Monday, March 29, 2010

Street Scene in Process


I am in the process of painting my newest quilt, based as usual on a digital photo. I love the photo, and hope to do it justice.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Finally Painting Again !

For some reason, I found it hard to make a selection for my next quilt subject. I had sorted through digital photos, had lots of good subjects, but just couldn't seem to get started. I think that starting a quilt is like starting a lot of other things, you pick a picture or design, and then you wonder if you can do your idea justice? That old, "Fear of Failure," raises it's ugly head. I hate to take a picture that I really like and make a mess of it. Of course practise makes improvement! Notice that I didn't say practise makes perfect, because in my opinion, art is never perfect. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder.
I started a street scene today. This is new for me, so let's see if I can do one of my favorite streets, justice? Let the sketching, painting and stitching begin!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

He's Back !


Maybe my old friend, the pheasant, is deciding that he wants me to make a quilt of him! I no sooner wrote my last post, walked out onto the screened porch, and there he was! He squalked loudly and ran into the orchard. He really is a handsome subject for some fiber art.

Looking Through Photos


It's a beautiful day in NH. It really has begun to look and feel like Spring. I have raked some of the old leaves away from those tender green shoots, that are just popping up through the soil. I have also been scanning through some of my digital pictures from last year, trying to settle on the subject for my next quilt. Will it be last summer's flowers, my friendly pheasant, who hung around our house last summer, waking us at dawn, or another favorite family picture like, " Bizzy's Birthday?" All of these pictures will probably make their way to cloth, sooner or later. The question is, what's next?

Happy spring!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Quilting on the long arm


I am quilting ducks today. I have been quilting this painted quilt on black fabric, for the past few days. I am at the point of questioning myself. How much quilting is too much? Adding thread to a painted whole cloth, changes the appearance dramatically. As the quilt is spread in front of you, suddenly you see too much thread. Suddenly I think, "Well, now I've ruined it!" Faces are the hardest part for me. In the past, I think that I have erred on the side of too little quilting. I am trying to be bolder in my quilting approach. I wonder if other quilters struggle with this?

I am going to show a small shot of my ducks, not the whole quilt, just a piece. Have I wrecked the face? Oppinions welcome. Now back to thread work. Yikes!!!