Author: Nanette

Fabric and thread

This week, I’m working on a process to demonstrate thread sketching. Thread sketching is just like making a sketch with pencil and paper. Sketches are pretty quick and often made of simple lines. Instead of paper and pencil, I’m using a sewing machine and thread to sketch.

I want my example to be reproducible, so I need to start with an image. For this example, I decided to use  a peacock feather as inspiration. I initially drew the design on paper (right) and I probably could have just made copies, but it looks a little sloppy from all my erasing and redrawing. To clean things up, I scanned the drawing into my computer and re-drew it using Adobe Illustrator (left). The line drawings I can make in Illustrator are known as vector graphics. I like working with vector graphics because they can easily be re-sized and changed without effecting the quality of the image itself. If I tried to enlarge the scan, the image would get more blurry the larger I made it. With vector graphics, I can enlarge or shrink the image as much as I want and have the same quality for all projects. I can also tweak the image to change how it looks.  It definitely is a bit time consuming, but since I plan to reuse the image for several projects, I feel it’s worth my time in the long run.

Stay tuned, because next time you see this it will be rendered in fabric and thread.

 

Have the opportunity again

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Herdon, Virginia to be part of the Sacred Threads Artist Weekend. Sacred Threads is an art quilt exhibit held every other year which focuses on the spiritual side of making quilts. For this juried exhibit, artists were asked to submit quilts with statements that explain their story.

This was my first time entering this exhibit. To my great honor, my quilt “Soar” was accepted.

It’s always a treat to visit the exhibits where my quilts hang, but this time things were different. The emotional energy that’s in the building can’t be explained. Most quilt exhibits, you look at a quilt and move on, but in this exhibit you’re compelled to read the stories. More than once I was moved to tears reading the artist’s intent. Lisa Ellis and her team of volunteers also produce an audio tour of stories told by the artists and there’s the book, a big book, of all the quilts and artist statements. I didn’t have time to read all the statements while I was there, but I did buy the book and plan to read every one. I had the most fun, stalking fellow artists and asking them to autograph my book. It gave me a reason to have dialog with these talented people and personally learn about their artistic motivation.

During the weekend event, there was a special gallery viewing in which the artists stood by their quilts and talked about their art. Due to the traffic flow of show, I found my best observation point to be across from my quilt. I enjoyed the opportunity to observe people’s reaction to my piece. I had a great vantage point to see people’s reaction without them knowing I was there. I found that a lot of men were attracted to “Soar’s” large osprey wing. That intrigued me. Was it the size? Visual impact? Or that it didn’t look like a traditional quilt? I didn’t ask, but its an interesting tidbit for me. If you have the time to visit this week, I encourage you to go. If not, it will be 2 years before we have the opportunity again.

 

SEE MY QUILT “Soar” at the 
Sacred Threads Exhibition
July 7, 2017 – July 23, 2017
Floris United Methodist Church, Herndon, VA
www.sacredthreadsquilts.org

 

Make excuses

There are days when I wish I had more confidence. I’ve come a long way over the past decade, but I still haven’t eliminated self-doubt. I take comfort in knowing that I’m not alone. What I’ve learned is that I should own up to it and work through it. It’s like the book, “The Little Engine That Could.”

On those does that the negative speak takes hold, I remind myself to step back, take a breath and say, “I think I can.” Then I drive forward. “Onward>>” is my new personal catch phrase. Just don’t stop trying.
“I think I can.”

Yesterday was one of those days. I was struggling with some background quilting designs. I wanted to kick it up a notch, but each attempt didn’t give me the joy I was looking for in the quilt’s design. But I didn’t stop. I kept trying. Change the thread, change the pattern, change the attitude … “I know I can.”

By the end of the day, I felt the confidence and said, “I thought I could and I did.” Who knew it was as simple as a pre-school storybook? Always remember, in life we have 2 choices: *Make progress or *Make excuses.

 

SEE MY QUILT “Soar” at the 
Sacred Threads Exhibition
July 7, 2017 – July 23, 2017
Floris United Methodist Church, Herndon, VA
www.sacredthreadsquilts.org

How do you retire from that?

Last week I was given some good news which included a deadline. July is going to be busy month.

My primary mission right now is to keep the creative energy flowing while I continue on this journey. There are days I feel like I’m on fire with excitement; days where I just feel tired; and days where the energy is somewhere in-between. But with everything I feel, there’s always one constant…time.

Time moves quickly, that’s for sure. As I was flipping through photos last week, I was reminded of all that I’ve done and all that I have left to do. My brother and father both retired in their mid-50’s, but I feel like I haven’t even started yet. Actually, I don’t think I ever will retire. How do you retire from something that is your life’s work?

I’ve always had art and creativity in my life and I’ve always had textiles. I dream about it. I crave it. I feel lost when I’ve been away from it for more than a day. It is my life’s blood. How do you retire from that?

Dates on quilts

Right now my quilt “Soar” is in Herndon, Virginia waiting to be hung in the Sacred Threads Exhibit. I’m excited to be part of this biennial exhibit which is designed to convey spirituality, healing and inspirational messages without emphasizing any particular religion or theology. The concept of spirituality lives close to my heart as I travel this Earth looking for meaning.

After living with this quilt for awhile I decided to change it’s name from “Solar Worship” to “Soar.” Soar just fits what I see when I look at it. Because of the name change, I had to change the label before I took it to the shipper. I was also required to supply a formal appraisal of the quilt for insurance purposes. Well, that was a first for me.

We have a licensed quilt appraiser in the area, Jane Hall. Jane is known as the “Pineapple Queen” because she has written numerous books about making pieced quilts using the pineapple block (a variation of the log cabin block). She’s also kind of a rock star legend when it comes to quilting; she’s been on many of quilting tv shows and in many magazines. I’ve met her several times before and she even appraised some of the antique quilts that I own. She is an amazing lady. Very kind, talented, and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed my visit with Jane.

One thing she told me was that I need to date my quilts. Since I had to change the label anyway (name change), I decided to heed her advice and include the year made. Dating a quilt is important for historical records. Years from now someone viewing your quilt will wonder about you and the label/date will help them find out who you are.

I have some reservation about dating my quilts, but I do sign them.  Sadly, in today’s throw-away society, things that are “slightly old” aren’t valued as much as things that are “new and fresh.” I think if artwork is 10-20 years old, people view the piece as old fashion or out-dated. Jane knows best, so I added the date. But I wonder what you think about dates on quilts?

 

SEE MY QUILT “Soar” at the 
Sacred Threads Exhibition
July 7, 2017 – July 23, 2017
Floris United Methodist Church, Herndon, VA
www.sacredthreadsquilts.org

Laugh with life whenever possible

I believe we learn lessons about life from situations we’re placed in. We can also learn alot by watching how others handle situations. I’ve been learning a lot the past few weeks as I witness 2 friends battle cancer. They are both amazing women, creative and funny. They make me laugh; I love that about them. Because of their sense of human and strong character, they are both facing their diagnosis with positive and determined ways. They are powerful to watch.

Shortly after receiving her diagnosis, one of my friends made a promise to her husband to clear out her stash before she dies. She didn’t want to leave him with this burden. She held to her promise and organized her things, then invited people to come “adopt” her craft supplies. “Take all that you want and use it,” she told us with a big smile. It gave her great joy to see her things go to people who would love and appreciate what she had. I don’t know that I would be so organized and determined after receiving such news.

I surely don’t need more fabric, but I did go “adobpt” a few things and brought home a mascot. This funky hedgehog is truly special to me. It will remind me of the strong character, grace and humor of my friend. It will also remind me to love what I do, give graciously, and laugh with life whenever possible.

 

 

SEE MY QUILT “Soar” at the 
Sacred Threads Exhibition
July 7, 2017 – July 23, 2017
Floris United Methodist Church, Herndon, VA
www.sacredthreadsquilts.org

Call this a win

Today is one of those rare June days that I can have the windows open. I love hearing the birds sing and call outside. There’s a red-headed woodpecker visiting our bird feeder. I can hear its distinct chatter. Somewhat migratory in it’s nature, the red-head seems to only visit us in the breeding season. I always look forward to seeing them. They are definitely hard to miss with their bright red head and black and white tuxedo-like body.

We have several varieties of woodpeckers who visit our yard. Another impressive species is the pileated woodpecker. Pileateds are large birds and amazing to watch. Last week we saw one feeding its young with suet from our feeder. It is so special when they play in our backyard.

Both of these birds are common in the longleaf pine forests in which I live. Like many habitats its being lost to encroachment of people. The pinecones of the longleaf are massive. I’ve been working on a concept using the longleaf pinecone as inspiration. This week I sketched out a digital drawing based on a photo I took a couple years ago. Now that I have the line drawing in Adobe Illustrator, I can easily resize the image to fit any project requirements.

I tried to send the line drawing to my Cameo Silhouette plotter. The Silhouette has a blade attachment which will follow the lines of a drawing and cut out pieces of fabric. (Here’s a link to a post where I describe how it works.) I’m not sure I’m sold on using the Silhouette. I can see it’s potential, but I also need a lot of practice trying to get the techniques down. The image in this post shows my results after I fused all the tiny bits together. I still need to fuse it to a background fabric, then add some depth and detail using thread and pencil. For the most part I’ve accomplished what I tried to do, so we can call this a win.

 

This one may take awhile

A part of creating original designs is figuring out how to accomplish them. I always say I have a huge tool box [of ideas and resources] I can use for my art. The ideas don’t always work as planned. Its OK, because sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.

Right now, I have an idea that’s pretty solid in my head.  I want to create an art quilt using a photo I took at Muir Woods. First I need to make the background. I want it to appear as if the sun is beaming through the trees. I want to use pieced wedges of fabrics. Brilliant idea … I “think.”

Well the bugger is I don’t have a lot of yellow fabric. So, I went shopping at NC Quilt Symposium 2 weeks ago. They usually have some great vendors … not so this year. Sadness.

So, then I decide to use what’s already in my stash and make it work. Yes… Yes… I think I can do this. I spent an entire day cutting, piecing and sewing (remember I’m not using a pattern). I’m confident its looking good … but … not … so … fast. The final outcome failed. More sadness. The piece is not large enough to cut square and get the effect I desired. I don’t have enough yellow fabric to try again. The nearest fabric store is an hour away. With this “trial” run, I’m sure the idea will work, but I’m stuck until I can get out of town and go fabric shopping. Even then, there’s no guarantee that the store’s fabric selection will work with my idea.

I’m not defeated…just feeling challenged at the moment. I will get this one done, but for now its on hold. Sometimes that’s just the way it goes … this one may take awhile.

Stay there or get out

I’ve been trying to develop a rhythm. The summer is in front of me and I hope to have a lot accomplished before it ends. I think we are all guilty of falling into the treadmill trap. Think about it. When you’re walking on a treadmill, you’re physically moving but the scenery doesn’t change. Its almost like you’re not moving at all…except when you stop and realize that you’ve used up a lot of time and may even feel exhausted.

I think life can be like walking on a treadmill. You get pulled into the day-to-day activities, time is moving, but you’re personal goals aren’t being met. Its easy to postpone things when daily activities stand in your way; dinner should to be made, bills have to get paid, laundry is piling up, and the dog begs to be walked. These are the treadmill duties…they keep you moving through life, but they don’t take you anywhere. As soon as you get them done, there’s more waiting for you.

Long ago, I’ve realized if I want to see change, I have to shake things up. I have to fight against the current rhythm and and create a new one ~ one that includes fulfilling my personal goals. Let me tell you, it ain’t easy. If you want it bad enough, you have to put your mind into gear and find a way to do it.

For me, I’ve been purging and rearranging my studio space to give me more comfort and efficiency when I work. I’ve also been working on my health (actually spending a lot of time on a real treadmill ~ so explains my metaphor). Both changes have given me strength to keep moving forward. I see progress. Its not easy pushing yourself out of a rut, but if things aren’t working there are only 2 options: suck it up and stay there or get out.

The force is with you

Several years ago, I took a class given by textile artist, Dottie Moore. I was immediately drawn to her spiritual interpretation of creativity. I noticed as she walked around the classroom meeting students that she would stop and ask them thought provoking questions. Her question to me was “What’s holding you back?”

Recently, I’ve been reminded of this question and it has me thinking. I’m moving forward on my path, setting goals and executing them. But, goodness it seems slow moving some days. What’s going on with that? Every now and then, it’s good to ask yourself questions like this. Do you have a good answer?

Sure, I could answer the question by laying blame on all the outside forces impacting my life. But really? If I wanted it bad enough, wouldn’t I just get to it?  What really is really holding me back? The answer, to be honest, is … me.

That’s the key, you know. When we question what we think is holding us back, we’re likely to realize that its in own power to change the situation. AhHa! So there lies the magic of Dottie’s question. It’s like Star Wars and Luke Skywalker … “Luke, the force is with you.”