Another Happy Dance!

That doesn't even seem possible, that I am doing two crazy happy dances over the course of two days!   Yet, that is the reality.  

I opened up my email to find this lovely paragraph addressed to me:

I am pleased to inform you of the acceptance of your entries A Walk Through Time and My First Modern Quilt for exhibition in the 2013 National Juried Show (NJS) to be displayed at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre  from May 16– May 18, 2013.

Both my quilts got accepted into Canada's juried show!  I was so flippin' excited.  Especially because I had just hosted a full turkey dinner for ten people and was a little tuckered out to say the least.
Then after finishing cleaning to pop open my email and find that lovely letter, gave me my pep right back!

I have another art quilt on the design wall right now and am trying to figure out if I want to use the 3D flowers you see pinned on it.

I do love them on it!

I have also been playing with some fun little gems trying to figure out how to turn them into an embellishment... any ideas?

Mental Block and A New Start

I am working on three art quilts right now.  I would love to just work on one at a time, but am having a little trouble with the design process.   One is ready to be quilted, but I don't know how to quilt it yet, so am still thinking on that.   The next one is making me look at what step comes next, and I am not 100% sure how to proceed.

I thought it best to move onto another art quilt if I am having all these stumbling blocks with the other two!   I have a design drawn up and steps to make this one come to fruition.

Here is my colour palette.   I have used my hand dyed fabric with a commercial print from Robert Kaufman.

I am starting the blocks for it and have two completed.

What do you think?

A Walk Through Earth

Here is my latest art quilt.  It did not get accepted into Quilt National, but I am really not upset at all, they took 85 quilts out of 851.

This quilt is titled 'A Walk Through Earth' and is all my hand dyed fabric and of course my 3D embellishments.   Remember a while back I told you I was hammering and poking holes through my latest 3D embellishment?   None of you guessed what it was.  Bottle caps!

Each bottle cap was flattened with a hammer and then 2 holes were put into each one so a button could be sewn on top.   The buttons spiral from the centre out in a rainbow of colours.

The quilt is all free motion quilted using many different patterns and colours.   Yarn was couched down to symbolize all the different paths we can take.

Another 3D art quilt

Let's face  it, I am completely obsessively hooked on 3D quilting.  In any way, shape or form.  I just love it.   This one is similar to the one I teach, but I created a different template for the petals and tried a  varied shape for them.   Instead of curving up to the end, I did that for the middle, but then turned them under at the point.

I also combined a few different techniques in one piece of art.  The centre of my flower is my scrap 'n' slash flower with 4 layers of colour.   There are two pink twirlies heading out of the centre that give it that little extra pop.  You know you can never have enough dimension!

For me quilting is all about exploring the unknown, making your quilt that little bit unique or different than anyone else's.   In my case I do it with 3D embellishing, sometimes in a big way, sometimes in a small way.  Okay, most always in a gigantic way=)

What is quilting to you?

2 WIP's

I am working on 2 new art quilts.   That makes me sound really ambitious and organized doesn't it?  Truth is I have a mental block on this one.

See that bright pink outer border?  Do I leave it blank and fill it with quilting or do I put something in it?   I have pinned some leaves up to try and help me decide.

In the meantime I decided this would be a good opportunity to sew up the background for another art quilt.

If that looks like a map to you, then you are right.   I have printed a map onto fabric and have a very wild 3D embellishment to put on.   I usually quilt my art quilts first before adding the embellishments as they are often too bulky to try and quilt around.   I enjoy that process, as when the embellishments are added, the quilt is already bound and quilted!   Makes me feel like I have skipped a step.   

Opinions?

New 3D Art Quilt with Tutorial

Remember I teased you with this picture:

I can now show you the whole quilt.   There is a funny story about this one.  Pellon needed something using their product 'Fabric Magic' by the end of a week, for a promotion with a huge company.

I was emailed, but was leaving in middle of said week.  Not wanting to let Pellon down, and knowing the product made fabric go 3D, I decided to try. At 5 pm I walked into my studio with no idea whatsoever in my head, and having never used the product, I got started. At 10 pm I skipped joyfully out with this.

Now to clarify this NEVER happens to me, that an idea hits, no kinks happen, well, other than restarting the project halfway through.   That was when the really big brainwave hit, and then I got petrified I didn't have enough of the Fabric Magic left.  The fabric used is 'Apple of My Eye' by The Quilted Fish.

The tutorial is here.   The great news, Pellon loved it and is going to use it for promotion...more on those details later=))

What do you think?

P.S. My friend Nina Marie is doing a link up Friday, drop by and check it out.

The Needle and Thread Network

I am over doing a guest post at The Needle and Thread Network.  This blog was designed to bring Canadian quilters together, and today they are featuring me.  I am showing some new 3D art quilts over there.

If you are joining me from TN&TN then welcome.   Take a look around and if you like what you see, please hit the 'follow' button.

Remember I told you I was making a quilt out of something made from wood.   None of you guessed the right answer.  A few said toothpicks, I did that this past spring:

Here is the one I was working on....

Can you tell what I used?   It is wooden clothespins!  They have been covered with mini ric rac and ribbon and buttons.   Each corner has a polka dot button.   

 One nice thing about clothespins is that they have holes provided for you to stitch through.

I am also doing a little giveaway in celebration of Canadian quilters.   You don't have to be from Canada to enter though!   I adore all of you=)  I picked up these beauties at Quilt Market and they are from Art Gallery Fabrics.   I really like this company, the fabric has a very soft supple feel to it.   The winner will win a fat quarter of each fabric shown below.  This is all from the same collection.

All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment telling me where you are from.  If you don't want to do that, tell me your very favourite junk food.   Mine is stale red licorice.   And it has to be stale so it is nice 'n' chewy.  I will pick a winner on August 3, 2012.   Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

3D Lace Quilt

Here is my completed 3D lace quilt.   The background was a pieced black and white top and I found it too strong, so I covered it with lace.

I then created 3D flowers, embellished with buttons.  Behind the flowers is more lace with a ribbon border.  

Ricrac plays a fun addition to provide stems, leaves, grass and the sun.

New Art Quilts

This is my newest art quilt, it is called 'Bird on a Wire'.  I am sure I am borrowing the phrase from somewhere, but it did seem appropriate.   The nest is 3D with one tiny blue egg in it.   The edge of the nest has some fun blue yarn couched around it.  I outlined the birds with black marker to make them stand out a bit more.  The background is one I had pieced together a few years ago, and never really got around to using.   If you look at the binding, I combined two fabrics to make it.

This next one is my interpretation of a coneflower.

I love doing whimsical plants with curly leaves.   The birds are actually from a fabric so all I had to do was cut and paste.  The purple petals are my 3D ones and the orange/yellow centre of the flower is stuffed.   The centre of the quilt is my hand dyed fabric that had some pink dye accidentally get into the mix, so you see mottled light pink throughout.   

I got into Paducah!

If you live in Canada, it would be in your best interest to close your windows for the next 48 hours.   If not, you will probably hear my loud shouts of joy that my quilt got into AQS Paducah!

I received an email tonight telling me  that the semi-finalists were posted on their website.   I went and started at the top with the 'A's'.   Fyi, my last name is White.   I scrolled slowly down recognizing names such as Fallert, Caryl Bryer  and Hansen, Gloria.   By the 'R's' I couldn't take it anymore and had to zoom right to the 'W's'.   Do you know what I saw?

White, Jackie

Yeppers, my name!   My little ol' name on the list for acceptances into Paducah with all those hot shot quilters!

The quilt is 'Let the Vines Shine Thru'.   It uses my original 3D technique, stamping,Shiva paintstiks, my hand dyed fabrics and a ton of free motion quilting, none of it stippling.  

This quilt was inspired by the border fabric.   A fellow church member had found this vintage polyester fabric in her attic.  Yes, I did say polyester.  And yes, it was not near as nice as cotton to work with.    

Let the festivities begin=)

A New Art Quilt, Some Great News and Two Winners

The two winners from my giveaway last week are:

 Anita said...

So lovely! I think that mini is just beautiful!

I'm a follower...thank you!

KatieQ said...

I'm a new follower. I am delighted to have found your blog. I love the tutorial, especially the loopy grosgrain leaves.

I have already contacted them and will send them my hand dyed fabric.

Now, here is what I finished up yesterday.

It is another of my 3D quilts.   The butterfly is also very much three dimensional and it along with the centre of the flower has a beautiful red crochet lace couched around the edge of them.

The centre of the flower is a fabric covered button using my new Itop tool.   Very cool I might add!

Lastly, my very good news is that effective June 30, 2012 I will be joining the Board of Directors for Canada's Quilting Association.  I am very excited to be part of such a fabulous team that does so many proactive things for quilters in Canada.   I can't wait to meet all the wonderful quilters across our great country!