Contemporary QuiltArt Association: 20th Anniversary
Ode to Water Like sand and snow you are a language some learn in order to survive. You bring rain, salmon, clams and cholera. Consort of the moon, you retreat from tide pools, stranded dreams, our first experience of reality. It is August and the black cottonwood drops leaves just beyond where you fold yourself against the hard fact of ground. They float like flowers at a Hindu funeral, a response to your need for never-ending sacrifice. You wash away lies, yet, as a veil, a shroud or stretch of skin, conceal so much. You shudder in the breeze like the back of an animal, where a fly has landed, thoughts on this blue planet where everything returns to that ball of mud
Vi sual Verse
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molded from dust and water. Diane Westergaard
photograph by Mark Frey
The Surface of Water Cotton fabric, hand-dyed, screen-printed, and monoprinted by the artist, machine pieced and quilted 70�w x 31�h
I wanted to work with surface design techniques to evoke the surface of water without being too literal. The poet I collaborated with, Diane Westergaard, and I had agreed to this topic, thinking it would be challenging for both of us.
9 Vi sual Verse
Lorraine Edmond
Garden of I close my eyes and see that purple-leafed tree. It wasn’t hard to find the doorway in. Enchanted gardens: these days, a dime a dozen. Trees of knowledge: the preferred landscaping at theme parks. I pay a flat fee to the gods of technology and I am pixilated with 21st century dust. Technology makes me Eve. And they put me here, dancing around the tree, draping the serpent around me like Britney goddamn Spears. What did He want to be when He grew up? It never turns out like you’d expect, I guess. I dance and dance. Monique van den Berg
Vi sual Verse
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photograph by Mark Frey
I Dance and Dance Cotton fabric, wood twigs. Thread “drawing” on machine, one small quilt in center applied to larger quilt. Machine quilted. 24”w x 36”h
Rich color and the tactile, touch-inviting qualities of fabric are two of the main attractions of quilts for me. I am more and more drawn to making quilts that combine materials from other worlds, and the four pieces included in Visual Verse are the first steps I took into mixed media work. The juxtaposition of the twigs and the fabric spoke to me, with the hardness and linearity of wood contrasting with the rectangular planes and colors and touchability of the fabric.
35 Vi sual Verse
Karin Carter
photograph by Mark Frey
64 Quilt. Fiber. Art.
Jo Van Patten Double Crossed This piece uses mainly commercial cottons which were cut, fused, recut, re-fused several times. Some sections were block printed, some had additional decorative stitching. The quilting threads were pulled through to the front at random intervals for an added design element. 26”w x 48”h
Find the gold “X” s. They appear and disappear depending on the lighting and the viewer’s perspective.
photograph by Mark Frey
I recalled this old adage as I was gazing out the window at the sailboats in a marina while working on this quilt.
Pat Hedwall Sailor’s Delight The fabrics are hand-dyed cottons and it is machine pieced and quilted. It is backed with a very colorful fabric. 48”w x 64”h
Quilt. Fiber. Art.
“Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.”
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photograph by David Volkert
74 Quilt. Fiber. Art.
Cory Volkert Caliente Hand-dyed cotton fabric, dyed by the artist, machine pieced and free-motion quilted. 45�w x 45�h
Radiant Heat: the glow from within.
photograph by Patty Hieb
Patty Hieb Stinko Plant Whole-cloth cotton fabric, cotton batting, fabric paint, paint markers, hand painted, hand quilted with embroidery thread. 30�w x 38�h
Quilt. Fiber. Art.
The Titan Arum is indigenous to Sumatra and grows 12 feet high. It may bloom once every 10 to14 years and only lasts 24 hours before completely collapsing. This botanical giant can weigh 100 pounds and is also known as the corpse plant because it smells like rotting flesh when in bloom. Can you imagine coming upon a forest of these magnificent blossoms in their native habitat? A world of stinky wonders!
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photograph by Mark Frey
80 Quilt. Fiber. Art.
Janet Steadman 2701 Candles Machine pieced from hand-dyed cottons. Machine quilting is used on the piece. 37�w x 36�h
I have lived in eight decades and have celebrated birthdays in seven decades. I made eight blocks for this quilt to represent the decades and then realized that if I had celebrated with a cake and candles every year I would have blown out 2701 candles.
photograph by David Volkert
81 Lynn Woll Crossroads I Cotton sateens hand dyed by the artist. Machine pieced and quilted. 55”w x 47”h
Quilt. Fiber. Art.
The movement of this piece reflects the crossroads experienced as we travel through our lives-sometimes gently moving along, and sometimes encountering a “y” in the road with new choices and experiences.
photograph by Mark Frey
88 Barbara O’Steen
Uncommon Thread
Plum Blossoms Cotton fabric, machine strip piecing, machine quilting in flower shapes with rayon thread, archival ink pen for drawing the ants. 24”w x 45”h
A single branch heavy with blossoms hangs across a background shimmering with leaves and grass.
photograph by Mark Frey
89 Deborah Gregory, Juror Reveal VI The outside is wool, and the inside is made of strips of pole-wrapped fabric dyed by the artist. It is heavily sewn with Sulky color-blocked thread. 5”w x 6”h x 4”d
Uncommon Thread
A walk on a beach at low tide reveals the beauty of the creatures in the sand.
photograph by Kevin McGowan photograph by
94 Marie Jensen
Uncommon Thread
Rise and Shine The face is entirely made of cotton duck that was painted with fabric paint and then pieced and appliqued by machine and machine quilted. 43�w x 17�h
A constantly crowing rooster that belonged to a thoughtless neighbor announced morning over and over again!
photograph by Frank Ross
95 Jo Van Patten Triumvirate Paint, Timtex and a sewing machine. Approximately 8� high
Uncommon Thread
These pieces are just for fun!!!
photograph by Mark Frey
106 Katy Gollahon
Uncommon Thread
Fringed Vase Made from purchased, hand-painted and commercial cottons, Timtex and beads. 12”w x 20”h x 12”d
This vase evolved after making dozens of fabric bowls. The shape is wing-like; the hand painted fabric suggested the embellishments.
photograph by Mark Frey
107 Cameron Anne Mason Fuschia Hand-dyed cottons and machine stitching. Fuschia is made much like a traditional quilt, with a backing, batting, and pieced top. The difference is that it is shaped as it is sewn with the structural strength coming from the machine stitching without additional structure. 13”w x 12.5”h x 6”d
Uncommon Thread
Blurring the boundary between quilt and basket, this piece draws the eye to the center much like a bee is drawn to the nectar at the center of a flower.
photograph by Frank Ross
122 Coming of Age
Marianne Burr Lovely Lily Whole-cloth, hand-painted silk; hand stitched, machine quilted. 25”w x 26”h
My “Silk Flower” series keeps me garden-focused in the winter. Getting into it with paint and stitch can be even better than digging in the dirt.
photograph by Mark Frey
123 Carla Stehr Moonglow Anemone Raw-edge and fused appliqué, commercial and hand-dyed cotton fabric, hand and free-motion machine quilting, couched yarns. Tentacles are painted silk organza and fused cotton. The base of the anemone is upholstery fabric covered with painted silk organza. 31”w x 26”h
Coming of Age
The small and delicate Moonglow anemone with translucent, white-banded tentacles was an unexpected treasure sheltered in a pocket of sand between tidal-worn cobblestones.
photograph by Debi Harney
136 Coming of Age
Debi Harney Patina Rust, paint, hand-dyed and discharged fabric, machine quilting and hand beading. 12”w x 14”h
“Patina” is one in a series of experiments involving metal and fabric. Metal is changed by exposure to the elements and develops a unique patina. Cotton fabrics were exposed to rust, bleach, dyes, and paint to find what sort of patina they would develop.
photograph by Mark Frey
Gayle Bryan Supplications/Expectations Painting, hand applique, and hand quilting. 25”w x 32”h
Coming of Age
For thousands of years people have gone on pilgrimages, and for each of those pilgrims the experience has meant something different. “Supplications/Expectations” marks the motivations for those first steps.
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photograph by Craig Rowley
156 Coming of Age
Sharon Rowley Shimmy Commercial and hand-dyed cottons and silks. Fused and machine quilted with metallic thread. 27�w x 20�h
The strong vertical movement of alternating waves suggests the shimmy of belly dancers.
photograph by Mark Frey
Janet Kurjan Plum Tango II Hand-dyed fabric, machine pieced and quilted. 26”w x 36”h
Coming of Age
I made this piece during the farmers’ market season, when plums of all colors were tempting me.
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