Monday, May 20, 2013

Blogger's Quilt Festival, Spring 2013

I became aware of the Blogger's Quilt Festival through Nina-Marie's blog this week, and have decided to enter my latest quilt, Autumn Glory in the Art Quilt category. I've blogged about creating this quilt before- so if you seen and read all this before, bear with me!

I've lived in the desert southwest my entire life- a landscape that is more known for wide open spaces and lots of browns. I had the opportunity to take a trip to northwestern Michigan with my son and his fiancee last fall, and I found myself enthralled with a lush, green landscape very different from what I'm used to.  We hiked through woods that enveloped me with verdant greens (and the very beginning of fall colors), where the view above me was entwined branches with only bits of blue sky peeking through.  I loved it, and took hundreds of pictures.  So far, I've made three quilts inspired by this trip, and more are in my head.  A Walk in the Woods: Autumn Glory is the third in this series.


I do not want to create a realistic quilt of the woods I experienced, but rather give a sense of the tall, upright trees juxtaposed with the beautiful autumn colors.  This is actually two quilts: I constructed the pieced portion with hand dyed and commercial fabrics, then quilted and embroidered it using both hand and machine embroidery.  Then I constructed the wholecloth "matte", using a commercial cotton that I stenciled with Shiva paintstiks to depict the leaves.  I created the stencils myself, using actual leaves that I collected on the trip.  This "matte" was heavily quilted, then the pieced quilt stitched to it.




I feel like I am finally starting to find my voice with this quilt.  I love improvisational piecing, and prefer to use my own hand dyed fabric as much as possible.  I also like the 'calm' lots of negative space in a quilt provides.  I hope the viewer can get the same sense of peace amidst the grandeur of the trees that I experienced in those woods.

11 comments:

CitricSugar said...

This is such a great piece! It's clearly abstract but there can be no doubt of the trees... Gorgeous!

Vicki Miller said...

I agree with you that with this series you have found a voice and even though I have seen this quilt from it's beginnings to finish, it is always beautiful to see it again. It just shouts "a walk in the woods"

Libby Fife said...

It's always nice to see this piece and to read your descriptions of the area that inspired it. I wish you could see the parts of northern CA with their redwoods. I bet you would really enjoy that:)

MulticoloredPieces said...

Yes, I think you've achieved communicating an impression of woods very artfully. Luv this piece!
best from Tunisia,
nadia

Lonci said...

I love the modern look, beautiful:))

What Comes Next? said...

this is such a great quilt - I could look at it every day and just feel like I'm taking a walk in the woods with you

Renee said...

Beautiful quilt! I love the rich colors and your quilting!

Rian said...

That is such a lovely piece. I'm sure it will lift the spirits of all who gaze upon it at the show.

Martine Kuciel said...

une œuvre vibrante superbe réalisation

Scrapatches said...

Beautiful work! ... ;) Pat

jeifner said...

I quite like the almost Bargello pattern and that as you get closer there are more details to see.