CHALLENGE: Structure

The space within becomes the reality of the building.

~Frank Lloyd Wright

My 12 x 12 groups's challenge for this quarter was "Structure".  "Structure" can mean many things; for me, from my nerdy engineering side, I thought first of building structures. 

 I went to Google, looking for structures and the photo below spoke to me.

Below is a photo of my piece in process; it is tough to see all of the layers.  I pieced fabric, sewed additional lines, rubbed  metallic wax on it, covered it with tulle, and then added the two circular appliques.  I knew I needed to add one more layer of stronger supports, but was not sure how I would layer them on.  

 I took a photo of the work-in-process and printed out six copies; I took a white colored pencil and began experimenting with how the final layer would look. Finally, I could add the velvet thread to finish it! 

I wanted this work to be dark and steely, but thought that one pop of color was needed, so a citrine colored velvet puff was added.  Below is my finished piece, entitled, "Industrial Pop".  Enjoy!

ART QUILT GROUP: Life is Like a Box of Crayons....Part III

Never invest in any idea you can't illustrate with a crayon.  ~Peter Lynch

Our March meeting of my Art Quilt Group meeting with crayon challenge brought so many wonderful pieces.  The  March colors were Indigo, Red, Red Orange.

Below is the rundown of what everyone made.  First is Anna Mae's piece; it reminds me of a sparkly diamond ring!

Next is Carolyn's.  She began with hand-dyed organza and then, due to traveling, she moved on to hand stitching and beading.

Here is Diane's (and sorry, my camera did not capture the color well here).  She was inspired by the artist Charley Harper and his cardinals.

Here is Doha's work.  Doha is our newest member and I am glad she has decided to join us. She chose to applique lots of fun fabrics.

Here is Evey's; I believe we all agreed that this reminded us of a campfire with sparks.

Jackie did some indigo dyeing with Shibori; she is continuing to complete the piece with sashiko stitching  The beauty of this piece in person is phenomenal.

Jackie has a second piece of a skunk cabbage that is in its early stages.  She said that she imagines there will be lots of French knots on it.

Jenny used this month's challenge to work on her applique; she is emphasizing her applique with sashiko stitching.

June used hand dyed fabrics and couching of fibers; she finished with circle quilting (her specialty).

Mary was inspired by Gwen Marston liberated stitch blocks along with Amish quilts.

I do not have any pictures of my own submission.  I will work on this and put it in my blog for next week.

Our colors for the next challenge are: Red Violet, Salmon, Granny Smith (now these are colors I can get on board with!)

Home

“Home is the place where it feels right to walk around without shoes”

My local quilt guild, Log cabin Quilters, had a quilt challenge a couple of years ago- "What Michigan Means to Me" Above is my entry which is made of felted wool, machine embroidery, beads, sequins, and glitter (love, love glitter!). It has a diameter of approximately 54".

Above is an antique Ford truck. Growing up, when we would visit my Uncle Al's family (my mom's brother), he typically had one of these trucks in his garage that he was refurbishing. His trucks were often purple- very, very cool looking! In honor of this memory, I embroidered 'Uncle Al's Service' on the side of the door.

I grew up on the east side of Grand Rapids, behind our home there were a small secluded lake, Hidden Lake. My brothers, sisters, and I would spend hours playing by the lake and the adjoining woods. Priceless memories!

The waves have glitter on them (Did I tell you I love glitter?). The three fish are sequined and beaded and hang off the bough.

Michigan is known for its wonderful cherries. So, of course this quilt needed a cherry tree with my husband's and my initials carved on it! The tree also has our state bird, a robin, perched on a branch.

The cherries are small felted wool balls with red wire spirals attached. The leaves have glitter on them (Are you seeing a theme here?)

One of the best places to vacation in the entire world is Mackinac Island. When my husband and I first married, each June we would attend the Lilac Festival on the island and participate in the 8-mile walk around the circumference of the island. The Mackinac Bridge is the largest suspension bridge in the world that connects lower and upper Michigan.

Another wonderful Michigan festival is the Tulip Festival in Holland, MI. Each spring, the city is adorned with blooming tulips everywhere! The Klompen dancers dressed in traditional Dutch dress washing the streets adds to joy of the feastival. When I was in high school, I would go to the festival with one of my good friends. I cherish thr pictures to this day....

The last part of the quilt that I will share (though there skiing and lighthouse scenes also) is of home. The quote that is embroidered around it says, "Home is where the heart is and Michigan is our home" Need I say more?

Have you ever participated in a challenge? What do you create?

The Road to Happiness

The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is that interests you and that you can do well, and when you find it put your whole soul into it - every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have.

John D. Rockefeller III

I am lucky that I have found my passion...many people go through their entire life without realizing their passion. My passion involves anything that requires me to use a needle with thread or a paint brush on any type of fabric.

The photo above is is a quilt that I have been working on for a few years (as is with most of my projects!). I decided I wanted to learn how to applique, so I picked this quilt- probably not the best choice for my initial endeavor. It is interesting to now see my journey through my stitches. The first few blocks look pretty sloppy and as I finished, I was in a good rhythm (but with still much to learn).

The quilt was quilted by my good friend, Pam Huggins. Here is her website: http://www.huggsnquilts.com/ I love the attention to detail she puts into each quilt.
The pattern for the quilt is from the book below:

Are you an appliquer? What is your favorite applique project that you are working on or have finished?