Two new additions to TCQC 12-08-13

This is a Quilt - Part II
I purchased three of the samples from SAQA's 2011 trunk show and showed two at:
http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2013/12/this-is-quilt-12-01-13.html
Tonight I am showing the other two pieces.

 
Pamela Allen did not name this piece, but since I have a problem with untitled items in TCQC I have named it "Knotted".  I suppose it could be "depth" or "dimension" or "corded" or "recycled", but knotted came into my head first. 

"Knotted"  2011  Pamela Allen - Kingston, Ontario, Canada   Matted to 8"x8"  11-28-13

I think Pamela's work is amazing.  How does she just sit down with scissors, fabric, and thread and come up with such interesting images and techniques?  There are six or seven of her quilts in the Collection and I treasure every one of them.

DETAIL "Knotted" 2011 Pamela Allen - Kingston, Ontario, Canada Matted to 8"x8" 11-28-13

 

DETAIL "Knotted"  2011 Pamela Allen - Kingston, Ontario, Canada Matted to 8"x8" 
11-28-13

How many times have you heard me say I don't buy quilts that need to be boxed separately - that cannot be rolled?  Well, sometimes I do.  I have another piece by Susan Else which resides in a dedicated box when not on the wall.  Sometimes I can't resist something that "speaks" to me. 

"Cold Day"  2011 Susan Else - Santa Cruz, CA  Displayed in an 8"sq. Lucite box.  11-28-13
This came from SAQA in the Lucite box - very cleverly held upright by tiny holes in the bottom through which stitches are taken into the lady's posterior.  I will keep her in the box, somehow it seems appropriate.
There are four views here, one into each side of the box. 
 

 "Cold Day"  2011 Susan Else - Santa Cruz, CA  Displayed in an 8"sq. Lucite box.  11-28-13

 
"Cold Day"  2011 Susan Else - Santa Cruz, CA  Displayed in an 8"sq. Lucite box.  11-28-13

"Cold Day"  2011 Susan Else - Santa Cruz, CA  Displayed in an 8"sq. Lucite box.  11-28-13

Susan is very good at getting realistic body language into her work.   Love the hair.

Visions Art Museum - "Recent Acquistions from TCQC" 12-07-13

I drove to San Diego on Friday so I could be at the Museum for First Friday when there is sometimes a great crowd of people taking advantage of the free admission to museums and galleries.  However, it was very cold and windy and we recorded only about half the usual attendance.  It was fun being in the gallery and hearing the comments of the visitors.  We are still giving out ballots for everyone to vote for their favorite quilt and they all seem to look more closely and ponder the quilts to decide on just one that they like the best.  When the exhibit is over I'll let you know whose quilt gathered the most votes.

I spent the night at a local motel and prepared for my gallery walk/talk at 2pm.  It had sprinkled some in the morning and it was cold and windy.  About 1:15pm I looked out and it was pouring rain and the wind was whipping it sideways at times.  So, I was amazed and gratified that about 40 people came to the talk, which was a fundraiser for the Museum.  They were a very good audience and listened attentively.  I had told them before starting that my voice was not very strong, but I would speak as loudly as I could.  When the talking and walking were over many stayed to visit with friends and with me until we closed the doors at 4pm.  Altogether a lovely afternoon looking at and talking about quilts.  If you were not able to attend and would like a tour, call the museum to see if one can be scheduled.  619-546-4872  I am usually not available on Tuesdays.  


Here are three of the quilts as they are displayed.  Beth Smith, the Museum Director did the layout and it flows beautifully through the gallery.

"Desert Sands"  2013  Dena Dale Crain - Kenya, Africa  33.25"W x 29.25"L
On the left in the picture above is "Desert Sands" by Dena Dale Crain who lives in Kenya and travels to different countries to teach her quilt making methods.  I met her at Quilt National last May and she mentioned that she had some quilts with her.  Of course, I wanted to see them and this one spoke right up and said "buy me"!  It is made from silk tussah and dusted with gold foiling.  

"Quenching Rain"  2007  Melody Johnson - Palmer, TN 16.5W x 16.75"L 
In the middle in the picture at the top is Melody Johnson's "Quenching Rain" made after the end of a drought in Tennessee.  Melody had started using some commercial prints in her work, but for this one she couldn't find polka dots in the colors she wanted, so she cut out the dots and fused them to the background color - the lavender on dusty orange, the black on the orange at top, and the red-orange dots  on the green/yellow on the right.  The little trees are also cut out and fused on and the rain drops are hand stitched.  If you look closely at the blue rectangle in the center you can see a quilted puddle.  Such a colorful representation of welcome rain. 

"Nature's Lace"  2011 Lisa Jenni  Redmond, WA  36"w x 24"L
I apologize for the color here - it is a very green quilt and not as dark as this. Lisa made this for the quilt auction presented by the Association of Pacific West Quilters, but the auction had to be postpone and done online, which was not the original intent.  I was thrilled to have the winning bid because I had been waiting for the auction for over a year.  Her inspiration was a postcard sent by her daughter traveling in northern Australia.  The quilt shows beautifully the light shining through the palm fronds and Lisa's technique is wonderful.  

Friday Feet 12-08-13

Kathie Bellamy Nov 2013

Kathie always dresses so nicely for SQG meetings.  She is coordinate and pressed and wears makeup nicely applied.  And she must have a whole closet just for her shoes!

 

#   #   #

Signs and Flowrs 12-05-13

As many of you know, I really do hate to shop.  But the time comes when I must do it.  Today I bought two handbags at TJMaxx and a new pair of black pants at the Dress Barn.  I was exhausted!


Since I haven't been shopping in a long time this may be something that many stores do.  I went out of the dressing room to look for another size and when I returned there was my name on the door!  Gosh, I felt like a movie star!  What a great thing to do.  Congrats to Dress Barn.

Just cool!

I met my friends Carol and Dick at our favorite restaurant "Fish in a Bottle".  I know I have visited the ladies room before, but this interesting fresh flower bouquet was never there.

It is very striking against the "marble" wall and at first I thought they were artificial flowers.

But, on closer look I saw they were real, and lovely, flowers.

The secret is this heavy vinyl "vase".  I don't know how it is put together, but it is not sewn (of course).  There are three tapering, skinny compartments and the water goes up to about an inch below the top of the vinyl.  Cute, eh?   After I looked at these pictures I realized I should have checked behind the vase to see how it is fastened to the wall.   Sigh!  Guess I'll have to go back for dinner again, just to check out the vase in the bathroom. 

Wordless Wednesday 12-04-13

 

Monday Browsing + Portals 12-02-13

Google Doodles are a little bit of fun among the detritus of the Internet.  I especially like this year’s Thanksgiving Doodle.   Use the “finder” to look for almost any topic or date:

http://www.google.com/doodles/finder

http://www.google.com/doodles/thanksgiving-2013

Ecologically correct?  Or just a gimmick?  http://new.poopoopaper.com/

And yet another source:  http://www.londolozi.com/cubsden/how-to-make-elephant-dung-paper/

The results of the Alzheimers Project sale at Houston – w/videos and pictures:

http://aaqiupdate.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/we-made-it-1-million-for-alzheimers-research/

 

"This is a Quilt!" 12-01-13

SAQA is selling the matted examples from "This is a Quilt!" trunk show - see the website at:
http://www.saqa.com/storenew.php?scat=45
There are some little jewels, as long as you don't mind that they are matted and under the mat the edges are not necessarily finished. I don't like to add framed items to the Collection because they need special storage and are not portable enough for me to take along when I do programs for guilds and other organizations. However, these matted pieces are 12" square and will fit into the Mylar sleeves I use to store the quilts in the acid free boxes that are just the right size. I chose four favorites and will show them on my blog, but SAQA is removing the sold quilts from the page, so to see what kind of pieces there are you need to check in ASAP.
I don't know why the very white labels attached to the backs of the matting have turned blue.  I've taken the pictures twice at different times of the day.  Suggestions?

 

"Serendipity"  2011  Denise Oyama Miller - Fremont, CA.  8" square in a 12" mat. 

When I first looked at this quilt I thought it was a commercial batik, just quilted.  But Denise when through quite a process and came up with something I think is beautiful. 
 

DETAIL

My record keeping system doesn't like quilts that don't have titles, so I always make my own titles for untitled pieces.  This is now "Cow Country".  Original, eh?
 

"Cow Country"  2011  Keats Scott - Silverthorne, CO  8" square in a 12" mat.
 

DETAIL   I love Keats idea that all the dots are cows grazing across the landscape.
 

DETAIL  The mountains are cut from the upholstery fabric - I wonder if it had large flowers.  Sometimes fabric with big floppy roses makes perfect mountains or their reflection in still water.