Re-visiting a Pamela Allen quilt from 2010 04-15-18

This wonderful, witty quilt was part of the 2010 online auction of the Alliance for American Quilts.  

"Can't Piece Geese. Can Do A Loose Goose." Pamela Allen 2010 16" x 16"
Recycled and commercial fabric. Raw edge, hand applique.
Pamela had this to say about this quilt:
 "I confess I was stumped at this year’s theme as I know almost nothing about traditional quilting and certainly have no fragments from early patterns. I hardly know the names of patterns! However, I DID know the flying geese one which requires piecing triangles . . . thus my title as I couldn’t piece anything to save my life! I have adapted a goose from Inuit imagery that I admire for its quirky shape and humorous distortions."

And I admired the quirkiness also and bid on the quilt.

Pamela uses a lot of recycled/preused/reused fabric and has a great eye for putting the fabrics together. She uses a collage technique rather than piecing and doesn't pre-plan her designs.

She does a great deal of hand stitching using embroidery thread, perle cotton or whatever she feels will work best to stitch the applique pieces to the background.

She has developed a great talent for machine quilting

The plain back shows the quilting very well. 

The label Pamela applied.

The label the Alliance applied. 

I admire Pamela's work and there are now eight of her quilts in the TCQC. Since I carry quilts around to show at different venues I must avoid quilts that have heavy or thick embellishments, or I would have more Pamela quilts. I took a class with her in winter 2008 at Empty Spools at Asilomar and found she is an excellent teacher. I may never make a "Pamela Allen" type quilt, but the lessons I learned have become a part of my library of techniques which will serve me well as long as I can make quilts. I recommend her classes and her teaching skills. 
http://pamelart2.homestead.com/newquilts.html

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Another Del Quilt 05-19-16

I made this quilt for the Alliance for American Quilts auction in 2006.  The title of the competition was "Put a Roof Over Our Head" which celebrated the Alliance move to Ashville, NC.  All the quilts had this house shape - the pinkish triangles at the top are the background against which the quilt was photographed.  The background is a Marimekko ombre. 

 

"Tree House"  Del Thomas  2006  15.5"W x 19"L

 Cotton fabric, cotton batting, cotton thread

Fused, raw-edge applique.  Machine quilted.

 

Every quilt I make has a bird in it.

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Another auction quilt new to TCQC 01-10-16

The Alliance for American Quilts held a competition titled "Animals We Love"  and auctioned the quilts online last month.  This quilt won the competition and I won the bid for it. 

 

"Giraffe Nocturne"  Nancy S. Brown - Oakland, CA 2015  15.5"W x 15"L

Nancy does exquisite hand applique and specializes in images of animals.  She made this statement about her quilt: "I love giraffes and based this quilt on a giraffe that lives at the Oakland Zoo.  Giraffes only sleep about two hours a day - usually for about five minutes at a time - so they are awake most of the night.  I thought this one might enjoy the cool evening  air and the light of a full moon." 

 

What great detail she has in the eyes. 

Those funny nostrils that giraffes have. 

Nice label with contact information.

The back has a matching 4 inch sleeve.

 

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Friday Feet 11-13-15

I may be well, or almost; still coughing some, especially at night.  These sleeping feet are much younger than mine and not so horny and weird.  But they represent my three weeks of sickness - hope it is over.  I was out to dinner last evening and returned KoKo to his mommy.  He was glad to see her.  I had him in the doggy stroller and he was a very good boy.  This is only his third time in the stroller, so he doesn't have it down pat.  He jumped out twice, but he had his lease on and I held it tightly all the time.  So, no harm done and he will continue to learn.  We are still working on "Drop it"!

  

Don't forget the Alliance for American Quilts auction, now underway.  In two parts, the first section ends on Monday, November 16 at  6pm Pacific Time,  They are all animal quilts, 16 inches square, and there are some real beauties.  Auction price starts at $65.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/quiltalliance/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

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Monday Browsing 10-05-15

Here is a tutorial for making a fabric box:

http://seaside-stitches.blogspot.com/2013/03/fabric-box-tutorial.html
And additional tutorial for different edges:
http://www.conniekresin.com/2013/12/merry-christmas-and-fabric-box-tutorial.html

The Alliance for American Quilts will be having their auction in November.  Check out what is on offer:  http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/projects/galleries/Animals%20We%20Love/gallery/

Karen Eckmeier does commissioned church hangings which are quite beautiful:

http://www.kareneckmeier.com/church_quilts.htm

Do check Pinterest for pictures of quilts by your favorite teacher/lecturers.  Just type their name in the search box.  Some great work out there. 

 

 

Monday Browsing 01-12-15

More on fabric twine:

http://mypoppet.com.au/2014/04/scrapbusting-handmade-scrap-fabric-twine.html

Different views of our world:

http://www.slightlywarped.com/crapfactory/curiosities/2013/august/maps_that_will_change.htm

9th annual Quilt Alliance contest theme is "Animals We Love."  All quilters, regardless of their style (traditional, modern, art) or technique (longarm, hand quilting, appliqué, pieced) are encouraged to enter a 16" x 16" quilt celebrating the theme. All concepts are fair game--from unicorns to beetles!  Let your imagination run wild! 

 http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/

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Supporting Quilt Related Organizations + Portals 12-13-13

Here is a commentary from Luana Rubin of eQuilter that I copied from their e-mail ad some time last summer. The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles was able to come up with the money they needed to stay open and are continuing their mission to introduce people to quiltmaking and support quilters everywhere. As Luana says, "..even $5 helps", but deciding which organization to help with the $5 is a hard decision. My involvement with Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts and Textiles is well known and I encourage others to support this outstanding venue for the quilts being made today. www.visionsartmuseum.org They are holding their own, but it takes a lot of strategic planning and penny pinching. If you hold dear the place of quilts and quiltmaking in your life, give a little, or a lot, to help worthy organizations over this yawning funding gap. I have decided to support Visions Art Museum, Alliance for American Quilts, Virginia Quilt Museum, and the Pacific Northwest Art School in Coupeville, WA. Check out your favorite quilt supporting organizations and decide which you would like to support with your $5. Or more!   Del

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From eQuilter e-mail ad:

Lately I've been working with board members of various organizations, brainstorming how to raise funds so they can upgrade equipment, attract new members, and thrive without constant financial stress.

As I mentioned last week, I am working with SAQA and Andover Fabrics on a fundraising design project.  I accepted an invitation a few months ago to sit on the development committee of the Boulder Philharmonic, and it has been interesting to look at the fundraising topic from another angle.  Recently crowd funding has been a popular and usually successful way to raise funds for projects, such as the recent (successful!) fundraiser for the Tentmakers of Cairo documentary.

Yesterday Karey Bresenhan posted a very humble plea for support to raise $ on Indiegogo for the Texas Quilt Museum to buy a new projector system so they can host programs at the Museum. (see my blog for this post) A smart investment for TQM! 
Just this morning I received a e-newsletter from the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, that they are in need of emergency funds. I hope they will get a crowd funding page up soon so we can all pitch in whatever amount is possible!

I really respect and admire those who sit on these boards, and who try to figure out how the heck to raise money to keep these organizations afloat. Raising membership fees or ticket prices is not always the answer - if you lose members because of the higher fees, then you are right back in the same hole.

So I just wanted to salute those who are working so hard behind the scenes, (as volunteers mostly!) to keep all the museums, non-profits, quilt exhibits, conferences, and other events in the black - i.e. with balanced budgets. It is not only our lawmakers who struggle with this issue!
Our Wonderful World of Quilting is a microcosm, and our leaders are privately wrestling with the same budget issues that the politicians are wrestling with publicly in the Macrocosm.

If you have a moment to visit one of those crowd funding pages, remember that even $5 helps, if 1000 people each give $5 or whatever they can afford. These organizations are incredibly rich sources of creative inspiration and technical design information for all of us, so your $5, $10, $50 or more will give you a rich return on your investment. I am going to go make a donation right now!

Sharing your Passion for Fabric...   Luana and Paul     [Rubin - of eQuilter]

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Garage Doors - Placentia, CA  08-15-13

Quilt by Pamela Allen in TCQC 11-28-10

Here is another quilt I purchased at the Alliance For American Quilts online auction earlier this month. A big contrast to the quilt I posted last Sunday. When I started collecting the term "Art Quilt", if it existed, was not in common use - thus the "Contemporary" in TCQC. I think of the word as encompassing quilts made in the last quarter of the 20th C and the first quarter of the 21st C. They are, in other words, contemporary to me.

"Can't Piece Geese. Can Do A Loose Goose." Pamela Allen 2010 16" x 16"
Recycled and commercial fabric. Raw edge, hand applique.
Pamela had this to say about this quilt: "I confess I was stumped at this year’s theme as I know almost nothing about traditional quilting and certainly have no fragments from early patterns. I hardly know the names of patterns! However, I DID know the flying geese one which requires piecing triangles . . . thus my title as I couldn’t piece anything to save my life! I have adapted a goose from Inuit imagery that I admire for its quirky shape and humorous distortions."

And I admired the quirkiness also and bid on the quilt.

Pamela uses a lot of recycled/preused/reused fabric and has a great eye for putting the fabrics together. She uses a collage technique rather than piecing and doesn't pre-plan her designs.

She does a great deal of hand stitching using embroidery thread, perle cotton or whatever she feels will work best to stitch the applique pieces to the background.

She has developed a great talent for machine quilting

The plain back shows the quilting very well.

The label Pamela applied.

The label the Alliance applied.

I admire Pamela's work and there are now four of her quilts in the TCQC. Since I carry quilts around to show at different venues I must avoid quilts that have heavy or thick embellishments, or I would have more Pamela quilts. I took a class with her in winter 2008 at Empty Spools at Asilomar and found she is an excellent teacher. I may never make a "Pamela Allen" type quilt, but the lessons I learned have become a part of my library of techniques which will serve me well as long as I can make quilts. I recommend her classes and her teaching skills.
http://pamelart2.homestead.com/newquilts.html

Sheila Rauen quilt in TCQC 11-21-10

Fund raising online auctions are a good way to help an organization you support and add some quilts to your collection. The Alliance for American Quilts leans toward the traditional, but there are some great 'contemporary' traditional quilts in their auction and a few 'art' quilts also. This one appealed to me because it is a great cat and has very nice quilting.

"Taking a Break" Sheila H. Rauen 2010 Knoxville, TN 16" x 16"

Commercial cotton, polished cotton, machine applique and machine quilting

Sheila had this to say about her quilt, part of the "New from Old" challenge: "The background is made from the first blocks I ever pieced about 25 years ago. I was happy to find a good use for them as the "old" part of my design. They make a perfect "rug" or "tile floor" for the new cat and his toy mouse - a colorful place to relax or play. The [1/2"] border and binding fabric came from a skirt I used to wear in the 80's."

Sheila has done fine stitching around the cat and the mousie. And very even machine quilting on the background - it shows beautifully on the dark blue polished cotton.

She has added straight machine stitching to further define the face of the cat.

Another view of the quilting and her machine stitched signature.

The plain back shows up the quilting very well.

Showing the label Sheila applied and the label from The Alliance for American Quilts.
Sheila doesn't have a website, but is part of the Southern Highland Guild. http://www.southernhighlandguild.org/sheilarauen/

Quilt by Angie Hodapp posted 12-06-09

Quilt Auctions always get my attention, especially online auctions to benefit a cause, or an organization, that I wish to support. Alliance for American Quilts, Studio Art Quilt Associates, Virginia Quilt Museum are among those organizations I support. The 2009 Alliance quilt auction occurred a few months ago. See all the quilts in the auction http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/projects/galleries/My%20Quilts/Our%20History/gallery/

"Spreading My Wings" Angie Hodapp - Lakewood, Colorado - 2009 15"W X 15"H Fusible applique, free-motion quilting, decorative machine stitching, hand embroidery

Angie's statement about this quilt: My sister and brother are both very talented artists, and as the youngest, I always wanted to be like them. It wasn't until I started quilting that I found my medium. Quilting came naturally to me, and whether I am making a traditional quilt or a contemporary art quilt, it has truly allowed me to spread my wings.

This detail shows some of Angie's hand embroidery.

This detail shows Angie's machine quilting and the original use of decorative machine quilting.

Why did I choose this quilt? I like the circular design placed inside a square, the symmetry of the lower portion, and the asymmetry of the top portion, the color, the crisp look of the edges, and the use of the multicolored thread for the machine embroidery on the binding.

I found this item about Angie on the Quilters Newsletter Magazine website:

Angie Hodapp - Editor-in-Chief - I grew up in a house where a needle, a pincushion, a button, a spool of thread, a crochet hook, a skein of yarn, a scrap of fabric, or a pair of scissors was always within arm's reach. My mom taught me to use here sewing machine when I was only five - although I wasn't allowed to use the rotary cutter until I was much older - and gave me free rein to stitch whatever little projects I could imagine. It wasn't until I was out on my own that I made my first quilt, but once I started quilting, I didn't look back. While traditional patchwork and reproduction fabrics are my first loves, I have a great appreciation for the innovative quilts of today's contemporary fiber artists and I also enjoy experimenting with paint, dye, embroidery and other surface-design techniques.

Unusual quilt from Yvonne Porcella 11-29-09

This small quilt is from the Alliance for American Quilts auction "Put a Roof Over Our Heads" which sought to raise funds in 2006 for the new headquarters in Asheville, NC. All of the quilts were to have a peaked "roof" and somehow relate to the roof theme. You can still see all of the quilts on Alliance website http://tinyurl.com/yjxu4kz I was interested in this one because it is such a departure from any of Yvonne's quilts that I have seen in the past. She is a charter member of the organization and still serves on the Advisory Committee. I think it is a great organization - check it out at http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/

"Under One Roof" Yvonne Porcella - Modesto, CA 2006

Hand applique, Machine piecing, hand quilting

Yvonne's statement about this quilt was as follows:

"Preserving quilt history is a goal of the Alliance for American Quilts. I have favorite quilts from every recorded period of quilt history, some seen only in books and many of these images have inspired my own quilts. In 2004 the Alliance raffle quilt featured blocks inspired by hand appliqued Baltimore Album quilts of the 1850s. One block was offered on the website for members to download. I stitched this quilt using 1930s style reproduction fabrics and put my birds and berries all under one roof."

The back of the quilt says "Yvonne Porcella" more clearly to me! It is difficult to hang a quilt with a peak. Just a ring at the top allows the quilt to roll in at the sides, so a rod pocket is also required to make everything hang straight.

Quilts from TCQC 10-26-08

Quilts have been added to the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection in many different ways. The first one was purchased at auction - the first auction at which I had ever made a bid. It was exciting and I was, and still am, thrilled to have that quilt. But I wasn't really collecting quilts. Then I bought a quilt at a quilt show and had two. Next I bought one from an exhibit and had three. Someone told me that two makes a pair and three makes a collection and the TCQC began. I have purchased quilts from artist's websites, from quilt shows and exhibits, from eBay, from live auctions, from estate sales, from teachers whose class I was in, from speakers at guild programs, and from seeing work in progress on a blog. This is just to show you how accessible quilts can be. Not just contemporary (art) quilts, but traditional quilts of the present era and antique quilts. There is no theme to the Collection, I just buy what I like, what I can afford and what I have room to store! The current production of so many small quilts, especially for auctions, allows many people who are interested in textiles to have a collection of small, medium or large pieces - or some of each. There are two online auctions coming up in early November that offer some outstanding work by known and yet-to-be-know artists. The Alliance for American Quilts auction begins on October 30 - http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/myquilts/

The auction for Studio Art Quilt Associates starts on November 10 http://www.saqa.com/newsebulletins/Squares08_1a.aspx

"Ripples on the Pond" Carol Taylor 2000 35.5" x 18.5"

I know, it doesn't look like what Carol is doing now, but eight years ago she was experimenting with dyeing and discharging and used the fabrics to make a few quilts. I saw "Ripples in the Pond" in a special exhibit at PIQF and contacted Carol to see if it was for sale. I think she was a little startled to have an e-mail from an unknown lady in California, but she was happy to sell the quilt to me. I like the way the ripples, flames and crossing lines go in all different directions between the calm flat hand-dyed pieces. They give the quilt dynamic action. I like a lot of the quilts Carol has made in the last eight years and took a class with her at Asilomar to see how she goes about her quilt making. I hope some day soon I will be "in the money" again and be able to add another Carol Taylor quilt to the TCQC.

http://www.caroltaylorquilts.com/

Quilt Festival in LBeach 07-24-08

No blog posts for the past two days because I couldn't get online. Seems to be okay today - I'll keep my fingers crossed.

My friend Mary Leakey from San Juan Bautista arrives this afternoon to stay with me and attend the Quilt Festival in Long Beach. This new venue will be in addition to the Festivals in Houston and Chicago; we hope it will be a permanent part of Karen Breshenan's "Empire". All of the SCalifornia quilt makers are excited and ready to go first thing in the morning. I will, of course, post pictures and information about the event, as long as I can stay awake in the evening. These things always wipe me out.

If you are at the Festival I would enjoy meeting you. I will be working at the Alliance for American Quilts booth on Saturday from Noon to 1:45p and also at the SAQA booth Saturday from 2p to 4p. Or you can call me on my cell phone - send me an e-mail if you don't have the number and I will send it to you directly!

Alliance Auction Quilts 12-13-07

"Cat House" Mary Lou Weidman 2006 14.5" x 20.5"

This quilt is machine pieced, appliqued and quilted. It is embellished with buttons, rickrack and fancy trim. The back is a solid blue fabric. It is very typical of Mary Lou's work.

"Under One Roof" Yvonne Porcella 2006 15" x 19.5"

Machine pieced, hand appliqued, hand quilted.

This is very different than any Yvonne quilt I have seen previously and unlike any other quilt in my collections. However, I find it very appealing - soft and peaceful. If you are familiar with Yvonne's work you know that she likes bright colors, so I am showing you the back of the quilt....

...where she has indulged her taste for bright fabrics. Cute, eh?

I am very pleased that my bids on these quilts were successful, everything else I bid on was out of my budget range long before the bidding was over.

The Alliance made $10,429.91 on the auction of the quilts. The highest price was the $1525.00 for Pam Allen's "Icon - Domestic Goddess". My "Tree House" sold for $710.00.

Wunderground & Alliance auction 12-02-07

One website that I check frequently is Weather Underground.
http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/viewimages.html

Sometimes I go to check the weather somewhere in the country, but usually I go to look at the wonderful photos posted by amateur and professional photographers from all over the world. The pictures cover just about every subject possible and some are extraordinary.

This sleeping Roseate Spoonbill in Orlando, Florida, was posted yesterday by "Bubba's Canon". Isn't she beautiful? Naturally all the images are copyrighted, but they do serve as great inspiration.

The Alliance for the American Quilt auction ended at midnight. The final bid for "Tree House" was $710.00. I'm glad that it brought in so much for the Alliance 'pocketbook'. I hope someone will tell me who owns it now.

Quilt in Auction 11-26-07

The Alliance for the American Quilt is in the third week of auctioning the "Put a Roof Over Our Heads" quilts and this is the week that my quilt "Tree House" is on the block - along with twenty-four other pieces. The auction started at midnight and the prices are already going up, up, up! Last week the final bid for the quilt by Pamela Allen was $1525.00!!

If you are interested in bidding, or just looking, go to:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=Alliance+for+American+Quilts&category0=

I talked about "Tree House" in this blog at: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=3236658054810119404&postID=6871030275455490644

Small quilt auction 11-06-07

The Alliance for American Quilts has scheduled the auction on eBay for the Put-A-Roof-Over-Our-Head quilts which have been a traveling exhibit for the past eighteen months. There are some real gems among the pieces - including mine, of course, which is *73 "Tree House"! I referred to it in my blog post on September 20, 2007 . All of the quilts come to a point like a roof and measure 19-1/2" x 15". This is a major fund raiser for the Alliance, a very worthy organization, so I hope you will look at the quilts and consider purchasing one. See the quilts and read about the auction at:

http://www.centerforthequilt.org/contest.php