Sisters

Sisters
by Ilene Atkins

One day in October several years ago, three of my sisters were here in Ontario for a visit. The weather was one of those perfect warm sunny fall days that we all love so much. We just had to go for a drive to see some of what Southern Ontario has to offer. 

We were all quite taken with the fall colours, and stopped a few times to take it all in. On one of those stops, near Collingwood, these two sailboats happened to go by. I snapped a few photos, and later printed this on onto fabric. 

I spent many an hour doing the threadpainting, and thinking fondly of my sisters and that great get-together. 

This quilt was chosen for exhibit at Quilt Canada, coming up June 15 to 18, 2016, in Toronto.

Update:  My quilt won first place in its category at Quilt Canada, in the National Juried Show. This is quite an honour, since my name was called with many other big names in the Canadian art quilt world. I am quite pleased. When I was at the show in Toronto, talking to people about my quilt, I was joined by one of my sisters who enjoyed that October day with me, and my good quilting friend from Alberta. It was a sweet moment in my life. 

A Little Thread Sketching

Snyder's Flats II
by Ilene Atkins  14" x 14"

I'd been working on this one for quite some time, It is a print of my own photo, and thread-painted quite intensely. I mounted it on the grey background for a bit of extra.

If you enlarge the detail photo, you can see the stitching I put into this. There are many, many colours and brands of thread. I try to blend the thread colours, working paint-by-number style, and reference my photo on my laptop. It is all free-motion stitched. My photo printed fabric is fused onto a stiff interfacing to keep it from distorting.

Snyder's Flats II detail
by Ilene Atkins

This one was accepted into Threadworks, currently on exhibition at the Wellington County Museum, and travelling to other locations for the next three years.

St. Jacob's Quilt and Fibre Art Festival 2013

The Grand National 2013

I finally had a chance to go back to the Grand National here in Kitchener, at Homer Watson House, to see all the quilts with the room not packed full of people! It is such a delightful show. I spoke to one of the jurors, and felt so warmly welcomed.

The Grand National 2013

Photos were allowed, so I will show you a couple of general shots of the room. This is a departure from my usual close-up detail shots, and I wanted you to get the general feeling of the room. It is such a great venue, with good natural lighting, and each quilt is shown so well. This is a really enjoyable show.

My quilt is in the left photo, on the bottom left corner, the monarch butterfly, which I wrote about here.  I will be working hard to enter a quilt for the next show in two years.

Eilean Donan Castle
by
Patricia Ryckman-Fleming

Also today, I went to see the Wee Quilt Challenge at MacDougall Cottage in Cambridge. I'll show you my favourite wee quilt. It was Eilean Donan Castle, by Patricia Ryckman-Fleming, from Burlington. I just love the colours she used, and the way she managed to capture the essence of the castle. Very moving. All of the quilts were outstanding, moving to the Auld Sod theme, and all had a real feeling of Scotland. One of these years, I will be doing a quilt for this show, too!

I was in a couple of quilt stores today, too, and planting annuals in the garden, so it's been a busy day. Tomorrow, I'll be in St. Jacobs to take in the quilt shows there, and maybe get to another quilt shop or two.

Not 1, But 2 Dilemmas

I finished the embroidery on my October Rose, and have a HUGE distortion situation which is not pretty.  Maybe it looks really bad to me because I've been looking at it so much, but I'm not happy with it. Two rounds of blocking have not made it behave, either.  I started quilting the background, but I've stopped because I'm considering cutting out the rose part into an applique. I know if I leave it the way it is, I will never be happy with it, so I might as well fix it up the best way I can. I really like the way the stitching turned out, though, so it's probably worth saving whatever way I can.

The difference on this piece is the use of polyester threads. I've never been one for polyester anything, preferring instead natural fibers, but I branched out here to get a wider variety of thread colours, and I am now looking at much more distortion. I did not know this when I bought the poly threads, but it's been a hard lesson. I'll also be continuing to try different stabilizers.

Maybe I should go shopping right now, to see if I can find the right green for a background. I looked at all my greens on hand, but none of them thrill me. What to do, what to do. That's one dilemma.

The other dilemma is on this quilt. I've started FMQing hearts into the large print areas, which is ok, but I'm realizing how much time it takes, and there are other things I want to work on, too. Each of these 20 blocks takes about 1/2 hour to do, and there just aren't enough hours in the day. I haven't decided what I will quilt into the blue segments, but I'm thinking something simple might be better if I want to finish this within my lifetime!

I like to keep going on something when I have my machine set up and get a rhythm going, but maybe I'll be setting this aside for a bit. I'm also getting the binding on my R&D quilt, so I'll get back at it. Linking up with WIP over at the Needle and Thread Network, here.

Rose Progress

I finished doing all the random heart FMQ on the unnamed red and denim quilt, which is now ready for binding. I want to put in a hanging sleeve before the binding goes on, which is not ready, so it will wait for a bit before it it finished.

In the meantime, I have been adding a few stitches to my October Rose piece that I wrote about here. You may be able to see the difference. I have a lot of pink threads now to use, and they have made a difference. I am aiming for a bit more contrast than the original photo has, so the rose shows better from a little distance.

I only have a little bit left of the petals to stitch. There are a few more leaves and stems to stitch, too, but for some reason they seem to go in much easier than the petals. I've decided to put it up on the wall to look at it for a bit to determine what it needs next, but now I'm looking at this photo of it on my computer screen and I can already find places to add a few more lines. Sometimes the hard part is to know when to stop!

While it waits, I have other projects to do. Have you figured out, yet, that I don't work on something from start to finish? I always have a number of irons in the fire.

I'm linking up again with the Needle and Thread Network, here.

An October Rose

I'm taking a break from sandwiching, and working on a thread-painting piece, a photo I took at the end of October of a beautiful rose in our garden. I happened to catch a couple of ladybugs, too. I find I don't have all the right shades of pink thread I need, but I did manage to do the ladybug, and I can do the buds and leaves, so I'll keep doing as much as I can until I can get more thread. It's always fun to go shopping for thread, isn't it?

I'm linking this up with WIP Wednesday, over at the Needle and Thread Network, link here.

In other news, my piece with the monarch butterfly was accepted into the Grand National Quilt Show, link here, but you will have to wait for opening day to see the whole thing. I wrote about it here. Very exciting.

Blue Flag Iris

Blue Flag Iris
by Ilene Atkins

Here's another piece I started ages ago. This one is my own photo, printed onto silk. I had printed a number of photos, and tried both cotton and silk. I found the cotton did not give me the vibrant colours I saw in my photos, so moved to silk. Thankfully, these colours turned out much brighter.  Think of those brilliantly dyed silks you see in the fabric stores, compared to the cottons. I think the silk has the ability to absorb more dye than the cotton, hence the better results in my printing experiments.

Blue Flag Iris, detail
by Ilene Atkins

I also tried several different kinds of stabilizer behind the printed fabric, and am still looking for that ideal one. I'll let you know when I find it. I then proceeded to thread-painting. I always think I'll just lay down a few outline stitches, to let the photo speak for itself, and next thing I know, the whole thing is covered is stitching! It became very distorted with all that stitching, and I didn't know what to do with it from there. So it languished in a box for a long time.

Then recently I came across Ann Fahl's book, Colouring with Thread, which I wrote about here. She describes the process of blocking a piece to get it flat and square. I was also afraid to get it wet, lest that leave water stains in the silk.  I decided it was do or die, so I dunked it and stretched it out. Amazing results. It was ready for backing and binding, so here it is. In many ways I am pleased with the results, but it has some issues I would like to work on in future pieces. 

I am linking this up with The Needle and Thread Network, here.

Quilt Festival St. Jacobs 2012 Part 4

Very exciting today. I went to St. Jacobs to take in a bit more of the Quilt and Fibre Art Festival.

I had signed up for a class with Judy Gascho-Jutzi. I have seen her work around town on several occasions, and wanted to learn a few of her secrets, see her working. It's very inspiring for me to see an artist at work.  She makes fabulous landscape works of art, and I really like her style. Check out her website here. And have a look at the very cute piece, about 6x6", that she instructed us to make. Isn't it amazing that a few bits of fabric and thread and trim can make such an impact. She does longer classes, with larger more complex pieces, from her design or from your own.

Also, while in St. Jacobs today, I took in a couple of other events that are part of the festival. I saw the Grand Guild of Fibre Artists display, the Group of Eight Fibre Arts Guild, the Canadian Embroiderers' Guild Guelph display, and Kerry Knickle's Magnificent Apron Collection. Whew!  What a lot to take in during an afternoon.

I really wanted to do the other parts of the show there as well, but it will have to wait until later in the week, since I must spend some time planting in the garden, if we are to have any flowers at all this summer.

Quilts of Denmark

Okay.

Let's do a quick review of the greatest quilt show experiences I've had in the last couple of years:

• The red and white quilts in New York City. 
• The Gee's Bend quilts in London, Ontario. 
• The molas in Toronto. 
• The International Quilt Festival in Houston. 
• And, while not actually quilts, The Louis Comfort Tiffany exhibition in Montreal. 

All amazing and life-changing. Turns out, I would place the Quilts of Denmark show into this category.

Heartbeat by Linnea Hassing Nielsen

Iris by
Lisbet Borggreen

I did not want to miss the opportunity to see these quilts. You may recall, I first wrote about the Quilts of Denmark in February. You may read it here. Seeing that preview only whetted my appetite for the whole show, and what a treat that show was. There was a palpable quilt excitement there, very enjoyable to walk into and absorb. Part of that energy is the community of Ailsa Craig, which pulls together to put on a very well organized show.  Combined with another pleasant country drive, complete with seeing assorted farm babies along the way, and you have the makings of a great quilt expedition.

Double Wedding Ring
by Else Mikkelsen

The thing most striking thing these about these quilts of Denmark is the artistic and contemporary interpretation of this traditional craft and art form. A double wedding ring quilt portrayed in "wild" colours. A heart quilt styled into log cabin blocks. Appliqued flowers mixed with pinwheel blocks.  I was thinking, "Where did they get these fabrics?" These are not the fabrics we usually see at quilt stores around here. And how do they come up with these ideas? It is fascinating to see the divergence from North American quiltmaking.

In speaking with the Danish quilt makers, I have the impression that they are interested in making quilts, but have evolved away from the bed quilts that we know in North America, and have focused more on the artistic representation of the craft/art, with only a very small influence of the traditional patterns of quiltmaking. I know some of them saw the Huron Perth Quilters Guild show last weekend, and believe they were as amazed by the quilts made here, as we are amazed by the quilts made in Denmark.

These photos that follow show details of some of the fabulous quilts, since I think in these cases, the details tell much more of the story than the whole quilt picture does. As always, you may click on a photo for a better look.

Gear Wheel by Else Mickelsen

Iris in a Row by Dorte Gjelstrup

The Whisper Project
by Lene Koch Simonsen

All Dressed Up by Dorte Gjelstrup

Order & Chaos by Ulla Valnert

Summer by Aase Pedersen

Angler's Dream by Gurli Gregersen 

Spring I by Karin Ostergard

Family Rings by Mona Paulsen

Spring Field, Winter Field
by Charlotte Yde

Quilters' Guild Amazement

Last night, I was at the Waterloo County Quilters Guild meeting. Always amazing, always inspirational.

Our guest speaker was Sandy Simmilink, from Burlington, with a wonderful presentation. She graciously allowed me to photograph her quilts, which she had all on display when I entered the meeting. This is unusual, because most presenters do not display their quilts until they speak, so I enjoyed talking to Sandy, and looking closely at all the detail work in her award-winning quilts. Photos also are presented here with her permission.

Sandy's work includes a lot of antique fabrics, 3D flowers, hand and machine quilting, embellishments, and great design elements. She told stories of her life, how she was encouraged to make things at a young age, and the women in her family all being able to do hand work of all kinds. Sounds like my family!   It's not surprising she makes such wonderful heirloom quilts.

Also, at every guild meeting, we have a featured quilt shop from the area, from which we may purchase goodies. It's great, to have the quilt store come to us!  This month's feature vendor was Grantham books, which sells only books related to quilting. One may think one has died and gone to heaven, when one first encounters the display and general vastness of books available, all at very reasonable prices, I might add. If only one could purchase a copy of every book!  They have been around at a few area quilt shows, so I have a number of books in my collection from there. Last night, I did not escape unscathed, leaving with three new books. It's all good.

My Latest Piece

I just finished a quilted piece, measuring 20 x 39". It is called Inner World. It is a representation of what my inner world looks like. I don't usually let this out, but here it is, vibrant and energetic.

I dug into my bits and pieces box, and just started cutting out shapes. These were glued onto the background, stitched around with invisible thread, and then quilted, using rayon and metallic threads. It is a radical departure for me from my piecing, and in actually finishing something!

I'm not sure I love it, but it is growing on me. And my plans are to do more in this technique.

Leftovers from Leftover UFO's

In my previous post, I described a Tablet cover I made, using an old UFO. I was looking for ideas on how I could use the rest of this UFO, knowing I would never use it for any wallhanging. I was inspired by the work of many artists in the Art Quilt World, to make ATC's, or Artist Trading Cards. These are postcard sized quilted items, painted, beaded, or otherwise embellished to suit the artist.

Out came my cutting board, ruler, and rotary cutter. I cut as many 4x6" cards as I could get from my leftover piece, and cut the rest into Inchies, which are tiny versions of the ATC's. Mine are a little bigger, almost 2x2", but I still call them Inchies. Then I set about finishing them up.

The first step was to do a quick zigzag stitch around the edges. Nothing fancy here. Just getting the edges closed. Then I trimmed all the loose threads with scissors. Just cleaning up the edges.

Step two was to complete the finishing on the edges. On one card, I used a close zigzag with rayon thread. I've never liked this method. I can never get it to look as beautiful as I want, so I moved on to my favourite method, which is to zigzag yarns around

the edge. I thread matched the yarn, and used a grooved foot in

my machine to control the yarn along the edges. I found a better foot in my box of accessories, with more grooves, and an open toe, worked like a charm. I finished the Inchies the same way.

Then I used this same foot, and other yarn to race across the cards, adding dimension. Beads followed soon after, and the cards were nearly complete. My favourite card turned out to be the one for which I added three Inchies, shown at left.

A New Gadget Needs a New Quilted Cover

I got a new electronic gadget for Christmas. It's a 10.1" Samsung Galaxy Tablet, and I love it. I had been thinking about it for a while, and my sweetheart surprised me, really surprised me, with one for Christmas. It's amazing what's possible in the technology world. Anyway, I decided I needed to make a cover for it, since the neoprene ones weren't very exciting or personal for me.

I looked around the house for ideas, for fabric, for whatever I could use. There were several possibilities, but what I came across was a quilted piece I'd started some years ago, and never finished. I had extra blocks left from making a quilt, and put them together into a wall hanging. I quilted the stuffing out of it, in a contrasting colour, and didn't much like where that was going. Where it went after that was into the closet, quickly forgotten. I didn't know what else to do with it.

I was only too pleased to cut it up into something more useful. I even

managed to find the original fabric for the binding. It was easy

enough to figure out how big to cut it, and joined the edges in an envelope fashion to fit the Tablet. I added beads and yard for trim, and added Velcro for a closure.

I now have a very personal Tablet cover.

A Houston Finish

So that very pretty yarn I bought in Houston is now knitted into a scarf. I needed a model to show it off, and my faithful cat, Tigger, was only too happy to help out. The wool has mohair in it, and it is very cuddly and warm, and I love wearing it. And I like the way it looks all bubbly and colourful.

I started another scarf from some wool I've had in my collection for a while now. I haven't been doing very much sewing lately, though. Hopefully I'll get back at it now that Christmas is past.

Stack of Success

At this busy time of year, I can actually say I've finished something. I was working hard on some Christmas cards to send out, and they are finished and in the mail. It wasn't hard to do any part of them, just time-consuming. Well, truthfully, I had some technical challenges all along the way, but everything worked itself out, and they seemed to take on a life of their own.

I hope everyone I've sent one to really gets a kick out of it. I included a "family" photo inside, which was a lot of fun capturing.

New Projects

When I was in Houston, we were talking about which project we each would start first, from all the goodies we bought. I wasn't sure, I think I said I would finish a white Winding Ways quilt I already have going. Well, I have been so excited about a ball of hand-dyed yarn I picked up, that I just had to start knitting a scarf. I had one in progress, but did not like the way the yarn was knitting up, so just now I cast that one off. It will never be finished up anyway. Maybe I can use that small piece somewhere else.

This casting off was soon followed by casting on the new yarn. It's not like I don't have other yarns to knit, but you know how it goes. Something new is always  more exciting than something old. So far, I love the way this looks, and feels. It is a blend of mohair, silk and wool. And all those pretty colours, with a loopy  texture, what's not to love? I'm not a superfast knitter, though, so it may take me a while to finish my scarf. I'll keep you posted, when it's finished.

In Houston. . .

So I spent the weekend at the Houston International Quilt Festival, with two of my friends from Alberta.  I've known them for a long time, from way back in my tailoring days, and we are all quilters now. Anyway, they are both a lot of fun, and all three of us had a blast in Houston.

We will never be the same again! Seeing so many amazing and beautiful quilts all in the same place is spectacular, and changes the way you see the world of quilts. It also changes the way you see your  own place in the quilt world, and the way you create your own work, so I'm very happy to have been there. We all feel now, that there is room to improve our own work. If nothing else, seeing all the fabulous quilts will make us better quilters.

Seeing the quilt displays was one thing.  The quilt market was quite another!  HUGE. Did I mention it was huge?!  There were so many vendors, it was hard to cover them all, but not impossible. And cover them we did. We all bought a lot of fabric, gadgets, patterns, and other cool stuff that we can't find in our corners of the world. At the end of each day, we would all lay out our purchases to show and tell. So much fun. Now we all have enough projects to keep us busy for a while. Can't wait to get at it.

Marmalade's First Snow
by David Taylor

I want to include a photo of a quilt that I particularly love. A cat of course, and there were a number of cat quilts, and being a cat person, I especially like this one. When I was looking at this quilt, I feel like I've known this cat for a long time.  Plus, I really like red tabbies, so that caught my eye, too. This quilt is by David Taylor, called Marmalade's First Snow. 

It's Been a While

I've been doing some other things, and haven't been blogging, for a while now. I just got out of the habit, if you can believe it. I've promised myself I would get back to it. So here goes.

I did another postcard, this one of my yoga sister. I had printed this onto cotton fabric, then simply did some stitching and yarn for trim. I suppose I could do some sparkle and colouring in, but it may stay like this for all eternity.


I've also been slowly adding thread painting to another photo. This one is printed on silk, which I think gives better results than printing onto cotton. I took this photo in our garden last summer, and used mostly purple threads to "paint" in the flowers. You can see here how I have it in an embroidery hoop to keep it taut. It will still need some blocking to smooth it out. So far, I'm pleased with the results, and I'm thinking how I can finish it.




I've been doing a lot of camping and nature stuff this fall, too. Being out in nature is just as important as quilting. Yikes, did I say that out loud! Anyway, camping near Parry Sound, near North Bay, and near Peterborough. And hiking along the Bruce Trail near Orangeville. All good for the soul. Sitting by the fire at one point, I was inspired by these power animals to guide me, so I stitched them into a postcard quilt. They are cut out of Laurel Birch fabrics, and appliqued onto a background. Nothing complex, but I do like it.