Tag Archives | Photos as Inspiration

Bird of Paradise Quilt Complete

My slightly abstracted Bird of Paradise quilt is now complete.

Arabesque, an art quilt by Ellen Lindner. AdventureQuilter.com

Arabesque

I intended for this piece to be more abstracted. Therefore, I pieced it, thinking that this would automatically simplify the shapes. Well, apparently my piecing skills are better than I thought, because I found the shapes to be almost perfect. So, I purposefully sliced into them to create irregularity. (Or, was the problem with my brain just not wanting to deviate from my original image, which I loved.?) At any rate, I’m happy with it.

Arabesque - detail. An art quilt by Ellen Lindner. AdventureQuilter.com

This piece uses exclusively my own hand-dyed and printed fabrics.

I’ve named it Arabesque, which is a strong ballet pose. In it, the dancer balances on one foot (toes) with arms spread forward and back and her remaining leg out-stretched behind her. The petals of this flower reminded me of that.

See larger images and find other information on this quilt

Ellen Lindner

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Story Telling Through Textile Art

At the current “Stitched, Stamped, & Sculpted” exhibit, in Ormond Beach, FL, many of the pieces tell stories.

Some of my favorites were made by Teddy Pruett, who works exclusively with vintage clothing and linens. Just look at this piece, called Whatever Happened to Baby?

Each block features vintage baby clothing. Teddy has added a little story telling with text, and each of the panels are held together with diaper pins.

Story Telling Through Textile Art. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Story Telling Through Textile Art. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Here’s another of Teddy’s pieces, featuring a Christening gown. Isn’t that a special thing?

Story Telling Through Textile Art. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

It’s called I Have a Birb on Myself. (Yes, that’s the correct spelling.) The writing is childlike. Can you see the “birb?”

There was so much to see in these detailed pieces! I know I didn’t look long enough.

Other artists also showed off their narrative chops. The museum hung these works together which increased their impact. These were made by Maggie Dillon, who loves to use vintage photos as her reference material.

Story Telling Through Textile Art. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Bobbi Baugh had five powerful pieces hung together.

Story Telling Through Textile Art. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

It was fascinating to see these works up close and to read the artists’ statements. I  hope you’ll visit these artists’ websites and see more of their creations.

Teddy Pruett’s website
Maggie Dillon’s website
Bobbi Baugh’s website

Ellen Lindner

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My Episode on “The Quilt Show”

I have to admit: it’s pretty exhilarating to be on an episode of The Quilt Show! It went live a few days ago and I’m really happy with the results!

Check out the trailer:
Ellen Lindner on The Quilt Show. AdventureQuilter.com/blog

In this episode I teach three different segments.
1 – Drawing inspiration from a photo. (But not reproducing it perfectly.)
2 – Design basics: focal point and balance
3 – A glued collage technique I call “Sticky Fingers.” It uses fabric, but there’s no stitching. Super easy!

The Quilt Show has an online membership format. If you’re a member you can view all the videos and other content at any time. If you’re not already a member you can sign up for a free 7 day trial. Either option will get you access to the episode.

Watching the episode I was reminded of how much fun we had that day. I hope you’ll get to enjoy it!

Ellen Lindner

 

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“Design Your Own Nature Quilt” near Chicago – Part Two

My Chicago area “Design Your Own Nature Quilt” students brought their artistic courage to class, and made some really great work. (These photos were showing on my computer when photographed. The quality is sometimes low, but you’ll get the idea.)

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Sue did a great job with her tree frog. She constructed him with fusible web on some release paper. (See the white outline?) Once she removes that he’ll be a little slimmer.

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

If I remember correctly Terre had never made an art quilt before. But, didn’t she do a great job? She fully embraced “jagged cutting” the mountain tops, which worked beautifully.

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Deborah had never made any sort of quilt before! However, she bravely embraced fusible web, jagged cutting, and abstracted rhododendron flowers. (Don’t they look better than some perfect fussy cut version?)

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Deborah’s inspiration photo.

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

This photo of Susan’s work doesn’t begin to do it justice. She’s working on a rock face, snow with shadows, a lake, and – the missing items – tall evergreen trees. It’s going to be a lovely composition.

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Beth took a lot of artistic license with her cactus grouping, which worked really well. She had a pleated scrap that made great texture for one of the plants. See her finished piece in the “Design Your Own Nature” gallery. (Link at bottom of post.)

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Cindy also worked on a desert scene. She used mostly solids to capture the austere beauty. She’ll use fusible web to secure the spiky plant. Won’t it be great?

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Although Frances’ image was simple in composition, it wasn’t simple to construct. She did an excellent job capturing the subtleties of variation in the sky and snow.

My students always do an awesome job and these were no different. It sure makes it fun for me!

Ellen Lindner
P.S. See Beth’s finished piece, and others, in the Design Your Own Nature Quilt gallery.

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“Design Your Own Nature Quilt” near Chicago

Last month I got to spend two and half days with members of the North Suburban Needle Arts Guild when I conducted my class, Design Your Own Nature Quilt. Because this group includes many non-quilters there was quite a mix of skill levels in the class. About half had never made an art quilt and several had never made a quilt of any sort! But, they all bravely dove in and they achieved EXCELLENT results.

In this class, each student brings their own inspiration photo, which means we’ve got 15 DIFFERENT projects going all the time. It keeps me on my toes, but I love it. They learn so much in this class!

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

I wish I had thought to photograph their inspiration photos, rather than just their resulting quilts. (These photos were showing on my computer when photographed. The quality is sometimes low, but you’ll get the idea.)

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Gretchen was inspired by a photo of water lilies. She changed the nearly black water to a dark plum, which worked beautifully. She’ll use fusible web to add the skinny little grasses, and she’ll stiffen some of the leaves to make them 3D. It will be great!

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Ronna also worked with water lilies, and also switched to purple water. This complementary color really adds drama and contrast. And check out how effective those black shadows are. Nice!

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Val’s lily pads are coming along nicely. She’ll add some shadows to add dimension. Check out her water grasses and their reflection near the top. She spent a lot of time on them and I think they’re very effective.

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

This photo doesn’t do Barbara’s work justice. Her photo had three delicate flowers against a complex shadow. She had to work at providing contrast with value. Her later progress showed that she was moving in the right direction.

 

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Nancy cut loose in a really wonderful way. She started working with solids, but needed some dappled light. As we searched her print fabrics she realized that she had quite a big selection of them, so she switched gears. This brought a lot of energy to her scene. She’ll add some thread-painted grasses in the foreground.

See Nancy’s completed quilt in the student gallery.

"Design Your Own Nature Quilt" near Chicago. A class with Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Nancy’s inspiration photo

These ladies really embraced our class motto: Be inspired by your photo, not controlled by it. Way to go ladies!

Look for more examples in my next post.

Ellen Lindner

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Welcome to My Home

You’re invited into my home to see the quilts I have on display. That’s a good way to pass the time, right? Come on in.

After viewing it, please visit the video page on my website to see my other offerings.

I’m planning on making other short videos. Anything you’d especially like to see? I’m thinking my studio, my storage set up, and maybe my dying set up. What piques your interest? Anything else I should consider?

Ellen Lindner
P.S. Pass it on!

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What a Trip!

I recently went on the vacation of a lifetime, to Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand! My favorite thing was the scenery in Hawaii and New Zealand. Here’s just a sample.

The beach in Kona, Hawaii (on the big island.)

What a trip! HI, Aus and NZ. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

What a trip! HI, Aus and NZ. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

The turquoise water, white waves, and black lava rocks created a wonderful contrast!

Much of New Zealand had steep hills and mountains caused by earthquakes. It was very dramatic.

What a trip! HI, Aus and NZ. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

What a trip! HI, Aus and NZ. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

The tan hills reflect the dry conditions, although irrigation keeps the agricultural industry vibrant. As a matter of fact, New Zealand is so conducive to growing things that the same trees that are grown for lumber in California reach maturity in half the time in NZ.

What a trip! HI, Aus and NZ. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

The photo above was taken on a working sheep station (ranch.) Which shows you just how abundant such stunning views are. Gorgeous!

There was inspiration everywhere!

Ellen Lindner

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Planning a New Class Sample

I really enjoy teaching my class “Design Your Own Nature Quilt!”  In it, students learn about design and composition, then use their own photos to create a quilt.  The results are always great and the process is exhilarating. (Actually, the process can also be a little intimidating but the students are told to pack their artistic courage, so it works out well.)

The only downside to this class is that I keep selling the class samples.  Finding myself in that situation, once again, I’m about to make a new one.  I thought you’d like to see a little about my process, so I’ll be posting about it here on my blog.

This is my inspiration photo.

Planning a New Class Sample. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Don’t you love the bright colors and back lighting?  It’s great, but is this the best composition for a small quilt?  Since the flowers are vertical, would a vertical composition be better?  And, do I really want to create ALL those flowers in a small scale?  Maybe I’d prefer something like this.

Planning a New Class Sample. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Look closely.  This is more than just a crop.  Things have been moved around a little. When doing so, I thought about focal points, sweet spots, balance, weight, and contrast, all things students learn in this class.

And this is my loose sketch. (copyrighted)

Planning a New Class Sample. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

I like it.  Soon, I’ll be composing the background with a variety of green and blue-green fabrics. Keep watching and send me your questions.

Also, I’ll be teaching this class online soon. See full details.

Ellen Lindner

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Flower Stall Challenge

My local art quilt group, The Dirty Dozen Fiber Artists, are at it again.  We’re doing a group challenge in which we all use the same inspiration photo.  This time we’re using the photo below, taken on a street in Paris.

Flower Stall Challenge. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

As usual, we’ve selected a photo with lots going on.  This works well, since different artists will focus on different components, or maybe just the colors, just the shapes, etc. (What intrigues you?)

The thing that got my attention the most was the blue-green awning, followed closely by the burgundy wall. I was pretty sure I wanted to do a somewhat abstract interpretation and I thought these elements had great colors and good shapes.  I was also intrigued by the pattern of the grey stones in the sidewalk. I played around with these things and:
1 – decided against using the stones pattern,
2 – cropped and abstracted the flowers and nearby buildings.

This is what I came up with.  (A computer sketch.) Can you see it?  As you can tell, I outlined each shape with black.  Not quite sure why, but I really liked the effect.  (I’ve never done it before.)

Flower Stall Challenge. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

At the recent retreat, this was my project.  Here I am, just getting started.  As you can see the dimensions have changed to square, as opposed to the original rectangular format.

Flower Stall Challenge. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

I used lots of green scraps (left over from my stint on Quilting Arts TV,) to create the green backdrop.  I was LOVING the effect of the skinny black line!

Flower Stall Challenge. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Then, I began to add the flowers.

Flower Stall Challenge. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Screech.  Wait a second!  There’s something wrong with the composition above.  Can you see what it is?

The problem is there’s not enough depth perspective.  All the flower clusters are similar in size.  In reality the close ones need to be MUCH larger.  More like these first few from my second attempt.

Flower Stall Challenge. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

See what I mean?  Even with just a few blossoms in place, a sense of depth is beginning to develop.  I continued to pay attention to this as I added the remaining floral clusters.

Flower Stall Challenge. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

This is the final composition above.  However, I still needed to add the black lines around everything.  This is where I totally LOST MY SENSES and decided on a terribly complex and time consuming technique.  It was so traumatic I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about it.  But these next two photos will tell the sad tale.

Flower Stall Challenge. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Flower Stall Challenge. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

WHAT was I thinking?

Thankfully, it all looked good after much fiddling and tweaking.  Here it is, quilted.

Flower Stall Challenge. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Finally! Lessons learned/reminded:
– Keep it simple
– Pay attention to perspective
– Persevere when things become difficult.

I need a name for this piece.  Any suggestions?

Ellen Lindner
P.S. I’ll photograph this properly and add it to my website soon.
P.P.S. Check out some of the other Dirty Dozen challenges with the links below.

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“Shootin’ the Breeze” Finished!

Whoo-boy, the quilt of my brothers ended up taking quite a bit longer than I anticipated, but I’m very happy with the finished result.

Shootin' the Breeze, an art quilt by Ellen Lindner. AdventureQuilter.com
I got to show it to my family in the almost-complete stage, and they LOVED it.  That was very gratifying.

Shootin' the Breeze art quilt in-progress. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Here are few detail shots.

My brother Ricky.

Shootin' the Breeze - detail, an art quilt by Ellen Lindner. AdventureQuilter.com

My brother Todd.

Shootin' the Breeze - detail, an art quilt by Ellen Lindner. AdventureQuilter.com

Quilting faces was new to me, and rather intimidating.  I studied the work of Hollis Chatelain and am very happy with the end result.  (However, if I ever do faces again, I’ll use clear thread, rather than changing the thread colors throughout.)

As you can see, the quilting added a lot to the 3D aspects of the clothing, too.

Shootin' the Breeze - detail, an art quilt by Ellen Lindner. AdventureQuilter.com

I feel like I haven’t had much to show on my blog for a while, except for this quilt.  So, to all my faithful readers, thanks for your patience!  Now, I can have fun with other things (like mobiles) and share new adventures with you.

Ellen Lindner
P.S. I’ve entered this piece in an exhibit called “Guns: Loaded Conversations.”  If accepted, it will tour for three years.

 

 

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