Blogging 07-21-18

I have been blogging since 08-18-07.  Seems like a long time.  Occasionally I look at the statistics that blogger keeps on my blog, but I have never understood them.  Every now and then there will be a spike of astonishing proportions.  Such as 831 page views in one hour!  Not likely.  And currently the greatest audience is in Germany!  Not likely.   The most visited page is the one about Ruth B. McDowell's quilt "A Rash of Flamingoes" on 12-23-13.  That is possible, it is a fabulous piece of art.   My blog doesn't have a wide audience or a frequent one, usually only about 100 people check in each day, and I appreciate every one of them.  Comments are rare, but very appreciated, sometimes one wonders if there is anyone out there listening. 

I read several blogs regularly and others that I catch up on when I have some extra time.

 Kay Sorenson  quiltspluscolor.blogspot.com is a super blogger who keeps up with the statistics and enjoys hundreds of visits each day.  She leads a very interesting and varied life in Wisconsin and Florida. Kay makes spectacular quilts and is a very nice lady.  When I was driving cross country once I took a detour up to Wisconsin, because it was one of only two states I had not visited (Alaska is still missing).  I called her and she took me out to dinner and showed me her studio and some of her great quilts.  It is a precious memory. 

Terry Grant  http://andsewitgoes.blogspot.com/   She has been busy with life and hasn't blogged for a few months, but I know she is okay, just busy.  I had the chance to see her when I drove through Portland, OR, in May on my trip to Washington.  

Melody Johnson  fibermania.blogspot.com  leads an amazing life with more projects than I could handle in a decade.  She is always interesting.  

Martha Ginn  http://marthaginn.blogspot.com/   Is a very productive quiltmaker and shares her talent and ideas on her blog.  She started blogging the same month/year that I did.  

The interest in blogging has diminished, but there are still millions out there that cover, I'm sure, every topic under the sun.  So many blogs, so little time!  

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Looking back at TCQC 02-23-14

I started showing quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt  Collection in 2007 and this is one of the first I shared.  It is "Quenching Rain" by Melody Johnson.  It is 16.5" wide and 16.75" long.  Melody's method is fusing and piecing with both machine and hand quilting.  This quilt was inspired Melody lives in Tennessee which suffered a drought in 2007. When the rain came it was so welcome and life giving that she expressed her joy in this quilt Her work is distinctive, so colorful and full of stylized motifs that it is easily recognized. When she posted this quilt on her website I was smitten. One unusual feature is that she used vintage fabric along with her usual intensely colored, hand dyed fabric. Hand dyed cotton fabrics created by the artist, vintage cottons Fused, hand and machine quilted

Visions Art Museum - "Recent Acquistions from TCQC" 12-07-13

I drove to San Diego on Friday so I could be at the Museum for First Friday when there is sometimes a great crowd of people taking advantage of the free admission to museums and galleries.  However, it was very cold and windy and we recorded only about half the usual attendance.  It was fun being in the gallery and hearing the comments of the visitors.  We are still giving out ballots for everyone to vote for their favorite quilt and they all seem to look more closely and ponder the quilts to decide on just one that they like the best.  When the exhibit is over I'll let you know whose quilt gathered the most votes.

I spent the night at a local motel and prepared for my gallery walk/talk at 2pm.  It had sprinkled some in the morning and it was cold and windy.  About 1:15pm I looked out and it was pouring rain and the wind was whipping it sideways at times.  So, I was amazed and gratified that about 40 people came to the talk, which was a fundraiser for the Museum.  They were a very good audience and listened attentively.  I had told them before starting that my voice was not very strong, but I would speak as loudly as I could.  When the talking and walking were over many stayed to visit with friends and with me until we closed the doors at 4pm.  Altogether a lovely afternoon looking at and talking about quilts.  If you were not able to attend and would like a tour, call the museum to see if one can be scheduled.  619-546-4872  I am usually not available on Tuesdays.  


Here are three of the quilts as they are displayed.  Beth Smith, the Museum Director did the layout and it flows beautifully through the gallery.

"Desert Sands"  2013  Dena Dale Crain - Kenya, Africa  33.25"W x 29.25"L
On the left in the picture above is "Desert Sands" by Dena Dale Crain who lives in Kenya and travels to different countries to teach her quilt making methods.  I met her at Quilt National last May and she mentioned that she had some quilts with her.  Of course, I wanted to see them and this one spoke right up and said "buy me"!  It is made from silk tussah and dusted with gold foiling.  

"Quenching Rain"  2007  Melody Johnson - Palmer, TN 16.5W x 16.75"L 
In the middle in the picture at the top is Melody Johnson's "Quenching Rain" made after the end of a drought in Tennessee.  Melody had started using some commercial prints in her work, but for this one she couldn't find polka dots in the colors she wanted, so she cut out the dots and fused them to the background color - the lavender on dusty orange, the black on the orange at top, and the red-orange dots  on the green/yellow on the right.  The little trees are also cut out and fused on and the rain drops are hand stitched.  If you look closely at the blue rectangle in the center you can see a quilted puddle.  Such a colorful representation of welcome rain. 

"Nature's Lace"  2011 Lisa Jenni  Redmond, WA  36"w x 24"L
I apologize for the color here - it is a very green quilt and not as dark as this. Lisa made this for the quilt auction presented by the Association of Pacific West Quilters, but the auction had to be postpone and done online, which was not the original intent.  I was thrilled to have the winning bid because I had been waiting for the auction for over a year.  Her inspiration was a postcard sent by her daughter traveling in northern Australia.  The quilt shows beautifully the light shining through the palm fronds and Lisa's technique is wonderful.  

Big day for TCQC 10-22-13

Sorry, I am too tired to finish this post tonight. Check tomorrow afternoon for all the text.

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10-23-13 Noon - I'm BAAAACK! And Corky is also - he'll be at Camp Del until Saturday. Text for pictures has been added. Del

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I was in San Diego again today, this time with my friend Liz Williams along. We delivered the quilts to VAM for the exhibit "New Acquisitions from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection". These are quilts I have purchased since the previous exhibit at VAM in the summer of 2007. They were not necessarily made after 2007, but purchased after that date.

It is very exciting to see so many of the TCQC quilts on the wall at once - I can only hang about six at one time in my house, and not all in the same room. The exhibit is curated by Beth Smith, Director of Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts and Textiles. It has been interesting to see which quilts she selected out of the 100 or so that I submitted and to hear her reasons why. Some of the quilts are included because I especially wanted them to be seen.

 

 This will be the view from the gallery entrance - minus the tables holding the quilts that are yet to be hung. The hanging process will take about two days, so the installation committee will be back tomorrow to complete the job. On the far left is "Desert Sands" by Dena Dale Crain of Lake Baringo, Kenya, Africa. The small quilt in the center is "Quenching Rain" by Melody Johnson of Palmer, Tennessee. The large quilt to the right is "Not Even Solomon" by Ruth de Vos of Perth, Western Australia.

 

 

Up on the scaffold are Installation bosses Kay Laboda and Kris Herman, and helping line things up is volunteer Ann Pitzer. They are hanging "Structured Chaos #14" by Beth Carney of Yonkers, NY. To the left is "Strip Tease #1" by Mary Leakey of San Juan Bautista, CA.

Ann Pitzer, volunteer, and Debbie Tatz, intern from the museum studies program at Mesa College, hang the triptych "Cowville" by Lisa A. Yoder of San Diego, CA.

 

Museum director Beth Smith stands in the main section of the gallery.  The scaffold is needed to hang these large pieces and adjust them so they are level.  Quilts for the other two walls are on the table.  On the left is “Not Even Solomon”  by Ruth de Vos of Perth, Western Australia.  Behind Beth is “Balance #19” by Ann Johnston of Portland, OR, and to the right is “Cataclysm” by Judith Content of Palo Alto, CA. 

 

 

Here are all eight of the Ruth McDowell quilts that will be hung together in one "room" of the gallery. Laying face down to protect the front of the quilt and the labels are more easily found and read. The latest acquisition is a 2001 Ruth quilt that recently came up in an estate sale and I was the lucky buyer. I have never seen it hanging and I hoped they would hang it before I left today, but no luck there. It is a very wide quilt, as you can see from the hanging slat on the table - 100". I can hardly wait to see it on the wall.

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Monday Browsing 05-28-12

Song from the 1950s http://www.flixxy.com/the-diamonds-little-darlin-1957-2004.htm
[Oh, be still my heart!! Del]   Note: the singer on the left is Tom Hanks’ father.

Carol Ann Waugh is a Denver, CO. artist who does amazing things with the fancy stitches on her sewing machine and makes her quilts even more wonderful by adding hand stitching. She has a new self published book, “Stupendous Stitching”, which is overflowing with ideas, hints, instructions and great pictures. http://www.carolannwaugh.com/   The Quilt Show posted a little video with some of her work: http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d7a45324e7a63334d7a413d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link

One of the Blogs I regularly enjoy is Sherrie Spangler’s “Sherrie Loves Color” http://sherriequilt.blogspot.com/   She does love BRIGHT color and is an excellent photographer. If you live in or are traveling to the Seattle area you should check back in her blog for some of her favorite destinations in the area. Recently she highlighted Bellingham - who knew?

Quilt National '13 is open for entries for the 2013 show with an entry deadline of September 14, 2012. The 2013 show will be accepting entries online only. The process is very simple. Just go to the Quilt National Web Page   http://www.dairybarn.org/quilt/    and use the link to access the Slideroom entry programming. You will need to give them only email and contact information to access the entry forms. You can fill out the entry information and upload your images in one easy session - or you can save a partial entry and come back and edit before you submit. We are looking forward to this new technology and hope that it will ease the entry process for everyone!

I’ve always enjoyed Melody Johnson’s quilts and have one in the Collection.

http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/search/label/Melody%20Johnson
She has a fabulous sense of color and most of her quilts are very bright and ‘sunny’. She is only a sometime quiltmaker these days, instead working to create an extensive and gorgeous garden, waiting on their two dear little pug dogs, and creating great hand knitted garments. But the pendulum will surely swing back to quilting one of these days. Check out her quilt galleries: http://www.wowmelody.com/Pages/Galleries.html

I love this image now being circulated on the Internet.


"So, what are you looking at?"

Melody Johnson quilt in TCQC 10-31-10

It has been a long time since I posted a quilt from TCQC and I haven't kept my files updated either. Being sick does that to me - everything gets behinder and behinder. But I am feeling better and I need to photograph the quilts I have added since midsummer so the images are available to post on Sundays. We are supposed to have hot, sunny weather for this coming week and setting up outside to take some pictures is on my agenda

"Quenching Rain" Melody Johnson 2007 16.50" x 16.75"

Hand dye and vintage cottons - fused, hand and machine quilted.

Melody poetically posted the following when she put this one up on her Blog, 11-29-07. "French knots representing the straight down deluge of a great summer rain and the wind whipping around with straight stitches in a swirl. OK, maybe I am getting too romantic here, but the way I have recently experienced the end of the drought has made me think like this. That rain was so welcome and life giving and the days of summer so bright and glowing... well, it had to come out somewhere."

She talked about the thread she used: "A word about threads. I used perle cotton size 8 and 12 for some of the hand embroidery. Or sometimes I use embroidery floss, a single strand or two or three, depending. And for machine stitching, I use anything that looks good, but the majority of my threads are thicker weights, like 30wt. I refer a thicker thread to fill in the space left by each needle hole. Cottons, rayons, silks or polyester. It really depends on the color or the area where it will be seen."

I have always thought of Melody's quilts as "HAPPY" and have been tempted many times prior to purchasing this one. It reached out and grabbed me, I don't exactly know why, but I wrote that very day and said I would buy it. I frequently hang it where I can see it when I am at the computer (the most frustrating task in my life) and it always cheers me. It is more a California rain than an Oregon rain, but it does take me back to my growing-up years outside of Portland. Rain there was just a part of everyday life, whereas here in SCalifornia it is almost always an event.

New quilt for TCQC 12-07-07

"Quenching Rain" Melody Johnson 2007

16.5" x 16.75"

This quilt is the latest addition to the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection, even though I said I couldn't buy any more quilts until after the first of the year. One thing I learned quickly when I started collecting quilts is that it is necessary to speak fast if I am interested in buying a quilt. It probably will no longer be available if I wishy-wash around. I suppose this means I am very average and am attracted to just what a lot of other people like! In the past twenty-two years several quilts that I was very interested in were sold to others before I could get my act together and I mourn their loss even today. When I saw this piece on Melody's blog I e-mailed her immediately. First come, first served! I like this new series she is doing using both her hand dyed fabrics and commercial prints. "Quenching Rain" is my favorite - so far!