#1 of 52 Journal Quilts - The Forgotten

Jeanette Thompson of the QuiltArt list has started a challenge to create a weekly journal quilt.  She's doing it in honor of her birthday, and wants to make an artwork each week to remember this special year.  Since my birthday is near hers (in timing, if not in age) I decided to play along, as I've always wanted to challenge myself in this way.  (I do best with deadlines, even self-imposed ones!)

I decided that my weekly journal quilts will be 8x10" (in either portrait or landscape orientation), because it's such a convenient size.  I haven't decided on a theme yet, and may not.  I want to be as free as possible to do whatever strikes me at the moment, but may decide later to create temporary (monthly or quarterly) themes.  Here's my first one, a raw-edged improvisational piece, entitled "The Forgotten".  It's not a religious theme, but more a humanistic one.

"The Forgotten", 10x8

A Few Quilt Festival Pics

Lynn Douglass and me.
Lynn is an A-1 Longarm quilting machine dealer with a cool blog at http://lynndouglass.wordpress.com/


Nancy Dickey, Liz Broussard, Rex Watson, Susan King, and me


Lynn with her Journal Quilt

2007 Journal Quilt

Having been totally remiss in posting lately, I thought I'd start catching up by finally posting my 2007 Journal Quilt. This was the last year for the Journal Quilt Project, begun in the QuiltArt List and sponsored by Karey Bresenhan at the Houston International Quilt Festival (and traveling to other Festivals afterwards), and I was proud to have taken part in the project for the past several years.


eyePod, 17x22"

and here's my Artist's Statement which is displayed with the quilt:

“eyePod” grew from two of my favorite things … Nature’s forms and puns, or plays on words. I love the pod form, and had been playing with it in some of my jewelry-making, so it naturally came to mind when it came time to create my final Journal Quilt. My “pod” just needed some eyes to complete the pun.

On my hand-painted background, I painted the orange pod and the eyes, but the pod seemed too bright, so I covered it with one of my hand-dyed silks, which toned it down and imparted some shading as well. I then stitched around the eyes and cut away the silk so that the eyes were clearly seen again, and thread-painted the eyelashes. After quilting, the final touch was to add the tiny “apple of my eye”, as well as a crystal teardrop or two.

As an experienced quilter but an insecure artist when the Journal Quilt Project began several years ago, I can safely say that this project has pushed and prodded my “creative bone”. Now, thanks to the freedom to “play” and to see my work displayed without the novice’s fear of judgment, I have gained confidence and greatly expanded my artistic horizons. I’m sorry to see the Project end. Thank you, Karey!