First Grade Quilting Project

One more student piece. This one was done by the first grade class at the local elementary school. My twins both are in this class i was suckered into helping them do this piece. I was really supposed to be just someone to bounce ideas off of... but somehow I ended up "just" getting the fabrics, then I ended up putting the thing together. It is a large quilt. 72 x 72 inches. And for someone who is more comfortable doing quilts in the 40 inch range this was a monster. Im really seeing the need for a longarm after doing the last 4 large quilts. I cant wait to get back to journal quilts! lol. The children did such a wonderful job on this piece. They did all the drawins in transferable crayons. The teachers on this project are just the best. They really brought out the artist in all of them. They also were incharge of having the kids sew on the 150+ that they put on to keep this monster together. They all should be very proud of the work they put into this piece. I wish i had a better photo. I did hear that it might be hung up in the school, so if that is the case I will snap a shot of it in September.

One more quilt for the charter school

Here is the last quilt for the charter school. I just finished it up tonight and will be able to get it back to them before their school year ends. It was a wonderful experiance and the kids were just great. I hope to return to the school next year for another project.

More Student Work

These two pieces were done by a local charter school. I worked with the 6th grade (60 kids, 3 quilts and only 24 hours to complete them!) They are fairly large, around 3.5 ft by 6ft. The top quilt was done in the science class and they did the universe. Whole cloth background with fabric paint and plantes that are on patches. the white "universes" dont show up very well, they are made of angelica fibers. there are lots of beads and sparkly things on this piece. The bottom piece had the theme of "green village" and the kids were encouraged to use recycled materials. the little trees are made of fabric and newspaper. I just adore this piece.

Student Work

I have been very busy working, just not on my own stuff. Now that summer is here I hope to return to working on my personal work. For now, I have some wonderful work some of my students have done in the last couple months. These are from a local Elementary school where I ran an afterschool art program. The kids were age 10-12. The assignment was to do a face. They had a great time making these, a little crazy with the fabric paint! Over all it was a very successful class and I hope to run a few more next year.

Still working

Another day in the studio. I'm triing really hard to keep my self up and working. It is difficult when I see all the mess in my house that needs to be cleaned to keep focased at quilting. Here is the quilt that i have been working on. The top is nearly done and soon i will be able to quilt it. I really like the quilting process and love working on the machine. I also am looking forward to embellishing this piece. Let me know what you think!

Gallery Show

Hi all, I'm staying busy, it is still too wet, cold and frozen to work outside. This is not always a bad thing, i dont have to feel guilty that I am quilting instead of working on the house. One of my journal quilts will be at a gallery in Somerville, MA. Looks like about 27 artists from all over the USA and sevareal artists from outside of the USA. Here is the promo photo. This is my second "art" show this year.

Finally back in the Studio

After stalling and triing to get that creative spark back, i finally got back in the studio. Well not really in the studio, it's still too cold up in the attic to work, so I have taken over the kitchen, living room and library. I'm sure my family will be glad when it warms up and I head back upstairs. I finished up a UFO that had been kicking around. I made it nearly 10 years ago and it is very traditional. It was a gift for my mother-in-law and when she passed away, it came back to me. I didnt quilt anything back then, just tied it. so i untied it and finally quilted it. It is a bit wonky, but at least it is done. So now ive started 3 new quilts.

The first is another in the skull/x-ray series and I am not sure where it is going yet.

The second is another x-ray series, these are brain scans of a friend of mine. It needs more.

The thirds is from my religious series and is very unfinished. the background will be a varity of fabrics done like stained glass. not sure where it will go after that. Yes, i have a small spark of an idea, and it has to develop as i go. I dont make patterns, i dont stick to ones if by chance i did. I work very spontanious, which is why when the creative ideas are not flowing, iI come to a dead stop. Ill post the continuous progress on these. I have two models coming over this weekend for a photo shoot (ok not models, kids from the neighborhood). Model sounds so much more impressive. So i will then start my full body quilt. More and more ideas coming on fast. hopefully i can get them out before i start to crash again. Nothing is better then a little manic energy before the depressing crash!