House art-quilt for Wounded Warrior

Have you ever "lost" something on your computer?  Well, that's what happened to me... I just now found this Draft of a post from back in December of 2012.  I had evidently never posted it!  Anyway, here it is, at last.
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Jamie Fingal, who is one of the busiest and kindest people I know, created and sponsors "The House Quilt Project", which delivers art-quilts to several worthy organizations.  One is Furnishing Hope, which helps those in need, as well as Habitat for Humanity and Wounded Warriors.

I finally got around to finishing this one, and will send it off to Jamie tomorrow.

Flag-roofed House for Wounded Warriors
Painted wholecloth quilt, 12" x 16"
I used Tsukineko inks, to keep the fabric soft.

Here is the back, including the dedication label and instructions
"not to wash"!  There are also two hanging beads in the upper corners.

Jamie, I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to do something as a small thank-you to our service members who return home wounded.  It's an honor.

Houston Quilt Festival 2013, Part 1

The Houston International Quilt Festival, 2013, was once again an almost overwhelming experience. I want to share some of my favorite art quilts, and have spent the last week going through my pictures ... cropping, straightening, correcting lighting and color (as much as possible), and making sure I had the artists' names attached to the images.  Here is the first group, alphabetically by title.  Enjoy!

A is for Aubrey
by Marilyn Wall

Africana
by Angelinas Artero Pardo

Alike but not the Same
by Peggy Brown

Anchor Up
by Sharon Hightower

Best Friends
by Patt Blair

Best Friends, detail

Bird Nest III
by Karen Flamme

Birds Eye View
by Wen Redmond

Bullseye
by Barbara Oliver Hartman

Casting a Long Shadow #1
by Caryl Bryer Fallert

Casting a Long Shadow #2
by Caryl Bryer Fallert

Chihuly's Gondola, HandiQuilter's Best of Show
by Melissa Sobotka

Corona
by Betty Busby (SAQA silent auction)

Doodle and Stitch
by Kim Borowy

Dream Tree
by Margaret Jessop

Escape II
by Betty Hahn
(original painting, digitally reproduced on silk)

Please check back for more pictures to come!

Knitting Novice

I started knitting just a few months ago, and am crazy about it!  Even though I can't do much beyond the basics, I love learning and trying out new stitches.  The hardest thing for me is learning to read a pattern, as it all seems to be a jumble.  I'm getting there, though, with a little help from my friends Betty, Barb, Judy and Ann. (Now I just have to convince Sharon and Darleen to join the craze!)

A hand-wound center-pull yarn cake

One of the things I just learned was a great way to hand-wind a center-pull yarn cake, using a #50 knitting needle as a base (you could also use an empty toilet paper roll or paper towel roll).  Here's a link to the Youtube video where I found this easy technique.

Here's my beautiful new yarn bowl,
for holding yarn balls as you knit.

 I ordered this lovely glazed stoneware yarn bowl on Etsy, from Hilal at New Moon Studios. I wanted a slightly larger one than what she offered, so she made it specially for me.

Now it's back to knitting and learning!

Teaching can be fun!

Last week I had the joy of presenting my lecture, "You Mean I Can Mail This?" at the Baytown Area Quilt Guild in Baytown, Texas.  This is such a friendly and welcoming guild that I enjoyed myself thoroughly, both before, during, and afterwards.

This one-hour lecture is about creating and mailing fiber-art postcards, which I have been doing for years.  It's so much fun to both send and receive these tiny works of art!

My dear friend Sharon Dixon, of Katy T-Shirt Quilts, accompanied me to be my "right-hand man," and also enjoyed the hospitality of this very fun guild.  Here are a couple of pictures from the evening.

Here is the display for my lecture,
"You Mean I Can Mail This?"
featuring fiber-art postcards received
from many friends, as well as my own.

This next picture is a bit fuzzy, but it was the best that Sharon's dear hubby could be expected to do with my cranky little camera.

Earlier that afternoon, Sharon and I
discovered that we like the same shirt!

Tracy Williams, Program Chair of the BAQG, posted this very nice write-up in their Newsletter:

Linda Teddlie Minton is a mixed media fiber artist who works out of her San Antonio studio. She often creates her own hand-dyed, painted, and manipulated fabrics for use in her art quilts.  

Surface design has led to further explorations in hand-crafted jewelry, watercolor and acrylic painting, as well as beading and bookbinding.  She has had work published in Karey Bresenhan’s book, Creative Quilting: The Journal Quilt Project, as well as in Quilting Arts Magazine.  Her small fiber-art group, FiberVoices, has also been profiled in the Quilting Arts October/November, 2013 issue.

She shows and sells her work in several Texas galleries, currently at The Copper Shade Tree, www.coppershadetree.com.   Her past and current work can be seen on her blog at http://fiberreflections.blogspot.com. 

Linda’s current passion is for small thread-painted pet portraits, and actually enjoys getting her hands messy with paints and dyes.  (She has virtually no paint-free t-shirts left in her closet!)   When asked how she balances her personal and professional life, she sometimes answers with a quote from Alice in Wonderland … “I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.”  Join us for a wonderful evening with Linda Teddlie Minton.

Thank you so much to the lovely Baytown Area Quilt Guild (especially to Program Chair Tracy Williams), and to my sweet friend and running buddy, Sharon Dixon.

"The Visitor" by Susan Fletcher King

My friend Susan Fletcher King has her Dinner @ Eight entry shown in the most recent Quilting Arts Magazine, and her image of  "The Visitor" art quilt is highlighted in today's issue of Quilting Daily. This is a fabulous piece, especially in person ... look for it at the Exquisite Moments exhibit at the Houston International Quilt Festival in a few weeks!

The Visitor
by Susan Fletcher King

Ahhh, Fame!

My fiber arts group, FiberVoices, has been featured in the new issue of Quilting Arts Magazine (October/November, 2013).  Artist and writer Lynn Krawczyk writes about us in her regular column, Replenishing Your Creative Well. 

Quilting Arts, October-November, 2013

Lynn did a beautiful job with the article, and included some great pictures.  I hope you get to see it.

Linda Teddlie Minton, Connie M. Fahrion, Mary Ann Littlejohn,
Susan Fletcher King, and Nancy B. Dickey

It was quite an experience, being interviewed long-distance for this article, and we all came away with a much greater appreciation for what it takes to write for a magazine of this quality.  Thanks again, Lynn!

Fantasy cat

I've been working on some smaller pieces for exhibit and sale at the next fiber art show at the Copper Shade Tree Gallery.  Here's one I'm especially fond of, named after my mother's cat ...

Mr. Oziapous, 4" x 6"

McNay Art Museum - A long-delayed visit

My friend Nancy came to visit this week, and it was just the "kick in the behind" I needed to schedule a visit to the McNay Art Museum here in San Antonio.  I'd been for a quick visit once before, but had never done the full tour.  I really hadn't realized what I'd been missing out on!

A courtyard scene at the McNay Art Museum.

Here are some of our (my) favorite pieces from the contemporary artworks in the museum.  (I'll picture some of the more famous works in a future post.)

These two oil paintings by American artist Julie Heffernan fascinated both of us.  We started the museum visit with these two paintings, and ended the visit by studying them once again.  The depth of field (as well as depth of meaning) was incredible and we could have gazed at them for hours ... if a very late lunch hadn't finally called us!

Self Portrait as Tangled Nest, by Julie Heffernan, 2006

(detail)

Self Portrait as Ornament, by Julie Heffernan, 2006

(detail)

Also in the entrance  area was this unusual light sculpture:

Misguided Isomer, by Cathy Cunningham-Little, 2013

Cake Walk, by Whitfield Lovell, 2008
Conte crayon on panel, with walking sticks

Vision Catcher, by Lesley Dill, 1995
Oil, thread, and wire on tea-stained muslin.

Position Preferred, by Chakaia Booker, 2006
Rubber and wood.

I'm a bit embarrassed that I've been living in San Antonio for several years and hadn't made the time to visit this beautiful art museum before now.  Thanks, Nancy, for being my impetus for this visit!  I hope my readers will get the chance to see some of this wonderful art too.

A lovely birthday ...

Since this is a "landmark" birthday for me, I'd like to share a few of my favorite birthday cards ...

My friend Cheryl sent me the sweetest hand-made card (she's currently crazy about Washi paper) and a silly little "knit wit" pin, commenting on my current craze for knitting, hidden in this funny little plastic coin purse. I love them all!

Thank you, Cheryl!

Here are two wonderful fiber-art postcards from Susan and Connie ...

Susan's "Transformed" is on top, and
Connie's "Still on Guard" is below it.
Thank you, my dear friends!

And last but not least, a very cool 3-dimensional card from my friend Rex, who I haven't seen in several years, but who always remembers my birthday. 

Thank you, Rex, I miss you!

What a nice birthday I had today, thanks to friends and family.

“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.” -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

MUSE-ings

“Muse” is one of my sister’s favorite rock bands, and I was inspired by the lyrics in one of their songs, “City of Delusion,” to create a tribute to them. I had the perfect pair of shoes for my artwork, but wanted my own twist on it, so I changed the title to “City of Illusion.”  I also chose some of my favorite lines to rearrange into a more hopeful mood.

Build a Fortress, Touch the Divine,
Hide from the All-seeing Eye.

 

 

 

 

A little beading

A dear friend brought me these beads from her recent trip to China.  They are Lucky Fish, with some surprising carved artwork in the backs (Warning: Adult Content! They remind me of Kama Sutra figures).

They are so beautiful that I wanted to bead them as pendants ... one for her and one for myself.  Here are the results.

                

The green crystals are Czech, and the topaz ones are Swarovski.  They are stitched onto a base of craft felt, and then the Lucky Fish were mounted on some of my fiercely-hoarded deerskin, which was then cut away to reveal the secret carvings.  Simple crystal loops were stitched for the bails.

I hope my friend will like hers ... she will have her pick of which one she wants.  This reminds me of my childhood days of “trading disks” with your friends ... “Besties forever!”

Quilt Auction!

My friend Liz Broussard alerted me to the live auction of some fabulous quilts, to be held at the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston Show (at the Stafford Center) on July 12 and 13, 2013. 

 

"Round Peg in a Square Hole"

The quilt shown above boasts Modern blocks created and donated for the auction by the Beyond the Sunset bee, which were arranged and quilted by Liz Broussard.  (I would love to have this quilt myself!)


They are expecting over 20 quilts in the Live Auction ... including the one pictured above, plus a quilt using Kaffe Fassett fabrics, an Edyta Sitar basket quilt, a Texas quilt, a "house" quilt, an applique quilt of historical missions, and traditional quilts ... there should be something for everyone! Sizes range from throw/ lap size to bed size. 

They will also have three different services for professional quilting available for auction, so if you aren’t in the market for a quilt, you might consider getting one of your own quilt tops professionally quilted.

According to Theresa Dodson of the QGGH, they will also have a basket raffle (roughly 25-30), which you need not be present to win. Some raffles will include fabric, some may be holiday items, and even possibly a sewing machine (to be discovered)!

Make your plans to be there, see the wonderful show that they always exhibit, and scarf up on the goodies!

Book winner!

We had our drawing this evening for the winner of a copy of Martha Sielman's new book, Art Quilt Portfolio: People & Portraits.

Our Commenter #18 is Cathy Permutter!  Cathy, please email me within 3 days and let me know your mailing address.

Congratulations, Cathy!

Praise for the Goddess Sheet

I know I've talked about the Goddess Sheet before ... such an indispensable tool in our quilting and art studios.  Anytime you need to mix fabric, fusibles, and heat, this is the best I've found.

I already had the original Goddess Sheet (10-3/4"  x 16-1/2") and the Big Goddess Sheet (17-3/4" x 24").  But I recently "discovered" the Fat Goddess Sheet (21" x 27") and boy, what a difference it makes!

I actually had it in my supplies, but had not used it ... I kept defaulting to my Big one because it was already on my work table.  (You know how lazy I am!)  When I finally pulled out the Fat one (that just doesn't sound right!) and used it, I couldn't believe what a big difference those extra inches make. And, of course, it was made the perfect size for fusing fat quarters, which I hadn't even thought about.

This picture doesn't have anything to do with Goddess Sheets ...
I just liked the image of the "goddess head" and put it here
to entertain you.  ;^)

Now I realize that I don't ever want to "make do" with just one or two of the Goddess Sheets ... I need all of them! Yes, I've used parchment paper, it works too ... but it gets wrinkled, torn, and very quickly unusable.  I've decided that ultimately I will save money by just using the Goddess Sheets.

I became obsessed with them when I fell in love with Mistyfuse (which I love by the bolt).

So thank you, Iris Karp and Mistyfuse, for both of these essential tools.  Now I'm considering (would "coveting" be a better word?) the little Hobbico Iron for spot-fusing ... hmmmm.

Book Giveaway: People & Portraits

I just LOVE Martha Sielman's series of art quilt books.  I had already pre-ordered her newest one, "People & Portraits", but then received an extra copy from the publisher for review.  (They needn't worry about my review ... the book is absolutely gorgeous.)

Here's a link to Martha's website.

So now I have an extra copy, and will give it away, FREE to a Commenter.  The winner will be chosen by my Random Number Generator (aka "Fifi").  The drawing will be held this coming Monday, April 8, so please leave me a Comment if you would like this book.

And now for the review ... Well, I'm always impressed with Lark books in general, and with anything put out by Martha Sielman.  The combination of the two makes for a beautiful reading and browsing experience.  The paperback cover is sturdy and the pages are very high quality, so that the pictures (after all, that's what we buy these books for!) are large, sharp and clear.  As far as I can tell from the images of art quilts that I've actually seen in person, the color reproduction is spot-on.

There is a clear Table of Contents that is broken down by artist and by gallery type ... Happiness, Contemplation, Community, Icons, Family and Friends, Work, and Play.  I love being able to compare and contrast the individual works in these categories.  In addition, there is an alphabetical Artist Index, plus 21 well-written profiles of major artists.

Of course, I long for profiles on each of the other 100 artists, but you can only cram so much into a beautifully-produced art book, retail priced at $24.95!  Martha has done a masterful job of selecting the artists, the art, and the photography for this book ... not to mention the writing.  I am a happy owner of this new treasure, and it's definitely a "keeper"!