More 12X12 quilts in the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection 8 09-17-23

The SAQA auction continues with the quilts in section one on offer at $750 starting on Monday 09-18-23.  The price goes down each day.

Here are four more 12X12 quilts that I added to the Collection in years past.  I think the first two are so interesting in their similarity since they were made by two different artists in different years, on opposite sides of the world and using different techniques.They have nice balance and values.  They hang nicely together.

"Breaking Through"  Polly Bech - Pennsylvania    2008

Cotton fabrics and threads.

Bleaching with leaves and grasses, machine applique and piecing, hand stitching. 

"Cloncurry Flinders Grass" - Sue Dennis  - Australia   2007

Cotton fabrics, thread.  Stamping  with leaves and grasses, machine applique, machine quilting.  Bleaching with leaves and grasses, machine applique and piecing, hand stitching. 

"Blue Bird of Happiness"   Deb MacKay- California   2014  12X12

Commercial cotton fabric and thread.

Fusing, machine applique, machine quilting, overcast binding. faced back.

In the corners Deb has used Sue Benner's technique of knotting all the threads from the machine overcast binding.

"Possibilities"  Deborah Boschert - Texas  2009  12X12

Cotton fabrics, paper, beads, sequins, cotton embroidery floss.

Fusing, machine and hand stitching, stamping.

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12X12 Quilts in Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection 6 09-02-23

Another six quilts from past SAQA Benefit Auctions.  These are all leaves or trees from various years and countries.  I am fond of trees and their leaves, but I also look for different techniques and artists with a  distinctive style.  Four of the artists  shown here show their particular style.  

"Autumn Leaves"  Aileyn Renli Ecob - California  2012   12X12 

Commercial cotton fabrics, cotton batting, cotton thread.

Beautiful hand applique.  

"Rainbow  Trees"  Nikki Wheeler - Canada  2011  12X12

Various fabrics, fusing, machine finished edges, Machine quilting. 

"Evergreen"  Brenda Gael Smith -Australia  2011   12X12

Brenda's distinctive style.  Commercial cotton fabrics, Machine pieced and quilted. 

"Possibilities"  Deborah Boschert - Texas  2009 12X12

Deborah uses many of the same motifs in her various quilts. 

Cotton fabrics,  fusing, sequins, embroidery, Machine quilting. 

"Coastal Patterns - Banksia"  Susan Matthews - Australia  2013  12X12

 Canvas, ink, polyester thread, wool fabric.

Collagraph printint, lino block printing, fusing, free motion machine stitching.

"Laurel Leaves"   Terry Grant - Oregon  2008  12X12

Cotton fabric and thread.  Machine applique, machine quilting.

Terry does very exacting work and experiments  with  new techniques  that   she reads  about  or  invents for herself.  This quilt has such depth.  

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Quilt from TCQC 06-20-21

There are over a hundred 12"X12" quilts in the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection, about a third of the total.  Most of them are from SAQA online auctions.  I like to support the organization and also support the quiltmakers, who have donated their work.  This piece is from 2010 and was made by Deborah Boschert, who is currently president of SAQA. It is very typical of her work then and now. 

"Possibilities"  Deborah Boschert 2009  12" X 12"

Hand dyed and commercial cottons, sequins, beads, embroidery thread. 

Raw edge machine applique, embroidery, beading, machine quilting.

In addition to the label on the back, Deborah pinned her business card.  

Each square sequin is fastened with a tiny crystal seed bead. 

Notice the embroidery thread worked over the binding. 

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Deborah Boschert quilt in TCQC 07-22-12

Deborah Boschert, who is a member of the Twelve x 12 group http://twelveby12.org/index.html ,
   repeats many of the same motifs and techniques in her quilts, but she mixes them up so that each quilt is different.  This is the third quilt added to the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection. 
 The other two have been posted at:
 http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2012/02/deborah-boschert-gift-quilt-02-26-12.html
http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2011/01/possibilities-deborah-boschert-2010-12.html

"Meandering Home" Deborah Boschert 2011  12" x 12" 
Cotton fabric, cotton thread, cotton embroidery thread.
Fusing, hand stitching, machine stitching and quilting.

The little two-branched trees are a reoccurring motif on Deborah's quilts, as are the long stitches over the center area of the fused binding. 

 She also repeats these tiny houses, and curving tendrils.  Deborah enjoys adding hand stitching to her quilts. On the sides she has used machine satin stitch instead of binding.

 She covers the backs of her quilts after the stitching is done - I'd much prefer to see the stitching, no matter how chaotic it might be.  A nice hand lettered label on which she lists her website as a contact.  www.deborahsstudio.com

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Deborah Boschert gift quilt 02-26-12

This is another of the quilts from the "Twelves" that didn't make it into the Visions Art Museum exhibit.  I was amazed at how dark this quilt read when laid out with the other 48 pieces.  There are three of Deborah's 12-inch square quilts in the Collection and her quilt "Meandering Home" is showing at VAM now.

"Cultivate"  Deborah Boschert 2011  12" x 12" 

This quilt has many of Deborah's signature techniques/motifs - the little white "trees" in a row at the bottom, the printed circles, the misty paint spray, hand embroidery and more.  I especially like the little quilted tendrils growing upward and overlapping the little house.    Instead of the long over the edge binding stitches she sometimes uses she has instead added a fabric printed with grass - clever. 

 
A gorgeous batik on the back and a dedication label.
And notice the soda can hanging tags. 

12X12 Quilts From TCQC 10-29-11

Some of you will be off to Houston soon and I want to put in a plug for the Special Exhibit of the 12X12 group  http://www.twelveby12.org/  and for their book "Twelve by Twelve: The International Art Quilt Challenge", published this year by Lark Crafts, a Division of Sterling Publishers.   Twelve quiltmakers, connected by the Internet, each committed to create twelve inch square themed quilts within a given time frame (60 days?).  They have completed two "sets" each composed of twelve quilts from each quilter and all of the quilts will be displayed in the Special Exhibit.  Only the first set (144 quilts) is included in the book.

 I have enjoyed this project from the beginning theme of Dandelion.  Watching the work of each quiltmaker as they struggle with designs, techniques, and deadlines, I have seen each one grow in ability and confidence.  I think that sharing their experiences in the book and showing the results of their efforts in the exhibit provides a chance for many quilters to learn and enjoy new directions in their own work.  So, I agreed to sponsor the exhibit at Quilt Festival in Houston and continuing to the subsequent venues in Cincinnati and Long Beach.  If you attend any of these Festivals I hope you will take some time to visit this Special Exhibit and study the quilts "in-the-fabric"

The quilts below are not part of the 12X12 project, but are quilts that were made by four of the twelve artists and are part of  TCQC.  All were purchased from SAQA online auctions.

"Tillamook Rooster" Terry Grant 2009  12" square. 

 http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2011/01/tillamook-rooster-by-terry-grant-01-23.html

"Possibilities"  Deborah Boschert  2009  12" square 

http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2011/01/possibilities-deborah-boschert-2010-12.html

"Village Series #7: Being Uprooted"  Kristin La Flamme  2007  12" square

http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2010/07/kristin-la-flamme-quilt-from-tcqc-07-05.html

"A Little Birdy Told Me"  Terri Stegmiller  2011  12" square

This one is from the SAQA auction this year and I have not yet posted about it, but I will soon. 

 Enjoy Houston, I wish I could be there, but right now it is just "too far, too hot, and too hard on the horses", as an old family saying goes.   

Quilt Festival - Long Beach 08-06-11

The one part of my brain that doesn't seem to have many black holes is that which stores information about quilts and their makers.  Of course, I can't remember the names of my dearest friends or what I had for breakfast six hours ago, but I can always seem to dredge up what I need to know about quilts - not necessarily instantly, but with a little rummaging around in those little grey cells.  This first quilt was shown this past weekend at Quilt Festival,  but I am also posting a quilt, which I remember well, by the same artist that was shown at Quilt Festival - Long Beach in 2008.  I was fascinated by that quilt as I am with this newer one and I knew instantly that they were made by the same person.  What is Maya's technique?  I can tell she doesn't start in the middle or on any of the sides and work her way outward or inward.  Does she cut all the pieces with "sawtooth" edges or just those that will lay on the top?  And how exactly does she cut them?  Scissors?  Rotary cutter?  Exacto blade?  ?? 

 

I couldn't find a website for Maya, but here is an article about her

http://columbusjcc.org/centerscene-weekly/2011_may5_no18/maya_chaimovich_quilts.php

Rich in texture and color, the impact from a distance is of a lovely painting.

Close views reveal patterned fabric and dense stitching.

Hundreds of fabrics, most of them recycled, create a colorful puzzle.

Several tassels are incorporated into the mix.  [sorry about the poor picture]

This quilt was part of a 2008 special exhibit about space and the sky. 

Bits and pieces of fabric, lace, ribbon, metallics ...whatever.  It all makes a rich tapestry of air and space.

Back to 2011.....

http://www.bluemoonriver.com/

36"W x 48"L   Susan has an awesome talent with a sewing machine and very creative ideas.

Such marvelous control to create these smooth, close-spaced rows of stitches....

..... that make the feathers look like real feathers. 

Paint and stitching combine for an elegant quilt.

http://www.deborahsstudio.com/

Deborah's distinctive details  help identify her quilts wherever they are hanging.  Notice the tiny seed stitching in the center and the row of little "trees" across the bottom  - hand stitching makes a statement.

http://www.sherrykleinman.com/

36"W x 48"L   I wish I could have taken a closeup of this quilt.  The little lines on the fabric are indeed, rows and rows of names.  They give the appearance of seersucker fabric, don't they.  It is a great quilt - a forever  treasure for Sherry's family.

Quilt by Deborah Boschert from SAQA Auciton 2010

"Possibilities" Deborah Boschert 2010 12" X 12"

Cotton fabric, newspaper, paint, beads, sequins, embroidery thread. Raw edge applique, embroidery stitches, beading, printing, air brush (?), fusing, hand and machine stitching. If you focus on the background in the center you will see a bird (dove?) flying there.
This is another purchase from SAQA Auction 2010. I have seen Deborah's work many times and always admired it, but this quilt truly 'spoke' to me. She told me via e-mail that she worked on it when their family was preparing to move to another state. She said, "There are subtle and not-so-subtle images of growth, adventure, flight, communication, order and stability in the quilt. Life (and art) is always a balance of all these ideas."

The calligraphy is on a newspaper that Deborah picked up at an Asian grocery when she lived in Dallas. She adhered it to muslin with gel medium and stitched it as though it were fabric.

The stones give a strong base to this piece and Deborah has hand stitched across the binding to make the base even stronger - it is one of the touches that makes her quilts uniquely hers.

The back is covered with a layer of fabric, so the stitching is not visible from the back. I've known several quilters who do this, but I don't understand why.

Deborah is one of the "Twelves" - twelve quilters from around the world have an ongoing project that challenges their creativity and helps them grow in their work. See Deborah's work at http://deborahsjournal.blogspot.com/ or at http://twelveby12.blogspot.com/