You are invited

Artist Reception for Fiber & Friends

Sunday, July 19, 2:30-4:30

Meet the Artists

Enjoy wine, food and live music!

Friends & Co
Madison CT Restaurant
Boston Post Road

Featuring the work of Barbara Adams, Janine Anderson-Bays, Debra Bento, Vivika Hansen DeNegre, Gina Grubb Frank, Gail Kotowski, Carol Ludington, Kate Themel, Robin Wolek and Diane Wright

What's up this Saturday, July 11

Guilford Keeping Society    The Art of Quilting--Old and New  July 2015

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Fiber Artist Diane Wright to Speak on Contemporary Quilts     Saturday, July 11 , 2 p.m. As a special feature of Guilford's town-wide summer quilt show, Diane Wright, nationally known art quilter, will speak on "Contemporary Stitches in Time,"  She will discuss the use of antique quilt patterns in the making of contemporary quilts and quilts as art.  Diane has invited friends and fellow quilters from the Guilford quilting group, Sisters in Cloth, to join her in sharing their own contemporary quilts that have been influenced by tradition. Times change, but as Diane says, "It's always been about the hand and the stitch." The talk will take place at The Guilford Keeping Society's Medad Stone Tavern, 197 Three Mile Course. Visitors to the Tavern can also view a display of historic quilts owned by the Society. Since the 1990s, Diane's focus has been on the fabric medium: fabric of all kinds, hand or machine stitched, often embellished with beads, fiber "shards" or found bits. Her work is noted for its use of color, original design, and a variety of fabrics that include commercial, foreign, hand-painted, and vintage pieces. Admission to the program is free but donations are greatly appreciated.  A  Stitch in Time  Guilford Museums' Historic Quilts An Exhibit at All Five Guilford Museums July 1 to July 31 Poke around in one attic and you never know what you will find. Poke around in five attics and things get really interesting. Over the winter, the Henry Whitfield State Museum, Hyland House Museum, Thomas Griswold House Museum, Medad Stone Tavern Museum and The Dudley Farm Museum searched their collections for unique and interesting quilts. So this month you can visit Guilford's five history museums during regular hours and marvel at quilts ranging from the 18th to the 20th centuries.  You'll sense the stories behind the quilts and their makers as you marvel at the craftsmanship of this venerable  art form. Admission to the exhibit is part of the regular fees to enter each museum.  With colorful names like Calamanco, One Patch, Carolina Lily, Queen Victoria's Crown and Crazy Quilts and fabrics as diverse as linen, cotton and wool, quilts were utilitarian in use but illustrate the agrarian, social, economic and cultural life of families and communities. Displayed in period room settings, the quilts and coverlets help breathe life into the spaces that Guilford residents lived in; from the early 17th century through World War II. Two additional special programs will be presented in conjunction with the exhibit. On Sunday, July 19,  from 1 pm to 4 pm, there will be a special program in the Munger Barn at The Dudley Farm Museum.  "More Than Just a Quilt," a presentation by Lorraine German of Mad River Antiques in North Granby, will explore quilts "as a form of artistic, sentimental and political expression."  On Saturday, July 25, from 1 pm to 4 pm, there will be a special program at the Henry Whitfield State Museum, Marge Bucholz, quilter and museum volunteer will demonstrate contemporary quilt making while she discusses the changes in quilting over the centuries.

Viewpoints9-3 Reveal Day!

Honey Bee Armageddon has just been posted on Viewpoints9.  The current challenge posed is to use neon colors...a stretch for sure.

My personal theme for this rotation of challenges is 'Exotic'.  As I have been interested in the honey bee colony collapse and it's various suspected causations, I chose the honey bee as my exotic.

I imagined what the world could look like without our honeybee pollinators.  And, after I saw Dr. Maria Spivak's TED Talk on "Why Bees Are Disappearing", I decided to look at that period of time just as we all learned that they had, indeed, become non-existence.

Imagine..........

This report just in from a time not too distant in the future.

In response to the recent honey bee colony collapse across the US, Congress, sitting in emergency session,  has authorized the use of drones.

Reporter
Diane  Wright
Honey and Pollen News Times

HoneyBee Armageddon

The QRCode links (with permission) to Dr. Maria Spivak's TED talk "Why Bees Are Disappearing".

I have been SO remiss...

I can't believe that my last post was April 27!  SO much has happened.  Pour a cuppa and I'll tell the quilt stories of the month+

We returned from our six week holiday in CA and my attendance at SAQA's Conference in Portland OR.  Immediately I needed to tackle the promised T-shirt quilt for Project Graduation at Guilford High School (remember, now, that I still haven't learned to say no).  The quilt will be won in a drawing by one of graduates.  It is twin sized and ready to hit the road with the new grad whether off to college or another brave new world.

The T-shirts were donated by the volunteer team managing Project Graduation.  While I was constructing the top, American Idol and GHS graduation Nick Fradiani (parents still live in town) visited his old high school and gave a hugely attended concert on the Town Green.  Of course, one of his T's needed to be tracked down and included.

It will be 'won' by one of the Class of 2015.

Project Graduation T-shirt quilt

 What I can't reveal yet are the other 3 pieces that I finished.  Two for Fly Me To the Moon challenge and this month's Viewpoints9-3 "neon" challenge.

Runner for Polly

Then, as I infrequently do, I decided to tidy my studio.  When I found some schnibbles remaining from a commissioned piece.  The fabric happened to be one of my all time favorites and deserved to be used.  I combined it with other favorites.  This table runner is quite plump as I added a layer of Insel-Brite with the batting.  I hope it will be happy in the dining room where the commissioned work is hung.  

To start off June with a big bang, one of my pieces was juried into SAQA's MA/RI Region's Art as Quilt Exhibit that will premiere at the Fuller Craft Museum in MA..and travel!  So exciting!!

For the Love of Three Oranges

Hoping I can manage my time better (with respect to blogging) and report more news soon.

Viewpoints9-3 Reveal Day #1

Viewpoints9-3's first reveal of it's new rotation of challenges is today!  Check it out...nine posts will fill today.

This time each member has chosen her own personal theme, developing a personal series which will relate to all the others by the challenges posed by the 'chief' of each challenge.  hmm...not real clear.  OK.  The bi-monthly challenger will pick the height dimension and one other facet required.  For instance, this time the height required by 48" and the challenge was to incorporate stitching that you had never done before.

My personal theme for the next 18 months is EXOTIC.

While considering my approach to my personal theme, I realized that I myself had been an exotic of sorts for most of my life.  e.g. not from wherever I was.

"I'm Not From Here" depicts the eight states and two foreign countries that our family made our home. California (4 times), Texas (3 times), Colorado, Missouri, Maryland (2 times), New York, Florida and Connecticut (2 times).  Japan and, later as an adult, Australia.

I'm Not From Here
48"x45"

 In keeping with Martha's Challenge to make a piece using stitching or a stitch type that we had never done before, I floundered.  I'm old.  And I dabble.  Ergo there's not much I haven't done (My Granny taught me to knit, crochet, embroider,  sew and tat.  Yes. Tat).  I decided to go with something that I have rarely done and not for a very long time.  Free-motion script.  The stitched sentences and phrases sketch our family's journey.

First acceptance of 2015 :^)

Flying Geese Variation

I was SO happy to have Flying Geese accepted into PAQA-South's ArtQuiltsReminisce!, which asked participants to reminisce a little, then share their story in art.

Today is also my turn to post on Viewpoints9-3.  Since 'conflating' is the hot new journalism word, I thought I'd conflate my two posts.  Hop on over the catch the whole, unadulterated story.

Killing two birds with one stone.  OOOH, sorry for the really bad pun. ;^)

Newest Dijanne Cevaal Collaboration

"Lady Jane" (16"x28") started with one of Dijanne Cevaal's original linocuts.  This one from her Medieval Project, inspired by the architectural statuary in Chartres.

I have combined machine and hand stitching.  I always enjoy having some on-going hand stitching project at the ready for those nights that we sit and watch TV.  Therefore, over time much of my work includes both hand and machine stitches.

Lady Jane

This piece's title came from my wonderfully, serendipitously uncovering a piece of border print that was designed by Jane Sassaman some time ago.  Certainly reinforces my natural behavior of collecting (and hoarding?) fabric that appeals to me.  The addition of green French knots in her border print helps relate the image and reinforce the 'leaf' imagery on Lady Jane's lapel (hard to see here that it is foiled in the blues and greens)

Now time to start a new piece for Jon Stewart's last year at bringing me my TV news.