early post

I'm really sorry! I had in my mind that posting to the blog was the day before new theme! I apologize for this misunderstanding.

Bea

red brick

The choice of my theme « walls » was not taken at random. In effect its a long time I’m fascinated of old weathered walls, brick walls in old houses, paint who scrapes of and make interesting shapes and design, altered color on weather exposed walls and so on.

At the time we created the group I already had visited an interesting exhibition of photographs about the wall of Berlin.

I started with a mind mapping about the theme and found some interesting aspects: there are a few famous walls in the world, walls can protect, imprison, retain and bear, but there are also walls in our minds. Not a long time ago Swiss people decided to not allow the construction of minarets in Switzerland, for me this is a wall too! So many possibilities that I could work on for a long time!

But sincerely, with Christmas, New Year, my work, and at least my family, two month where not enough time to develop some deeper meanings, so I decided for a simple brick wall.

The materials I used are photograph prints, paper, paint and my « red brick » is entirely sewed with the machine.

Looking forward to see your interpretations and discover the new theme.

CONGRATS!

To Vivian,

Saw your name on the QA Inner Animal finalist list! Way to go...Gwen Goepel

Me, too

I'm finished too!
I think I'll try to figure out how to make a post with a date publication, so I can knock posting the completed image off of my way-too-long to-do list. I think it's possible on Blogger... any tips from you frequent users out there?

Finally something I think will work....

I have been mulling things over in my brain for awhile, tried some things and it just wasn't working for me.
The idea I had in my head was clear but how to transfer it to fabric....
I think I have it.
Now to work on the bigger piece!

First Challenge Quilt

As things here could deteriorate in the course of this week (see below), I am writing this blog post now so that on January 31 I can just upload the photo(s).

I have been struggling a lot with this first challenge – not because of the theme. Au contraire: I love it, and for a long time I have been thinking of making a series of work with the WALL theme. I love the structures, especially those of ancient walls that seem to fall apart. I love the subtle colors, sometimes the sparkle when the sun hits the wall. I love to photograph walls. I have tons of photos taken all over the world. So, what was my problem?

First of all, I had to meet another important deadline: my new seminar website had to be up by January 15. I am not an expert in web design and had to work with a new software, but I did it! Then came Christmas and our four-week family vacation. We stayed at home, but the time was much needed to recover from a disastrous 2009. I would be lying if I’d say I’d never started designing my challenge quilt – but only in my head… I thought, in the two weeks after January 15 I would have enough time to put all these thoughts in action.

But life happens, even when a deadline is approaching: my cat’s health deteriorated rapidly (see blog post). When he was in hospital, I started printing some of my photos on fabric. I decided to use photos I had taken in the old part of my village where there are still many old stone houses (beautiful structures…). While piecing, I noticed some marks on one of the walls, red marks – so I highlighted them with machine embroidery. And all of a sudden, it was clear how I would quilt and embroider the piece. I finished it today and as I said in my blog post, I will retire now into private life and care for Flori cat until he is ready to cross the Rainbow Bridge. But I look forward to seeing your quilts!

Good for you, Bea! I'm still working...

finished!

I finished! Want to have a sneak peak??

Hi Susie

This is my third attempt to comment so maybe I'll get it right this time

My opinion is that your piece is done when your heart says so!!!! Especially for those of us quilting for our sanity...

And I believe a small quilt should do the same as a larger one, both invite the viewer from a distance (through color, design, uniqueness, whatever...) AND entice them to also come closer for any detail (paint, thread, fabrics...)

Deadline Approaching! Sewing Fingers!

My question: When working on small scale work like these challenge quilts, how much detail do you like to see. I usually work much larger, and I find that the scale is so important to the final piece. I am doing a lot more stitching than I usually do, enjoying it, but also having trouble deciding how much is too much? In general, I am not a glitz and glitter fan, at least in my own work, though I do love the textural quality of hand stitch. And stitching by hand has become one of my daily practices for a sane and happy life -- the meditative quality is important to me.

Never-the-less, when do you know when it's done. With a large piece of work, I can pin it up on the wall and step back and know. With a small piece, it seems to need closer viewing, so the overall composition, while important, seems to take second place to the surface interest, the stitch, the play of intricacy of the fabrics, the thread, the paint, the quilting.
Your thoughts?

Experimenting.....

I have been experimenting with some WALL ideas......read THIS ARTICLE & it got me thinking of a stone wall.
Then I started pulling paints, & tyvek. Who knows what all I experiment with next.
Soon I'll have some kinda of piece that I will show a sneak peek of.....

Happy New Year To All...

I'm experimenting with learning to blog and set up a website while I still have teenage help!

My website isn't ready yet but how do I appear on the "contributor's blogs and sites" on left side of the home page?

Thanks...Gwen

Sneak Preview

I decided to continue some work I 've been doing with prehistoric imagery for this first challenge -- since it seemed to be a perfectly good fit -- rock walls, rock art! And it's given me a great opportunity to continue experimenting with transfers using polyester film and textile medium -- an interesting way to get a kind of organic quality to the image that fits the theme.

I also wanted to try and use words in each of the challenge quilts, but this one may take the prehistoric images as a preword word! If I find a poem or excerpt from a poem about cave walls or shamens maybe I will try to work it in via the quilting. If this one doesn't work out, I have another piece of fabric in the works that might be better. It's been interesting for me to have a two month stretch to work since usually I don't spend this much time on a small art quilt.

This photo shows the kind of effects you have from the image transfer, though this is a sample from another project, not fabric I am using in this piece.