Detail pictures from the Center of the Universe.

Beth asked for some detail shots of the Center of the Universe so here they are:

Center of the Universe

"Not selected" (as in rejected) for No Holds Barred

Two quilts

This morning I posted my quilt of the month on Interpret This!  I think my piece is successful but not outstanding However some of the other interpretations are magnificent.  Check them out here.

Today I have sent in my two submissions for the SAQA show, No Holds Barred, held at the New England Quilt Museum.  Send me good thoughts, please!  This is my first attempt to get in a juried show.  I started to show you a peek at a detail from The Center of the Universe but I am afraid it will be disqualified if I do.  Sorry, no peek.

Friday Favorites

This is the last Friday to work on my Center of the Universe quilt if I am going to submit it to the SAQA show.  I need to write an artist statement to go with my submission.  I don't wanna... *** please hear that in your child's worse whiny voice***  I have been looking up instructions on how to write an artist statement.   I mean if I have to write one then I would prefer to have it make some type of sense.  I reviewed several sites for help and this one seemed to give the KISS instructions that I need.

As I have been looking for fiber artists that use hand stitching to create their art pieces I came across this one at Embroidery as Art.   Isn't this picture gorgeous!  Now this is the type of embroidery that I particularly like.  It is handwork but not just in-your-face (pun intended) embroidery but handwork with a larger message.  First you see the message and then you see the technique used.

And remember me telling you about The Art Quilt Blog?  Well Margeeth from the Netherlands introduced herself this week.  I have fallen deeply in love with the first quilt that she shows!  I too love scrap quilts and when there is an intersection between quilts that are large enough to be function-able, scraps, and art, then I am in hog heaven!

Please stop by Wen Redmond's blog (otherwise known as the Fiber Art Goddess) and congratulate her on have a piece accepted into the Quilt National and having the piece purchased by Marvin Fletcher, husband of the former Quilt National Director.

Gisela at Art ADD Works for Me is trying a new technique and I really want to see the results.  She is coating a fish with latex.  If it works out, I will be buying myself a fish for printing.

Laura at Periwinkle Art Quilts is taking a class on Darned quilts.  Check out the one she is working on. Isn't it exciting!  I love the movement in the piece!  Laura has agreed to join me and some other fabric artists in a new challenge blog for 2011 that features lots of different surface design techniques.  I will tell you more later when we've picked out a name for the blog.

Friday Favorites

I know that I have told you before how much I enjoy both Elizabeth Barton’s work and her blog.  Have you read her blog on First Paper and Then Fabric?  Once again she tells us some of her process in designing.

After years of frustratingly trying to make everything perfect as a quilter, I am learning to allow personality into a quilt by allowing it some imperfection. That said, it is hard to know the line between wonky and sloppy and it is hard to accept the criticism of others who think you crossed that line.  Lynn Krawczyk writes a bit about accepting imperfection in her work.  Not a long read and it certainly connected to my creative spirit.

Micky at It’s a Fiber Life started a new series she calls Revisits.  Talk about using odds and ends to turn into wonderful art.  I think it is an outstanding example of not letting perfection stifle your creativity.

LuAnn Kessi at May your Bobbin always be full (isn’t that a wonderful blessing!) gives a very nice tutorial on how to machine appliqué.  If you check out her blog, you will notice 57 tips that mostly turn out to be wonderful tutorials.  She does a great job on tutorials!

Gloria Hansen has a post from a couple of weeks ago that I am just now seeing.  It is called digital flowers.  The blog shows a picture she took of a flower and then how she played with it in Photoshop.  The blog caught my attention to two reasons.  One, I need to play more with my Photoshop Elements so that I can command it better.  Second, I thought as I looked at each of her manipulated photos that I would use different techniques with each picture to try and convert that photo to a textile art work.  In my art I am starting to understand better what techniques will give me what kind of results.  Knowing that is an important step in the design process.  It also saves tons of frustration during the construction when the technique won’t create the vision you have in your head.

Last is the new show at the New England Quilt Museum called No Holds Barred.  It is for art quilters in New England who are members of SAQA.  I am and I am.  It will be a juried show at the NEQM from January to April.  Entries have to be submitted by Nov 1.  I am going to enter. This will be my first juried show.  I have already talked to a professional photographer about taking the digital pictures I need to enter.  I will finish the Center of the Universe quilt to enter. So, no more picture of it.  Wish me luck!

Center of the Universe

Not finished yet but coming along.