June Underwood quilt from TCQC 05-24-21

I failed to post a quilt from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection last evening, Sunday, as I had planned to do.  Just got so interested in the strange wood planks, I forgot.  Refer back to the comments on yesterdays post to see more information about this product.  Interesting.  I hope to take another picture tomorrow morning, if the planks are still there.  

"Crowsline"  June Underwood (Portland, OR) 2002  45"W X 20.25"L
This is whole cloth quilt using June's hand dyed and painted fabrics.  The crows are painted using fabric paints and the line is stitched.  

I sometimes hang this quilt backwards so I can enjoy the wild fabric on the back.  Some fabric dyers/painters recycle the fabric that covers their table under the fabric they are working on.  And that is what you see on the back of June's quilt - experimental strokes and "bleed through".  

I frequently mark the measurements on the label so that I don't have to keep measuring the quilt every time it goes out to exhibit.  June printed the label and I wrote the figures. 

When the quilt arrived in the mail and I hung it on the wall I was skeptical about this crow, how unlikely it is.  However, later I was watching the crows playing in the water along the gutter across the street and, lo and behold, there was this same crow on the curb complaining to his fellows.  He looked just like this, hump backed and screeching.  

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Very small quilts from TCQC 08-05-18

 Tonight I am posting some very small quilts from several different makers.  There came a time after I had been collecting contemporary quilts for a while that I had to decide how small could a quilt be.  Did I want to hold to 12X12?  Or would fiber postcards be okay?  And what about those artists who only made small quilts?  When I first started the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection in 1987 most quilt artist were making fairly large quilts, but as the years went by it seems that they get smaller and smaller.  Which works for me because I have less and less storage space.  I do have a box full of fiber postcards and I have made quite a few myself.   The standard size is 6"x4", but very small quilts (less than 12X12) come in many sizes.  I'll show you a few this week and maybe continue next Sunday also.   

"Just Because"  June Underwood  2005  5"WX4"L

Whole cloth.  Cotton fabric, machine quilting.

Simply but sweet, I keep this one hanging in my bathroom.  There are several of her quilts in TCQC, all larger than this tiny one.  

June's distinctive signature  "jou" is rather joy like.  

And what a pretty back - with a dedication.  Nice.

"Cherished Friends Flourish"  Tracy Chapman  2007  4"W x 6"L  

Cotton fabric  and glass beads.  Hand quilted and beaded. 

The beads are threaded on while quilting.  Notice the picot bead edging. 

The back shows her tiny stitches.   We have sort of lost touch in the last eleven years, but I still consider Tracy a dear friend and I cherish this symbol of that friendship. 

 "Happy Birthday"  Judy House  2003  8"Wx6"L

Machine appliqued and quilted.  Cotton batiks and glass beads. 

Judy and I became friends at Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar.  She was very talented and made some great quilts.  She succumbed to cancer in 2005, all of her friends, and there are many, still miss her a lot.  

The beads are hand sewn. 

She sang Happy Birthday on the back.

Vest Pocket Tour II   Joan Schulze  2001  7.5"Wx7.5"L

Cotton and silk fabrics.  Printing on fabric.  Machine pieced and quilted. 

Here is Joan's machine stitched signature on the front lower right. 

On the back of the quilt you see her signature in reverse and this long skinny label. 

This is one of several quilts in the Collection that have Velcro for hanging.  I never use Velcro hangers and I would take this off, but I have a hard time seeing black on black, so I left it on. 

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Tiny June Underwood quilt in TCQC 10-07-12

One of the very special things about being part of the huge community of quilters is making little quilts and treasures for your quilting friends.  If you are in a friendship group you are probably familiar with the many ways of exchanging such things.  Since we know the amount of time, creativity and labor that goes into each gift I think we appreciate them more than a non-quilter. 
June made this little piece for me..... well, "just because". 
June's Blog:  http://southeastmain.wordpress.com/



"Just Because"  June O. Underwood  2005  5"W x 4"L
Painted on silk, machine quilted.

 
June signed on the front with her initials. 

 
She also signed on the back.  I added the "Just Because" title, the date and June's last name.   Those who know June might be surprised at the fabric on the back.  We have grown accustomed to her hand dyed  and hand painted fabrics.  But, hey, she is a quilter so she has a fabric library like all the rest of us.  Although lately she has turned to oil painting and has traveled east to do some plein air - hope she is home in Portland soon.  I miss her online.

I-5 Eugene, OR to Chehalis, WA 08-21-11

Today was a travel day.  Just driving, watching the road, admiring the scenery (fabulous trees!) and figuring out how to get where I wanted to be.  On I-5 it is just a matter of going north, but then I got off in Portland and had to so some wandering around because it has been over fifty years since I lived here and I don't remember the order of all the streets.  I arrived at June Underwood's house at almost exactly 1pm, which is the time I had told her I might be there.  She thought I had planned to arrive 'on the dot', but it was just a fluke.  I got there when I got there.  June and Jer and I had a lovely visit over fruit, cheese and really great grain-filled bread toasted.  It was just what I needed and the best cantaloupe I have eaten in a long time - from the Farmer's Market.  I felt fortunate to see all the work that June has up on her walls and in her studio.  Currently she is devoting her time and talent to her painting rather than fiber.   I was sorely tempted to ask for prices, but I can only collect one thing and I decided back in the 80s that I would collect quilts.  And I'm sticking to it - no matter what the temptation.

Hotel decorators still seem to think in "quilt" terms.  This is the lobby carpet at the HolInnEx in Eugene.  I can't think of whose quilts it reminds me of, but it is very familiar.  And a HUGE improvement over most motel/hotel carpets - I always think they get the carpets really cheap because they are so ugly.

This is the carpet in the elevator - more quilty stuff.

I think this train graffiti says "Saint Bizar" (bizarre?).  Maybe some of you graffiti watchers know if this is a graffiti artist's name or ....?  Less than a block off the I-5 in Portland the traffic was stopped by this train moving excruciatingly slow.  In this area of the city I saw several signs warning that some trains do not have engineers and are controlled electronically.  Creeps me out!  I think this train had about 10,000 cars - there were not very interesting warehouses on either side of the street, so I read my book (I always have one handy).

 

When I left the Underwoods I headed for I-205 which goes to the east of the Portland airport and over the Columbia River.  Off to my right I had a few quick glimpses of Mt. Hood.  Further north I had very short sightings of Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Rainer.  Now, if I can only get even a quick view of Mt. Baker north of Seattle my trip will be complete - "bagging" all five major peaks in one trip is a special Road Trip Event.

 

 

A weird observation as I drove into Washington State was how many red vehicles there were on the road.  At one point I counted nine within a short distance.  I couldn't resist taking this picture which probably makes sense only to me.  In the lower part there is a red car in the center lane and another just pulled in front of the black car on the left.  In the rear view mirror there are FOUR red vehicles - one on the far right and three directly behind me with the center one pulling out to pass.  Why so many red vehicles - is this a Washington "thing"?  I have noticed in the past how different states/areas seem to favor certain colors - where Corky lives in Long Beach white and silver predominate.  I wonder if anyone has ever written a thesis about this very important topic!

Tonight I am between Chehalis and Centralia and tomorrow night I will be north of Seattle near Mt. Vernon, WA.  Mabel has planned three days of quilt related events and then on Friday we will go to the APWQ (I think I have that right) QShow in Tacoma.  A busy time, but I will still Blog when I can.  By-the-way, the weather is gorgeous - 91F in Portland was a little warm, but somehow it didn't feel like 91F in Placentia.

June Underwood quilt posted on blog 05-30-10

"Crow Caucus" June Underwood 2007 14.5"W x 12.5"L

Dye painted silk charmeuse, hand-dyed cotton backing and binding. Machine quilted with variegated thread, machine thread painting.

June may send me some corrections on this description - I don't have anything in writing, but am looking closely at the piece and this is what I see. The silk is so reflective that the sea/sky look very realistic and the multicolored thread used for the background (sand w/flowers?) makes a value change that is very striking. This is a quilt that must be seen in person because no photograph will do it justice.

See June's current work at her website: www.juneunderwood.com

I am not particularly fond of crows, but they have a presence that is both stately and sinister which compels me to notice them. These three sitting on a porch rail jog my memories of halcyon summer days at a South Carolina beach in the early years of my marriage. Maybe it was just all a book that I read in the distant past - thirty-five years ago does seem almost like the life of someone else. When we were at that Eastern beach my husband liked to fish in the surf and I was always up and out with him to watch the birds and look for shells. The crows there were fish crows that took advantage of the early hour to scavenge on the beach and in the Bar-B-Que trash of the night before. Just like these three looking out over an unpopulated beach in the early light.

A June Underwood quilt from TCQC 09-20-09

There are several June Underwood quilts in the Collection as I admire her art. She is now doing more painting than quilt making and I also admire her paintings. However, some years ago I decided that I would only collect quilts to hang on my walls, therefore I can only admire her paintings in photographs. As the years go by, one realizes that there is finite time and space and limitations are necessary.

"Farmland" June Underwood 2005 43"W x 36"L

Whole cloth quilt. Hand dyed cotton, painted, machine quilted.

I never asked June why she named this quilt "Farmland" - it must remind her of the autumn colors of grasses. Maybe she will add a comment! The machine quilting makes this piece quite elegant.

However, regardless of how June viewed the design, I think it works better upside down! I do hang quilts different ways and it always helps me see something new and interesting. This one revealed a different feeling, so I usually hang it "my way". Once I decided I prefer it with a different orientation I put another sleeve on so it can be hung either way.

When I look at the quilt in this orientation I see the black areas as trees and it makes me think of farmland that has been allowed to go fallow so long that clumps of trees begin to grow and fill it in - eventually it becomes a woodland again. Some viewers have commented that upside down gives the quilt a less ominous feeling. I suppose this is partially because we humans view the earth as dark and the sky as light - reversing these views might be threatening to some.

"Monterey Sunrise" 05-10-09 Mom"s Day

"Monterey Sunrise" June Underwood 2004 6"W x 5"L

Mounted on mat board 9-7/8"W x &-3/8"L

Dyed Charmeuse silk. Machine quilting. Heat fused edge.

This lovely small piece was a gift from June and I cherish it - it is so typical of a foggy sunrise in the Monterey area. The silk gives a sheen that can't be found on cotton and I think the color is spot-on.

Thanks again, June. You are with me every single day!

Creative Blogger 12-06-08

Oh, my goodness, I've been nominated for the Kreativ Blogger award by the marvelous Rayna Gillman! Am I special or what? But not so special that I have ever been able to put a hyperlink in my blog - it just won't work for me. So, I will have to put in the whole URLs. The rules are:

1. The winner may put the logo on her blog. (done)

2. Put a link to the person you got the award from in your blog:

Rayna Gillman http://studio78notes.blogspot.com/

3. Nominate 5 blogs. (only five?? waaah - this is tough) In no particular order, I nominate:

June Underwood http://June@juneunderwood.com/

Friend and artist growing in both fiber and paint is first on my blog list every morning. She and husband Jer alternate days, so I also get to enjoy his great photography on the days June doesn't post her wonderful art.

Terry Grant http://andsewitgoes.blogspot.com/

Thoughtful, caring and mucho talented, she improves my mood every day.

Ruth Powers http://www.ruthpowersartquilts.com/weblog

Friend, travel companion, award winning quilt maker. Not a daily blogger, but often enough to keep me checking in.

Tommy Fitzsimmons http://tommythematerialgirl.blogspot.com/
She lives an amazingly active life (I'm sure she doesn't sleep), full of people, events, family, travel, quilt making and homes in two areas of the country. Endlessly fascinating.

Laura Nissen http://lauraseverydayblog.blogspot.com/

Who lives in Portland, Oregon, where I grew up in the 40s/50s. Her fantastic photographs, loving family, travels and musings make her blog a daily check for me, though she doesn't post every day.

4. Put links to the blogs. (done)
5. Leave a message for your nominees. (will do)

These bloggers and many more enrich my life and I am continually thankful that I am part of this online community.

Quilts from TCQC 09-26-08

"Crowsline" June Underwood 2002 45"W x 20.25"L

A long-time attraction to the antics of crows led June to do a series of quilts with crows and dragons. When I first saw this quilt I thought the crow in the center foreground was a little too strange, but not long after I hung the quilt on my wall I saw a crow with the same body language on the curb across the street. He was indignantly complaining to his fellows who were bathing in the gutter. Guess he must have moved here to be near his quilt!

The first June Underwood quilt I saw was one she made to celebrate the birthday of a friend "Zee and the Crow-nies". http://tinyurl.com/5yzptr

I was enchanted with the imagery and found the crows to be very crow like, and sparsely drawn. Of course, it belonged to the honoree, so I looked at June's website often to see what was new, which is how I happened to be "Del on the spot" when "Crowsline" was posted. June creates the fabric she uses in her quilts - painting, dyeing, discharging, stenciling, over dyeing - whatever it takes to get the look she wants. She does extensive quilting which gives a wonderful texture to the fabric surface. There are several June originals in the Collection. Check her website: http://www.juneunderwood.com/