Ellen Lindner: Art & Creativity

In my last post, I showed you the start of my latest red quilt.  I was beginning to add colorful “blobs” to improve the composition and to add interest.

Click any image for a larger view
Two blobs added:

I added a couple more blobs and then began to add hand stitching.  Much of this will be subtle, and will be the reward for up close inspection. 

Still, I think the quilt needs some more definition.  A little black. should do the trick.  So, I’m adding that with hand stitching.  Maybe you can see it, below.

No?  How about now?

I think the little black lines work very well.  Click on the image to see French knots and cross stitches, as well.

I have more hand stitching and quilting to do on this piece.  Then, probably some beading.  It’s all fun!

Ellen Lindner
P.S.  Do you use much hand stitching on your quilts?

Check out my Pinterest board about quilts with hand stitching.

Remember those wonderful red fabrics I bought in Houston?  Well, it was time to put them to use.

I’m planning to redecorate my master bathroom and I want to use red/orange art in there.  This is the start: a tall skinny quilt to go in the narrow spot above the toilet.  You know the one.

Click any image for a larger view

 I had very little plan for this quilt, other than the size and color.  I decided to use a horizontal strata sort of composition.  My plan was to use a variety of fabric types and to play up the textures of each.  The photo above shows my rather quick, completely unplanned first attempt at creating a red background.

OK, it works for a background.  Now, what does it need?  Maybe blue?

Yes, blue seemed to be the right answer.

I spent a good bit of time making the blue slivers skinny and undulating.  I liked the effect, but I knew it needed much more.

Maybe some yellow?

Or maybe not. 

I didn’t completely discard the idea of using yellow, but I knew I’d have to use it in tiny doses.

After stitching the original red and blue composition, I decided I needed to add some larger blobs/veins to create focal points.

But what colors should I use for that?

Clearly, one of those above DOES NOT work well! 

Blue-green it is.

Yes.  Once I started adding these larger shapes, I could see I was on the right track.  Much more exciting (for both viewing and working on.)

As I always tell my students, “Evey item affects every other.  One change will probably require another.”  And so it goes.

I’ve got many more ideas for this piece, so I hope you’ll follow along.

Ellen Lindner
P.S.  Compare the first image to this last one.  Much better, right?

If you enjoyed this, you may like my article on color.

When I had my art reception in November, I needed some in-progress pieces to show.  Since I had recently completed Croton Leaves, (and since it was small and quick to copy,) I started two more versions of it.

For Croton Leaves 2, I decided to work in a slightly subdued color way.  I started by loosely drawing the leaf shapes onto the background fabric.  As they became covered by fabric, I resketched, as needed, using a Frixion pen.  (I love those.)

Click any image for a larger view

 (I don’t normally make any sort of pattern, but at this scale I thought I needed to.  And it was easy to print out the design on one piece of paper, so why not?)

I knew I wanted to let the background fabric show through as the veins of the leaves, but intially I cut the fabrics to fit pretty accurately.

Later, I pulled the pieces apart slightly to reveal the dark background.  I’m really happy with this piece!  (Yes, these colors are my version of subdued.)

Croton Leaves 2 is 10″ x 7″.  Available for purchase, $89.

For Croton Leaves 3 I went back to my favorite vivid colors.

I love the result!

Croton Leaves 3 is 10″ x 8″.  Available for purchase, $95.

It was fun to work on these small projects.  Maybe I’ll do some more.

Ellen Lindner

See more of my quilts

In any successful artwork, the background and foreground elements work together.  The background may not even be noticed, but it provides the setting that allows the foreground elements to shine.  Therefore quilt backgrounds deserve just as much thought as other design elements.

In Ripening, shown above, the dark blue background adds a complementary color, as well as a darker one.   Both attributes help to set off the orange berries.

If you want to learn more about designing an effective background, I think you’ll enjoy my article, “Backgrounds by Design.”  It includes much more information, as well as many examples and explanations.  Find it here.

Ellen Lindner

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As I look back on 2013, it’s with a great sense of gratitude.  I had lots of fun making art, engaging with my local art buddies, and interacting with the broader art quilt community.

Here are a few snippets from my quilting activities. 

Links to the above:
Row 1 – York Wall, Croton Leaves 1 & 3
Row 2 – The Last Few Dates, Notes to a Friend 5, Morning Calm Pojagi, Croton Leaves 2
Row 3 – Crisscross, barn sketches, Notes to a Friend 6, Rather Odd Hair
Row 4 – Notes to a Friend 2, 9, & 4
Row 5 – Thorns and Berries

But, of course, quilt making is only part of my life.  The main thing I’m thankful for is time spent with family!  What a blessing to enjoy each other’s company and to have lots of opportunities to do so.

I hope you’re counting your blessings, as well.

Ellen Lindner

My son loved his pojagi!  Here it is, backlit.  Which is how he’ll be seeing it, hanging in his window.

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Pojagi seams are heavy, like those on blue jeans.  This creates the thickness that resists light penetration and gives the stained glass look.

I had shown him the fabrics in advance, so he had an idea about what it would look like.  Being an artist’s son, he decided to give it a title:  Morning Calm.  (Good name, right?) I had him write it for me in Korean, and I embroidered it on the bottom corner.

Knowing that it would be backlit, I thought is was important that the embroidery thread not travel on the backside.  So, I took care to avoid that, (which was tricky.)

We were both really happy with the results.

Ellen Lindner
P.S.  I’ve added quite a few images to pinterest lately.  Please check them out or consider pinning some of my images to your own boards.

This glass bell ornament is one of my favorites.  Not only because I like the way it looks, but mostly because of the story behind it.

When my husband and I honeymooned in Colorado, I wanted to buy souvenirs in every town.  But, you only need so many “Pikes Peak” t-shirts, right?  So, I decided to collect ornaments, instead.  And this was the first one we purchased, in Estes Park.

In the 31 years that have followed, it has always had a place of prominence on our tree.

I’ll bet you and your family have similar sentimental items you use every Christmas.  It’s fun to use them every year and to pass along the stories that go with them.

May you and your family remember the joys of Christmases past, while you make new memories together.  I hope you will have a blessed day, full of the joy of the season.

Ellen Lindner

Have you ever heard of pojagi?  It’s a Korean version of patchwork, designed to be hung from a window or a wall.  A pojagi only has one layer and is somewhat sheer.  Usually, the fabrics are very close in color.  The seams are what we, in the U.S., call French seams.  That is, the raw edges are enclosed, like they are in jeans.

You can see several modern pojagi here.

My son is obsessed by all things Korean and has asked me to make him a pojagi for Christmas.  I’ve done so and the great unveiling will occur SOON.

Here’s an in-progress photo.  Click on any image for a larger view

Perhaps you can make out the unusual French seam stitching technique. Seams are offset when stitching and a 5/8″ seam allowance is used.  Then, the piece with the wider seam allowance is ironed over the skinnier side, enclosing all raw edges.  Then both seam allowances are pressed to the side and top stitched.  In the photo above, most seams are complete, but several have had their first stitching only. 

It’s a little bit time consuming since each seam has to sewn twice and pressed twice.  But the heavy seams will be the primary part of the design when the pojagi is hung in front of a window. 

Here’s another in-progress photo, showing things as they moved along.  The colors are very subtle.  (But the colors in the top photo are more accurate.)

My son has given this piece a Korean name, which I’ll stitch into the corner.  I’m looking forward to giving it to him!  And I’ll show you the finished product, too.

Ellen Lindner
Update:  My son informs me that pojagi were traditionally made from scraps and they were used to wrap around things.  One application was wrapping a hot pot so it could be carried.  Their use as art is relatively new.  (He also tells me that pojagi can also be spelled bojagi.  The proununciation is in between a p and a b.)

My haiku quilt, “Quiet Dappled Light,” is now complete.

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Quiet Dappled Light
16 1/2″ x 10 1/2″
$145
Ellen Lindner adventurequilter.com

In my opinion,the beauty of this piece lies within its details, and in the story conveyed.

You may recall that it portrays a specific country road, where I grew up.  That road is very twisty and BARELY wide enough for two vehicles to pass.  (Although the country drivers do so without even slowing down.)

With no shoulder on either side of the pavement, steep road banks and trees are very close to the road.  On a summer day, the overhead trees create a lovely dappled light, and the rolling fields are vibrant and healthy.  I can almost hear the bees buzzing when I think of it.

The photo above shows a very close detail shot, in which you can see the layers of collage, hand stitching, painting, sheers, machine stitching and more hand stitching.  Just like the layers of memory, I suppose.

When showing this quilt to family members who are familiar with this stretch of road, they have immediately thought of the correct spot.  Clearly, it’s made an impression on all of us. 

It was both fun and nostalgic to create this little quilt.  Plus, I feel that it nurtured my creativity, since I used a completely new process in  its design and execution.  I always think it’s good to dry different media and/or different processes every now and then.  Have you tried it?

Wishing you joy and creativity,
Ellen Lindner
P.S  This quilt was inspired by the book “Art Quilt Maps,” by Valerie Goodwin.

 Let’s recap:
– I decided to make a haiku quilt, as explained in “Art Quilt Maps,” by Valerie Goodwin.
– I wrote a haiku about a favorite twisting country road.

Rolling hills of green
Trees right up next to the road
Quiet dappled light

– I began working on the background.  Using my usual collage technique, I composed a busy area representing the dappled light of trees, and top and bottom areas depicting rolling hills.
– Per Valerie’s instructions, I added hand stitching over all areas.

 Valerie’s next suggested step is to paint the quilt.  This can be very heavy or rather subtle.  I used my green paint  to gently change the color of the white fabrics in the center section and to add some darker contrasts in the top hill area.

 Click any image for a larger view 

Valerie’s final suggestion for creating the background is to add sheer fabrics.  Here’s a detail shot of some of them pinned in place.  Pretty subtle, huh?  If you click on the photo, you’ll be able to see some sheer fabrics with squares and grids.  I like the effect.  (And, it’s probably something I would never have thought to add at this stage.)

 I stitched the sheers in place and the background was complete.  Now, it was time for that twisting road.  I auditioned black fabric, but is seemed too harsh.  In the photo below, I auditioned several other options, most of them sheer.  (I’ll bet you can tell one that I quickly omitted.)

One of the things I love about making art quilts is that I’m engaged in making decisions throughout the  entire process.  I never know exactly what will work, so I’m always auditioning fabrics and ideas.  That’s exhilarating!  And absolutely necessary, too.  The only way to make visual decisions is visually.  You must SEE it!

Next, I’ll add the road, the trees, and the text.

Ellen Lindner

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