Baltimore Goes Crazy

 

You have six days to get to Baltimore to see the best crazy quilt exhibit I've ever seen at the Baltimore Museum of Art.



Run, walk, drive, take a train...it's absolutely worth your effort.

A small show of seven quilts...


What it lacks in size it makes up in quality.



The quilts are in amazing condition...


Anita Jones, the textile curator at the BMA, has outdone herself this time and we should all send her a thank you note!



The quilts are approachable and well-lit...
 

And you can get your face right up close and personal to see all their glorious details.



It's the best way to view a crazy quilt.

Even better, photography is allowed.



Here's just one detail to whet your appetite...what I believe to be a painted Baltimore Oriole and bee next to a sunflower.



The quiltmaker moved to Baltimore so it's possible that she included the Oriole to honor her new home.

There are so many beautiful details to these quilts that it will take me days to share the hundreds of close-ups that I was able to take.

That's the consolation prize for those of you who can't come to Baltimore.

The show is over next Sunday, November 29,  so I wanted to get this posted so that anyone who can go before next Sunday will make the push to do so.  I wouldn't steer you wrong!



Will try to post more tomorrow but it's a busy week.

Stay tuned...

Halloween Candy

Original artwork by Irene Leizer

I haven't seen my Crazy friend Irene in almost a year so it was a real treat for her to show up to stitch with me this Halloween.

And look at her work in progress...

I can always count on Irene to bring a visual treat.  She was the one who came with those delicious autumn-themed fan blocks a couple of years ago.

And this year, she didn't disappoint...

Original artwork by Irene Leizer

She's making a crazy quilt block that will be octagonal, inspired by the colors she stitched in this canvas design by Orna Willis...

Orna Willis design stitched by Irene Leizer

So you have to imagine an octagonal frame around this piece...

Original artwork by Irene Leizer

It's such a joy when we see work that mirrors the colors of the season...

Original artwork by Irene Leizer

And I love how she is using the stitches in Orna's design to inform her own seam treatments and embroidery designs..
.

Original artwork by Irene Leizer

It was such a treat for my eyes to spend time with this block...

Original artwork by Irene Leizer

And better for my waistline than all the candy I'm handing out this evening!

And if that wasn't enough, it did my heart good to see her using her Harikuyo needlebook...

Alas, the very talented Irene does not have a blog :o(

But you can see her cool fan blocks on this post here and more details of her needlebook on this post here.  And if we're lucky, I'll see her more frequently than once a year so we can all be inspired by her work more often.

Oh.  And if you were wondering about the very cool hat label that's pieced into her block...



I found it for her on this trip to Tinsel Trading in NYC.  Lucky for you, Tinsel Trading has an Etsy site and the hat labels are available here.

Happy Halloween!

Winter Wonderbird

Over the years, Jim and I have grown quite fond of the quirks and personalities of the birds that share our backyard and sup at our seed-y smorgasbord.   I'm particularly fond of the Eastern bluebird and Jim's favorite is the Black-Capped Chickadee.



I think he sees a bit of himself in its capable, efficient manner.  Targeted in its feeding style, the chickadee avoids the food squabbles of the finches, sparrows and jays.   Waiting patiently for a break in the fray, it flies in, gets a seed, and flies away again to eat in peace before any protest is mounted.  Though the titmice are similar; the chickadee is the only bird to let us know when the feeders are empty by calling just outside our window...chick a dee dee dee, chick a dee dee dee.

They're also the only birds that escort me across the yard while I'm carrying the newly-filled feeders, taking seeds as I lift them up and before I can even get them hung.  We've seen pictures of people training chickadees to eat out of their hands and Jim has often said he wants to try that once he retires.

I mention all this as backstory so that you understand why I said "yes" without any hesitation when Pam Kellogg asked if I would be willing to make the January artwork for her annual Crazy Quilt calendar.  This year's theme was birds and would I be willing to do a Chickadee?

Jim's favorite bird and my favorite month...slam dunk...I was in.



Another reason Jim loves the chickadee is because it's with us all year round.  A fierce little bird and a scrappy forager in the worst of winter weather.

Inspired by their brazen, insistent requests, I decided to place my chickadee on the crepe myrtle branch outside of the window, winter bare but for the seed pods that are left closed until Spring...



This is the branch from where our chickadee friend, seeing us seated inside the warmth of our home, calls to us to come out and fill the feeder.



I splattered the block with Lumiere textile paint in pearlescent white, wanting the bird to be in the middle of a snowstorm. 

I envisioned snow to be everywhere so I spent some time studying photographs of snow crystals and reading up on the properties of snow in this book...



I can't recommend it enough!  Find it at the library or bookstore and spend some time looking through its pages...it's a beauty to behold.

The snowflake structures lend themselves beautifully to embroidered interpretation...

And I discovered that all snowflakes have either six- or twelve-sided symmetry...never four or eight as I've sometimes seen them depicted.

Each stitched snowflake is unique...

And I was able to use the painted watch parts and beaded snowflakes I had made a few years ago.  Evidently, their time had come...

The crepe myrtle seed pods were "stitched" by making knots of Au Ver a Soie silk chenille thread, sinking the ends, and sculpting them with needle and thread...



I found that the thread was too thick to stitch with a french knot without serious worming.

The snow on the branch was made in the same manner as my January Reflections piece.

As for the chickadee itself, I wanted to give the appearance of the feathers being fluffed out, trying to retain body heat so I stitched in a few fluffy feathers to give the suggestion of cold.

And the little blue beanie?

The inspiration for that came from none other than my son Jack himself.  He wears one pretty much every day...



And I was in the process of making a new hat for him when I dropped him off at school...

To keep him warm through those cold Boston winters.

So I knitted one for him and one for the bird...

I had to steek the bird's beanie so I could cut it in half and sculpt it with thread onto the piece.

Steeking is a method of cutting a piece that has been knit in the round.  I had never steeked anything before so I learned a new technique.

Thanks Pam for including me in your calendar.  You can see the other birdy pieces in the calendar and purchase your own here.



I know I haven't been blogging very much lately but it isn't for lack of desire.  I still love my blog like an old friend and plan to be here more regularly, life willing.

Waving to you all!

Crazy Mentors

Eight years ago I began blogging.

At that time I had just discovered the practice of crazy quilting.   The mixed-media, anything-goes approach to the art form was a perfect fit for my magpie nature and gatherer personality. 

I sought out as much information as I could find which led me to the websites, blogs and stores of this talented and beautiful group of women you see below.  I fell in love with their work first, spending countless hours soaking up the knowledge they so generously shared...

From left to right:  Susan Elliott, NickiLee Seavey, Lisa Boni, Allie Aller, Maureen Greeson, Betty Pillsbury, Shirlee Fassell

Now I just love them for the greathearted souls they are.  

I have such gratitude for all they've taught me. I wouldn't be the embroiderer I am today without their guidance.  They have left their mark on my work and my life is all the better for their mentorship.

When I heard Allie and Lisa were heading East, I called Maureen to see if we could stop by for a hug.   There is no finer hostess than Maureen Greeson and so she did what any good hostess would...she invited Betty, Shirlee and NickiLee who live within driving distance and we had ourselves a Gathering. 

It was a banner day for us all...sitting around Maureen's table, sharing stories, laughs and our latest work.  Most of us hadn't seen each other since the Crazy Quilt Gathering in 2011 so there was lots to catch up on.



It was one heck of a show and tell!

Allie shared a couple of her quilts but had packed most of them away by the time I got my camera out (sorry Allie)...



She shared her "Be Kind" quilt, the centerpiece of which was a cross stitch by her Uncle Hal's wife.

Detail of "Be Kind" by Allie Aller

It shows an amalgamation of both hand and machine techniques, using crazy quilt fabrics, trims and threads in a traditionally machine-pieced way. Allie's been playing with combining old quilting techniques in new and contemporary ways.  She has authored two books and is working on a third!

Detail of quilt by Allison Aller

Allie has starred in many posts on this blog as we've been friends since the beginning of my blogging life.  You can read them here.  You can follow her on her Facebook page or her blog, Allies in Stitches.

Next up is the magical, marvelous work of Betty Pillsbury...



Her quilts are full of fun, fantasy and the feminine divine...

Detail of Crazy Quilt by Betty Pillsbury

She's also an herbalist and works in union with the fairies to craft healing and medicinal herb products...

Detail of Crazy Quilt by Betty Pillsbury

Love the hand-colored image above and the flow of shibori ribbons in her quilts...

Detail of Crazy Quilt by Betty Pillsbury

You can learn more about Betty and her work at her website, Green Spiral Herbs,  follow her on Facebook and read this post I wrote about Betty's workshop in 2011.

NickiLee Seavey is known for her lace-infused crazy quilts and her Etsy business, Raviolee Dreams where she shares and sells her beautiful hand-dyed laces...

NickiLee brought a work-in-progress where she is appliqueing and embellishing her hand-dyed laces onto an antique quilt base...

Quilt block by NickiLee Seavey

The combination of the old and new is absolutely marvelous...

Quilt block by NickiLee Seavey

And the use of the antique quilt as the basis from which to grow the quilt was brilliant...

Quilt block by NickiLee Seavey

NickiLee can be found on Facebook or on her blog, Raviolee Dreams.  You can also purchase her hand-dyed laces in her Etsy shop here.

Our hostess Maureen Greeson has probably taught me the most because I started following her before I even began blogging.  

Most of my first supplies were bought through her shop (which is closed *sniff*) and she used to publish a newsletter where she provided free motifs and embellishment tips.  I still have all of those tips in my inspiration file.

Maureen didn't want to share anything so I begged her to get out a Four Seasons piece which is still in progress.

I just love her eye for elegance, lace and charming victorian ladies...

Quilt detail by Maureen Greeson

I have always admired this piece and the use of crazy-pieced laces as the background...

Quilt detail by Maureen Greeson

And this wisteria!

Quilt detail by Maureen Greeson

You can find Maureen on Facebook here, follow her blog here or read this prior post I'd written about this generous woman.

I'm also grateful to Maureen for introducing me to this spirited and talented lady, Shirlee Fassell...

Shirlee used to appear as a guest contributor to Maureen's newsletters and her ideas were some of my favorites.

Shirlee has studied tambour embroidery at École Lesage in Paris where I'd like to go one day and is now using what she's learned there to do her own thing.

And boy is she!  Currently, she is combining the traditional concepts of crazy quilting and tambour embroidery using a Lunéville hook and creating works that are altogether new and "Shirlee"...

Quilt detail by Shirlee Fassell

The pieces she brought to share are part of the Crazy Quilt Journal Project for 2015...

Quilt detail by Shirlee Fassell

Her pieces are treasure troves of texture...

Quilt detail by Shirlee Fassell

You can follow Shirlee on Facebook here, her blog, Needle and Hook, here and check out this earlier post I've written about her work.

Last but not least is Lisa Boni of Ivory Blush Roses.  Like Allie, I missed most of her show and tell but did catch the tail end of these stunning blocks she's making for the Crazy Quilt Journal project...

Quilt detail by Lisa Boni

She says that these colors are out of her comfort zone since she normally prefers...well...ivory and blush rose...and green/white...

You would never guess that these were out of her comfort zone...just gorgeous...

Quilt detail by Lisa Boni

Her work is impeccable.  

I didn't have a good individual shot of Lisa but I do have this one of us together sharing our love for margaritas...

And our outfits happen to match the new color scheme of her blocks.  Check out the rose pins that we're both wearing...a gift made by Shirlee with that hook of hers.

You can find Lisa at her blog, Ivory Blush Roses, or follow her on Facebook.

After show and tell, Allie put out a call for ideas by spreading a group of vintage stars that I'd picked up in an antique store.  The ideas were flying and the stars were moved around like chess pieces.

Did you see NickiLee holding Maureen's dog Gracie?  She wanted had her own opinions to add.

It was a rich day, full of connection and kinship, and you can see how stimulating and inspiring this group is.

We are so lucky to have this internet where we can show up on each other's virtual front porches and share our lives, our families and our work.

I never would have dreamed eight years ago that I would be gathering family-style with this talented group of teachers.  And just like meeting up with old high school friends, the internet allows us to "know" each other without ever physically having met.

The wonder of it all.