Archive for Circles Of Black, Circles of White Series

Tidying up the Sides – Adding the Binding (1)

September 18, 2012 / / No comments

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.

Category: Circles Of Black, Circles of White Series / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Zipping it up – “Circles of Black, Circles of White 6”

April 19, 2012 / / 2 comments

Art quilt embellished with buttons and beads - "Circles of Black, Circles of White 6"While red is one of my favorite colors, it’s not one that I use a lot in my art quilts. However, I had some great red ribbons, fabric, and buttons, so red was the choice for this next one in the series, “Circles of Black, Circles of White 6”. I also began to incorporate industrial zippers as surface embellishments on my work. I had seen the cover art  of Quilting Arts magazine by Diane Nunez on their June/July 2010 issue where she had used large opened zippers to represent stems for flowers. I thought that since I use a lot of flowers in my own work, I would use zippers to suggest stems, too. As you can see in this pic, there are a number of the black and white circles that have been used throughout the series, sitting on top of opened, white zippers. However, I’ve never met a surface that didn’t call for embellishments, so the sides of the zippers were quickly covered with buttons and beads, and now look less like stems than when the piece was not so embellished.

Detail of art quilt "Circles of Black, Circles of White 6" embellished with buttons and beadsIn this close-up, you can see how the sides of the zippers, opposite from the teeth, have had buttons or beads sewn on the them or down the middle. The teeth were particularly hard to sew and bead over wherever fabric overlapped them, as these zippers are the size meant for jackets. The large, gold pulls on the zippers also added a fun element, but I quickly learned that I needed to sew them down them, as hanging freely, they were constantly catching the beading thread whenever I was working near them. The need to frequently stop and untangle sewing threads is an occupational frustration because to the way that I work. The fabric pieces are pinned in place to the quilt surface fabric first. Next come the largest buttons and beads, and then I progressively work my way down to smaller and smaller elements. The last and the largest contributor to the “Time of the Long Sew” is when the seed beads come in. For the most part, I use 10s/11s, 8s, and a few 6s. (The larger the number, the smaller the seed bead.) Using the smallest beads takes 1 hour to cover 1 sq inch, so that makes for LOTS of opportunities to snag the hand sewing quilting thread used to fasten down the beads. Some have suggested that I work in the opposite direction and work from the smallest to the largest elements, but then, a lot of the bigger pieces wouldn’t lay flat, and I would have beaded under them for nothing, as those beads wouldn’t be seen.

Detail of art quilt, "Circles of Black, Circles of White 6", embellished with buttons and beadsThis detail photo is about 1/2 the size of the actual objects. Here I deliberately left some of the original fabric unbeaded, which gives a puffy halo around the black and white circle. I do like to leave some of the fabrics showing in their original state, so people can see what it originally looked like. In the lower left, is a shiny, silver glass button from Czechoslovakia. It’s those glass buttons that always attract the most attention, because of the layers of colored glass, and foil backings and inserts. In the very bottom middle is a starburst metal stamping. I fastened them down first with plastic thread and then covered that up with embroidery floss. While these are cleanly stamped pieces, with no apparent rough edges, over time, the vibrations of the earth and gravity pulling downwards on a piece hanging on the wall would cut the emboridery floss if that were all that was holding these large stampings in place.

Detail of art quilt, "Circles of Black, Circles of White 6", embellished with buttons and beadsThe white industrial zippers are more evident in this photo. What was really fun to work with was the red brocade ribbon with metal grommets seen here on the right edge and left middle of this photo. If you click on this link to InterContinental Trims, and scroll about 1/3 of the way down the page, you can see the red ribbons with the grommets in their unembellished state. I added a circle of glowing yellow-gold beads around each hole to emphasize it. By the way, if you’re looking for ribbons at a great price and with fantastic service, the owner of the above mentioned company,Rosita Pisarchick, is the person to know.

So, a few thousand pieces added and the 6th in the series, but the third to be completed, was ready to start photographing and putting it out for exhibitions. I was really getting tired of the red, purple, and gold beads near the end that were used in the background,  ut then that’s always the case with a piece as I get near the end of its completion. For that reason, I can’t believe that I actually did a series of large quilts, all with the same black and white fabric, but when i set my mind to something, I can be really, really stubborn.

 Have you ever set your mind to a creative endeavor? What were your trials and tribulations, and any insights you gained as to how you work?

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

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.

Category: Circles Of Black, Circles of White Series / Tags: , , , , ,

The series continues – “Circles of Black, Circles of White 3”

April 16, 2012 / / No comments

Art quilt - "Circles of Black, Circles of White 3" embellished with buttons and beads,This piece, “Circles of Black, Circles of White 3” ( 23”W x 28.75”T or 58.5 cm x 73 cm) is one of the prettiest art quilts that I’ve done. While I love all of my “children”, this piece just flowed through me and was easily constructed. While there are a diverse assortment of materials sewn onto its surface, to my eye at least, they balance out. When I’m creating a piece, I “hum” the various motifs and embellishments into place to a 4/4 beat. Each element is placed one piece at a time, as if that were the only one that was going to be included on the surface. After that piece is in place, I make another decision, and then another. So what you see in any of my pieces is the result of thousands of individual decisions with regard as to where something will end up and how it relates to what is already there. Most of these decisions are unconscious when I’m in what I call the “Creative Free Flow”. That State of Being is where I’m one and the same with whatever creative endeavor I’m working on, whether it’s my art work, or garden compositions, and time, in effect stands still as I commune with what is in front of me.

Detail of art quilt "Circles of Black, Circles of White 3" embellished with buttons and beads This detail shot has a lot of the elements that I frequently use. There is a monarch butterfly, commercial iron-on applique that is easily obtainable in many craft stores. To its left, is a lavender grey flower that is a recycled piece of costume jewelry. I love using old jewelry, which if it has a pin back, I’ll pin it through all 3 layers of the quilt, and then secure the end posts of that backing with lots of stitches so that the brooch won’t fall off. There are two of my favorite glass buttons visible, a shiny blue one near the top right, and an unusual one in the lower right. The back of the button is painted an opaque orange which is refracted through the clear glass layers above it, and the rim is painted with and opaque purple color. There is a circle of small blue safety pins in the lower right that have been threaded with large yellow beads and sewn into place. No detail is too small to consider, as the semi-circle of small orange buttons at the ends of the black and white bars that take up most of the bottom right of this photo, have been sewn on with aqua embroidery floss to pick up the same color in other nearby elements, such as beads and buttons.

Detail of art quilt "Circles of Black, Circles of White 3" embellished with buttons and beadsThis detail photo was taken further back from the surface of the piece than the previous photo so you can see how more of the elements fit together. In the very center, is my signature hummingbird button that I include in all of my pieces. At the bottom middle is a semi-circle of those white shell circles, that I frequently use, here shown in their natural color. (There are many available in the craft stores that have been dyed various colors.) These were secured down with magenta embroidery floss to pick up some other similarly colored elements. I find that when I want to make a big impact with thread, there’s nothing like the variety of colors, the quality, and the availability of DMC embroidery floss. The 6 strands of thread, are sometimes difficult to thread into a large enough needle that also has a sharp point to pierce all 3 layers of the quilt. However, DMC threads are not intertwined, which allows them to lay flat when stitched down and thus, show up better.

Each of the pieces in this series, while having the black and white striped fabric circles in common, have their own distinct quality. Just as children in the same family have different personalities, so do each of the pieces in this series. Hopefully, one day, they’ll all be exhibited in the same show, which would be interesting to see how one led to the next, what new changes were made, and how they work as a whole body of artwork. I think that the Monet’s gallery at Giverny where his waterlily series is housed would be a great place to showcase these, but then I like to think big.

 Have you done a series and what did you learn from the experience?

Why not tell us about your insights on series, or 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

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.

Category: Circles Of Black, Circles of White Series / Tags: , , , ,

2012 Bead Dreams Competition – “Circles of Black, Circles of White 5”

April 9, 2012 / / 3 comments

Art quilt "Circles of Black, Circles of White 5"“Bead and Button” magazine is the premier magazine in the USA that combines both of my favorite embellishment materials for my art quilts, namely, buttons and beads. Every year they have a competition called “Bead Dreams” and this quilt, “Circles of Black, Circles of White 5”, was juried into the 2012 competition under the category of “Objects or Accessories”. While most of what is included in the magazine are wonderful ways to make jewelry, I took a chance to see if one of my art quilts would make the competition, and hurray! It got in….yeah me!

This particular art quilt, “Circles of Black, Circles of White 5” (24.25”W x 27.25”T or 61.5cm W x 6 cm T) is so named because it was the 5th in the series to be cut out. Since the fabric motifs define the look of the piece, and what was created before influences what comes afterwards, that’s why they’re numbered the way they are. However, some pieces beg to be finished before others, or I get caught up in a certain color combination, so this piece was the second in the series to actually be finished.

Detail of art quilt, "Circles of Black, Circles of White 5" embellished with buttons and beadsIn this detail shot, you can see some of the black and white circles and half circles that were used throughout the series. In the very center, you can see some of the orange and yellow glass tubes that I love sewn onto a semi circle that remind me of candy corn from Halloween. I also included my favorite animal symbols, butterflies, embellished with Swarovski crystals. While more expensive than similar crystal elements on the market, these Austrian beads have precise faceting which gives them a flash that is very hard to find in other offerings. In the lower right, is a glass button from Czechoslovakia. It’s clear purple glass contrasts with the opaque black parts on the back, so that to me, it resembles a dark version of a rose window in a medieval cathedral.

Detail of art quilt, "Circles of Black, Circles of White 5" embellished with buttons and beadsDown the center of this detail shot and off to the right are some circles cut out of shells that have been dyed green. In the centers, which have large holes, I sewed magenta beads that pick up the colors of the magenta flower in the middle of the photo. I use quite a diverse assortment of materials for the surfaces of my art quilts, so I like to repeat colors and shapes in various sizes to tie the composition together. Basically, if it has a hole in it or I can make one without breaking it, then the object is fair game for including for embellishments. I don’t like to use glue unless I absolutely have to, as over time, I’m worried about the chemicals in it leaching out into the fabric.

It’s sometimes hard for my work to be accepted into some art exhibits. With all of the buttons and beads, sometimes as much as 25 pounds or 10 kg., is it jewelry or is it an art quilt seems to be the confusing question for jurors. When the Art Barn in Athens, Ohio, USA used to have an exhibit “Beads” that alternated years with the prestigious “Quilt National”, I always got in those bead  shows. I have gotten better at choosing the exhibits to which I submit by looking at previous year’s entries, so I get turned down less than when I first started exhibiting over thirty years ago. I have searched the Net, and while there are a lot of other quilters and textile artists who use buttons and beads as embellishments, I am probably the most obsessive as far as sheer coverage of surface area, so I’m pleased that more and more of my work is getting recognition.

I just love the color choices that I made in this piece. Its very different from many of my other art quilts and a much bolder look than I usually do. Some have likened it to a Hispanic festival or a Mardi Gras parade. All I know is that it makes me smile when I look at it.

 What are some of your favorite materials that you like to collect?

Why not tell is about them or 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

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.

Category: Circles Of Black, Circles of White Series / Tags: , , , ,

Circles B&W 7 – An Art Quilt Continues on Towards Completion

February 29, 2012 / / No comments

“Circles of Black, Circles of White 7” – an art quilt in progress

My art quilt, “Circles of Black, Circles of White 7” is continuing right along. I try and put in 4-5 hours every night beading on a piece, which quilts it at the same time. At this point in the construction process, I am pretty much down to finishing off with sewing on the seed beads. There just isn’t anymore room for the the wealth of buttons, appliques, and larger beads that are left in shoe boxes on the sofa beside my sewing chair. To avoid one big majot clean-up, I’m trying to return some pieces each night back to their homes in my studio. That way, I won’t be swamped with cleaning up all at once when I’m finished with a piece, and will be more encouraged to cut out another. There are, however, still two more quilts half finished in this series, so I won’t lack for things to sew on this upcoming year.

As with all of my art quilts, there are always surprises as I move through to completing them. On the far right edge of the above photo, you can see the much lighter yellow of the mottled background that is the backing for the surface of this piece. However, as you can see, the piece wanted to be darker as I worked on it. The irregular edges of the orange blocks in that main piece of yellow fabric became much darker as I stitched the outline in with seeds beads as close to the color as I could find. Filling them in with bright yellow beads only added to making what had started out as a subtle yellow background into more of an orange one. (See far bottom left of the detail photo below as to what the original fabric looked like before beading.) Oh well! That was that the quilt wanted.

Detail of “Circles of Black, Circles of White 7” – art quilt in progress

In the detail pic to the left, that pale green square in the lower right of the overall composition also became darker as it was beaded. I left some of the original pale green fabric untouched (You can see it to the lower left of the central yellow flower in this photo..) I do like to leave some of the original fabric showing, so that people can get a sense of what was underneath all of that beading. You can also see in the lower right hand of this detail photo, as to why there’s not any more room for more buttons or larger embellishments, as it’s getting pretty crowded down there.

Detail of “Circles of Black, Circles of White 7” – art quilt in progress

In this detail photo, you can see one of the flower motifs that I chose for this quilt. It’s dark blue-black dotted print on a golden tan background. The fabric is a knit, which I don’t usually use, as it “crawls” all over the place as I try to cut it out. However, since the longest dimension is about 4″ (10 cm) across, and it was going to be heavily beaded into place anyway, I used it as its colors fit into what I was trying to accomplish with the overall composition.

The “Time of the Long Sew” continues, as there are many more hours left to be completed before this piece will be ready to trim and bind the edges. Most of the major color and composition decisions have been made, so it’s a matter now of filling in the areas with the extensive seed beading that I’m known for. I did find in Quilting Magazine’s on-line e-mag publication “In Stitches – Volume 6”, (you need to subscribe to this), a whole section of gloves and finger cots to save your hands. I think I’ll try out some of the ones that protect your fingers. I hate thimbles, and for me, the “Time of the Long Sew” translates as the “Time of the Raggedy Fingertips”!What trials and tribulations do you go through to create your work? Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this piece. Please take a minute, fill it out the form, 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.comTo 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.

Category: Circles Of Black, Circles of White Series / Tags: , , , , ,
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