Exhibit at the Vale
If you are in the Chicago area this summer, please stop in at the Vale Craft Gallery to see several of my art quilts on display in their group show. Including Midwest Summer (above), there are several of my new small works to be seen. The Vale is that rare gallery that displays wonderful objects from pottery to jewelry to basketry and beyond. It's located in Chicago's River North gallery district on Superior and Franklin and well worth the trip.

The exhibit opens Friday, June 4 with a reception from 3:00 to 8:00 and ends on September 4, 2010. I can't make the opening (teaching in North Carolina) but hope you are able to visit this unique gallery.

Irish Patchwork Society
In August I'll be flying over to the UK to vend at the Festival of Quilts with Frieda Anderson in the Chicago School of Fusing Patternworks booth. That's me above passing the volcano in Iceland. Neither rain nor sleet nor ash shall keep me from my appointed rounds.
http://www.irishpatchwork.ie/index.html
Then in early September you'll find me teaching at the Irish Patchwork Society meeting in Cork. I'm really looking forward to setting foot on Irish soil. I hear it's very green there.

Thread-u-cation Thursdays: Fast and Slow
A few weeks ago I showed you a video of this little quilt, Kay's Bouquets #12 in progress. Now it is complete and has a new name. One of my favorite things about making a fused art quilt is that it is fast and easy. Because the little quilt is made from pre-fused fabric scraps, the design evolves quickly and is improvised on the spot.

When I compare the speed of creating the fused quilt top with the hours of making stitch choices, thread color decisions, and actually stitching the quilt, I am amazed at how much time I spend on the hand embroidery. And, I'm amazed at how much I enjoy this strange combination of speed (fusing) and slowness (stitching). Like sugar and salt, a tasty combination.

Appraiser for This Collector
Years ago, when I was but a child, I met a local quilt maker, the lovely Sandy Schweitzer. Sandy now works as a quilt appraiser in Illinois having passed the rigorous training and tests to attain certification. If you need an appraiser in northern Illinois, contact Sandy.
She is also a collector of art quilts. And I'm happy so say she has added one of my pieces, Betty's Bloomers #20 (above) to her collection. Thanks Sandy!

Artfabrik and Artists
It's always a wonderful surprise to see how people are using all that thread they get from the Artfabrik web site. This image is a detail from a delightful piece by Suanne of California. She says, "I drew and painted the Aftrican masks and plan to fill in some excitement with the size 8 pearl cotton thread. It is a slow but satisfying process."

In this closer detail you see the fine decorative stitching that adds pattern to In this closer detail you see the fine decorative stitching that adds pattern to the mask motifs. I love the stitches she has chosen to enhance the piece. Thank you for sharing Suanne!

Batting Woes
When creating fused art quilts, I'm very aware of the scrim on batting. (Scrim is a network of glue or plastic that holds all the little fibers together. Some batts have scrim and some don't.) If you fuse your fabrics to the scrim side of the batt it may ripple the quilt top into little pruney waves....ask me how I know.

Sometimes you can see the scrim or feel it or you have to test the batt by fusing just a corner of your quilt top to the batting. If it wrinkles, pull it off and fuse it to the other side of the batt.

During a recent teaching trip I encountered another batting debacle. A student had a very dense batting that was really difficult to hand stitch through (sorry, I don't know the brand). The batting was compressed and thick and made it impossible to draw the needle and thread easily onto the surface of the quilt.

Art making is supposed to be fun. So if you find a batting that won't drive you batty, stick to it. I usually recommend Hobbs 80/20 or Fairfield's 80/20. Just avoid the scrim!

Thread-u-cation Thursday: Zigzag Stitch

Thread-u-cation Thursday- Zigzag Stitch
The Zigzag Stitch is great for creating line and texture at the same time. It looks structural to me, so I use it for fence building along a field or in the front yard for my little house quilts. And it's really simple to do.

Here's how I make my ZigZag Stitches: Bring the needle up at point A and reinsert the needle about 1/4" straight up from A at point B. Bring the needle up at point A again and insert the needle at point C which is about 1/4" to the left of point B and on the same line.
Now bring the needle up at point D which is about 1/4" to the left of point A. Point D now becomes point A. Repeat the instructions above.


I hope you enjoy the Zigzag stitch. Please let me know how you use it in your work.

Artfabrik and Artists
It's always fun to see how people use the fabric or thread I've dyed when they create art work. Here you see Cindi Allen using my fabric (Rhubarb) in the background of her beautifully painted piece. Visit her blog to learn more about her adventures in painting.
Another friend, Sherrie Spangler is adding my hand dyed threads to her beautiful work. She's recently been "bitten" by the hand embroidery bug and on her blog you'll you see some of her wonderful crazy quilting.
Thanks to Cindi and Sherrie for sharing their work!

Iron Maidens!
It has taken me a week to recover from my visit with the Bulloch Hall Quilters in Roswell, Georgia. In the 2 days of lecturing and teaching I was well cared for and laughed more than a gal should admit to. There I met up with a fellow graduate of the Chicago School of Fusing and Dean of Entertainment, Cody Anne. She is a veteran fuser who also plays on the CSOF sports team, the Iron Maidens. Thanks to all the gals in Rosewell. It was fun!

Thread-u-cation- The Skinny on Thread
The are so many threads available for hand embroidery the mind reels with the possibilities. But I stick to what I know, pearl cotton embroidery thread. Pearl cotton is used whole, don't try to separate the strands. This thread doesn't flatten out on the quilt surface like embroidery floss does so it holds that nice round shape on the quilt surface.

There is a short video on my web site showing the many ways you can use pearl cotton. But here is a little size comparison chart to help you pair up needles and threads. (Click on it to get a larger view.) Select a Size 1 needle to stitch the Size 3 or Size 5 pearl cotton. Try a size 3 or a size 4 needle for the Size 8 thread. And the size 4 or size 5 needle works for the Size 12 pearl cotton thread.
Sound confusing? I know! It drives me nuts!

New Needles for Stitching!
A student from the Tucson Guild recently introduced me to a brand of hand needles I've never worked with before- Richard Hemmings. I don't know who Richard is but his needles are wonderful.
When used with a size 8 pearl cotton thread, the Size 4 embroidery needle glides through the fabric like butter. (Not that I've ever stitched with butter.) The needle eye on the Size 4 is large enough for the thread but the needle shaft is finer than the Size 3 needle I usually stitch with. As a quilt teacher this brings up a point I'm often reminded of: I always learn something new from my students. Thank you!

May Give-Away
While doodling around on the The Quilt Show web site, I discovered that I am being given away! Yes, the episode I appear on, #303 of the Quilt Show, is being show for free! So in keeping with the idea of giving stuff away, I've decided to give away the pattern of the quilt I demonstrate on the Quilt Show. If you place an order over $20 on the Artfabrik web site in May, I'll send you the pattern for this Strawberry Basket Pattern. And if you watch the free episode you can see how to assemble it and hear me sing too.

Here's a video of what I'm currently working on. Hope you enjoy it!

Thread-u-cation Thursday: Herringbone Stitch

Thread-u-cation Thursday: Herringbone Stitch
There is something fishy about the Herringbone Stitch. Rather than a deep sea resident, it reminds me of an accordion or slinky, something you can stretch out or compress according to your needs. I like this stitch for adding class to my flower stems like those above. (Wait! They look like they're wearing fishnet stockings!)

Here's how I make my Herringbone Stitches: Bring the needle and thread up at point A and return the needle at point B which is about 1/2" down and 1/2" to the right of point A. Take a short stitch left from point B to point C and draw the needle and thread through the fabric.

Next insert the needle about 1/2" to the right and 1/2" up from point C at point D (point D is on the same line as A). Take a short stitch left from point D to point E and draw the needle and thread through the fabric.

Point E now becomes point A. Repeat from the beginning.

The Herringbone Stitch can be varied by changing the length of the stitch or by extending or closing the distance between stitches. Above you see the Herringbone Stitch forming trees on a hill side. It's a great stitch to create texture, line, and movement across your small art quilts. Or if you need fishnet stockings for something.

The Art Comes First
For those of you interested in the business of marketing, exhibiting, and selling your art work, visit Alyson Stanfield's Art Biz blog. She also offers a great book, I'd Rather Be in the Studio, a free informative newsletter for artists, and free outlines for small group marketing salons. At a recent retreat presented by PAQA Alyson drilled us on all things marketing but left us with this key point: the art work comes first.

And that's why I'm making art today!