Silk Mill #1 in MQU Magazine

As part of their coverage of the New Legacies - Contemporary Art Quilts exhibit earlier this year in Ft. Collins, CO, my Silk Mill #1 is shown in the current November/December edition of Machine Quilting Unlimited Magazine.  (The image at the top of the page is “Forest Treasures” by Kathleen Malvern.)  You can read more about this quilt, and the other two quilts in the series, by clicking on the Ashley and Bailey Silk Mill tab in the sidebar, or clicking here.

It’s always a pleasure and an honor to have my work featured in MQU.  It’s a great blend of inspiration and practical knowledge, and one of my favorite magazines.  This issue is available online here.

A Student’s Response to My Work

Sometimes the internet works just like it should, enabling connections between like-minded individuals. Several months ago I was contacted by Liz Barraclough, a textile student in the UK.  For her course work she was to profile some fiber (fibre) artists.  She asked permission to use a few photos of my work, which I readily granted.  She has posted her finished assignments on her blog, Lizzy’s Learning Blog, and you can read her astute observations regarding my work here. 

I’m really quite flattered--she is very generous with her assessment--and fascinated with how interesting and thorough her course of study is.  I will look forward to seeing how her own work develops as she moves forward.

Early Autumn hike at Steinman Run

We recently went on a great ramble along the Steinman Run trail, in southern Lancaster County, PA.  The property is part of the Lancaster County Conservancy.

This preserved 245 acre tract of land has huge mature trees, marshy areas, and a sparkling clean stream that supports brook trout.  The slanting early autumn sunlight gave my pictures a pointillistic  effect.

I’ve been hiking the Pennsylvania woodlands all my life, but still find surprises almost every time I go out.  This time I spotted some new-to-me tiny fungi.  A lot of googling tentatively identifies these as Calestoma cinnabarium.  They were growing under a stand of chestnut oak trees.

The center structure in the picture is a bit smaller than an acorn. 

It arises from a surround of gelatinous smaller structures.


As it matures, it splits open at the apex.
Nearby was a similar fungus I believe is the related Calestoma lutescens.  It is paler in color, and arises from a webbed structure.

A macro view of the spongy web:

And a macro view of the globule:

Also in the new-to-me category was an area of partridge berry, a small, delicate looking ground cover.

It’s unusual in its reproductive strategy.  In the spring, two flowers bloom side by side, and after fertilization their ovaries fuse, forming a single berry with two calyxes (the pointed tips at the end of the berry).

Here’s another macro view of the double calyx. 

It was a good day for noticing small, beautiful things.  I hope wherever you are, you can find the time to get out and look around at your environment.

As always, thanks for reading and commenting.

Interview on the SAQA Blog

SAQA, Studio Art Quilts Associates, revealed their newly revamped website today, and it’s wonderful.  It has a clean look, is comprehensive, easy to navigate, and does a great job of featuring the art, exhibits and publications of its members.  My thanks and congratulations to all involved in updating the site.  I’ve been a Studio Artist Member of SAQA for many years, and the benefits just keep increasing.

I was interviewed earlier this year by Clairan Ferrono, and I’m honored and delighted that the interview is now up on the blog that is integrated into the site.  It was great working with Clairan, and I’m very happy with how well the interview turned out. Take a few minutes to read and enjoy; you can access it directly here.  

New Work in Progress -- In Dreams I Saw the Colors Change

I have several new works in progress for my River series, in the same theme as my recently completed In Dreams I Flew Over the River.  This one, In Dreams I Saw the Colors Change, is making me very happy as I work on it.

It’s all silks and wools, with needlfelting and piecing.  I am being just completely extravagant with my use of materials and it’s very liberating and exciting.  I am folding and crimping and letting the silk go where it will, falling into pleats and creases.  I am using a lot of wool roving and silk snippets to build up layers of color and texture, and as these teaser details shots show, it’s very textural and inviting.

Really good silk, the only kind I use, is difficult to come by.  Many of these pieces were purchased on my trips to India, or brought back by family members (thanks!).  When I buy it here in the States, it’s expensive.  So while I use it often in my work, it’s usually in a measured fashion.  (A recent exception would be Ginger, where I also went a little crazy with the silk.)  But here I’m throwing caution to the wind and just reveling in the beauty of the materials, and the impact it has on the story I’m telling.

In Dreams I Saw the Colors Change will be part of my upcoming show in November at the PAE Gallery at Marketview Arts in York, PA. More details on that exhibit are pending.

If you are a regular reader and it seems to you like I have a lot of works in progress, that’s because I do.  I’ve had a great year so far for ideation and creativity, and am churning out the quilt tops at a record pace.  Soon enough I will settle down, light the coal stove, and spend the colder months quilting and finishing.  At least that’s the plan.  Stay tuned!

New Work -- Bleeding Heart

This summer I was asked to  write an article about my cyanotype process for Quilting Arts Magazine.  I wanted to break down the process into step-by-step instructions and illustrations, and went looking in the garden for an appropriate botanical subject to document.  Luckily my bleeding heart plant, Dicentra spectabilis, was having a banner year and was in full bloom.  I clipped a flowering stem and used it for a cyanotype print on cotton, and was especially pleased at how well I was able to capture the delicacy of the flowers.  You can read all about the process, and learn how to make your own cyanotype prints,  in the Oct./Nov. issue of Quilting Arts, available here.

Now that the magazine has hit the newsstands I am ready to share the art quilt I designed around the print.  Bleeding Heart was made with my handpainted fabrics, along with commercial cottons and silks, and measures 30”h x 28”w.  It captures that moment in the early summer garden when all the world seems bright and fresh and new.  It’s up online in The Garden gallery on my website - enjoy!
As always, thank you for reading and commenting.

Cyanotype Article in Quilting Arts Magazine

My article on the cyanotype process is in Quilting Arts Magazine!  I’m so pleased and honored to have this opportunity to share one of my favorite surface design techniques with the Quilting Arts readership.  I take you step-by-step through the process, and make it easy for beginners to get good results.  I use cyanotype extensively in designing my art quilts, and I never tire of either the method or the results. 

The article, “Botanist’s Delight” is the Oct./Nov. issue, which hits the newsstands today.  It was a great experience to work with the QA editorial team, and I'm very happy with the look of the article and the quilts that are featured.  It’s a great issue from cover to cover.  You can read more about it and order a copy at the Quilting Arts website store.

Jack in the Pulpit -- Work in Progress, Update 5

As I hope you can see from the previous posts, there is a LOT of work that goes into one of my projects before I reach the point of actually designing and constructing it. I like to have all of my elements--the prints of all types, and the patchworked fabrics--ready before I start putting everything together.  Ideally, I will clear my schedule and take a day or two for full immersion into the construction.  I don’t generally finish in those immersion days, but it’s enough for me to see where it is I am headed. 

Jack in the Pulpit is now a finished top. It measures out at roughly five feet by six feet.  Here’s a few glimpses of how the piecing went. I am  excited by how well it all came together!  It still  needs to be layered, quilted, and finished.  I have a lot going on right now so it has joined the queue. 
Thanks for following along up to this point, and stay tuned for further updates.