Autumn is finally upon us. As we approach the end of a very creative year, Mountain Art Quilters had their third and final challenge reveal of 2013. All of the reveals are beautiful. The name of the final challenges were: Any Animal(s) of the Kingdom, Earth's Elements/Weather and Close-ups. There were four MAQ ribbons handed out in the following categories. Best Interpretation of Theme, Best use of Color, Viewer's Choice and Best Design (won by Linda Waddle who wished not to have her piece published on the web until further notice). Congratulations to all of the artists.

Any Animal(s) of the Kingdom

Ruth Robinson
"Tanzy"
14" x 23 1/4"
I was requested to do a memorial quilt of Tanzy by one of my dear friends, Grace Evens.  I used cotton fabric and batting, Aurifil threads, ink and acrylic paint.

Sandra Poteet
"Towhee in my Garden"

25" x 37"

Inspiration for this quilt came from the gorgeous regular visitors under my yard feeders.  I used scraps, cotton and synthetic fabrics and sheers.

It began as an experiment with the blossoms.  They are white satin, overlaid with black sheer and then covered in organza.  The remainder of the design is hand and machine appliqué, a challenge because I had forgotten how time consuming all that appliqué is!

Lorna Tiller
"Inquisitive Frolicking Zebras"
18 1/2" x 31"
Inspiration for this quilt:  Watching the newborn zebras in the pasture at a horse ranch as they learn to stand and walk on long skinny legs that don't fit their bodies.  To see or smell something on the ground, they have to spread their front legs so they nearly topple over, then suddenly they're running and jumping or stopping dead in their tracks to stare at something.  I can't help but laugh and enjoy the experience with them.  I tried to capture their joy at seeing and exploring their new world. 
I sketched the zebras, had them enlarged and then added detail to each one.  The background is a partial printed panel that I cropped, added borders, quilted and bound before I added the zebras to the surface.  I inked each zebra onto a heavy white cotton fabric but it wasn't heavy enough to be stiff, so I used Steam-A-Seam and fused the original drawing onto 3 layers of the same white fabric, then I cut them out and attached them over small pieces of batting to lift them off the surface.

Edith Gregersen
"Magic Buck Deer"
28 1/2" x 19"
Inspiration was a workshop at Jamboree.  I was assisted in weaving the background by the instructor.   Choosing the fabric for the background was a challenge.  The fabric had to be horizontal or vertical in a spread of color strips.  The wavy cut had to be opposite on each of the two fabrics.  Then the strips were woven (the fabric was backed with fusing material first).  The beautiful deer was fused and embellished with black thread.

Pat Gillings
"Mama Roo"
33" x 39"
I took a cruise to Australia and New Zealand last January and was able to get up close to a number of kangaroos in a reserve outside Melbourne.  It was awesome to see the Momma Roos and their babies and the huge males.  I took a class recently with Sandra Bruce and started a parrot in her class, but I decided I really wanted tackle my favorite picture from my trip--this kangaroo.
I used 2 1/2 inch squares of fabric, cotton batting and heavy free motion quilting.  The main challenge was to follow Sandra's technique to convert a photo to a pieced mosaic style quilt.  It was time consuming but I am pleased with the results.

Frances O'Brien
"Leafy Sea Dragon"
15" x 23"
Cotton batiks, cotton batting, rayon and cotton threads, Tsukineko Ink, Lumiere Paints and crystals were used to make this wall hanging.  
I have always loved sea dragons since spotting them at an aquarium years ago.  They like to "blend" and hang out in the grasses off the coast of Australia, total pacifists.

Maureen Garrison

"Pensive"

25" x 32"

Daniel Jean-Baptiste's silk art was the inspiration for this piece. Materials used were silk face Habotai, flannel batting, all cotton threads on the face, nylon thread on the back.  My first experience with silk painting (Jacquard Green label silk dyes) on habotai silk.  I used examples of silk painting seen on YouTube for reference.  I was especially impressed by Daniel Jean-Baptiste's art, very inspiring!  I was hoping for more variety with color - definitely something I hope to experiment with in the future.  This will not be my last endeavor with silk; I'm excited about doing more.

Linda Taylor

Earth's Elements/Weather

Kari Hannickel
"Through the Car Window"
This whole cloth seascape was made by the Arashi (storm) Shibori process with Golden fluid acrylic paints.  Rayon threads and colored pencils defined the subtle Shibori patterns for the "rainy" effect.  The car frame below the window was padded with 4 layers of quilt batting under black Kona.

Rita Stevens
"Earth's Elements"
20" x 60"
Original design.  I picked base fabric with colors of earth, water, fire and since wind has no real color, I picked bright pink for fun.  I used A LOT of metallic threads, Shiva paint sticks and acrylic paints.

Joan Dyer
"Exploring Circles #3: Tornado"
14 1/2" x 20"
Original design. Elin Noble background fabric.  My hand-dyed square with discharge paste design. 

Marylee Drake
"Rainy Days and Mondays"
34" x 34"
This was inspired by rainy days in the Pacific Northwest.  Commercial printed cotton fabrics, cotton batting were used.  Machine quilted with metallic Coats & Clark thread, sequins, beads and Lumiere paints.

Lin Schiffner
"Celebrating the Elements"
27" x 27"
Won Viewers' Choice

Original design.  Hand-painted fabric; Sulky rayon thread; cotton batting; batik background; heat-set crystals and seed beads; hand stitched metallic threads were used in this piece.  
This piece is about "oneness"~the beautiful interrelationship between each of the elements and their corresponding energy and essence.  The constellations of the Zodiac are in the background among the stars near the element of sign is represented by.  The foreground represents the 4 earth's elements in layers. 



Millie Ruffalo
"Remembering the U.K."
27" x 33"
Inspiration was a trip to the U. K. and a class with Darlynn Evans.  Fabric ink, cotton fabric, cotton batting, cotton thread and Madeira metallic threads were used.  Also Steam-A-Seam 2 and tulle overlay. 
From the Norfolk Boards of England-200 miles of island waterway.  It is a popular holiday center for boating enthusiasts from all over Britain.

Close-Up

Sandra Bruce
"Chuck Close, Close Up"
21" x 18"
Inspiration: Chuck Close, and wanting to try "drawing" with thread.  All cotton fabrics, Quilters Dream batting and Omni polyester thread were used.  
I've been wanting to try this process of drawing with thread for a long time.  I'd like to do more experimenting as I don't feel I hit the nail on the head with this one.  Both sides read, but both sides have different issues due to the difference in fabric.  Chuck has such an expressive face.

Donna White
"Yes Virginia, there is a Caterpillar"
18 1/4" x 13 1/2"
The Virginia Creeper vine covering my old garage was the inspiration for this piece.  I used various fabrics from my stash.  The threads are some cottons and some Madeira rayons.  Batting is Hobbs Heirloom blend.  Colored pencil was used.   I had decided to take some "close-up" photos of the Virginia creeper covering our garage because the colors are fabulous this time of year.  While picking some leaves to study their details, I discovered a velvety brown caterpillar!  I looked it up on-line and learned it is a Virginia Creeper Caterpillar.  It is about 2" long in real life, so I enlarged his size to go along with the size of the berries, which are actually about 1/2" in diameter.  I decided to hide him under the leaves, just like I found him.

Jo Hathcock
"In Flight #1"
22" x 22"
Butterflies were the inspiration for this.  All fabric is from scraps in my stash.  All machine sewn.  Original design.  This is one of a series.

Sandra Poteet
"Corduroy Cat"
16"x16"
Inspiration was a scrap of gray corduroy.  Also used were wool felt, inks, thread, upholstery scraps. An experiment in discharging a medium value corduroy- it didn't discharge to create strong values, so quite a bit of ink painting and thread was needed to make it interesting! The high value border helps.

Norma Keeley
"Helianthus"
18"x26"
Won Best Interpretation of Theme

My photo was the inspiration for this piece.  Commercial cotton fabric, yarn,  embroidery floss, beads, Inktense pencils were used.  I printed my photo, enlarged it then cropped it to get my "close-up" section of the sunflower.  I traced, enlarged and redrew the design to the finished quilt size.  The center of the flower is hand beaded with a band of French knots and another band that is hand knitted yarn.  The flower petals are faced and applied to the quilt by hand as are all of the other decorative elements.  I used Inktense pencils to shade the petals and attached tiny seed beads to further enhance the petals.

Ruth Robinson
"Mufasa"
22 1/2" x 26 1/4"
Douglas Van Howd was the inspiration for this piece.  I used cotton fabric, cotton batting, Aurifil and Superior threads, ink and acrylic paint.  I was inspired by Douglas Van Howd  working in brass at his sculpture and oil painting studio.  The biggest  challenge was to make this piece lay flat.  I was able to show Pattie Blair, my teacher this piece.  She told me that this is called a whole cloth painted quilt.  I was pleased to hear her comments.



Carolyn Woods

"Smoke Tree, Act 3"

23" x 32"

Won Best use of Color

My inspiration was a photograph of a smoke tree in full autumn color.  We have three smoke trees on our property and they are a delight in each of the four seasons.  Act 3 is Autumn. 

 The materials include cotton batiks, cotton batting and a hand-dyed backing.  Various colored threads were used.  The technique I used was raw-edge fused appliqué and stitching to suggest the veins in the leaves. 



Pat Nelson
"Aspen"
24" x 24 3/4"
I love the aspen grove near our cabin in Mt. Shasta.  Painting the leaf was a challenge for me.  Cotton fabric, paint, markers, rayon, polyester and cotton threads were used.  Solvy for thread lace.  Warm and Natural cotton batting.

Our fearless leader is back! Welcome home, Ardy!

Ardy opening the July meeting with a summary of her absence.



Surprise . . . Ardy’s reaction to seeing her get-well heart quilt.



Oh my, is that for me?



Sandy Poteet and Sandra Bruce display the heart quilt made for Ardy by some of the MAQ members.



Sandra Bruce showing the back of the quilt.  Notice the Bandaid on the heart.



I was surprised, speechless (also dumfounded, flabbergasted and a few
more adjectives) to receive my beautiful heart quilt at the end of the
MAQ meeting  - with my mouth open - - I can't imagine how you all
got the blocks made, got it quilted and bound in just the month since my
surgery! It truly is the most wonderful gift and I thank you all!  I
have now spent a good deal of time looking at each of the blocks - -
your artistry is amazing and I can feel the love you put in every stitch!

 

Special thanks to Sandy Poteet who collected the blocks and assembled
the quilt top with design assistance from Lin Schiffner and Gail Sims;
to Sandra Bruce who quilted it so expertly with hearts and words, and to
Darlynn Evans who added the binding - - all in record time!

 

Extra thanks to Joan Dyer who organized the "feed the Tobins campaign"!
Every evening for two whole weeks, a delicious and healthy dinner
arrived on our doorstep.  That was so much appreciated as I was really
not up to cooking (my husband is a good handyman, but not a cook)!



MAQ has been a great source of joy to me over the past 11+ years! I
promise to go to cardiac rehab, get better and continue to see that our
MAQ continues to provide us with the friendships, inspiration and
validation we all seek.

I love you all and thank you!
Ardy

MAQ had it's second challenge reveal on July 24, 2013. The challenges were: Hole(s),,,a piece wih at least one hole, Chose an Art Genre and Architectural Elements. At the end of the reveal, the members voted for the following, Best Interpretation of Challenge Theme, Best Design, Best use of Color and/or Value and Viewer's Choice.

Hole(s) . . . a piece with at least one hole

Millie Ruffalo
"Hole-in-One"
26" x 21 1/2"

My sense of humor and ideas changes as the quilt is being made.  The quilt tells me what to do.

Patti Henderson

"Wholly-Purple Haze"

13" x 12"

Painted stamped on canvas, Timtex, beads and Inktense pencils were used.  Painted metal using alcohol based paints were also used. The holes are represented by beads and grommets.  Beads were made using "Carla Perry's" straw method.

Lynda Lasich
"Celestial Space"
21" x 17"

Inspiration came from an article, "Stitching on Air" by Nancy Green, in the Oct/Now 2012 Quilting Arts Magazine along with Pine Tree Quilt Guild's challenge "Fabric of Space."  The sun and planets are what I think of when talking about space.  Trying to depict the sun as explosive and bright in the cosmos led to beading on air.

Pat Gillings
"1000 Island Inverse"
15 1/2" x 20 1/2"

I visited the 1000 Island area between Canada and the US recently and this reminded me of the islands clustered together but in reverse colors.  Creating the hole and supporting it as I wanted was definitely the challenge of this quilt.  This was created in the Fractured Circle class by Sharon Alves.

Ingrid Cattaneo

"Fuji Apple"

38" x 31"

Inspired by nature and its range of colors made this piece a challenge. The range of natures colors, particularly "greens" has always fascinated me and has always presented a challenge since green is not my favorite palette. That was my first challenge.  The second challenge was "burning" a hole through the quilt using a wood burning tool.  All the fabrics are hand-dyed, except the branch which is commercial. Original design inspiration came from a photo I took after I had cut the apple branch from the tree.

Winner, Best Design

Choose an Art Genre

Millie Ruffalo

"Rhapsody in Blue"

43" x 20 1/2"

I have always wanted to do a quilt of the music title "Rhapsody in Blue,” written by George Gershwin (Sept. 26, 1898-July 11, 1937) George Gershwin was asked to compose the new American music "Jazzy" and classical by Paul Whiteman.  The music was due in two weeks when George agreed to do the composition in 1924.  Gershwin was on the train from NY City to Boston when he was inspired by the sound of the train. George wrote the composition while on the train. The concert was held in NY City.  “Rhapsody in Blue” was his biggest hit.

Ruth Robinson

"Illusion"

26" x 36"

I took Christine Barnes on-line class in transparency.  I used cotton fabric, cotton Aurifil thread and ink.

Edith Gregersen

"Art Scrap Quilt"

27 1/2" x 28"

Choose an Art Genre.  What does that mean?  "Genre" means a kind of art — well a quilt made out of scrap leftovers can be put together in an artistic, non-traditional way.  This quilt is made of all leftover scraps from other quilts.  It is sewn together in a haphazard way that is balanced yet carefree with colors, triangles, squares and strips harmonizing with each other.  Hung on point gives it a fanciful look.  It is art that is modern in style; traditional in content.

Jan Reed

"Restoration"
31" x 35"

Inspiration for this piece comes from Alphonse Mucha and Maxfield Parish. Hand painted and commercial batiks, sateen, colored inks and pencils were used. An angel, exhausted from helping troubled souls on earth, chooses to rest in the clouds and use beams from heaven to restore her spirit.

Winner, Viewers' Choice

Patricia Porter
"Quiet ABSTRACT"
23" X 25"

Inspired by Ben Nicholson-a 20th century British artist.  Cotton, silk, upholstery fabrics, some hand dyed fabrics were used.  Cotton thread of various thicknesses and wool batting were used. 
Ben Nicholson painted austere geometric art.  He used subdued colors and subtle relief in some of his art.  I echoed his art by using soft colors and upholstery fabrics to create subtle relief in this piece.  I usually work with brighter colors, so this was a challenge for me.  I'm very pleased with the results. 

Karla Rogers

"Oceanic Illusions"

46" x 46"

Source of design was OP-Art quilts by Marilyn Doheny.  The gentle beauty created by rippling water in the Coastal Tide Pools was my inspiration for this piece.  The optical illusion that results from the waters movement often distorts and magnifies the creatures and shells seen below the surface.  It is my hope that the center quilt design and subsequent quilting hint of that gentle beauty that is so dear to my heart! The most challenging aspect was to accurately piece the various strips.  As one can imagine, the narrowest 1/4" strips presented a particularly difficult challenge.

Architectural Elements

Ann Sanderson

"The Windy City"

30" x 37"

This was an attempt to play with bright light fabrics alongside dark fabrics on a neutral background

Winner, Best use of Color and/or Value

Jeanie Ferguson

"The Star Barn"

21" x 19"

Source of design is a historic iconic architecture building that I drive by everyday. I worked with the Searls Library Historical Research to obtain specific info from Mr. Donald Canon, owner of the barn and property. We had a 5-window GMC pick-up truck just like the one pictured. My story is that the old beat-up car in its garage was "resurrected" to be this shiny beautiful 1952 GMC pick-up.

Carol Walsh

"Layers of Time- Clonmacnoise" Ireland

33" x 26"

Source of design was a 2011 visit to this magical and reverent place. The monastery of Clonmacnoise was founded in 545.  It was strategically located on the River Shannon, half-way between Dublin and Galway.  Clonmacnoise became a major center of religion, learning, craftsmanship and trade.  Through the years there were raids by the Viking and Romans and many pilgrimages by followers of Catholicism.  This was my attempt at realism.  I need to learn more about proportion and shading.

Kate Grant
"Interior Screen Door with vines and lizard"
29" x 71"

We needed a door for the doorway to our bunk room, but I wanted light to be able to pass through as well. The main material is nylon screening, cotton fabrics for the door frame, leaves and a lizard.  The door handle is made from ultra suede. When I decided to make a screen door for this space, I was faced with challenges ranging from design to construction to embellishment to installation.  I looked up screen doors on the Internet but didn't find any that appealed to me. So I designed my own.The final challenge was how to hang the door. The door-quilt will be mounted on a swinging rod and when not in use as a door, the quilt will appear to be a wall hanging. I am now searching for a pull-rod, like those used on hotel curtains, to open and close it.

June's Show and Tell

Dee Jones

Linda Waddle

Sandra Bruce

Lorna Tiller

Kate Grant

Sandra Poteet