Archive for Art Quilt Series of Mine

“Circles of Black, Circles of White 7” – Another Beaded Art Quilt

Circles of Black, Circles of White 7 - a beaded art quilt

Circles of Black, Circles of White 7 – a beaded art quilt

Nancy Smeltzer, MFA

This is the last cut out in the series of beaded art quilts where I used black and white circles with spokes in them, (I still have one to finish). It started out much more yellow than it ended up, but then my art quilts always tell me what they want to have on them. I used vertical stripes of black and white harlequin ribbon to play off the similarly colored spokes in the circles. I also used black industrial zippers half way unzipped to add another decorative embellishment. Black and white buttons of all shapes and patterns are scattered throughout to carry out the black and white theme.

Detail 1 of Circles of Black, Circles of White 7

Detail 1 of Circles of Black, Circles of White 7

In this detail shot, you can see a lot of those black and white buttons that I was talking about. You can also see, however, many of the other colors that were used in this piece. The background fabric started out as a yellowish piece with mottled orange circles, but by the time I sewed on red seed beads, the background appeared more red than yellow. To balance it out, I had added some yellow fabric bands, which you can see to the left of the photo. In that area, the beading is so intense, that 1 sq. in (2.5 cm sq) = 1 hour’s work. You can also see a lot of the butterflies that I added, both applique and metal pins as I love the creatures.

Detail 2 of Circles of Black, Circles of White 7

Detail 2 of Circles of Black, Circles of White 7

In this second detail shot, I’ve added some green arrows to point to some of the more subtle details that you wouldn’t see otherwise. In the very center are some square buttons that have red circles on them to play off the red circles on the background fabric. I rarely use anything but round buttons, as it’s hard to get other shapes to line up the way you want them to. These, however, were just too cool to pass up, although I only got five, and I’ve no idea from where.

The other two green arrows point to some cylindrical lampwork beads. The body is orange glass and the ends are flat yellow blobs. They remind me of the candy corn that is popular here in the States. This is the last of those beads, and is another case of where I wish I had bought all the store had at the time. When I realized how much I liked them on an earlier piece, by then the store was of course, out of them, and couldn’t re-order more. However, art does make one creative, and if you look to the very far right, you’ll see flat yellow buttons sewn on with 4 strands of red floss to make a cross and play off the colors of the “candy corn” beads. I was rather proud of myself for that innovation.

As I said, I have one more in the series to finish, which was actually the second to be cut out. (Why? ‘Cause!) I certainly have become expert a making spokes on the circles as the white beads are size 6 (larger) than the size 10 black beads. Also, in the bigger circles, I sometimes had to fill in the black with an extra, short line of beads, as there was more surface area in the “wedge” as you move away from the middle. even though I still have a lot of those black and white circles, but I think it will be awhile before I use them again. However, I’ve learned to “never say never”, especially when it comes to my beaded art quilts.

Do you have any shapes or themes that you tend to use a lot in your artwork? Any idea why you use them?

Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this posting. Please take a minute, fill out the form below or by clicking on the “comments/no comments link” at the top of the posting, and then share your ideas with the rest of us. We all grow when we share our thoughts and impressions, so why not join our growing community of those who appreciate art quilts and textile arts. We’d love to hear from you!… and PLEASE tell like minded souls about this blog! The more readers and contributors, the more I write because encouragement helps the words flow!

You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com (be patient as it loads; it’s worth it), my spiritual healing work at www.transitionportals.com and can find me on Google + , Facebook (for Transition Portals) Facebook (for Fiber Fantasies),  and Twitter.

To find out how to buy my art work, please check out “How to Buy my Art Work” in the “Pages” section to the right of this blog.

“Dance of the Zinfandels” – an Unfinished Homage

Unfinished contemporary art quilt top, "Dance of the Zinfandels"My last piece to date in the Wines of the World Series, “Dance of the Zindfandels” is actually an unfinished embellished top. Most of my art quilts are beaded as I go along when I sew the three layers (top, batting, and backing) together. This piece, however, had the top completed first. Right now, it measures about 70″ W X 44 ” T (178cm W x 112 cm T). Allowing for about 2″ shrinkage when it’s quilted and the ends evened out, it will still be one of my largest pieces ever when it’s completed. To quilt something this big, it will have to go on a quilting frame, which will take up a large part pf the family room, so the top awaits a commission to motivate me to haul out the quilting frame and baste the rest of the quilt together. I can see why there were “quilting bees” when it came time to quilt a piece that was meant for a bed. It’s just too much fabric to manage by myself unless a pay check is motivating me!

Detail of contemporary art quilt top, "Dance of the Zinfandels"In the lower middle of this detail shot, you can see the main dancers for which this piece is named. They are a male and female pair of costume jewelery pins, and I put them close enough together so that they could hold hands as they twirl across the surface of the piece. For me, good red Zinfandels are a party wine and I love to serve it with BBQ ribs. Since such parties often go long into the night, there are a number of stars for my dancers to dance under. Along the bottom of the photo, you can also see some of the grape cluster buttons that I collected. Other buttons with purple centers help to give a “grape” look to the display.

Detail of contemporary art quilt top, "Dance of the Zinfandels"“Lushness” is one of the descriptive terms I would use for a red Zinfandel, and “big and bold” is another. I think that the detail photo shows how I tried to incorporate those feelings with my use of buttons, appliques, and beads. If you’ve been reading these blogs for awhile, then you’ve heard me say before “Why settle for a couple hundred buttons and beads, when several thousand will make a MUCH bigger statement!” I think that I’ve accomplished impact with this piece, if only because of its sheer size and weight. It’s very hard to hang it on a study coat hanger and have it stay as it awaits its time to be finished,as the beads make it very slippery.

Collecting wine was a passion that my former husband and I shared, so I had lots of opportunities to share good wine with like-minded souls. I don’t have as many friends now that drink, so my mid-sized cellar is winding down. Still, there are a few friends with whom I still share the delights of good food, wine, and art, so while I may not dance as much as I used to, my heart still has many memories that cause me to still smile.

 What are your favorite themes for your art work? How are you able to incorporate them into your everyday life? Are there secret dreams that you wish that you could include in your work, but haven’t chosen to express yet?

Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this posting. Please take a minute, fill out the form below or by clicking on the “comments/no comments link” at the top of the posting, and then share your ideas with the rest of us. We all grow when we share our thoughts and impressions, so why not join our growing community of those who appreciate art quilts and textile arts. We’d love to hear from you!… and PLEASE tell like minded souls about this blog! The more readers and contributors, the more I write because encouragement helps the words flow!

You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com (be patient as it loads; it’s worth it), my healing work at www.transitionportals.com and can find me on Google + , Facebook (for Transition Portals) Facebook (for Fiber Fantasies),  and Twitter.

To find out how to buy my art work, please check out “How to Buy my Art Work” in the “Pages” section to the right of this blog.

Tidying up the Sides – Adding the Binding (1)

Trimming the edges of a contemporary beaded art quiltI suppose that it’s quite appropriate that this week, marking one year of posting on this blog, that I talk about finishing an art quilt. “Circle of Black, Circles of White 7″ is finally finished and ready to put the binding on. While this stage isn’t much fun, it is so critical that the opposite sides be the same length  and the corners be squared, as that’s will make the piece appear more professional when ti’s hung on the wall.

You can see on the side of the quilt the tools that I use to even up the edges before putting on the binding. On top of my fold out table that I use just for cutting, I have a green self-healing mat. There are many out on the market, but I like this version as it has grid marks printed on it. The Olfa rotary cutter is perfect for trimming off the little smidgens of fabric and batting that keep the sides from being even. The pieces that I do mostly now are approximately 3′ x 4′ or 91.5 cm x 122 cm. That size is small enough so that I don’t have to haul out a frame, as the embellishments can get to be pretty thick. The result of not using a frame, however, is that the pieces can get slightly distorted in the construction process, and so this final cutting to even the sides is really important.

I have two sizes of T-squares to use to run the rotary cutter against. The larger one is really heavy and measures about 48” or 122 cm tall of usable height. I bought it in the tools department at a local hardware store and it’s a much sturdier surface to cut against than the smaller one shown above that you get in the drawing supply section of an art store. Sometimes, the larger buttons have to be temporarily removed so that the rotary cutter can pass by them. They then are sewn back in place after the sides have been trimmed. The last piece of equipment you can see is a clear drafting triangle. That is invaluable for making sure that the corners are cut squarely and that the corners are folded neatly and evenly after the binding is put on.

Starting to put the binding on a contemporary beaded art quiltHere is a view of me starting to put the binding on the edge of the trimmed quilt. I used to make my own bias, but I find it so much easier to use a wide ribbon for that purpose. It needs to be at least 1.5″ or 3.75 cm wide and easily draped, so that it will turn the corners easily. That need for easy folding eliminates many of the heavier grosgrains that are out on the market. I try to keep the embellishments at least 3″ or 7.75 cm  from the edge of the quilt as I’m constructing it, because as the sides are being trimmed, it’s often surprising how much fabric is lost to even out the edges. Sometimes, the ribbon binding may cover up some of the small, size 10 and 11 seed beads, but if there’s a larger element, it may have to be removed. Hopefully, if it’s a larger button, the binding can fit under the edges and the button will just overlap out over the inner edge of the binding. Sometimes, when holding the quilt up at the end to check on the visual balance, I’ll sew buttons or larger elements out into the binding to make the piece appear more balanced to the eye.

I usually start sewing the binding up a little ways from the lower right hand corner. That way, the overlap of the rest of the binding doesn’t seem to show as much. When I get to a corner, I fold the ribbon at a 45 degree angle and start the binding heading off on the new side. I pin the binding in place along a whole side so that it will be even. Before I get too far sewing along a side, I check the corner with the drafting triangle to make sure the corner is even, before I’ve sewn too far along an edge and have to rip out the binding that I’ve sewn down. I find it’s better to measure as I go along, rather than have to take out stitches later.

Measure, measure, measure! It’s not particularly rewarding work, but crooked corners and sides that are supposed to be straight and aren’t can be so distracting. Many people can see discrepancies as small as 1/8″ or 3mm, and will spend all their time looking at them rather than the great work that you’ve done. I’ll detail out more information on finishing up an art quilt in my next posting.

What tricks of the trade have you learned about finishing an art quilt? What do you do to indure that the edges are even and the corners squared?

Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this posting. Please take a minute, fill out the form below or by clicking on the “comments/no comments link” at the top of the posting, and then share your ideas with the rest of us. We all grow when we share our thoughts and impressions, so why not join our growing community of those who appreciate art quilts and textile arts. We’d love to hear from you!

You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com and can find me on Google + , Facebook,  and Twitter.

To find out how to buy my art work, please check out “How to Buy my Art Work” in the “Pages” section to the right of this blog.

Materials Used to Create Grapes for the Wines of the World Series

Grape cluster costume jewelry pinI’m often asked where do I find my materials for my art quilts, and just about every place that people suggest, the answer is yes! I find supplies at yard sales, on eBay, through wholesale accounts, in stores, and sometimes, wonderfully, in somebody’s grandmother’s button jar. I’ve even been known to pick things up off the street, if the look of it suits my fancy. So, while creating the Wines of the World series of quilts, I began collecting in earnest….and you have no idea how intense I can be when I’m on the prowl.

Yes, it’s the thrill of the hunt that keeps me digging through old boxes and dusty bins in the backs of old store or at flea markets. When people find that I’m really interested, they pull out old worn cases from underneath tables. Such a find is the costume jewelry brooch in the center of the photo above. While the grapes are a little too pink for any grapes that I know of, the image is identifiable, so it got used in this art quilt based on wine.

Grape metal stamping used in the art quilt series, "Wines of the World"I’ve always said that any material that has a hole in it or can have a hole put through it is fair game for inclusion on my quilt tops. The two holes in the top of the gold colored metal stamping of a grape cluster had to be drilled with a metal bit. There was a block of wood underneath the stamping so that when the drill bit pierced the metal surface, the stamping didn’t collapse inwards around the hole. Then, the burr left from the drill bit had to be filed flat with a metal file, so that the rough edges wouldn’t cut the thread used to attach the piece to the surface of the quilt. Sometimes, if I know that the piece will be handled a lot, I’ll use clear nylon thread first to fasten down the stamping, and then cover the nylon with the whole six strands of colored embroidery floss that comes out of the package, as I did in this photo. That way, as gravity pulls downwards on a piece hanging on a wall, there is less likelihood that the threads will be cut.

Beads sewn together to look like grape clusters in the art quilt series, "Wines of the World"Sometimes, I’ll combine beads to suggest the theme of the piece, as I did with the lavender enamel on metal beads in the lower middle of this detail photo. There are some gold, low luster beads scattered in with the lavender ones, because, just as in a real grape cluster, not all the grapes are ripe at the same time. You can also see some of the shiny purple buttons scattered around that I added to play along with the grape theme. In the very middle of the photo are some magenta circles on black velour that I cut in circles. I wrote about this fabric on another blog awhile back in Dec, 2011, called “Laughter“. In the second photo on that earlier page, you can see that same fabric used in a more pastel setting.

Glass grape Christmas ornamentsSometimes a find is fine for the theme of an art quilt, but the size is way too big. These glass grape Christmas ornaments are 3.75″ T x 2″ W or 9.5 cm T x 5 cm W. For the scale that I was working on, the entire cluster would have been way too big. However, each “grape” is a bead that has a loop on it that could be secured individually or cut into smaller groupings. When I’m looking to cut something apart, I look at the cost/unit. Since the entire cluster cost $3 US, I could have made at least three smaller groupings out of the larger one, so the $1 US for each section is within my price range when considering materials for a piece. Glass is always a nice shiny addition for my work… ah the glitter and gleam!

One of the unknown factors in creating a series of art quilts is how many you’re going to want to make before you’re ready to move on to a new theme. Being rather fanatic when I start collecting, I now have enough grape elements for several more quilts still in containers in my studio. Perhaps another good bottle of wine will spur my thoughts back to great wines paired with great art and another quilt based on wine will be created.

 How do you go about gathering materials for a new artistic endeavor. Do you choose the theme first, and then obtain the design elements, or do the materials themselves tell you how they want to be arranged?

Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this posting. Please take a minute, fill out the form below or by clicking on the “comments/no comments link” at the top of the posting, and then share your ideas with the rest of us. We all grow when we share our thoughts and impressions, so why not join our growing community of those who appreciate art quilts and textile arts. We’d love to hear from you!

You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com and can find me on Google + , Facebook,  and Twitter.

To find out how to buy my art work, please check out “How to Buy my Art Work” in the “Pages” section to the right of this blog.

“Fruit of the Vine” – an Art Quilt Celebrating Wine

A beaded, contemporary art quilt, "Fruit of the Vine"Of all of my art quilts based on wine, “Fruit of the Vine” is probably the most opulent. At 40” W x 35.5” T x 2” D ( 101.5cm W x 90.5cm T x 5cm D), this piece is filled with the lushness of a vineyard at harvest time. That’s when the vines are at their most werdant. While no self-respecting vineyard master would ever let the foliage get this exuberant, as there’s a strict ratio of leaves to grape clusters in order to get the best wine, as an artist, I can fill my vines with grapes, flowers, and have striped trellises under always sunny skies, if I choose.

As with many of the other art quilts that I’ve done in this series of “Wines of the World”, I’ve used rubbery plastic grape clusters that have held up well over the years. If you don’t squeeze them too hard, they actually have a bit of the feel of real grapes. The size is rather close to real wine grapes, too, as thye generally are smaller than the table grapes that you’d find in the grocery store.

Detail of contemporary art quilt, :Fruit of the Vine", based on wines of the worldIn this detail shot, you can see some of the lavish silk flowers that I used in the surface design. There are also a number of small, rolled  ribbon roses, which including the leaves, measure about 1/2″ or 1.25 cm across. They can be found in small packages in many craft stores here in the States, but I buy them in bulk on eBay from stores in Hong Kong. In the lower left, there’s a folded ribbon flower of black and white stripes with a black and white button center. I’ve written in the past about what a big influence Candace Kling’s ribbon work was on my art quilts at the time, and this piece is no exception.

Detail of contemporary art quilt, :Fruit of the Vine" based on wines of the worldThere are both dark purple and green grapes shown in this detail shot, and they would be grown in separate parts of a real vineyard as they have different horticultural needs. This “fact” however, does not need to apply in my fabric version. Scattered throughout this shot are a number of five petaled silver looking flowers which are actually mirror buttons. They are one of those amazing finds that I acquired in some wonderful place and of course, have no idea how to get any more. I believe they’re antique, and since they’re glass, they do break, as I’ve lost a petal or two in folding and moving quilts about that contained them. They’re an excellent example of if you like a material or embellishment. buy as many as you can afford, as the source will probably not be around later. While i’ve found some plastic mirrored glass flowers, they don’t have the richness of these glass ones.

Wines and art are a natural pairing for me in my personal life, and I have a few good friends with which I can share them both. I’ve had the good fortune of crafting a life based on all of the arts and the luxury to promote them. I hope that you, too, can find time to gift yourself with whatever you see as “the good life” and share it with your friends.

What is the “good life” for you? Is it a regular part of your everyday existence, or only for special occasions? 

Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this posting. Please take a minute, fill out the form by clicking on the “comments/no comments link” at the top of the posting, and then share your ideas with the rest of us. We all grow when we share our thoughts and impressions, so why not join our growing community of those who appreciate art quilts and textile arts. We’d love to hear from you!

You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com and can find me on Google + , Facebook,  and Twitter.

To find out how to buy my art work, please check out “How to Buy my Art Work” in the “Pages” section to the right of this blog.