2011 Retrospective

I guess it's about that time again, to look back at what this year held.   It's been a busy year, and I didn't do as much quilting as I'd hoped, but having a wedding thrown into the middle of the year is a pretty good excuse, I think.  I took a lot of classes.  I think classes are important  for me to learn anything and everything I can - every different style, approach, method.  Attending QSDS was a huge step for me and gave me a great opportunity to meet a wide range of art quilters.

Classes I took:

May 8-9, 2011  - Janet Fogg Workshop "Unexpected Combinations."  I'm still excited about the project I started in this class although it  has never gotten past the full scale cardboard pattern and selection of fabric.  I hope I can still remember all her techniques when I finally get back to it.  That would be a good "real" art quilt to tackle this year. 

May 13, 2011 -  "Liberated Log Cabin" with Gwen Marston - I am just this week finishing the quilt made from the pieces I created in her class.  I'm doing a more dense all-over pattern that is getting me away from my tendency to stitch in the ditch.

Janet Fogg

Gwen Marston

June 11 - 15, 2011 - "Favorite Places," with Valerie Goodwin at QSDS Symposium
October 10, 2011 - Karla Alexander, "Stack the Deck" quilts via Moonlight Quilters.
December 10, 2011 - Jan Hudson, "Needle-turn Applique."

Goodwin

Looking only at things that are totally completed, i.e. hanging on the wall, ready to be hung, sold, gifted or used, here are my accomplishments:

Functional Stuff - Quilts
1.  "Stolen Moments" was my biggest project, first full-size bed quilt, and winner of a nice blog prize. It took most of my time during the first three months of 2011.

2.  "Organic Waves" is the couch-throw size quilt that came out of Karla Alexander's class.  Fabric selections, cutting, class, and finishing occupied October and half of November. I wish I had not used cheapo poly batting.

Functional Stuff - Other Stuff
3.  Katie's placements.  This was fun. I enjoyed the intuitive piecing process and learned about color, value, and how to or how not to mix prints.

4.  Cora's apron - was pretty quick and easy.  I was glad to be able to do something for Elisabeth as she's always ready and willing to help me out.
While I did learn something from these functional pieces, a goal for next year is to resist the temptation to make modern quilts, home decor or other accessories and to focus on art quilts.


Art - FFFC Pieces

5, 6.  Sadly, I only fully completed one piece, #56 and that was the Goldsworthy ephemeral piece, the nature of which was to self-destruct. I hereby resolve to finish at least 6 next year! I thought about them all anyway.  Sigh. The only other one I even started, was #52,  Marriage.  (Color Field Theory) I loved the idea, hated the result.  I'm thinking some paint or other surface texture might help it.  Note:  Forgot that I also completed the Celtic Knot piece...   The Art Deco and Notan pieces are more done than not, and could get finished fairly easily, now.  So that's really five that were completed at least to a postable stage.  Next year I'll finish those as well as the challenges.

Art - Other Stuff
7.  The Bird Brain shop hop block.  Fun.  Pulled me into doing more embellishment, something I keep saying I want to do, but don't end up doing.
8.  The Acropolis, from Valerie's class.  Greatly expanded my comfort level and familiarity with more surface design techniques.  I hope that next year I will focus on the map quilt idea and try to develop a "body of work" or at least explore a concept in more depth.

I've spent a fair amount of time in the first three or four rounds of the Moonlight Round Robin too, and will end up with some sort of finished piece at the end of that. My contributions so far include hand stitch, beading, words, and felt+button flowers. My favorite was the experimenting with "Words." This is a theme I'd like to pursue more next year.


The other goal will be to either finish the UFO's or accept them as practice and decide not to spend any more time on them.

Maybe I can finish one more piece before the stroke of midnight on 12/31/11?  The log cabin piece is basted and ready to quilt.  Edit: quilted about 1/3 of it last night.  It's slow going with the walking foot, but I'm not yet fluent in free-motion.  Another goal for 2012!

The Slow March...

The slogging through the UFO list continues.  Tonight I finished up the Acropolis piece that was started at QSDS.  I also did a really ugly friendship block that I don't think I'll even bother photographing.  The person wanted scrappy, fall, earth tone prints.  and the block was this strange set of 2" x 3 1/2" bars... maybe I will photograph it tomorrow... I really didn't get it, but it involved sewing 18 small pieces together, and when I had completed my first try, it was a full half-inch shorter than it was supposed to be.  So I forced myself to check my 1/4" seams, and my cutting, and go through the WHOLE THING all over again.  I guess I cut too small typically because on this second try I left what I thought was "extra" but it came out just right.  I guess that was a good, but painful and tedious learning experience.


For the Acropolis, I thought it was "basically done." But it still needed batting and backing (a lot of stitching was done on just the front and the stabilizer).  So that needed a bit of quilting to hold it together.  And attempting to cheat and not baste properly resulted in a big bulge and a lot of stitch-ripping.  After that, I decided to try a mitered binding, based on a tutorial by Susan Brubaker Knapp.  Suffice it to say that it's harder than it looks.  Again there was much ripping.  
And when I was finally all done, and stood back to admire it, I realized the original intent was to cut about another inch off the right side.  Which I could still do.  Better to cut too little than too much.  But I doubt I'll ever rip that hard-earned binding off to do it.  So - it's officially "finished." and off the UFO list!

QSDS Report

I promised a report on the adventure of my first QSDS, and I've started one... that's the best I can do for now.  Sadly I don't have photos to post, since I don't want to post others' pictures or work without their permission.  

The first event when I arrived was the Sunday bus trip to Coshocton's Johnson Humrickhouse Museum where an exhibit entitled "Pushing the Surface, Contemporary Art Quilts" was showing.   They were wonderful, and I was thrilled to be able to view so many great pieces right up close.  I learned that even though I pour over art quilt books for hours, the real thing is 100 times better.   I recognized some of the names in the exhibit like Kathy Weaver, Sue Benner, Nancy Cook and Noriko Endo, and was excited to find out that another featured artist,  Maya Chaimovich was right there with us on the tour.   


The next stop was the Zanesville Art Center, for "Superlatives, Contemporary Ohio Quilts," which was also spectacular, and included such notables as Nancy Crow.  


Our third stop was the Jewish Community Center, to see Maya's solo show, which I've linked above.  Her works are mostly abstract, and based on colors.  I love that most of her material is recycled clothing and other fabrics from flea markets.   Maya turned out to be in my class, and I greatly enjoyed her modest attitude and beautiful work. 


After getting settled into the dorm and meeting my roommates on Sunday evening, classes started in full swing Monday morning.  It was great to finally get to meet Valerie, and to have so much time and access to her help and opinions.  The structure of the class was that we first all did a "template" project which she had already laid out for us.  I think there was a bit of grumbling from folks who thought that was stifling their creativity.  But by the time we were done, all had agreed that it was the only way to quickly learn Valerie's techniques and use them in our own project.  The Acropolis was the subject of the project.  Here's my almost finished piece.

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Back to the present, I'm still sort of floating in limbo not sure what I need to do next.  Other than work of course.  Big deadline at work on July 6, as well as many other not-so-patiently waiting clients.   And then there's wedding planning.  Lots to do there.  


Still waiting for my box from UPS, so I can unpack and reorganize stuff, and get back to work on some of my WIP/UFO's.   I need to pick up my Round Robin for the next round at MQG.