Adventure Quilter

I recently finished this quilt, Ring Toss.

After STARTING OVER TWICE I feel like a deserve a medal!

You can see the first rendition in my earlier post.

It brought me here. I didn’t like it and started to pick out seams and consider how to rearrange things.

I knew I had to cut many shapes smaller.

I created a strong diagonal line between the yellow and purple and was happy with it. I worked at developing it.

I was getting happy with it and then this happened!

This is the photo from the next day. What the what? My diagonal line is completely gone! I have NO IDEA how this happened. Did I work on it in my sleep or something??? (I have been know to do things in my sleep.) I was stumped.

And I didn’t like it. But, I thought there had to be a decent quilt in there if I could crop it into a nice composition. In the computer I rotated it in all directions and did a bunch of cropping.  When I went back to the actual fabric I cut it down by about half, and ended up with the finished quilt, shown below.

Jeepers! Do I win a prize or something? Or, at least a purple heart?

Actually, I now like it pretty well. Here’s a detail shot.

I dyed about half of the fabrics in this piece, including the ones with the black ovals.

I hope my next quilt comes together more easily!

Ellen Lindner
P.S. Have you ever completely started a quilt over?

I recently got to participate in a very cool event. I belong to an organization called SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates.) The Florida region had an all day event called Art, Meet, and Greet. It was a blast!

We got to see a regional exhibit, earn door prizes, participate in a regional meeting, have Show and Tell, visit with one another, and hear a 3-person presentation called “Creative Courage.”

The three speakers are shown here: me, Bobbi Baugh, and Kestrel Michaud.

The three of us were asked to share times when we took a risk with either our artwork or our business decisions. And to show both successes and failures. The result was fascinating, entertaining, and informative. We three speakers did not consult with one another on our presentations so they ended up being quite different, which was great.

I went first and talked about my philosophy of embracing experimentation. My example of trying new things while learning to cook brought lots of chuckles. But, I tied it to my quilting philosophy by sharing one of my favorite quotes, “If you never fail, you’re not experimenting enough.” I truly believe that!

Easily Distracted

Kestrel shared her concept of safety rails: always having a financial back up when taking financial risks. She told us about the passive income she’s able to achieve with her online Patreon platform. She also showed us many of her art rules as well as new techniques she’s develop0ed.

Her piece, Arrival, shown here, has recently won Best of Show at Road 2 California and the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.

You gotta love Bobbi! She challenged us to “get over ourselves” (my words,) and to quit making excuses for not showing our work or not being happy with it. She said to just MAKE MORE WORK. Bobbi also showed us several of her quilts about the life of a young girl. She is really excellent at conveying a story.

Growing Unseen

And now, the good news: you can see this entire presentation, thanks to Kestrel Michaud, who has posted it on her website. Find it here and let me know what you think. Do you need a dose of courage?

Ellen Lindner

This is a tiny little auction piece, only 8 x 6.

I think it’s pretty successful. I made it for SAQA, which will be having a benefit auction with many such small quilts.

I didn’t think I’d have time to make an auction quilt this year, but the deadline was extended AND I had a quilt I wasn’t crazy about. Hmm. Things began to percolate in my brain.

See my previous post for the quilt I just made that wasn’t exciting me. (No worries, though, as you’ll see from the post.)

I knew that quilt could make a good start for an auction piece. So, I did this.

Yep, I cut out an 8 x 6 piece! It had an interesting composition, but I thought it needed some dots. I added them with paint and markers.

And what about some embroidered circles? I auditioned the idea in my computer.

Yes, I liked the idea! So, then I couched them on by hand.

I’m quite happy with it!

Maybe I should make some more tiny quilts with this larger quilt as my starting point. I have a series called Notes for a Friend. At only 7 x 5, I could get quite a few from this quilt.

Having fun and moving forward!

Ellen Lindner

I had fun using improv piecing (no pattern) to make this piece, Mixed Berries.

It’s not the best quilt I’ve ever made, but I’m okay with that.

I LOVE to experiment! As a matter of fact, I consider it vital to my artistic growth. So, when something comes out less than exciting I don’t fret. I know I learned from the process and I increased my creativity, as well. I didn’t waste my time or my fabric!

Do you have any quilts that fall into the “learning” category? If so, good for you!!!

I like this quote, “If you never fail you’re not experimenting enough.” EXACTLY! (Sorry, but I don’t know who said that.)

Ellen Lindner

I recently attended the opening reception of the 34th Annual All-Florida Juried Show in Stuart, FL. It was CROWDED, but the energy was high!

I have two pieces in the show. Here I am with Heat Wave.

And that’s Happy Family WAY up high. (My equally short friend and I had quite a chuckle as she took this photo.)

There were two other fiber pieces in the show. This large one was made by Gabriele DiTota and it’s called Synthesis.

On the right was the sister painting to the one shown on the left. I thought it was a really nice arrangement. (I forgot to note the name of the painter.)

This piece, by Christian Feneck, won first place. It’s acrylic paint on glass and wood, with cutouts.

This was my favorite piece: A Moment in the Sun, by Sally Cooper.

It’s a really nice exhibit, with lots of pieces. It runs through February 26th, at the Court House Cultural Center, so take a look if you get the chance.

Ellen Lindner
P.S. If you’re in the area on February 8th or 9th, you can visit Arts Fest, which occurs in the immediate vicinity. (The center is not normally open on the weekend, but it will be for this event.)

I recently had the great good fortune of seeing StitchPUNK, which is a SAQA global exhibit. To say that these artists are creative is a  huge understatement! The exhibit statement (best read with a Rod Sterling/Twilight Zone accent) says “Imagine, if you will, an existence where you pull one string and reality unravels. Travel to a world of unique creations to explore alternate timelines, sentient beasts, bodies merged with technology, and more.”

The artworks produced for this exhibit were unique, many involving vintage embellishments. Many used unusual materials and required some significant structural engineering. Some had a great sense of humor, some were weird, and all things in between.

This piece by Kate Crossley is on the front of the catalog, and rightly so. It’s called “Minerva.StitchPunk Warrior.” It’s an homage to her mother and grandmother whom she describes as “warrior stitch women,” who were always ready to rescue something with needle and thread.

Let’s take a look at some of the awesome details. The hat featured storage for scissors, pins, bobbins, thread, a darning mushroom, and much more. I wonder if that cyborg eye makes it easier to see tiny stitches?

This armor is so fantastic.

 And look at the collection of seam rippers, stored conveniently so they’re ready to be put to work.

The back includes holsters for a fold-out fan and a paper umbrella. And, of course, more spools of thread on the left sleeve.

She even has a compass and -what? – a canteen? hanging from the back of her corset.

Likewise, the right sleeve also holds more spools of thread and pins.

Amazing, right? I can’t imagine the creativity, engineering, and collecting that went into creating this piece. Major kudos to Kate Crossley!

Ellen Lindner
P.S. StitchPunk will be traveling for another few years. See the current schedule and all the pieces.