seeing stars

Roots, tendrils, and tangles often appear in my imagery and I render them literally. In more recent work, I couched bits of cloth and thread in stabilized twists and tangles. In this particular piece, they follow and wander against the outline of eight pointed stars.

I keep coming back to these stars. They are familiar imagery in the language of quilts and nature. Individually, each radiates and reaches outward - a familiar pattern of growth and bloom. Arranged next to each other, their points find, touch, and connect.

In a traditional side by side block arrangement, the star points reach outward from center and predictably find another. This is comforting. Repetitive pattern is visually comforting.

Working on talking about what I make. Writing everything down on the why and pulling out what makes sense is proving helpful and enlightening. I like to think I am a visual artist because I don’t know what to say, otherwise maybe I’d want to be a writer. But the act of writing it all out in words, also expands into more visual ideas. I feel encouraged.

[ Detail photos of I Felt A Connection, on exhibition in the Artist as Quiltmaker XVIII | 18th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Quilts at Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA) Gallery in Oberlin, OH. May 12 - July 12, 2018. ]

State of Flux

Meet State of Flux, completed in April. Inspired (among other things) by discoveries of ambiguous creatures whose life cycles may metamorphose into something that could consume every leaf off of the tender plants I have so carefully planted and nurtured, or...be the awkward beginning of something beneficial and beautiful. Inherent or instinctive behaviors can be very hard to identify by outward appearances.

Making something 3-dimensional was challenging and inspiring. I look forward to working on something like this again and applying what I learned this time around.

State of Flux is currently at the Indianapolis Art Center as part of the Curio Cabinet Exhibition until August 5. I found the theme behind Curio Cabinet so inspiring -  "examining the role of art in inspiring curiosity, mystery, intrigue and wonder".

satin stitch five-pointed stars

Hello, I know it's been awhile! I am back to share a bit of what I am working on now - lots of five-pointed stars.

I thought I would quickly show how I am satin stitching my stars. To make your own stars you will need:

• fabric and some scrap fabric behind it to stabilize the embroidery (I used a blue bit of fabric and a scrap of flannel behind as the stabilizer)
• embroidery floss, needle, and scissors
• a scrap of cardstock or thin cardboard to make a star stencil
• a permanent fabric safe marker to draw the stars on the fabric (I used a Pitt Pen with S tip)

1. Draw a five-pointed star on a piece of scrap cardstock or thin cardboard.

2. Carefully cut out the star with an exacto knife.

3. My supplies (probably could have been Step 1). Oh well.

4. Trace the star onto the fabric.

5. Place a dot in the center and connect to the inside corners of the star to divide into five segments.

6. Use 2 strands of embroidery floss (knot in the end) and start from the back of the fabric, pushing the needle through on an inside corner. Take the needle front to back on the opposite inside corner. Repeat moving towards the center to cover the segment with satin stitch. I try to hist center of the drawn line with my stitching.

7. Repeat the satin stitch moving towards the center of the star.

8. Once you have stitched to the center of the star move to another inside corner and repeat the satin stitch towards the center on the next segment.

9. Repeat the satin stitch moving towards the center of the star.

10. Fill the inside portion of each segment with satin stitch so that the center of the star is completed. This stabilizes the center and overall shape of the star. If there's a lot of fabric showing through in the center of the star, a small X stitched over that area seems to tidy it up.

11. Now begin on any segment and repeat the satin stitch working outward towards the point of that segment.12. Then go to the next segment and work towards that point.

13. This just shows the stitch pattern I have been using on the points - the last stitch on the tip is a vertical on top of the smallest horizontal. This makes a nice little point.

14. A finished five-point star, like the ones on a United States flag, except these are stitched by hand and each one is a little different.

I started stitching stars because I decided to make a United States flag with some of my grandmothers' fabrics and clothing that my boys have outgrown. I started with piecing the blue field and stitching the white stars, the white stars on the blue slowly blooming in a familiar a pattern. Working on that led to an idea for another project and so now I am stitching gold stars for a different kind of flag. The gold stars are about 1.25" point to point. I am almost halfway to 50 stars on the gold ones. Almost.

There's something very satisfying about working out the same shape over and over, all different and all the same, the soothing texture of repetition. There's a familiar rhythm to the star pattern, no matter the color of the stars.

sensitive edge

This is a little whole cloth quilt - leaves hand stitched and stars machine stitched - with a bit of flannel for batting. I made one very similar and then this one to work on a few things I learned from the first one and so I will go towards the next ones with what I have learned from this.

I am really so excited about this edge. A sensitive edge maybe?

But for today - my biggest sweetest boy is eleven.  We will be busy preparing and partying these next few days.

More stitching next week.

number one

The week was wobbly. Very cold with school delays and one day off. No glimpse of any sort of getting back to a routine yet. Maybe next week.

Sketchbook time needs to be scheduled I guess. I hold it up as such a special activity and I sort of wait for the perfect time to do it and so I don't. Maybe make it the first thing instead of the last thing. There's my start to the "new for the year" list.

hibernation

My seasonal hibernation time is here. I am spending the moments between everything else stitching but I am all out of words for the how and why. My boys are running circles around me as we all try to move indoors for the winter season. Life is good and days are full.

I will be away from this blog for awhile - maybe until the new year begins. Please pardon my absence here as I settle into winter and holiday with my family. Thanks so much to all who take time to visit here. I am grateful.

If you would care to follow along one little photo at time you may find me over at Instagram every once in awhile. I have grown fond of the clean and quiet format over there and this change of season seems like a good time to try it out. fiberartandcraft (link in the sidebar)

sharpening points

So much better for me to work in rows towards these stars - and adds a few more possibilities.

winter stars

More of the star, but winter colors now. We have snow and cold. The white backdrop of the snow makes it easier to appreciate the lovely lines of the plant stems and seed heads that have held on on through the weather. There's a lot of inspiration out there.

and I think I have worked a few things out for the construction of these stars, but only in my head so far. I learn a bit more with each one. I am now cutting things out to make a few more with the new plan. Some pieces of pale indigo I dyed during Glennis Dolce's online class a few years back are giving some variation against the whites. I think the pieced stars nicely echo the frost patterns, snowflakes and crispness of winter. Natural organization.

We have been busy celebrating 8 years old with our youngest and it's official today. Above - waiting "patiently" at 5:30 this morning to open his gifts. He's a funny one.

starry light

Sorry for the delay, all is very well - and this is where I spent my extra hour this morning.