Tag Archive for art quilts. art quilt blogs

An All-Over Background for Embellished Art Quilts – Yikes!

Art Quilt "Fiesta" showing background fabric before embellishing

Art Quilt “Fiesta” showing background fabric before embellishing

Nancy Smeltzer, MFA

When I was leaving my home and studio in Maryland  1 1/2 years ago, I wanted to try some new ideas as I cut out 3 pieces to sew. I had no idea how long it would take to resettle and have access to my supplies again, so I basted the pieces together, sewed on the major ribbons, buttons,and large beads, and gathered up the small beads and other materials needed to finish these quilts. To make things a little more interesting, I decided to try some all-over patterned backgrounds as I love making embellished art quilts. Maybe I’ll re-think that idea of “all-over” next time.

I had found the perfect background fabric with gold and darker pumpkin stripes, which to me suggested streamers and suggested the theme, “Fiesta”. I had also found some iron-on appliques that matched the twisted nature of the background (see the red and purple fat streamer in the left of the above photo.) However, I’m never one to leave a blank area uncovered for long, so the few streamers of metal gold beads, as seen above, were just too bare. I know, when in doubt, add more beads!

Bigger gold beads used to portray laughter

Bigger gold beads used to portray laughter

I got tired of sewing on the same size gold beads, was running out of them, couldn’t find any locally, and an exhibition entry deadline was looming. (Ah, the pressures on an artist!) I then thought to simulate laughter at this fiesta I was creating by sewing on larger gold beads, which I had more of and which filled up the area quicker. I was really kicking myself for choosing this all-over background fabric at this point. I didn’t HAVE to embellish the whole thing, but being obsessive, well… and since I don’t bead/quilt on a frame, the fabric gets wrinkled unless it’s heavily beaded and quilted.

Background fabric entirely filled with yellow and gold beads.

Background fabric entirely filled with yellow and gold beads.

Here’s a photo of where I had beaded in a small section without too many of the insights that I spoke about above. The yellow stripes were embellished with a yellow bead that fortunately I had enough of to finish the entire top, as I won’t be able to replace it. That’s one of the problems of working with buttons and beads is that you fall in love with one, use it for a few years, and then it stops being made…sigh! When I truly get to become queen, such things won’t happen. I’ll have an endless supply of my favorite supplies.

What insights have you learned when working with the materials that you use in your media. Don’t make us start from scratch and re-invent the wheel!

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.

Fiesta – A Happy Art Quilt

The art quilt "Fiesta" basted to bead & quilt

The art quilt “Fiesta” basted to bead & quilt

Nancy Smeltzer, MFA

How I remember those frantic days of September, 2014 as I was packing up my studio in Maryland getting ready to move to North Carolina. I had no idea how long it would take to sell my house; there weren’t a lot of walk-throughs. Not knowing when I would  see my supplies again, I cut out 3 art quilts to last for the unknown duration. I sewed the big buttons, beads, appliques and ribbons at night while the days were frantically spent supervising treasures going into storage boxes, or being donated. “Fiesta”, the piece you see on the left, was one of the three, and its bright sunny disposition made me smile through all of those frantic days as my studio of 30 years disappeared from sight. Would the buttons and beads that were disappearing into boxes ever reappear at the other end of the move?

Detail of art quilt "Fiesta" basted togethe

Detail of art quilt “Fiesta” basted together

I had been collecting the fabrics and ribbons for this quilt for awhile. Usually, materials that were being auditioned for a new art quilt would pile up in my studio for awhile until they reached a critical mass and then fall over onto the floor. This time, there was the urgency of having to cut out and baste 3 quilts quickly, so I grabbed this pile of fabrics that had been waiting for awhile. Going across the upper left hand corner is an orange and aqua woven ribbon that is quite striking. I of course had great good fun in playing with aqua buttons and crow beads sewn in lines around it. There are also multi-colored ribbons that cross across the center of this photo and an orange ribbon with yellow polka dots in the lower right. The yellow and while stripes are from a fabric that I cut in rectangles to help suggest awnings in my imaginary town square.

Another detail of the art quilt "Fiesta"

Another detail of the art quilt “Fiesta”

This shot is taken a little farther back and you can see some of the circles that suggest balloons? pinwheels? fireworks? After all, it’s a fiesta, so there are lots of possibilities for noise and sparkles. I often use circular shapes in fabrics and lace to repeat the round shapes of the buttons. While I will use other shapes in buttons, I like round ones the best. I find that other shapes are often hard to get to stay seated where I want them to be. The background fabric is a gold with a darker gold swirl on it that ties the whole composition together (more about it in the next posting). Now that I’m looking at this photo, I’m noticing how much the white lace circles (ones with the holes in them) and the white circles in the magenta pinwheels compete with each other. I’m wondering if there’s too much white. As I write this, the quilt is much farther along, but I’ll have to go and look to see how they turn out once they’re beaded. Oh, to learn to see the way the camera does!

What images do you find that you repeat over and over in your work? Do they have a particular meaning, or do they just “wander on in”?

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.

Creating Clouds in a Beaded Art Quilt

White sequined applique used to simulate a cloudNancy Smeltzer, MFA

I am always on the look-out for motifs to use for clouds in my beaded art quilts, as gardens are a favorite of mine, both the ones outdoors and in my art work. As a result, I have a varied collection of materials that I’ve used through out the years to simulate clouds. I’m usually going for the look of the big, white puffy cumulus ones. In the center of this shot is a tiered white sequined lace motif cut from a net background. I wish that I could have bought yards of the material, but it was quite expensive, so I only have a few pieces left. When choosing whether or not to buy yardage, I count the number of motifs in the fabric and figure out the cost/unit. For something like this elegant, sequined applique, I believe that the cost came out to be about $4 US, but I felt that the impact was worth it. I try and give each of my beaded art quilts something special, as if they were one of my own children.

White lace motifs for cloudsIn this shot, you can see another lace motif that has finger like edges peaking out from behind a dark green “bush” and also in the very upper middle of the photo. While it might be a stretch to envision clouds with parts that loop back on each other, I always claim artistic license when I create my work. After all, Picasso made a bull’s head out of a bicycle seat back in the early 40s. While I don’t begin to put myself in the same league as Picasso, I would like to think that I have as much fun as he did coming up with new uses for materials.

Gold swirl iron-on applique used for a cloudThis shot shows one of those special finds that come along once in a lifetime. They were gold colored iron-on appliques that I used to make swirls of clouds. You can see one at the bottom left of the photo and the edges of another one coming in at the middle of the left. I bought them from a “jobber” or a person who buys up large lots of things that didn’t sell and then resells them at a discount. I imagine that there were ones made that had the coil on the right and the tail pieces swirling to the left, but the place where I bought them only had ones facing as shown here. I bought all that they had, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to get more later. Sigh! Now, they’re all gone, but I did give them good homes.

Costume jewelry pin used to simulate a cloudFinally, sometimes you luck out and find a piece of costume jewelry that is exactly what is needed. The sliver colored pin with the pearl center in the upper center of this photo was perfect for my needs to create the effect of a cloud in this marsh scene. Measuring about 2.5″ or 6.5 cm, I pinned it into place through all 3 layers of the quilt sandwich, and then sewed round and round the posts of both ends of the pin to make sure that it didn’t come off. In the past, I used to squash the fastener of the pin with a pair of pliers after the point of the pin had been locked into place, but I found that on some of the less expensive pieces of jewelry, the post would just break off.

Gathering the effects that you want on an art quilt can be challenging, but after you’ve done it for awhile, it becomes more like the thrill of the hunt. “What can I make out of this cool thing that I’ve found?”, I often ask myself. The choices that I make amuse myself, and  if making art isn’t about having fun, then what’s the point in doing it?

You can see other amazing art quilts at..  http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

What are some of the more unusual things that you’ve repurposed in your art medium? I’d love to see some well-lit photos which maybe I could use in a future blog. Please send them to info@fiberfantasies.com 

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.

Creating the Effect of Light in a Beaded Art Quilt

Diving Deep into the Stream of Love and ConnectionNancy Smeltzer, MFA

There are times in my beaded art quilts that I want to show the effect of light playing across the surface of the piece. While I studied perspective in art school, I don’t usually consider that design element when I’m designing a piece. Still there are times when I want a piece to look as if it’s been lit up by light. Here are some pieces in which I’ve tried to accomplish that effect.

The detail shot of the piece above is showing two beams of light flowing down into a stream. The light was meant to show the souls of two lovers in the piece “Diving Deep into the Stream of Love and Connection.” To create the effect I used two pieces of translucent ribbon and then secured them with lots of stitches so that they would lie flat against the background fabric. Part of the problem of working with sheer ribbons is that they tend to wander as you’re sewing them down, so it can take quite a bit of effort to get them to stay in a straight line. The lace clouds above at the start of the ribbon lines help to give the illusion of heavenly light.

Afterglow - a beaded art quilt that shows directional linesIn this detail shot of another piece, “Afterglow”, there are a lot of lines radiating out from the central explosion on the right. In the background of the part on the left closest to the surface fabric, are a lot of sheer ribbons bands that expand outwards. On top, are lengths of gold colored metal squares that were fastened onto a mesh background. I cut them in strips and sewed them along the same outward, racing lines to suggest light and movement. Lots of stars and light colored buttons helped to add to the illusion of a celestial light.

Detail of 'In the Garden of Shadow and Light"Finally, here’s a different play on how beams of light can be portrayed, but this time by contrasts. This detail shot is from a beaded art quilt I did awhile back, “In the Garden of Shadow and Light”. The concept was to have beams of shadows streaming into the garden instead of beams of light. To accomplish that effect, I used lengths of sheer dark purple ribbons all coming from the upper left. The areas that were in between were brightly colored, mostly in gold. If you click on the link in this paragraph, you can see the full shot. Someone suggested that the beams of shadow and light look like two hands. the dark one reaching down from the upper left and the golden one reaching up from the lower right.

Of course, there’s the ultimate way to add light to your art quilts and that’s by adding actual lights. There are some quilt artists who are using LED lights embedded in the layers or on the surface of the quilts. The lights then get plugged in to make for spots of lights. I’ve only worked with LED lights in ropes, which weren’t particularly flexible, but perhaps some day, I’ll try them out.

Check out other delightful art quilts at… http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

What’s your favorite technique to give the illusion of light in your artistic medium? We’d love to hear your suggestions, as we all benefit from the ideas of others, even if it’s not from your usual way of working.

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.

Contest Still On – What’s the Quirkiest Thing you Have in Your Studio?

Smashed battery waiting to be embellished on an art quiltThe contest is still on until the end of October 31, 2012 for you to comment on the original blog about quirky, embarrassing things, and tell us what is yours in your studio. Photos not necessary, just give us a description of what is unusual, embarrassing, quirky… you get to define it. (However, if you send me a photo at info@fiberfantasies.com, I’ll make sure it gets posted in a future blog.) I thought I’d post a photo here of one of my finds that some people would find embarrassing, but I’m actually rather proud. It’s of a squashed battery that I found in the street. (It used to drive my ex nuts when I would pick up “trash” from the street!) The label is worn away and the top where the terminals were is detached from the casing so it looks like a face. The edges of the rim split, and look to me like little hands. This is actually the second squashed battery that I’ve found. In my blog about a small art quilt called “Heart Tribe“, the third photo down, on the left, shows how I fastened on one of the batteries as if it’s a papoose.

So, join in the fun. Go to this blog and write a comment about what you have in your workspace that somebody might find unusual. I thought it might be fun to hear what other people think is quirky. In the comments section, please tell us about the most embarrassing thing that you’ve kept for a future piece of artwork. I’ll award prize(s) for the ones that I find the most compelling/unusual/quirky. The contest will run until the end of Oct 31, and the prize(s) will be a small stash of some of my treasures mailed to you for you to include, or not, in your own medium. Since here in the States, Oct. 31st is Halloween, I think this would be a great time to be a little wild and crazy. Want to play???? Tell us about one of your most embarrassing saves for some future art/creativity project and receive a stash of my trash (I mean “treasures”!)

So, please join in and tell us what you have that might fit into this category. I promise not to tell any of your relatives!

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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.hearthealing.net 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.