Capital City Quilters 2013 Show

I was honored to receive ribbons this past weekend at the Capital City Quilters Biannual Quilt Show.  Thanks to all the organizers and judges who worked exceptionally hard to put on this event for our community.  Having worked on the quilt show committee for several years in the past, I know how much preparation and dedication it takes to make this happen. 

Passionflower I - First Place, Contemporary and Judge's Choice

Livingstone Daisy - First Place, Mixed Techniques

Organics II - Second Place, Mixed Techniques

The Micro Series

I’m fascinated by macro photography and have been taking close up photos for years.  Photomicrography, taking a photo through a microscope, is even more extreme and opens up a whole new view of the world.  I’ve based this series on photos found on the internet, (giving credit where due) and my own imagination of what we might see under the microscope if we look closely.  Each piece is 16" in diameter, and created from recycled and commercial silk and cotton, machine quilted with rayon thread and beaded.

Micro I - Anglerfish Ovary  Original design based on a microphotograph by James E. Hayden.

  

Micro II - HeLa Cells  The HeLa cell is the oldest and most commonly used cell line used in scientific research.  It was derived from cervical cancer cells from Henrietta Lacks in 1951, and was found to be remarkably durable and prolific.

 

 Micro III - Vero Cells  The vero epithelial cell line was established in the early 1960s from the kidney tissue of an adult African green monkey.  The cells are a standard cell line utilized in many laboratories, especially for vaccine production and the detection of verotoxins. 

Micro IV - Silkworm Caterpillar Proleg  This original design is based on the photomicrograph by Spike Walker of the base of a silkworm caterpillar's proleg. The prolegs are short, stubby structures that grow from the underside of the caterpillar's abdomen.

 

 

Micro V - Flow  This original design is based on what I imagine seeing through the microscope.

Micro VI - Swirl  Another imagined piece.

A Few More Pieces

Livingstone Daisy (45" x 40")  This original design is based on a photograph I took in our garden, and uses techniques of quilt artist Velda Newman.   The petals are hand dyed cotton which have been bleach discharged and painted, then hand appliquéd and highlighted with colored pencils.  The entire piece was extensively quilted with rayon thread, and the flower center beaded.

Livingstone Daisy Closeup

 Nebula (13" x 23")  This whole cloth piece of silk was hand dyed, then machine quilted with rayon thread and beaded.

Nebula Closeup

Nebula Closeup

Strata (17" x 25")  I’m always in search of silk clothing and scarves that can be re-purposed or dyed, and love the way silk feels, how it can be manipulated, and how reflects light.  This recycled silk scarf was quilted with rayon thread and beaded.

 

Strata Closeup

Post Show Studio Cleanup

This morning it looked like a small tornado had moved through my studio, and given the past weeks of frenzy preparing for Gallery Walk it's not surprising.  Fabric, beads, thread, colored pencils, drawings, pins and needles strewn everywhere.  I've walked in there a few times since the show looking for things, and shoved a pile over or moved it to the floor.

I tackled the mess today, and while not everything is put away, I have clean surfaces, fabric is folded, beads are back in their drawers, and I can begin to think about my next project.  I'm easily distracted so generating new ideas requires a clean workspace.  I even threw away (gasp!) two pieces I'd worked, reworked, worked to death, and still didn't like.  Sometimes it's best to move on.

I'm a bit at a loss however, wondering what direction to go next.  A familiar technique or something completely new?  Work on the piece I began in Jane Sassaman's class last month?  Bed quilt for the guest room I've been designing?  Can't decide, I think I'll knit...

Snow Dyeing Results

After about 24 hours I rinsed and washed, and am quite pleased with the results.  The colors are not as intense as a low immersion dyeing as the fabric isn't sitting in the dye, but the patterning is wonderful.  The dark orange and peach didn't have enough contrast to show but the oxblood red & lemon yellow worked well together.  I'll definitely be trying this again!

Dark Orange & Peach

Oxblood Red & Lemon Yellow

Oxblood Red & Lemon Yellow

Snow Dyeing

I'm already itching to start something new and Gallery Walk isn't even over.  So after some back-breaking snow shoveling as the temperature rose and the 18" of snow became saturated with rain, I decided to put some of that snow to use!

I followed the instructions in an article by Janet Jo Smith, published in the Dec/Jan 2013 Quilters Newsletter, and will post the results tomorrow.

Mix the Procion MX fiber reactive dyes.

Large plastic container and an upside down plant tray.

Two yards of cotton sateen, soaked in soda ash solution for about 15 minutes.

Lots of snow to choose from, piling it up over the fabric.

Starting to squirt the dye on the snow packed over fabric.

Peach & dark orange on the left, oxblood red & lemon yellow on the right.

Completed Work

This 52" x 38" art quilt is based on a photograph by Michael Graupe posted on the Botany Photo of the Day website, and uses techniques by Velda Newman.  The piece is hand appliqued using hand dyed and commercial cottons, enhanced with colored pencil, and extensively quilted with rayon thread.

Passion Flower I - Passiflora Pinnatistipula

Leaf Study I (27" x 56") was made with some of my hand dyed cotton sateen and some from artist Laura Wasilowski, then machine quilted with rayon threads.

Leaf Study I