I am still playing! I think I'm sticking a fork in this quilt and will begin quilting it today. Since beginning this wonderful journey, I have gotten some emails and decided to answer the questions/concerns expressed in them.
- I have never met Rayna Gillman. However, I know when I do, I will like her.
- I am not receiving any money for the sale of her book nor am I working for her.
- I am not trying to recreate a Rayna Gillman quilt nor do I think my work would be mistaken for one of her pieces of art. I think the quilts that I am creating look like my work. Hopefully Rayna will weigh in on this.
- Rayna knew nothing about my fabric challenge until I announced it. I offered this on my own because I thought it would be fun to see what others would do. I happen to like playing with and supporting other artists. People were free to join in (and I'm thankful that they did) or not. I felt it was my right to create my own rules.
This quilt is a real challenge and one that I am enjoying. It is far from done. It also looks better in person than in this photo. So far, no purchases have been made. I wish I could say that my scrap bin is getting smaller. I'm really messy when I work so my studio is once again a mess, but it's a happy mess.
And as you can see, I've started another indigo piece. The panel is a Dutch wax print cloth (Hollandaise) from West Africa which I purchased from one of my favorite vendors at International Quilt Festival in Houston when I lived there. It is approx. 12 by 16.5 inches so the size is presenting me with a new challenge. I am so excited that I am having trouble sleeping and I work on these quilts in my dreams! I certainly hope you are having fun too.
And as you can see, I've started another indigo piece. The panel is a Dutch wax print cloth (Hollandaise) from West Africa which I purchased from one of my favorite vendors at International Quilt Festival in Houston when I lived there. It is approx. 12 by 16.5 inches so the size is presenting me with a new challenge. I am so excited that I am having trouble sleeping and I work on these quilts in my dreams! I certainly hope you are having fun too.
My Rayna book should arrive in the mail today, and I can't wait! I need a shot in the arm to get moving on these gray NW days, and I hope the book and your challenge will do the trick.
ReplyDeleteSherrie, Embrace it and it will happen. Need a pep talk, just let me know. I'm a great cheerleader! Hugs, Karen
ReplyDeletethey are all beautiful, Karen but the red on the top is simply exquisite! Love that. ~diana
ReplyDeleteDiana, Thanks! I love it too. Hugs, Karen
ReplyDeleteWeighing in on all those emails you felt you had to reply to, Karen.
ReplyDelete- No, Karen and I have never met - nor have we even been email buddies over the years. We're just getting to know each other and I can tell she's a kindred spirit: we're friends now!
- Karen's experiments and nice comments about my book are totally unsolicited and much appreciated -- and I am thrilled by her work, which looks nothing like mine. Karen - did you discharge that piece of fabric in the middle? I love the way you are combining your fabrics and can tell how long you have had some of them because I have some of the same ones in different colorways. (told you we were kindred spirits!)
When I wrote this book, my hope was that people would take off and go in their own direction, integrating these things into their own work. While we may use some of the same kinds of units, we will never use them the same way or make them in the same sizes or put them together as someone else would. When we make original work, we put our own "fingerprint" on it and the color/fabric choice and composition is bound to reflect who we are.
I got in line for the fabric challenge just like everybody else, although I think I should have my head examined. I am being buried alive by fabric. AARRGH.
Rayna, Your kind words are appreciated! I too felt as if we were kindred spirits.
ReplyDeleteYes, I discharged the piece in the middle about 6 years ago. It was done during a surface design class that I was teaching. It was done with a cheap grass stamp.
I too am buried alive by fabric! Isn't it wonderful? Hugs, Karen