. And this is fairly precise piecing--feathered stars are all points! The stars are cut using a 'stack and whack' system, stacking repeats of the fabric so they line up perfectly before slicing into diamonds. The final effect is of a kaleidoscope. When I get to the face, I plan to print it on fabric, paint, then thread paint and finally, embellish with tiny beads. Fingers crossed for a happy outcome! Should the top come out well, it will be on to quilting, and I want to do rather more structured quilting than usual--the blue spaces lend themselves to specific designs--I am thinking about something to do with zodiac signs, but we'll see. Long way from that decision yet. Here are the 1.5" half-square triangles, chain-stitched, then surrounding the star. Love that Hoffman garden fabric.

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Goodbye 2009

2009-12-30T18:09:00.001-08:00

End of the year, and no projects in the works! I had thought I might start a new piece over the holidays, but there were just too many happy distractions. The tree quilt our group is working on (see below) is at another quilter's home awaiting borders. I do have plans for two new pieces--even have the main fabric for one, and a pattern (!) Don't do many quilts from patterns anymore, but I fell in love with a feathered star and really want to try it. The second is another based on a photo--so far all I have done is get the photo enlarged to size. More on that later. Perhaps January will provide some snowy weekends to motivate me!

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Quick Pic

2009-12-13T21:14:00.001-08:00

Just a quick picture so you can have an idea of the new quilt in the works. This is the center panel of a group quilt, as explained in yesterday's post. Borders are in the works. We got together today to stipple the leaves and satin stitch the branches/trunk in place. We added batting behind the leaves to give them some depth, and tried stippling with and without stabilizer on top. Putting stabilizer on top meant the triangle points stayed put so we didn't have to keep stopping and starting, but when we got done with the section with the stabilizer, we had to spend time tearing it off, carefully, painfully. So probably like the stop and start better, if we had to choose. Coming along nicely, though!

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New Work

2009-12-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

The only quilt in the works at the moment is a group quilt. Created for a wedding that blends two families, the design is of intertwined trees, with a branch for each family member. We paper pieced the trunks from strips of batik in a random fashion, starting with browns and ending with a different color for each branch. We pieced flying geese (geese mate for life, you know) to make one of the borders, and used the off-cut batik triangles to create abstract leaves. We solved the problem of how to attach all those tiny triangles by drawing a rough outline of the tree top on Steam-a-Seam lite, cutting the fusible web out, and applying it to the background fabric. Because it is pressure sensitive, we could keep the triangles from falling off until we were ready to fuse them with the iron. Next step: stipple the leafy area with batting behind to give it some dimension. I think a variegated thread will do nicely with the multicolor leaves. Then satin stitch the tree trunks and branches on top, add a few random "leaves" to blend, and voila! A family tree! I'll try to get a photo up soon so you can see what I am going on about.

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I've Got to Crow!

2009-11-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

I've got to Crow! I received a copy of Sarah Ann Smith's book, Thread Work Unraveled in the mail today, and right there, on page 73, are two photos of my quilt, "Postcard from Rajasthan" One is a full shot and the other a close-up. How COOL is that! My quit pictured in the same book with Sarah's "Bijagos Warrior", which inspired me to begin "Postcard", and quilts by such renowned quilters as Hollis Chatelain and Jane Sassaman! I'll be cozying up with the book tonight to begin reading it, but it is a super thrill to see my work in print.

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Angel Complete!

2009-10-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

McAuley Angel finally feels done. With a drift of flowers at her feet, shaft of sunlight falling behind her, and serendipitous halo that appeared in the background, begging to be highlighted with sequins, she is embellished to the hilt. The photos in no way capture the way the light plays off of the crystals, sequins, beads and glitter that adorn her. I like the hint of chaos in the darker sky, and the swirl of roses surrounding her. She goes on display tomorrow, and we'll see if the quilters think she needs anything more!

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Still working...

2009-10-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Not a lot new to report--making slow but steady progress on McAuley Angel, which once embellishing began has begged for just one more thing several times--Here's hoping this final bit will do it. I am adding sequins to an arc that is suggested by the values behind her--I'll post a photo when it gets done (if I like the sequins and don't pull them all off!)

The Deep Ones baby quilt is coming together as well. Here is a shot of the completed top, although the color is more true in the post below. Next step: construct a back from the left over fabrics, then quilt!

Meanwhile, I found the fabric I want to use for a feathered star quilt based on a Persian myth, Khorshid Khanoom. It is the Hoffman challenge fabric from 2007. Once I realized it was out of print, I searched online and sent for the few yards I found. I am thinking to place her face in the center of the star--maybe something zodiac around the border. Still in the thinking phase. As is another quilt based on a photo taken in DC. Never enough TIME!!

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Quick update

2009-09-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

Sarah Ann Smith's book is very nearly on the shelves! It is called 'Threadwork Unraveled'. I still don't know if "Postcard from Rajasthan" made it in or not, but either way, very cool. Meanwhile, a very quick update and a quick peak. We started a new group quilt at work--lots of fun techiques incorporated from things we have learned. It has to do with trees and I promise a photo when we get it done, but that's it for now! Meanwhile on the home front: McAuley Angel continues to collect embellishments--silk vines and the promise of beads to approximate the mounds of hydrangea surrounding her at this season, and the baby quilt, "Where the Deep Ones Are" a la 'Where the Wild Things Are' is beginning to take shape. Lots of stitching, not much writing!

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Finishing Up

2009-09-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

I think we can call the Barbara Olson workshop quilt done as well. I went back (after completely quilting it) and added more purple vine quilting to the border, and quilted within the petals, mostly just on along the vein to make the trapunto pouf a bit more. Enough on that one!

McAuley Angel is ready for embellishing. I have some great silk vines and a few bead-y ideas. I do love the paint and glitter on her wings, but am still not sure about this one.

Finally, we went fabric shopping for a baby quilt for our friends who own a gaming shop/bookstore. Hubby drew up the design. The fish blocks are done. Time to get to work on the body. It is going to be a Wild Thing!

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Bali Done

2009-09-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

I am declaring Bali Bloom done. The comments shared last time I brought it in for discussion were excellent, and I spent a few more evenings with beads, which we know I just love (not!) but I do love the effect. Spot on comment about needing to splay out the beads as they fall onto the leaves. It really does feel complete. Don't you agree?

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Sewing with Mom

2009-08-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

I promised photos, so here are a few. All works are still in progess, but progress is being made! Mom came up from DC this week, so I took a few days off work and beaded or sewed while visiting.
Bali Bloom is where I left it, waiting for one last row of beads (again). The workshop flower is ready for quilting--I have marked big chalk leaves behind the flower and plan to start quilting those, then see where to go. (you can see the chalk marks if you click the photo.) I've got bright green and turquoise thread out to use for quilting on that dark blue/black fabric. It is not really my style, but an opportunity to practice, and I am determined to get a trapunto effect out of something! Here I trapuntoed the petals, so let's see if the magic happens. Meanwhile, McAuley Angel waits for me. The last time I walked by the statue on Stevens Ave, she was virtually hidden by the bushes surrounding her--I thought they were roses but they are actually a white-flowered bush that looks like Hydrangea.

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Projects in Process

2009-08-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

One more row of beads to add and THEN I think Bali Bloom will be done. Or at least ready for another round of commentary. The extra beads have added a lot--you'll see.
Meanwhile, the flower started in Barbara Olson's class is appliqued to a background, fabric from behind the flower trimmed away, polyester batting added just behind the petals, stitched using a technique I learned watching a Patsy Thompson YouTube video. The plan is to layer the whole with batting then quilt like a madwoman all over the dark blue background. In several colors.
All this has been a distraction from McAuley Angel, which is waiting to be threadpainted, trapuntoed, attached to the background, then embellished. I'm using what I learn from working on Barbara Olson's flower to help me think through finishing the angel. So it's all interwoven.
I will take pictures and post them very soon. It's been a busy month!

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Bali Bloom Returns

2009-08-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

The consensus is No! Bali Bloom needs further beading, so it is back on the unfinished list. Meanwhile, I created a background for McAuley Angel, using the technique from 'Vase' (see Feb. 16, 2009, Invitation!) which involves tiny bits of fabric. I am at the tedious stage of tearing off the stabilizer that held all the bits in place while I quilted. You can see some of the stabilizer still in place in the photo. Once the stabilizer is off I can wash the background, then applique the angel, who awaits thread painting.

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Bali Done

2009-08-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Bali Bloom is finished! Or at least I think it is. I have it ready to take to the office tomorrow and see how it looks on display--and whether others concur that it is complete. Beaded several weeks while hanging out with my father-in-law watching the Red Sox on TV. What do you think? Is it done yet? Click on the photo to see a larger picture. The beading actually looks subtle in this shot!

Several of us met up for a quick trip to the Lowell Quilt Festival. We spent Thursday at a wonderfully fun workshop with Barbara Olson.We worked on flowers using very wild, vivid colors and patterns and learned design principals and an applique technique involving glue (which I am not at all fond of. In fact, in order to finish my piece I think I will need to figure out a different technique!)
But we had such a great time together and saw oh so many beautiful, take your breath away quilts.

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Angel Quilt

2009-07-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

The angel quilt is taking shape. Image outlined onto watercolor paper, painted with watercolors, printed onto fabric, painted with fabric paint, embellished with oil pastels and glitter. The technique is from a DVD we watched courtesy of Heather, called Stitch Imagery with Kelli Perkins. Lots of fun ideas. So now I have an angel element, time to figure out how to get her onto a quilt! Here's the statue which inspired this quilt.

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Let the beading begin!

2009-07-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Bali Bloom could have been complete, but it didn't feel quite done, so it is on with the beading! I have spent several evenings beading the center, and all the yellow anthers--almost done with that segment. My plan is to create a path of pink/purple/green beads along the edge of each petal, where it overlaps the next petal, and scatter the beads out into the background, bringing a little light to the dark green/brown background fabrics. I got some help today from a young visitor, who ably popped beads on my needle as I needed them. I could use a helper like that all the time! The pink/purple pathways are pretty ambitious, but I think it will add the sparkle I am looking for.

Meanwhile, I need to find some Bubble Jet Set so I can get to work on the angel quilt--starting from a photograph of the McAuley Angel (an angel statue in front of the Sisters of Mercy residence). I plan to paint, then print on fabric, and see where I go from there. The Bubble Jet Set is to prepare the fabric so I can print my painted angel directly onto the fabric. I am thinking of creating a background using the 'scraptures' technique I used for the floral bouquet quilts, (see post 2/19/09 Invitation!) then appliqueing the angel on top. No idea if it will work, but it will be fun to find out!

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New Quilts

2009-06-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

Bali Bloom could be considered complete! Here is a picture of it with the curvy border, offset bloom and background leaves. The remaining question is: to bead or not to bead? Since it is a big piece (38 x 48) even beading judiciously will require a lot of beads. I am considering it, though, where each petal overlaps the next one. Possible also in the center, a few yellow beads? What do you think? I have asked several quilting friends who caution that beading will add a lot of time to a piece that can essentially stand on its own now. I’ll mull it over a bit.

Meanwhile, I am starting a new piece, yippee! I hope this will be the first in a series based on photographs taken on the Portland Trails. If you are not familiar with the Portland Trail system, it is a wonderful network of wooded walks that wind through the city. Within steps of each trail head you are removed from traffic, sidewalks, cars and city sounds and sights. It is really quite remarkable. I began walking many of the trails this winter, camera in hand, and have several photos I am anxious to turn into small quilts. I want to think about this series as ‘Fairy Habitats along Portland Trails’, so while each will be based on a photo taken along the trail, fairies and their environments will hopefully creep into each scene. I’d love to do 6 to 12 quilts in the series—we’ll see how it develops. Here is a tree trunk and fairy wings (the fairy will be added, as will a door in the trunk.) The photo that inspired this scene was taken along University Park Trail—one of the shortest trails in the system, off Allen Avenue. I absolutely love the technique I learned from Christine Fries-Ureel for creating tree trunks from strips and scraps of diverse fabrics.

Finally, I have been asked to create a wall hanging for a co-worker that can be anything I want, any technique, as long as it includes an angel. How fun! I am researching angels at the moment, especially Victorian and Art Nouveau paintings. This could become a reason Bali Bloom gets declared complete without beads!

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American Beauties

2009-06-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

Sharon Mack, a Maine quilter, has put together a fun event to raise money for breast cancer research called "Bras 4 the Cause". The bras will be on display during July, and auctioned at the First Universalist Church auditorium in Pittsfield on August 1. Our quilting group split into two teams. One team created "American Beauties" pictured here, with rose petals, leaves and plenty of sparkle. The other team is putting the finishing touches on "Betty Boobs" Betty Boop eyes, a bustier, and her pouty lips--it is a stitch! I will post a photo when they get it done. Click the link for more info or to see a slideshow of the bras as they arrive.

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Cut it up!

2009-05-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to cut up my quilt! Well, not really cut it up, just create a curvy border. I think I have it figured out, with help from a book by Vikki Pignatelli called Quilting By Improvisation. (http://www.vikkipignatelli.com/)
I have taken out a few stitching lines and have high hopes that once I get the edges done and perhaps put it through the wash, I will feel better about the trapunto. Here goes nothing!

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Blog to Blog

2009-05-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

I was catching up on a few blogs and discovered that Sarah Ann Smith, a wonderful quilter/teacher living in Camden, ME had included a photo of one of my quilts on her blog! It is one of the two Tigers I exhibited at Maine Quilts last year. Check out her post! Very very cool to come across that today. We met when she was interested in including "Postcard from Rajasthan" in her book. The book (might become 2 books!) is still in progress, so who knows, the horse may yet get published.

Meanwhile, I am stalled on Bali Blooms. The trapunto is not smooth and full as I had imagined it. Hmmm. trying to figure out what to try next. Last time I was unhappy I cut a hole in the quilt. It actually worked out, eventually! Still, not sure that is the answer to every quilt-y problem! So, I'm pondering and wondering if I can go ahead and finish the binding, then return to the petals. I'm planning a wavy, curved edge--similar to "Watch Over Me" (see post below). Check back to see what happens--maybe it will look just fine with a few holes cut in it!

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Sold!

2009-05-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

Two bits of news today. One, Bali Bloom (see April 26 post for a photo) is almost completely quilted, and the good news is the quilting seems to be helping it lay flat--I had worried about a 'wave' that seemed to have formed in the petals. I quilted the leaves and veins with various green and turquoise threads, and the background with brown thread, in a random quilting pattern. Thinking ahead now to embellishments and wondering if some beads or french knots might be in order around the center stamens.

The other great news is I sold a quilt to one of my co-workers! It is a piece I started in a class with Christine Fries-Uriel (http://www.loveabideth.com/) It is the piece with the butterfly, mentioned in the February 20 post. Here is a picture of the full quilted wallhanging, "Watch Over Me" with a fairy watching over a napping mouse. I love the curvy, irregular border, and the tree made of random strips of batiks.

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Postcard from Rajasthan

2009-05-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

The horse quilt, Postcard fromRajasthan, returned from Deer Isle today. It was on display at the Pearson Legacy Gallery as part of a "Portraits" exhibit (the quilt got in for the guy, not the horse.) At any rate, thinking about what to do with it now--send it to Henry, who took the photo on which the quilt is based? Look for more exhibit opportunities? I think it will probably go back on the wall at the office, since there is enough space for it to hang there while I think about next steps. I'm sure I would be able to part with it if a buyer came along, which was not the case when I first completed it. But it has been on exhibit several places, won some ribbons and accolades, and it would be nice if this horse and handler found a home.

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2009-05-01T04:32:00.001-07:00

Nothing new on the home quilting front, but wanted to update you on the quilters' group. We finished and presented a quilt to a co-worker in honor of her marriage and blended family--we used a flip-and-sew technique on the 'roses' to create a Family Bouquet, with photos in the center of several roses.

We meet this week to start Art Bras--we'll be creating bras for auction in support of Breast Cancer. We have split into two teams and we plan to create "American Beauties" with silk rose petals and "Betty Boops" using the bra as a base for Betty's face. We'll see--if we get them done I'll post a photo. Meanwhile, click the link for a visual--much easier to see one than to explain it!

See more of my quilt photos at: webshots

Progress!

2009-04-26T17:17:00.001-07:00

Finally, a day without work or many other interruptions, so back to thread painting! I promised to post photos last time, so here are a few shots from the end of the day. I finished thread painting the flower--the center ended up much heavier with thread than the petals, which surprised me--I thought the petals were pretty intense! While I was painting little circles of yellow rayon thread on the yellow anthers, I wondered if I wasn't going overboard--what if I decide to add french knots or beads later? Will I be able to get a needle through all the thread? Time will tell.

Kate brought me a beautiful fabric she thought might make good leaf veins. Unerring eye for color! It created beautiful, subtle veins--and of course, now the leaves will need thread painting as well to keep those slender
veins from falling off. Hopefully next
time I get to work I will be able to move on to the trepidatious trapunto! Can't wait to try it, but patience, patience.

What do you think? add veins to the dark green shadowy leaves as well? Will Kate bring me the perfect vein color? Check back in a bit!

See more of my quilt photos at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Talking Shop

2009-04-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of quilting buddies stopped over for lunch and some quilt talk. We discussed the Bali Bloom quilt--currently being thread painted, both to begin blending the various fabrics in each petal and to secure the many strips. The thread is a variegated pink, running from almost purple to pale pink, but it barely shows on the variety of fabrics. Would a more contrasting thread have added more drama to the quilt? What do you think?

Next will come trapunto--adding a layer of light batting behind each petal and stitching into it to create depth and dimension. Following that, the quilt can be sandwiched and quilted, then bound.

Some questions out there--Add lighter green veins to the leaves with delicate strips of fabric or stick with thread to make leaf veins? Some of those leaves are pretty large, so fabric veins could work. Square off the edges or leave them curvy and au natural? Or, as one friend suggested--2 sides straight, 2 sides curvy? Plenty of time to mull over the choices while I thread paint petals--the goal of each hour or so block of quilt time these days is to complete one petal. Coming along!

I'll post a photo next time--maybe you'll be able to discern the thread paint. If you scroll down to the March 27 post, you can see a before thread paint photo.

See more of my quilt photos at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Travelling Quilt

2009-03-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

"Postcard from Rajasthan" the quilt mentioned in the March 7 post, is on its way to Deer Isle today! Here's hoping the horse and his handler are well received and maybe even find a buyer. No word yet on whether any of the floral quilts sold, but CA Hecker, gallery owner, did say if any artist wanted to leave small pieces at the Small Works gallery for a time, that would be OK, so I have inquired about that option.

Sunday, a group met for a workshop on adding hand stitching to quilted pieces--mixing in embroidery stitches, rather than hand quilting. The results are big, meant to be seen, stitches in a variety of styles and colors. Very striking, but very slow going. Always good to have another tool in the embellishment tool kit.

"Giraffes" met "Gorillas" and both have returned to their permanent home in Amsterdam, NY. They make a nice pair, although they should not be displayed quite so side by side!

Meanwhile, I am making progress on "Bali Bloom." Redid the background leaves to be somewhat lighter around the top, and fused everything in place. Next comes thread painting, which I have not done on this scale before and am excited to try out.

See more of my quilt photos at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Pinned

2009-03-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Making progress, wouldn't you say? Each petal is complete, background and center laid out. Next steps--fuse, and add the anthers (that's the little bit on the end of the filaments--in this case they are bright yellow!) which are too small to pin in place, fuse them down and then the thread-painting can begin!

Since I start back to work next week after a wonderful 12 weeks of Sabbatical, I will have to go back to making quilting time in the evenings or on weekends. I am afraid progress on this piece could slow to a crawl. Luckily, the base will be done. The thread painting, quilting and embellishing can happen in small chunks.

Don't think I will have it ready to enter in this year's Maine Quilt Show. However, with no need to travel to Augusta to collect a quilt, a road trip to the Lowell Quilt Show, which takes place the following week, is in order.

Bali Hibiscus

2009-03-22T16:32:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking about this quilt for a long time. I had a single, oversize flower in mind. Then a friend e-mailed photos from a trip to Bali, and this hibiscus was amongst them. From the photo I created a drawing showing highlights and shadows, which I enlarged to 36 x 44 inches. Then I went shopping for a range of pink fabrics. Since the photo was taken in Bali, I chose to use nearly all Bali Batik fabrics in the quilt. When completed, the individual petals are about two feet in diameter and somewhat fragile as they travel from ironing board to design wall to be pinned in place. Each petal is made up of 20 to 25 shapes, each cut individually and pieced together like a puzzle. The resulting petals are taking on their own life, which, while maybe not recognizably like the photo, are pleasing. I really love the scallop shape of each petal, and don't know that I would have made the connection if they were purple, say, or orange. A deep brown Batik with a subtle leaf pattern forms the ground, and several shades of green will create a crown of leaves. I am looking forward to the thread painting part--bought a special spool of variegated thread in many shades of pink to help blend the colors.

Finished

2009-03-16T17:17:00.001-07:00

The Giraffe photo quilt is finished! The binding went on while watching TV last night. Don't you love the way the applique tree branches and three dimensional leaves enhance the photos? I especially love the one of the baby giraffe. The quilting for Giraffe was done with gold metallic thread, first outlining each photo and the branches, then filling in with vines and leaves. My daughter suggested using metallic thread when I was doing Gorilla, to suggest light in the trees. Don't you love the sparkly effect? I am a sucker for anything sparkly, of course. Leaves were created by fusing a leaf print fabric to a deep purple, then thread painting the leaves with green thread. Leaves were individually cut out, some used purple side out as shadows. As a few leaves were left from Gorilla, I incorporated them here, as one more way to tie the two pieces together.
Can't wait to see these two quilts side by side--hope they make a good pair.

Yippee!

2009-03-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Carolyn Hecker, the gallery owner at Pearson Legacy Gallery in Deer Isle, where the flower quilts will be exhibited (starting tomorrow!) included me in the prospectus for her next exhibit, 'Portraits' (of people, not animals.) The only portrait quilt I have is of an Indian man and his Mawari horse. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I sent off a couple of photos of the quilt (Postcard from Rajasthan, left) to see if it would fit the theme. She wrote back that the piece would be just fine. Yippee!

She went on to describe a visit to India in which the Raj at the place she stayed had Mawari horses and that she had pictures of one of his favorite steeds and is a big horse lover, herself. Small world, isn't it?

Finally, she mentioned that the flower pieces are already gathering kudos even before the show is hung, and am I sure about the prices as they are very modest! Of course, my goal is just to see them sell at this point, but most exciting to hear they are being well received.

"Postcard from Rajasthan" was modelled on a photo taken by Henry Dallal and used with his permission. http://henrydallal.com/

Giraffes

2009-02-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

The Giraffes quilt, companion to Gorillas, is taking shape. The top is pieced and awaiting applique and thread work before quilting and attaching the free-standing leaves. A few steps in the process:

Photos printed on fabric:

Stitching one-inch squares together:

Top almost done:

I hoped to complete this piece for next weekend when I will be seeing the person who commissioned it, but I don't know that I can devote enough time to it over the week. Last night I pushed on too long and made mistakes that I had to frog stitch this morning (rip it, rip it!) Hate to have to do that again! If it isn't finished, I can always bring it "in progress" for the owner to see.

Butterflies

2009-02-20T18:27:00.000-08:00

Sunday I'll be teaching a workshop for our quilting group. We're several friends who work together and enjoy quilting. We meet to teach each other techniques or make group quilts as gifts. I'll be walking the group through making free standing butterflies that can be secured to your art quilt. Not so good for a quilt that goes through the wash much, though!

I took a class with Christine Fries Ureel last summer, and she demonstrated this technique. http://www.loveabideth.com/index.html Here is one butterfly I made in class.

Isn't it great? It was stitched in a hoop: 2 layers of fabric, wrong sides together, topped with a piece of heavy washaway stabilizer on which you draw the butterfly. Satin stitch around the outline, decorate the wings to your heart's content with your sparkliest, brightest, shiniest threads. Trim close to the satin stitching, rinse away stabilizer and attach to quilt through the body. Very pretty!

New quilts

2009-02-20T09:54:00.000-08:00

While I wait for new quilt ideas to gel--I'm thinking about a hibiscus bloom, super-sized, or a whimsical sunflower or perusing photos taken from my walks along the Portland Trail system--I thought I would work on a new commission. I made a small wallhanging using gorilla photos my friend had taken. She recently sent me a CD of giraffe photos and asked if I could make a companion quilt.

The technique is one I made up--I cut a variety of fabrics into one-inch squares, fused squares and photos in sections to gridded, fusible interfacing, then top-stitched with a feather stitch to secure the fabrics. The completed top was then appliqued, free standing leaves were applied, and the whole quilted and bound.

Here is a photo of the gorilla quilt. I will post photos of the giraffe quilt as I work through the process. At this point the photos are printed and set on fabric, and about 400 one-inch squares have been cut out. I just bought thread to do the top-stitching, and am building the sections.

Invitation!

2009-02-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

My Maine FiberArts membership has opened doors again. Previously I was asked to demonstrate quilting at the York museum, and organized a group of friends to bring quilts and a frame so we could demonstrate a quilting bee. It was great fun as we got to dress up in period costumes and sit under a shade tree welcoming visitors.

Now I have been invited to submit three pieces to the first show of the Pearson Legacy Gallery at 13 Dow Road, Deer Isle, for an exhibit titled "Forever in Bloom." Artists may submit work in any medium as long as the subject is flowers. Mine, naturally, are quilts.

The exhibit opens with a Bloomin’ Bash reception on Thursday, March 12, 2009 and runs through Sunday, March 29th (Friday-Sunday and by appointment).

'Vase' is one of my pieces. Completed in 2009, 'Vase' is a scrapture, a technique created by Frances Emery and described in American Quilter Magazine (Spring, 2006). Tiny scraps of fabric and fabric motifs are layered over a base to create a watercolor effect.

If you have any questions about the exhibition or the gallery, please contact Carolyn Hecker at cahecker@midmaine.com.

Rana Quilts

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