Leni Wiener

Students often tell me that they are intimidated by figures or other elements in their art quilts that seem complex or complicated.  In this post, I will show you how to break them down so that they are not so scary.

This figure is going to be part of a much larger work containing many figures.  But I don’t look at the big picture, I begin with one figure and even then I break it down to individual elements.

As with all my work, this figure started with a photo.  I often take the photo into Photoshop (or photoshop elements) and use the cutout filter to make the photo easier to follow in pieces of fabric.  It has been my experience that although this often helps, it can also cause pieces to blend together, which is not favorable.  In this case, I used the lasso tool to select small segments to which I apply the cut out, and leave others as the original photo.  But more on Photoshop another day.  I print the “pattern” in the exact size I want the finished figure in my art quilt.

So this becomes my working pattern.  See how the legs, arms, jean and shirt have the cutout applied, but the sneakers, for example, do not.  This is something that will be guided by your own experience.  I always like to start with a photo because I have all the information I need; value, proportion, perspective and shadow.  I do not always follow the colors exactly.

I now do a tracing onto freezer paper–in this case for your benefit I have done the whole figure.  Usually I work on one small element at a time; for example, just the arm, or just the legs, just the jeans–you get the idea.  This makes things very simple.

Here you can see the entire tracing.  Ordinarily, I would have started with just the skin tones, which means I would have traced the head, legs and the one arm.  Then, using the pattern and my red viewer, I identify the value changes and number them.  See on the legs, for example, the skin tone numbers.  I pull out my beige stash, find the fabrics I want to use and put them in number order from 1 to 5.  I compare the value of the chosen fabrics to the places they appear in the pattern with the viewer to be sure that they corrospond.

Beginning with the largest piece of the arm, for example, I cut the whole arm from the #3 fabric.  Then I cut the #2 and layer it on top, then the #1, etc. until the arm is complete.  When I am sure I like the way this element looks, I glue the pieces together.  If I am not sure, I wait until more of it is done.

In this way,  I build each individual element and pin them to my foundation.  This is a small figure, so I will work the whole thing on my work table.  If she were larger, I would take each completed element and add them to the piece on the design wall.

I do a rough tracing (just the main elements, not every detail) on tracing paper.  This I can lay over the work as I progress to make sure every element is in the right place.

you can see how she is coming along, but it is clear that her bottom half and her top half don’t line up properly.  When I lay the tracing over this I can adjust and then pin everything in its proper place while I continue.

more to come

I grew up in suburban Boston and my best friend in junior high school was another artsy kid named Eileen.  We remained friends through the cycle of college, marriage, moving around, children.  Her artistic interests brought her to ceramics; mine as you have probably guessed to fabric.

Eileen asked me to join forces with her in a show she was planning at Vessels Gallery in Boston.  Although, as the name suggests, Vessels specializes in ceramics, Bobbie (the gallery owner) and Eileen thought it would be interesting to hang something on the walls that related to the ceramics being displayed.  The result is a show that opens on November 6 called Clay Cloth Connection.

What makes our artwork compatible is that Eileen heavily decorates the surfaces of her vessels with the same sorts of designs that I am drawn to when choosing and using fabrics.  So that is the clay and cloth connection.

Eileen’s sister Marjorie designed the postcard (shown above)–talented family.

If you are near the Boston area on Friday November 6, please join us for the opening reception at Vessels Gallery 8 Union Park Street, Boston from 6-8.  If you come, please introduce yourself to me.

Today I have the awesome task of putting rod pockets on a dozen or so of my newer quilts.  Why am I in this predicament?  Because the rod pocket is my least favorite part of making an art quilt and by the time I get to this point, I am itching to start something new.  So every once in a while I find myself having to spend an entire day doing nothing else.  Poor time management, maybe.

For those of you who are already comfortable with putting rod pockets onto the backs of quilts, go find something else to read.  For those of you who could use the tutorial, here it is.  Please forgive some of the photos being a little out of focus–spending the day on such a menial task makes my BRAIN a little out of focus.

Step #1 is to produce the labels.  I use computer printable fabric sheets and create a page at a time on the computer (ok, so that is one good reason to wait until I have a few to do at once).  I created a label I liked and saved the format on the computer so that all my labels are the same size, same font, same font size–you get the idea.  I print out the page and cut them apart with pinking shears, that way I don’t have to turn any edges under.  One thing I always do is to print a very faint gray line inside the label–this is my cutting and stitching guideline–no guessing and straight every time.

Step #2 cutting out the rod pocket.  I save all the scraps that are big enough for this purpose from the same fabric I use for the backs of all my quilts–off white kona cotton.  Most shows require a 4″ finished rod pocket so despite the fact that I think it is too wide, I do all of them this size.  I start with a strip of fabric 8 1/2″ wide–the easiest way to do this is to use two rotary rulers.  My standard ruler is 6 1/2″, so I butt one 6 1/2 ruler touching 2″ of another ruler and VOILA! 8 1/2 inches.  And I only had a do a little math.

Step #3 decide how wide the rod pocket needs to be.  Again, I don’t measure, I eyeball it, leaving a few inches on either side of the quilt back:

Step #4 sewing the label onto the rod pocket.  I want to do everything I can by machine, so the label gets put onto the rod pocket first.  Fold the piece that will be the rod pocket in from both sides so that they meet in the middle

This is the back of your rod pocket, flip it over and place the label where you want it and pin in place

Take it to the sewing machine and use those little gray lines as the guide to sewing this onto the rod pocket (be sure to unfold it so you are only sewing through one layer of fabric)

(ah, finally a photo in focus!)

Step #5, using an iron, press in on each end of the rod pocket about 1/4″ (I don’t measure, I approximate) then fold it over again and press.  This will give you a finished clean edge on both sides–take to the sewing machine and do a single line of stitching to hold each folded edge in place

Step #6 With the right sides OUT, turn the long edges together and stitch closed

Step #6, move that seam to the center back and press the rod pocket

Step #7 Pinning the rod pocket in place.  I don’t measure, or do math–remember?  I fold the rod pocket in half and put a pin in the fold–the midpoint.

Then I do the same thing with the quilt back–fold the quilt edge to edge and mark the center top with a pin (get where I am going?)

Line up the pins and you know the rod pocket is centered.  Ta-dah, another math-phobic moment!

Pin into place and on to the final step, hand sewing.

Step #8 Handsewing the rod pocket.  Unless your seams on the quilt top line up perfectly with the edges of the rod pocket (don’t laugh, I used to do this to avoid the handsewing) you will have to sew the rod pocket edges on my hand.  Most books will tell you to use a slash stitch, but I think an applique stitch looks cleaner.  Choose a thread that matches the rod pocket and begin by bringing your needle up right in the fold of the edge of the rod pocket

Pull the thread through.  Now put the needle into the back right next to the place where it came out of the fold, so that you are leaving the tiniest little bite of thread showing

(It is hard to tell what you are looking at here, the edge of the fold, the thread coming through the frame and the needle going into the back as close as possible to the rod pocket folded edge.)  Turn your needle in the direction you are sewing and go through somewhere in the batting–be careful not to pull that through to the front.  (been there, done that)

Travel about 1/4″ and pull up in the fold again.  Between those lines of quilt stitching you can see the little dot of a stitch that we just did.

Here is a closeup showing the top of the rod pocket handsewn onto the quilt back.  Looks nice and neat, right?  (You should see the room I sew in!  Not so nice and neat).  Now that I have shown you, I am off to handsew all my rod pockets–maybe there is a good movie on TV…..

Although Irving Penn, the iconographic photographer, passed away over a week ago, it is only now that I have found time to discuss him and his work in this blog.  For those of you not familiar with Penn, he is best known for this fashion photography and for photo portraits of artists, writers, and some other celebrities.

What made Penn’s photos so unusual, especially for his time (I believe he began photographing for Vogue in the 1950s) was that his work was so clean (value value value) and his use of simple backgrounds and interesting angles.

Penn has been one of my inspirations, first as a photographer, and still as an artist.  What I find so amazing about his photography is the elegance and simplicity, the way he can photograph the mundane and make it beautiful, and his focus and attention on texture and design.

This portrait of Pablo Picasso is my very favorite Penn photo, and one of my all time favorite photos–period.

I have often talked on this blog about light medium and dark values, and look how beautifully that is accomplished in this photo.  The intensity of that one eye watching the viewer, the geometry of the dark at the bottom and the curve of the hat–just perfect.

Favorite Penn photo #2 is this fashion photo of a woman with elephants.  A recent exhibition at the Met in NYC entitled “the muse” used this photo reproduced with a life-sized mannequin and large elephants at the entrance to the exhibit, but so missed the point of this photo.  To begin with, the curve of her arm and the upward curve of the trunk is so graceful and draws the eye upward.  The extended arm links the two elephants and sweeps the eye across the photo. The gentle curve of her body (and the turn of her head so that we see her in profile) in the dark dress against the bulk of the elephants’ bodies is such a lovely contrast.  The light bow with the deep folds, in that shiny silky fabric, against the stark black and surrounded by the gray textured elephants is such an amazing study in contrasts.

Irving Penn also set up a studio for awhile in Cuzco, Peru to photograph local indigenous people.  He always used the drop cloth background that became his signature.  Look at the textures in this photo, the curves of the children’s bodies, their faces, and the table that anchors the composition.

Penn photographed indiginous people in many parts of the world, his most famous is the series of the mudmen.  But this is my favorite of that genre–this photograph is all about surface textures and design.  We don’t need to see her face–in fact, seeing it would make this a photo of a naked woman; instead we are drawn to the texture of the skin and how it contrasts with the folds of the fabric, the delicate necklace and the more solid necklace around her neck.  This also serves, as so many of his works do, as a study in value and a study in contrasting texture.  The strength of the black and white photos also allows us to forget about color and focus our attention on the wonderful surface designs in the photos.

Penn did not always concentrate on people as his subjects, he often turned to mundane objects to create memorable still life studies.  One of his most famous is of two cigarette butts.  Who thinks of that as a subject?  And ok, speaking of color–this photo of frozen vegetables represents everything I love about Irving Penn’s work–it is a study in different textures–and sizes–and a composition based on geometry.  I can just see this done with different fabrics, but alas, he has already done it.

Here are the final quilt images from my trip to Houston last weekend.  Some are related, some are not.  Again, it is my duty to let you know all these photos were taken at the International Quilt Market/Festival 2009 in Houston.

Jan Hutchisun created this wonderful tree of life quilt.  I love the colors, and the movement, and the details are really beautiful.

Deborah Kemball of Quebec created “hearts desire”, another traditional quilt with contemporary style.  The red background is so dramatic, and the flowers and vines are all beautiful.  Another rather large quilt, this obviously was a labor of love.

In the Handmade category, this gorgeous medallion quilt caught my eye. “Floating lilies along the water” by Akemi Sugiyama of Japan (I am not sure if there were many more quilts from Japan this year, or if those that were just appealed to me).  Click on the image to see the details in this quilt.

From the UK, Liz Jones made this quilt “The Fernery”.  At first glance the flowers appear to be the star of this quilt, but look closely at the ferns around the edges of the quilt.  They are so delicate and so intricate that they blew me away.  I also like the way the natural looking elements form a kind of kaleidescope design in the final composition.

Kristen Johnston from Ontario Canada made this quilt called “rose window.”  Her artist statement says that she was inspired by Paula Nadelstern’s kaleidoscope quilts, but clearly she made the technique her own.

Kathy York’s “Winter to Spring” looks very simple from a distance, but look at the closeup below to see the intriguing way she has created the nuance of color in these blocks:

I am a huge fan of Esterita Austin’s work.  Her representational style is so masterfully done, and her observances are so engaging.  I love the humor of this quilt, “Incommunicato” but it is so well done.  Every detail is so wonderful, and the framing of it is very unusual–but I can’t imagine it any other way.  One of my favorites in the show.

Check out this quilt for the feeling of depth and dimension.  “Bella Louisville” by Mary Bauer of Kentucky is a large and effective quilt.  Even up close, the feeling that this is not a flat surface, but a lattice showing light and shadow is very powerful.  The center almost appears to be spinning.

“Tuscan Sun” by Gina Perkes of Arizona is a quilt that I could look at for a long time.  The detail in this quilt and the stitch work is amazing.  I love the color (I am a sucker for red, you may have noticed) and the movement of the leaves and flowers.  Again, too bad about the placement of the signs and the (supposedly clear) tape that keeps drooling visitors off the artwork!

Debbie Norman of Alabama made this “urn of plenty” which is another quilt that seems so simple and lovely, but on close inspection the work on this piece is impeccable.  The clarity of the colors against the light beige background really stands out.  The strip of blue in the border draws the attention to the two birds on the branches.

I am so upset about the next few quilts, for some reason the photos of the identifying signs either were not clear enough to read or somehow were mixed up or missing.  So if you know the artists of these last few gorgeous quilt, please let me know, as they deserve the credit for their very dramatic quilts.

UPDATE November 9, 2009  The quilt above is called Canopy by Maggie Weiss.  I got an email from someone who recognized it the same day I found it while looking through the SAQA Portfolio 16.   The color, the shapes, the way some leaves are outlined and others blend into the background–wonderful.  Sorry it took me so long to give credit where it was due.

I think the artist here is Jane Haworth, but I am not sure.  I love this quilt.  I obviously have a special connection to other artists’ whose work is representational, but the way the color is used in this old truck is incredible.  So effective (that is VALUE at work!) without being at all realistic.

And PLEASE help me out if you know the artist and title of this amazing work from the celebrate spring exhibition.  I adore this quilt.  I can feel the wind in her hair, I can feel her spinning.  The color, the simplicity–this quilt is a knockout.

So that is it from Houston.  It is an amazing experience to see all these quilts in one room.  I would love to drink in these exhibitions over the course of several weeks.  Instead, I had to drink in whatever I could in one big gulp!  And I can’t even show you the pieces from the shows where photos were not allowed.  At least as many if not more wonderful and inspiring work.

Houston Quilt Market is where I first saw art quilts.  It was 2002, I was teaching traditional quilting, and experimenting on my own with art quilts, thinking I was doing something unique.  HA!  I went to Houston to get class ideas and was so excited about the work I saw that I felt like I was vibrating.  I couldn’t wait to get home and push myself harder and farther.  I began really focusing on making art quilts in early 2003–and it has changed my life.

I understand that as crowded as market is, festival is way more crowded.  Still, if you have a chance to go one year, it will blow you away.

Yesterday I focused in this blog on quilts with highly saturated colors.  Today, I plan to do the reverse.  Here are more of my favorite quilts from this year’s International Quilt Market/Festival in Houston–these with a more subtle take on color:

Those of you, like me, who still mourn the loss of Simply Quilts on HGTV will recognise the name of this artist–Alex Anderson.  Although still firmly routed in traditional quilting (which is how I always think of her) this piece begins to move into the realm of updated tradtional.  I love the very subtle colors in this quilt, made for her son when he got married.  click on the image to see it close-up, the stitching is very nice, too.

This quilt is well titled “Nuance” by Pat LaPierre from Maine.  The colors used here are very different from the highly saturated colors we explored in this blog yesterday, but the artist has used them in a very effective way.  First of all, despite the fact that this quilt is almost all beige and taupe, she has utilized value so that the surface design is interesting and dynamic.  There is a defined change in light/medium/dark even of these subtle colors.  I always tell my students that value is at least as important–and often more important–than color alone.  Hints of the peach color bring the surface to life, and the band of peach colored circles is just enough to define the composition.

Here is what a skilled fabric artist can do with essentially no color at all–this stunning black and white “Morning Star” by Masa Yanagimoto of Japan (I did not specifically go looking for the work of Japanese artists this year, but so many of the pieces I loved were from Japan) makes a strong statement without any other color at all. You must click on this image to see the details of this quilt–extraordinary.

Robert Mosier and Mary Jane Plisga of Texas also used black and white to make a strong statement in their quilt “John Lennon”.  Although hints of warm color create a frame in this piece, the body of the quilt–and the drama–comes from the graphic black and white image of John Lennon’s face.

Finally for today, this very dramatic piece called “winter solstice” by Ricki Selva of Virginia–which doesn’t exactly fit into the subtle color catagory, but in a way it does.  There are clearly blues and purples mixed in with black, white and shades of gray in this piece, but it is the use of value that makes this work.  The feeling of the roundness of this sphere is so pronounced because of the skillful way the artist has used the values–not the colors–in this composition.  Again, I apologise that this is another case of the quilt being so large and the sign being in front that I could not get the whole quilt in the frame–but the powerful image is loud and clear.

More tomorrow!

In today’s blog post I wanted to explore some of the beautiful quilts that make use of bold, highly saturated color.  These are all from the exhibitions at the Houston International Quilt Market and Festival, although they are from different exhibitions within the show.

This quilt, “Building Up” by Kathy York is a wonderful explosion of color, and it moves successfully from cool tones to warm tones.  I love the placement of the blocks–not quite lined up perfectly, the repetitive design in the blocks and the wonderful use of color .

Pat Budge from Idaho made this quilt called “the pink boot” which I find quite interesting.  The use of geometric shapes is not unusual in abstract art, but the choice of pink is very unusual.  Pink is not an easy color to work with, but here it is used very well and works beautifully with the greens and blues that surround it.  Who says pink is just for little girls?

Anyone who knows Yvonne Porcella’s work knows that she uses highly saturated color combined with black and white squares, and in this quilt “Dick and Jane” she has continued to use her signature palette.  I love the way the piece is broken into sections, and the black and white squares direct the eye of the viewer around the piece, while also serving as a resting place from all that wonderful color.

Caryl Bryer Fallert of Kentucky is one of my favorite art quilters, and if you have ever seen her work you can easily recognise it.  Her extraordinary use of color, combined with the swirling patterns and diagonal lines of the composition, fill her work with movement and excitement.  Her sophisticated understanding of color and value make all of her works knock-outs, like this one “Feather Study #23″.

“All Good Things” by Leslie Hall of Florida looks like Florida to me.  Combining the highly saturated colors with those that are almost washed out whites reminds me of the colors I see whenever I go there.  I love the use of repetitive patterns, like these circles.  I like the way the color at the top is cooler blue/turq and greens and at the bottom they become more warm oranges and reds.

This is one of my favorite pieces in all the exhibits in Houston this year, “Pup Art” by Nancy Brown of California.  I just adore the whimsical faces of these dogs (I am a dog-person anyway), each so beautifully done using spectacular color and each with such wonderful personality and expression.  Art does not have to be serious to be good.  This piece is not only good art, but brings a smile to my face everytime I look at the photo.

More again tomorrow (I took lots of photos!)

Today I wanted to share with you just some of the really fantastic traditional quilts at the exhibitions at the International Quilt Market in Houston.  These are not all of them, others will follow in the next few days.  Again, all these images were taken last weekend at the International Quilt Market in Houston:

You really must click on this image to see it enlarged.  This quilt in the Mixed Technique exhibit sponsored by the Robert Kaufman Fabric company is called Harmony by Hatsune Hirano from Japan.  This just blew me away.  I love what I do (art quilts) but am awed by the skill and patience it takes to create a large scale applique quilt of this quality.

In the same exhibit is this one is called Mild Spring by Kayoko Hata, also from Japan, another amazing quilt.  The color is so subtle but still so dramatic.  The detail in this large quilt is gorgeous.

Also from the Robert Kaufman Mixed Technique exihibit is this quilt, Green Piece by Leona Harden from Tennessee.  I loved this unusual color combination and the way the (seemingly) simple design combines to create the kaleidoscope composition.  There is a lot of amazing detail in this quilt.

From the same exhibit is this quilt Rondo of Roses by Akiko Muraki, also of Japan.  All I can say is WOW.  It says on the card (hard to read in this reduced size photo) that it took her several years to complete.  No doubt!  The colors and the composition of this large quilt were a wow even across the room.

This one, same exhibit, was hung in such a way that I could not get all of it in the frame, but at least you can see some of it.  Entitled Gradation Log cabin #7 (which means the artist has made at least six others like this!) by Fumiko Ohkawa from Japan (I love the work of these Japanese quilters, can you tell?), this very large quilt is made up of 8 cm strips in a log cabin design.

I had to include this close-up shot to show you the detail.  This quilt looks like it is needlepoint, and I can’t see how the artist did this with a log cabin block, the gradation of color and the outline in black are so intricate.  I just loved this technique.

More tomorrow

Today’s blog post is devoted to some of the beautiful representational art quilts I saw at the exhibits in Houston.  As stated yesterday, all photos were taken at the IQA International Quilt Market/Festival in Houston, 2009:

This lovely art quilt entitled “A Tree’s Nature” by Lucia Chan of NY appealed to me for several reasons.  First, the soft color and the horizontal format set the mood of the quilt as restful and calming.  I love the way the artist has broken up the composition into a series of subtle stripes of fabric and the one dark stripe which seperates the composition into one third/two thirds.

In the art naturescapes exhibit, this gorgeous landscape “crossing over” by Cookie Warner of Co was hard to miss.  The detail and the composition, that tree sweeping over the top, and the wonderful use of color all serve to make this a knock-out.

Speaking of color,  “Tel Aviv, a view to the past, a window to the future” by Tamar Drucker of NY combines color in a very effective manner.  I love the way the blue tones at the top move down into the complimentary orange tones and the figures silhouetted against the architecture look almost dimensional.  Most artwork depicting this part of the world makes use of the beige tones of the stone one sees there, but the strength of color makes this piece come alive.

Rachelle Denneny of Australia created this art quilt entitled “the persistant peacock” shown in the art pictoral catagory.  Isn’t he beautiful?  That striking blue against the golden tones, the way the feathers fan out behind his head–it is hard to see in this photo but the stitch work was really wonderful.

Finally for today, this amazing art quilt entitled “Tribute to Tolkien” by Sue McCarty of Utah depicting scenes from Lord of the Rings.  Again, I wish the organizers hadn’t put the sign stand smack dab in front of this extraordinary piece.  The detail in this quilt is amazing.  The quilt is fairly large; the combination of the gold and black, the wonderful stitch work, and the composition all remind me of religious iconographic painting.  Stunning.

more tomorrow.

What I most love about going to Quilt Market in Houston are the exhibits.  Several sponsors and quite a few different shows all include the most remarkable work assembled in one place.  It was here, as a matter of fact, in 2002 that I saw my first art quilt.  I had gone to Houston for new class ideas (I was teaching traditional quilting) and was blown away by the art quilts I saw there.  Although I had been playing with the idea of representational fabric collage, I had no idea other people were already well ahead of me–and I was hooked.

Each of the exhibits has a different theme, different sponsors and different rules.  For some, photograhy is allowed, for many others it is not.  IQA asks that photos be taken for personal use only, and that if they are posted to a blog that it is made clear that the photo is from the exhibit at the Quilt Market in Houston.  All the following photos were taken at various IQA exhibits at Quilt Market:

I took so many pictures, I will post a few each day.  These photos by no means represent everything that made me say “WOW”–some I was not allowed to photograph.  I took the photos for a variety of reasons–sometimes a technique, use of color, composition, or because it made me smile.  Although I make art quilts, I am still drawn to (and awed by) beautifully done traditional quilts, so I will post a mix.

In the computer aided machine embroidery exhibit, this piece by Renae Haddadin of Utah caught my eye.  What a striking use of color.  (if you click on the images you can see them enlarged.)

In the same exhibit was this two color quilt by Joanne Poole from Wisconsin.  There are lots of two color quilts around, but I thought the complimentary orange and blue was very nice.  And lets not forget the gorgeous stitch work.

In an exhibit called “detours” was this quilt by Suanne Summers called “Detour Boogie Woogie”.  I love the high contrast black and white with just a hint of red for drama.  The repetative pattern which is darker at the bottom and lighter at the top is so subtle, but very effective.

You know I can’t resist a beautifully done face in fabric.  “Violinist” by Maria Elkins of Ohio in the art miniature exhibit is just my cup of tea.  I love the choice of color which makes this look like an old sepia photo; and the hair, the tilt of the head, the dynamic angle of the bow all give this very small piece so much movement.  If I remember correctly, this piece was only about 12 or 14 inches square, an awful lot of impact in such a small artwork.

I love artwork with a sense of whimsy or a sense of humor.  It takes nothing away from the quality of the art, but brings a smile to the viewer.  “Into the Woods” by Charlotte Hickman of Oklahoma is so clever.  Unfortunately, due to the placement of the signage I had to photograph this one from an angle, but you the idea.  It would have been a lovely landscape, but making it look like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle made it unforgettable.

more gorgeous quilts tomorrow!