By the sea...

Whether you live in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, July is a good time to head to a beach (either to cool off or to warm up).  Alternatively, you can enjoy the seashore through the work of one outstanding textile artist: Iris Sonnenschein. Based in Massachusetts, Iris finds her inspiration in nature, music and works of art. She excels in combining textures and colors to evoke a sense of place, as seen in the beautiful sand and sea quilts in her nature gallery.

Made in the Shade, 26.5 x 39.5, by Iris Sonnenschein, at Iris Quilts

We love these colorful striped umbrellas and the wavy sand. Tiny sailboats dot the horizon, adding to this peaceful scene. Iris says: "The idea of creating a piece of art that can be touched, and can reflect a mood or a moment, feeds my creative energies; working with clients to create art that speaks uniquely to them, feeds my spirit."

Solitude, 27 x 23.5", by Iris Sonnenschein, at Iris Quilts

After creating "Surf Sound" for the Yawkey Family Inn (see her Public Art gallery), Iris Sonnenschein created this larger quilt with a red Adirondack chair at the ocean's edge. Small areas of the quilt have overlays of organza to create patches of shimmering sand.

While you are browsing the Iris Quilts website, don't miss her absolutely delightful Goddesses (you'll see "Nature Goddesses" and "Wild Women") and her magical Figures.  You'll see couples who float and fly over the land in a manner reminiscent of Chagall.

Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of Iris Sonnenschein.  You can also see her work at the Homegrown-Studios in the seaside community of Rockport, Massachusetts.

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Re-purposing neckties, by Nancy Gamon

~It's Day 12 of our 12-part series on quilts made from neckties!~
From her studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, Nancy Gamon transforms vintage neckties, clothing, and remnants into a whole range of decor and apparel items. One of the most creative textile artists we've seen, Nancy Gamon's work has been featured in Altered Couture; 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse; and in a recent exhibit at NVISION.  Here are two examples of her ingenious creations.

Catch, 26.5 x 20.5, by Nancy Gamon, at Nancy Gamon

"Catch", shown above, was made with vintage neckties, thread, and interfacing, and backed with artists canvas.

Necktie Hanging, 16 x 20", by Nancy Gamon, as seen at Nancy Gamon on Flickr

We love the improvisational appearance of this colorful wall hanging, which was made with about a dozen vintage neckties. At her online boutique at nancygamon.etsy.com you can find ruffled scarves, jewelry (check out her recycled-necktie cuff bracelets), fiber bowls, and other amazing creations. At her photostream, you can also see a photo of Nancy Gamon with her fabric stash (click here) !

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Silk ties and textile art, by Nancy Goodman

When we came across this vibrant quilt we were struck by the colors. Although the quilt is made entirely from men's neckties, the warm golden yellows, oranges, and reds, combined with teal and royal blue, remind us of brightly colored silks from India or southeast Asia. The quilt was created by Nancy Goodman, a textile artist who has lived in Colorado, California, Gabon (Africa), New Mexico, and for the past 16 years in Alabama.

Silk Tie Quilt, 36 x 59", by Nancy W. Goodman

To make this quilt, Nancy Goodman started with a collection of neckties that were mostly dark red and navy blue, which were used to construct the kaleidoscope blocks. The pieced cross and borders were constructed with ties that were stripped and redyed with red, yellow and blue. Nancy explains: "For me, color drives a quilt. My primary task in designing a quilt is to figure out a way to distribute color over the two dimensions in a way that is pleasing and makes sense. I’ve found that as I move around the world, my sense of color changes dramatically, so that quilts I made while living in New Mexico, for example, are strikingly different from those produced in Alabama."

Nancy's interest in art quilts developed gradually, but took flight when she began dyeing her own fabric and abandoned traditional, templated patterns. Over time her interests have expanded to include many areas of fiber art: installations, public art, machine stitched embroidery, paper structures and books. She has exhibited throughout Alabama and in national quilt shows.

Image credits and links: For more information, visit Nancy Goodman's blog. The image is shown with the generous permission of the artist. Her statement on the use of color was published in Southern Artistry.

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Exotic flower quilts (we're dreaming of paradise)

Here are the stunning flower quilts we've been writing about for the last week.   As you can see, each quilter has her own unique style.  These exotic flowers bring to mind Hawaii and other tropical climes.  We wish we were there (but this is the next best thing !)  We hope you've enjoyed the show too.

Image credits and links: Row 1, Sylvia Pippen, Sylvia Pippen Designs; Row 2, Eileen Sullivan, The Designer's Workshop; Row 3, Brenda Yirsa, at Bigfork Bay Cotton Company; Row 4, Ellen Lindner, Adventure Quilter; Row 5, Vyvyan Emery, Rosewood Quilts.

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Gardens of Dreams: the art quilts of Vyvyan Emery

It's Day 5 - and the finale - of our exotic flower quilts series, and we wanted to share with you the inspiring original art quilts of Vyvyan Emery.

It's a Marvelous Night for a Fern Dance, 43.5 x 31", by Vyvyan Emery, at Rosewood Quilts

Vyvyan lives in the mountains of western North Carolina, an area noted for its many cultural opportunities and its abundance of  fine arts, textile arts, and music.  Surrounded with so much natural beauty, she takes great pride in corporating the joys of nature into her quilts which she both sells and enters into quilt shows. We love these appliqued ferns, whose leaves gently undulate as if they are listening to music. Notice how the jewels tones really "pop" against the deep black background. This quilt won first place in the small professional category at the Mountain Quiltfest in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Garden of Dreams, 47 x 58", by Vyvyan Emery, at Rosewood Quilts

On her Rosewood Quilts blog, Vyvyan notes that the placement of the main caladium leaves in this quilt were done from a photo of her garden,  then she filled in the rest of the details with her imagination. Notice the careful juxtaposition of   patchwork monochromatic blue tints and shades which provide the contrast between the night sky and the day sky in the background.

Native to the Amazon River region of South America, the vibrantly colorful tropical caladium is grown from a bulb and makes a stunning addition to a window box, border, or patio. It can be planted in a container and grown indoors during the winter, then moved to a patio or terrace for the summer. The brilliant reds and pinks with the contrasting green make this exotic plant a perfect and original subject for a quilt.

Lotus Garden, 30 x 30", by Vyvyan Emery, at Rosewood Quilts

"Lotus Garden" is a landscape quilt which uses the traditional Far East inspired color of indigo blue to provide a rounded portal to a scene so serene and ephemeral, that we feel rested and refreshed each time that we view it. Giant lotus flowers float in languorous splendor while in the mist, a large rock rises protectively from the water. Note the use of the split-complimentary colors of blue-red, spring green, blue-green, aqua green, and aqua blue, which really bring the lotus flowers to the forefront of the quilt. A strand of reeds helps bridge the gap between the timeless beauty of the scene and the stately inner and outer border of the quilt. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow: We'll wrap up this exotic flowers series.  Later this week we're beginning a special June feature (you won't want to miss it !)

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Ellen Lindner, Adventure Quilter

It's day 3 of our Exotic Flower Quilts series ! We've been admiring Ellen Lindner's photo-inspired quilts ever since we featured her Apple Still life (see our 2010 article on harvest quilts). Ellen Lindner's quilts ranges from pictorial still life to modernist abstracts, and she works in a freeform collage style which lends a natural look.  In addition to creating original art quilts for sale, she generously shares her techniques through workshops, videos, e-books, patterns, and online classes at her website, Adventure Quilter.

High Ti, 20 x 25", by Ellen Lindner

The ti plant was introduced to Hawaii and New Zealand by Polynesian settlers, and the tropical plants grow well in warm climates like Florida. High Ti is one of Ellen Lindner's newest photo-inspired quilts.  Her fabrics capture the colors and the variegated textures of the ti leaves. You can see the detail of the raw-edge collage and the machine quilting, below.

High ti, detail, by Ellen Lindner

You can also see the original photo that inspired the quilt at Ellen Lindner's Art & Creativity blog and at her Adventure Quilter Newsletter. Also check out Ellen's award-winning Ti Plants A-Glow -Glow, which was featured in the book 500 Art Quilts, by Lark Press.

Ripening, 51 x 33, by Ellen Lindner

In December, in Florida, the Christmas Palm Tree berries slowly change into the colors that give the palm its name. Ellen Lindner's beautiful quilt, called Ripening, was made with cotton fabrics, using raw edge collage and machine stitching.

For more information on Ellen Lindner, and for tips, classes and other resources, check out her website, blog and newsletter (also note that she has an online Color Class starting this Friday.... May 27 !)

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Humorous Quilts: Mad as a March Hare

This humorous homonym quilt, which substitutes Hare for Hair, seems entirely appropriate for today.  Laurie Ceesay created this fantastic piece for a Homonym Quilt Challenge. Note the five-'carrot' necklace.

Mad as a March Hare: I Put My 'Hare' Up to Show Off My 5 'Carrot' Necklace, by Laurie Ceesay, at Artsy Chick Quilts

The carrots in the necklace were made of Scupley molding clay. The necklace was finished with orange rhinestones and some shimmer paint. Fiber artist Laurie Ceesay explains:  "I was feeling like this was very Alice-in-Wonderland like, so the woman's make up was influenced by the Mad Hatter's make up. The woman took on a "mad/crazy" look so it came full circle."

Laurie Ceesay is a contemporary quilter who specializes in portrait quilts. Her work often focuses on hairstyles, make up, replicating the human form in fiber, retro fashion/prints, flowers and fairies. She works with bright colors, batiks and large scale prints, and she embellishes her quilts with rhinestones, beads, baubles, yarn, paint and crayons. Also, Laurie is launching her own business to turn her creations into patterns that anyone can follow.  You can read all about it - and see more marvelous portraits - at her blog,  Artsy Chick Quilts.

Image credits:  The image is shown with the generous permission of Laurie Ceesay.

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Humorous Quilts: Don't Piss Off the Fairies, by Ruth Powers

Quilts started out as very utilitarian, practical items for warmth and comfort in daily life. However, one of the most fun aspects of our craft has been the development of quilts to express artistic and cultural themes, such as holidays, celebrations, and humor. Laughter and comedy are part of all cultures, and humorous quilts are a wonderful way of expressing our more lighthearted moments. For the next week we're bringing you one humorous quilt per day.

Don't Piss Off the Fairies,  12 x 12, by Ruth Powers at  Ruth Powers Art Quilts

"Don't Piss Off the Fairies" makes us laugh because the irony of this topic. We usually think of fairies as whimsical, effervescent, creatures of childlike delight.  However, what happens when one of them has a bad day like all of us occasionally do? The result is a very human expression of grumpiness on a non-human being, and that brings a smile to our faces.

This little fairy in her woodland setting is intricately machine-pieced and machine-quilted. Notice how the light falls upon her delicate wings, which brings out the graceful quilting design. The golden skin tones complement the icy lavender shades of the fairies' wings and help to play up the focal point of her facial expression.  Ruth notes that it was a bit of a challenge to find the right fabric for her skin, but she thinks the batik she used worked out perfectly. She says, " I just love searching for the right fabric", and we know that echoes the sentiments of so many quilters.

"Don't Piss Off the Fairies" is a one-of-a-kind art piece that is now privately owned by the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection. However, if you are looking for a really cute (non-pissed-off) fairy pattern, check out Fairies In My Garden at Ruth Powers' patterns page. We really enjoy Ruth's work, as it is so inspired, fresh, and creative. You can see more quilts in progress - and more fairies - at Ruth Powers' Blog.

Image credits:  The image is shown with the generous permission of Ruth Powers.

p.s.  How does Google Translate deal with "Piss Off" ?  Let us know !  In case it doesn't translate, the MacMillan dictionary has these synonyms: To annoy, provoke, anger, bother, frustrate, irritate, infuriate, antagonize. In short form we may just say P.O. as in "I'm PO'd". Undoubtedly there are similar terms in every language.  We'd love to know.

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Therese May 's creative heart

Are you in need of a little Monday inspiration, as we are?  Consider the work of Therese May, who makes her art in an exciting way to uplift all who view it. Therese finds inspiration everywhere she looks, but mainly from inside herself. Her work is clearly from the heart.

Birthday Quilt Goddess, 47 x 47, by Therese May

Therese May was trained as a painter, and her quilts begin with drawings that she uses as templates for fabric appliqué shapes. She pins these to muslin and sews them with a satin stitch and hand-quilts the layers, then adds detail with beads, buttons, and other embellishments. In Birthday Quilt Goddess, the beatific Goddess is wearing a big birthday cake with candles on her head, like a crown. She has a serene smile on her face, because she is at peace. She has “Nine Patch Pockets” on her bodice; the pockets are for containing prayers for world peace. For details, see the Birthday Quilt Goddess page.

Bunny Quilt, 37 x 37, by Therese May

In Therese May's quilted portraits gallery you can find this wonderful bunny quilt and other “Quilted Portraits” or “Puzzle Interchange” quilts.   The playful images with interchanging colors bring to mind the works of Andy Warhol. Ah, to be young and innocent again.  Quilted Portraits is also one of Therese May's workshops.

Creative Heart, 96 x 66, by Therese May

Therese May's recent work includes this gorgeous Creative Heart quilt. The images in this quilt are all from her heart—flowers, birds, clouds, hearts, the kimono shape. The hands of the quilting pattern sign “I Love You”. The paint writing covering the entire surface of the piece are the repetitive affirmation of “ONE” for one people, one life. The materials and techniques are fabric, thread, paint, machine appliqué, machine quilting, painted fabric, and paint writing.

Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of Therese May. You can find more of her work at Therese May's website. For words of wisdom and affirmation, visit Therese May's blog.

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