Her Armory

I have taken the summer off from my newsletter, tending to the garden, sewing new work, teaching a wonderful week-long workshop at Quilting by the Lake (nice sampler video from the Schweinfurth here) and traveling to see family and friends. Here is a quick look at a piece in the Her Armory series. The brigandines were included in the SDA member exhibit, Interplay, at the Dairy Barn, Athens, OH. The artist statement for the series follows:

Her Armory is a series of protective objects for women in an uncertain and troubling time.  I have used reclaimed wool from sweaters, blankets and shawls to create a conceptual armor of resilience and strength in the face of a world turned on end.

Her Armory: Woolen Brigandines, 29 x 46 x 1, felted wool, embroidered and hand stitched

These were a lot of fun to make, needle felting wool rivets, creating layered woolen “plates”, and using some hand felted wool bats. There are more works in this series and I hope to have others on exhibit (and posted in the newsletter) soon. I will have three pieces from the Apron Strings series at the South Bend Museum of Art in Whip Stitch, opening at the end of September, and three pieces at the Blue Spiral Gallery, Asheville NC, in Common Thread, September 6 through October 23. Details to follow here and on Instagram.

Here are some titles I have been reading: In print, The Cemetery of Untold Stories, by Julia Alvarez; Piglet, by Lottie Hazell; The Road from Bellhaven, by Margaret Livesey; Hum, by Helen Phillips; and Burn, by Peter Heller. On audio, The Glassmaker, by Tracey Chevalier; The Tiger’s Wife, by Tea Obreht; Sandwich, by Catherine Newman, and James, by Percival Everett. Plus a whole bunch of lighter fare.

Sparks Were Flying

Another quilt from my series about love and attraction, Sparks Were Flying, will be on exhibit in New Legacies at the Lincoln Center Galleries in Fort Collins, CO.

Sparks Were Flying, 59 x 36, cotton, linen, found quilt top

This quilt has the optical illusion of being shirred, but in fact is very flat. The gradations in color were achieved by brushing on pigment dye to a found quilt top, then hanging it vertically to dry. My attitude about dying is purely experimental—I get what I get. This quilt is very densely stitched onto a base of linen. Here is the artist statement for the series:

What is it that draws us to another person? How do we find someone to share a life with? Built on a rescued quilt top in the iconic double wedding ring pattern, this artwork examines the mysteries of attraction and the first sparks of interest that just may lead to something more.

Reading Suggestions

Here are a few books I have enjoyed these past months: Thornhedge, by T. Kingfisher; The Biography of X, by Catherine Lacey; Loot, by Tania James and Martyr!, by Kaveh Akbar (Five star review, a remarkable book, wonderful audio reader.) These were on audio. In paper, The Curse of Pietro Houdini, by Derek Miller; The Waters, by Bonnie Jo Campbell; The Morningside, by Tia Obreht and Games and Rituals (stories) by Katherine Heiny.

I am looking forward to teaching at Quilting by the Lake in July! See the sidebar for links to more info. My garden is bursting into bloom, the tomato plants are knee high and we have had plenty of rain this spring. All is well.

Rethinking

Sometimes I will start working and find that I need to stop and rethink.

So was the case with this double wedding ring rescue. After laundering and dying this vintage quilt, I tried to cut out the useable sections and create a patchwork of sorts. However, as I worked, I realized how fragile the remaining cloth really was. I love the red wool inserts and the mark-making stitches, but the strata is just not durable enough for a permanent artwork. One thought I had was to reuse the quilts (there are two in equal states of disrepair) as “marriage bundles”, or maybe seal with paint or wax to create a rigid surface for bookmaking. Someone suggested an organza overlay, which I thought was an interesting idea, and I thought of maybe putting the damaged quilt between two other pieces of cloth as a mostly hidden element that would be stitched through but remain part of the structure, possibly with small cutouts revealed. Something will happen, in its own time.

Book List: Lots of new titles. Absolution, by Alice McDermott; Charis in the World of Wonders, by Mary Youmans; The Winter Soldier, by Daniel Mason; All you Have to Do is Call, by Keri Maher (all as print books) and Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan, Cold Earth, by Anne Cleeves, Trust, by Hernan Diaz; and After Annie, by Anna Quindlen (as audio books).

For anyone in the Philadelphia area, At First Blush (detail, top center) is included in Art Quilt Elements at the Wayne Art Center. This is the first time I have had my work in this biennial exhibition and I am very honored to be among the selected artists.

Let's Stitch Together!

Registration is now open for Exploring Hand Stitching at Quilting by the Lake.

5 Days Monday – Friday, July 15-19, 2024

Rediscover the pleasure of pulling a threaded needle through layers of cloth. Hand stitching can be used to make marks, define texture and create a rich and visually interesting surface design in fiber artwork.  We’ll use materials we already have, the textile “keepings” of everyday life, to explore the possibilities of sewing mindfully by hand. The goal of this experimental journey is to develop a vocabulary of stitches and make personal connections to the process of creating. And by slowing down and working by hand, we may find a new path to well-being along the way.

All QBL workshops begin on Monday and end on Friday. Workshops are from 8:30-4pm daily. Students check in to their dorms and move into classrooms on the Sunday before the workshop begins. There is a welcome dinner with a lecture Sunday night.

All Levels

I am delighted to be teaching again at Quilting By the Lake, and look forward to being with other needlepeople as we explore hand stitching together in a beautiful place. You can access information and registration at www.quiltingbythelake.com

The Year Comes to a Close

I sometimes feel like time is passing more quickly at every turn. I have some anxiety about 2024, and have started a whole new series of protective objects called Her Armory. Sneak peek below. Next week I will be sending two sets of Amulet Bundles to the Dairy Barn in Athens OH, for OH+5, a regional exhibit. I am also readying about 10 -12 pieces for She Said, a three woman exhibit with my friends Laurie Rousseau and Liz Roetzel at the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph, MI running from January 19 through February 25.

2023 Books of the Year

I have read a lot of books this year and want to lift up a few I really enjoyed: Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver; Horse, by Geraldine Brooks; The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride; The Break, by Katherena Vernette; Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett; North Woods, by Daniel Mason and The City of Thieves, by David Benioff.

Early Snow

Today we have some snow along with very cold temperatures. Our autumn was long and beautiful and now gone. Last year at this time I began a series of three small pieces in wool and two of them will be on exhibit next month. As the days grow short I feel an instinct to draw inward and stitch. I love the feel of a needle through wool and the deeply intense colors of woolen cloth. I am working on a second generation of armor, this time made from rescued wool blankets, shawls and sweaters. Check my Instagram for some in-progress photos of those.

Wintering: Nightfall, handstitched wool with cotton backing, 35 x 34”

Wintering: Nightfall will appear in the Artlink Contemporary Gallery Midwest Regional Exhibition from January 4 through February 4, 2024 in Fort Wayne, IN. Wintering: Snowbound is in Craftforms at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA from December 2 through January 20. At First Blush has been selected for Art Quilt Elements 2024, also at the Wayne Art Center.

I have been reading some good books: Night Watch, by Jayne Anne Phillips; The Vaster Wilds, by Lauren Groff; Chenneville, by Paulette Giles; (all in audio), Broken Light, by Joanne Harris; City of Thieves, by David Benioff and The Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli. ( in print)

Much to be thankful for this year!

Falling Leaves

The end of October brings the leaves down. We rake them to the parkway (the grass between the sidewalk and the street) and the city will come and suck them all up with giant leaf vacuums and take them to the composting site. It is amazing to see. The colors of autumn have been especially beautiful this year in northern Indiana, and the ginko tree on the front lawn is a flash of gold. A freeze is predicted for tonight, so the ginko will be bare tomorrow.

Wintering: Snowbound , 32 x 37”, wool, cotton

Wintering: Snowbound has been selected for CraftForms 2023 at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne PA. The exhibit is open from December 2 through January 20. This is the first time I have entered this show, and I was happy to have this little piece represented. I made three Wintering pieces early in 2023, all in wool, using wool tapestry yarn for the stitches. Here is the artist statement for the series:

I live in a place with cold dark winters. For me, it is a woolen season, a time to shelter in place and quietly stitch. The works in this series show the winter stars and falling snow, seen from the windows of a warm and protective home.

Let’s talk about books. Recently I have enjoyed these titles: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride; River Sing Me Home, by Eleanor Shearer; Swamp Story, by Dave Barry (all on audio) and My Name is Iris, by Brando Skyhorse; The Invisible Hour, by Alice Hoffman, The Break, by Katherena Vernette; and Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett (all as print books). Tom Lake gets a five star review. There was so much to love about this book!

Swept Away

Working my way through the beginnings of a new series about love and relationships. What draws us to another person? How do we move through the complexities of choosing a partner? These are some of the questions I am thinking about. I am using an unusual found wedding ring quilt top for the first three pieces. I got this on Ebay for less than $20, and originally the background was a light lavender color, so I cut it into three pieces and overdyed each using painted on pigment dyes. The results were unexpected. The rings themselves are very large—about 24” across, and they were overlapped and stitched by machine onto whole cloth, rather than traditionally pieced. Some of the symbols I have embroidered come from archaic alchemy symbols—a reference to the elusive “chemistry” of attraction.

I have been reading some interesting things, here is a sample: Straight Man, by Richard Russo; The Housekeepers, by Alex Hay; Foster, by Claire Keegan; Silver Nitrate, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia; Thin Air by Anne Cleeves; and Horse by Geraldine Brooks (five star review—this was a wonderful book).

Last of July

It is hard to believe tomorrow will be August. The last weeks of July have brought full bloom to the flower borders and some substantial rainfall. We had some hot temperatures, but nothing like the Southwest. We have a pleasant weather week ahead, so I plan to repair and paint the ceiling of my tiny studio and freshen the lovely yellow color on the walls—a good excuse to organize and maybe even let a few materials go.

I have started a new series of works that will explore ideas of love, relationships, and navigating the challenges of a shared life. The first group of quilts are about the first blush of attraction and the chemistry that leads us to another person. Early days, but here are a couple of details from work in progress (and overdyed quilt top with chonky cat). I am using a found wedding ring quilt top, cut and dyed in different colors, as a starting point.

Here are some reading suggestions for the end of summer: Exiles, by Jane Harper; Olga Dies Dreaming, by Xochitl Gonzalez; (both on audio) Queen of Dirt Island, by Donal Ryan; The Lost Wife, by Susanna Moore and Hestia Strikes a Match, by Christine Grillo (all in print).

I’m very excited to have Amulet Bundles for a Happy Childhood selected for From Fiber at the Springfield IL Art Association this fall.

Glimpses

New Legacies has opened at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, CO and two of my Ordinary Oracle pieces are on display until August 5. Glimpses was inspired by reading about the ancient oracle at Delphi. It is said that she went into a trance, then gazed into a dark bowl of water from the sacred stream to see the future and make her predictions. I was interested in the fact that virtually all the ancient oracles were women, and were considered to be the most powerful sources of wisdom at the time. One of our kids did a semester abroad in Athens, so we went to visit and took our hostel-arranged bus trip (with a bunch of fun twenty-somethings) to Delphi. You can still feel the power of place there.

Ordinary Oracle: Glimpses (detail), 52 x 28, cotton, linen, silk noil, wool, small objects

Summer Reading: Winter Counts, by David Heska Wanbli Weiden; The Midnight News, by Jo Baker; Singer Distance, by Ethan Chatagnier, and on audio, Dead Water, by Anne Cleeves.

Ordinary Oracle:Talismanic Cloth was selected for Fiber Art Now Excellence in Quilts. Apron Strings 2 is on exhibit in Indiana Now, at the Art Musuem of Greater Lafayette through August 6. Amulet Bundles for Cutting Strings will appear in SAQA Global Art Evolved: Intertwined, at the Yellowstone Art Museum, opening today, June 30. Online, Afterlives, a Surface Design Association online exhibit, includes Amulet Bundles for Teenage Drivers.

We have hazy air here in Northern Indiana due to the wild fires in Canada, but some much needed rain has put the garden into full bloom. You can check my Instagram page for garden photos.