Gel Printing Class

I took a gelatin printmaking class with Linda Germain a couple days ago and yesterday I spent a 12 hour day up in my studio churning out some new prints.  I did learned quite a bit in her class and I think it shows.  I think these are the best of the batch:

Still A WIP but now a QAYG





I'm still working on the same quilt that's been in process for some time now.  I've definitely done more work on this one than any previous quilt so far.  I think it's going to be worth it in the end, but I am growing weary of working on the same thing. It might be time to put it aside for a few days though, but I'm not likely to take long before I'm at it again to finish it up.  This is also my first attempt at a Quilt As You Go (QAYG), although I assembled the blocks into rows before quilting and have just begun to put the rows together in the QAYG method.  After much consideration, I chose to follow Rose Smith's method, at Ludlow Quilt And Sew, QAYG .  For me her tutorial was the easiest to understand and the most straightforward approach.  Still, I'm taking quite a few deep breaths as I go along hoping not to make any critical errors.

 

You can see here that the batting is cut so as to just butt up to each other just aside of a seam and I've then sewn the strip in three places, right in the center  as I quilted in the ditch, then about a quarter inch on either side of that taking care to get both sides of batting into the stitching.

Each of the blocks are free motion stitched in different patterns, some are my own but most are from Leah Day's FMQ Project. These are all shown from the back to better show the FMQing.





 

Now I'm going to go upstairs and put together some supplies for tomorrow's class with Gel Print  artists, Linda Germain .  I think I'll make some new collograph plates and some texture boards to take with me.



Photos from Massachusetts

This little Mama is hatching her babes in my son's backyard in Malden, MA.  My grandkids were excited to point her out to me when I arrived to babysit last week.

 

A lone seagrass plant thrives in a rock crevice in Marblehead, MA.

This seagull was quite cooperative posing for the camera as he walked Nahant Beach in MA. 

Beach Day

I did get a beach day in last week and took lots of photos for my growing library.  Already I can't wait to go again.  First we went to Nahant, then drove up to Marblehead.  There wasn't a lot of time but I took a lot of pics.  Here are a few:

Nahant, Seaweed 1

Nahant, Seaweed 2

Marblehead, From The Cliff

Marblehead, Waves Crashing On Rocks

A Series Evolved: Let Them Be Left

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I 'm pleased with the work I've been doing.  I'm finally at a point in my fiber art where I'm ready to take myself seriously, not too seriously, mind you, but enough to buckle down, join Studio Arts Quilt Associates and submit my very first quilts for a curated exhibit.  Although this isn't quite a juried exhibit, which I have never yet submitted anything to, this is a big accomplishment for me.  My quilts may or may not be selected but at least I brought three of them to a point of completion, on time, and what I believe to be worthy of consideration

I took full advantage of a critique group, which I found to be extremely helpful.  I tore apart one of my quilts, the original "Let Them Be Left," and made a couple of quilts from the one (one of which I didn't like at all and is not shown here or included in this series.) Then I went on to make 2 more in a series focusing on my own personal voice and responding to critiques from some other fresh and knowledgeable eyes, besides my own.



Let Them Be Left, machine pieced, quilted and appliqued. Included are digital images as well as
 hand carved and printed images.
 

Detail, Let Them Be Left, also shows some tiny fish at the top that are hand painted and transferred onto this piece.
The digital photo, actually taken by Andy Sexton in Woods Hole Harbor sewn onto a piece of eco dyed and
rusted muslin.
 



"In The Weeds" also uses some rusted fabric along with commercial fabrics and some recycled silks.  It's also machine pieced, although there are only 3 pieces, and machine quilted and appliqued with free motion thread painted details.
 

Detail of "In The Weeds."



"Sea Anemone Dream," third in this series uses all commercial fabrics and is also machine quilted and appliqued, but it is  primarily a whole cloth quilt, except for the narrow borders. It also includes quite a bit of free motion thread painting and some lightly hand painted areas.

Detail, "Sea Anemone Dreams."