Hanging the “Sensuality Stitched” exhibition at DSBG

By Susan Brubaker Knapp



Today was an exciting day! We hung Fiber Art Options’ show, “Orchids: Sensuality Stitched,” at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden (DSBG). The photo above shows us almost done with hanging and arranging the pieces.

Here’s how we started (see photo below). We put all the pieces on the floor, and moved them around until we liked the pairings. All the pieces needed to be hung on this one hall, which is directly off the main entrance area. Some of the Daniel Stowe folks came by to admire and offer their opinions on what should hang where:



Here are some of the signs I designed that will hang with the exhibition. They will introduce the idea behind the exhibition, tell about the group, and explain the techniques we used.



P.J. Howard was our primary ladder climber (and doesn’t that light right over her head look like a little halo? She really is very angelic, but with a wicked sense of humor!). That’s Grace’s piece behind her, which references the bassist for the band KISS (Gene Simmons’) tongue.


Here’s Nancy Cook filling out a commission form (below). All of the pieces in the exhibition are for sale (the range is between $100 and $2,500) and the forms are an agreement between DSBG and the artists.



After all of the pieces were up, we stood back and decided if anything needed to go higher or lower, or be moved to a different spot. We tried to mix up the pieces (so that they were not grouped by artist) and to ensure that their placement complimented each other. Here is (from left:) Deborah Langsam, Grace Howes, and Nancy checking out the placement.



And here is the hall, almost done:



After that, we moved out into the main area to arrange the seven smaller pieces. Each one of us had done one 12 x 18" piece based on the same orchid species, a white Phalaenopsis with pink stripes. It was amazing how different each of these pieces were. Again, all were placed on a sheet on the floor and moved around until we found a pleasing arrangement.



Then came the measurements and the math, trying to place everything up on “the cube,” a moveable display. That’s Cynthia Klemmer, DSBG’s Director of Education, on the left, in purple. She stayed with us until we had the whole show up, and has been incredibly helpful and great to work with every step of the way as we got ready for the show.



There are even live orchids in the hall with our work!



For more information on our pieces, our processes, and our hanging systems, please see previous posts. Nancy has more great info and photos on her blog here: http://nancygcook.blogspot.com

And come see us at DSBG this weekend, Feb. 6 and 7, from noon to 4 p.m. each day. We’ll be doing walk-throughs of the exhibition and demonstrations. We’d love to see you!

Want to go?
Feb. 6 through March 14, 2010
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
Belmont, NC
704.825.4490
www.dsbg.org

Happy Jig and Hanging System Variation

by Nancy G Cook

Happy Jig, Happy Jig, all four orchid quilts are finished down to being signed, labeled and hanging systems completed. Sneak previews are available on my blog at http://nancygcook.blogspot.com.



Here is how the finished backs of my 4 orchid pieces look. My DH gave me some time, creativity, and skills to devise the hanging systems this morning.

Hint: You may want to stop reading here, if you do not want the full details of the hanging system.

The quilts hang from a non stretching cord that goes through a supporting form core which goes into a full sleeve. The full sleeve covers the back. The sleeve is sewed down to the top facing and the sides. The top of each sleeve side is left open for the first 4 inches and has a 1/4 inch tuck for ease. The bottom of the sleeve is hemmed and left open in order to insert the foam core.


Cord Cut at Angle and Glued to Stiffen

Cord is stiffened with glue to ease threading it through small openings in the foam core.


Wood Reinforcement for Foam Core

To keep the foam core from tearing, my DH cut, drilled and glued thin wooden reinforcers to each side of the drilled holes in the foam core. My DH is a wonder. He created this nice piece of engineering.


Close up of Wood Reinforcement and Cord

This photo shows the sleeve being pulled back to reveal the cord and reinforcement. We found that the quilt hangs better if the cord enters from the front to the back of the foam core The cord was threaded into the front of the foam core and then wrapped around the side of the foam core to the front to cross to the other side of the quilt. That leaves the knots next to the sleeve not the quilt as is seen in the photo.


Safety Pins Reduce Slack in Cord

When the widest quilt was hung we found that the cord showed above the quilt, so I used a hint from PJ to take up some slack with safety pins. The pins could be moved around until we removed sufficient slack.
Great idea PJ!!


Foam Core Details and Quilt Label

This photo shows the bottom of the quilt back showing the full sleeve, the quilt label and the information on the foam core.

Each foam core has the quilt title, my name, sizes and my telephone number. Each quilt has a label with even more contact information and a photograph of the inspiration.

Hope this explanation is not too confusing.

The Back of a Piece

I thought I'd show the back of an orchid piece, with the hanging mechanics that seem to be working for me. Here's the top of the back with a few notations. The hanging "sleeve" is essentially an upside-down pocket handsewn onto the back facing. A piece of foam core (cut to size and edges taped) is slid up into the sleeve. The hanging wire passes through 2 holes in the lower corners of the foam core, about 2" up & 2" over from the corners. I used coffee stirrers to reinforce the holes. The wire runs through these and is twisted together and taped down on the backside of the foam core. Small gold safety pins hold the wire to the sleeve so the piece doesn't flop forward when it's hung.

On the bottom of the back, there are 2 triangular "pockets" into which a narrower piece of foam core (again with taped edges) is slipped. This overall piece is a little under 24"x36", which means a 20"x30" piece of foam core isn't quite wide enough to be used as is. By cutting the top piece of foam core to about 23"x17", there was enough leftover to cut the "weight" for the bottom. -- PJ--

4th Quilt Finally Finished

Orchid Rhythms: Stems and Leaves

Wow, it has taken a while but I have finally finished the fourth quilt for our upcoming exhibition Orchids: Sensuality Stitched.

The photo above is a detail preview of one of them. For other previews, see my blog at: http://nancygcook.blogspot.com/


Fiber Art Options met last week and we got to see several of the pieces that were ready for the show. I am really delighted to be in this great group. Lots of variety, lots of different styles and the quality is high throughout. A real honor to be among such great artists.

We deliver the work this coming Thursday. Hope the roads have cleared of ice and snow by then. Opening of the show this coming Saturday and Sunday will feature many of us doing talks, walk throughs and demonstrations from 12 to 4 both days.

Nancy

Orchid Progress

by K. Grace Howes

I am so pleased to see the finish line for my orchid pieces. Two of the 4 pieces are completely done and the last 2 I hope to have completely quilted in a day or two.

Recently, though, on the Quiltart list there was a discussion about whether a work of art needs to say something.

I thought about that question as I was working on my orchid pieces and realized that for me it's a toss up. Sometimes I feel the need to say something with my work but most times I find I create artwork intrinsically from my soul.

One of my pieces "Woman as Orchid" began life simply showcasing bursts of colour but took on more meaning as I worked on it. In the end it became a statement on how we as women - vibrant, sensual, simple yet complex individuals - try to hide a vital part of who we are.

Our sensuality is sometimes suppressed by societal pressures and, for others, cannot easily be expressed. Orchids, like women, are vibrant and sensual but are so not afraid to show it. Their survival depends on it.

The closer our exhibition gets the more excited I get and just can't wait to see all our pieces hanging together. It should be a wonderful show! If you are in the area, please make plans to come and see it.

--Grace

More Orchid Progress: Quilt #2

A post from Debbie Langsam




I'm on the homestretch of quilt #2 for the Sensuality Stitched show at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. Yay!




Tentatively titled "Orchid Squared: A Black and White Symphony," it's a companion piece to the first quilt "Orchids Squared: Purple Passion". I'm hoping they'll make an interesting contrast to one another.









The "tiles" of the photomosaic, like those in "Purple Passion," are photos of orchids and orchid related images.




The photos are all identified on the back of the quilt, with credit given to the wonderful, generous photographers who are allowing their photos to be used in exchange for an acknowledgement.

And while I'm thanking folks, I send my thanks to Grace Howes. I used her tutorial on "Facing Finishes" for these last two quilts. It's so much better than any other technique I've tried for quilts needing a nice, clean edge without a traditional binding. The finish, using Grace's technique is pretty much perfect...smooth, clean, polished.

Two more quilts to go - so it's back to the sewing machine...

Cheers to all,

Debbie

“Orchids: Sensuality Stitched” exhibition opens Feb. 6

“Orchids: Sensuality Stitched“ is an exhibition of artwork by Fiber Art Options, a group of seven artists from the Charlotte area who work in fabric, paper and thread. The exhibition captures the exotic, colorful essence of the most diverse plant family on earth. Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is hosting the exhibition’s first showing as part of its Orchid Spectacular.

We will walk visitors through the exhibition, demonstrate our techniques and talk about our work on Feb. 6 and 7 from noon to 4 p.m.

Want to go?
Feb. 6 through March 14, 2010
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
Belmont, NC
704.825.4490
www.dsbg.org

Thread sketching article in Quilting Arts

by Susan Brubaker Knapp


"A New Box" by Susan Brubaker Knapp

My first column on thread sketching is in the February/March 2010 issue of Quilting Arts magazine, which is hitting mailboxes now. Throughout 2010, I’ll be writing about using thread to add color, dimension, texture, line, pattern and movement to the surface of an art quilt. The first installment focuses on adding color with thread.

Thread sketching is something I discuss in my Quilting Arts Workshop DVD, “Master Machine Quilting: Free-motion Stitching and Thread Sketching,” but in the column, I’ll go provide lots more tips, go into more detail, and teach how to get great results through exercises and practice.

FAO in the "News"

Congrats to Susan for being featured in the preview for Quilting Arts next video series.

See http://www.interweavestore.com/quilting/video/quilting-arts-tv-series-500.html#preview

From Linda: THE CONTINUING JOURNEY OF MY "SAFE HARBOR" QUILT Last year I made a quilt named "Safe Harbor" and donated it to Bello Machre, a private non-profit residential home for mentally and physically handicapped children and adults in Baltimore, MD. The quilt was raffled and all funds went to Bello Machre. I support this organization for my nephew, Neil, has been a resident of Bello since he was sixteen years old and my sister could no longer physically handle caring for him alone. The quilt is based on a photo I took of the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and is called "Safe Harbor" for Bello has truly been a safe harbor for my sister and nephew. The hot air balloon I added is very symbolic for I put my nephew's name on the basket to represent how his development has soared since moving to Bello. One of my sister's close friends won the quilt last November. On Christmas Morning this year she arrived at my sisters home with the quilt and case gift wrapped and gave it to her to keep as a heirloom for her family! Needless to say there were numerous teary, emotional phone calls Christmas Morning. Happy New Year! -Linda-

Bonnie McCaffery’s new VidCast features Janet and Susan

by Susan Brubaker Knapp



For the past few years, award-winning quilter Bonnie McCaffery (well known for her Painted Faces and DigiBobbE techniques) has been interviewing quilters and producing videos, which she posts on her website. In May, she interviewed me and Janet at Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh.

Bonnie’s just posted the VidCast, and you can now see it on her website!

For a complete list of Bonnie’s VidCasts, click here. You’ll find interviews with some amazing quilters, including Charlotte Warr Andersen, Maggie Weiss, Paula Nadelstern, Robbie Joy Eklow, Terry White, Larkin Van Horn, Isabelle Baydova, Maggie Grey, Denise Tallon Harlan, Ellen Lindner, Sue Nickels, Linda Schmidt, Ferret, Jenny Bowker, Melinda Schwakofer, Ricky Tims, Esterita Austin, Alex Anderson, and Caryl Bryer Fallert.

Bonnie is a fantastic teacher, a very talented quilter, and a really great person. It was an honor to be interviewed by her. Thanks, Bonnie!

Orchid Progress!

a post from Debbie Langsam

I'm finally seeing real progress on two of my orchid pieces....

They're photomosaics...one is black and white, the other is color. And both are inspired by this lovely image posted by "geishaboy500/THOR" on Creative Commons.



It's a terrific close-up showing the center of a typical orchid flower. The "landing platform" is an inviting perch for pollinating insects passing by. A pretty clever evolutionary adaptation.



A little Photoshop magic helped me saturate the colors and emphasize the edges so that they'd be apparent in the finished mosaic.



This is now the "target image," the image that viewers will see when they look at the piece from a distance.


I've now subdivided the target image into 12 8"x9" rectangular sections and made each of those sections into a "mini-mosaic." The tiles for the mosaic come from a collection of about 100 photos that I've collected of orchids and orchid-related images."


The "mini-mosaic" on the right is the upper left hand corner of the piece....



And on the left, is a close-up of 4 of the "tiles.Starting on the upper left and moving clockwise:


Antoine Hinain's cross section of an orchid root as seen under the microscope.Steve Conry's orchid closeup; a greenhouse in Curitiba, Brazil by Marcus Guimaraes; and a Jewel orchid by JonBoy Mitchell.




So now I'm at the point of putting the pieces together, row-by-row. Here's a row composed of 3 "mini-mosaics" pieced side by side. This is actually the second of the 4 rows that will eventually make up the piece.








Eventually, if all goes well, the finished piece will look something like the image at the right.


I'll keep you updated....

A happy and a healthy 2010 to all....


Debbie

Pink Petal Party featured in Machine Quilting Unlimited

by Susan Brubaker Knapp



My friend Sarah Ann Smith has been writing a series on the elements and principles of design for machine quilters for Machine Quilting Unlimited magazine. The most recent installment is “Depth and Dimension through Contours, Rhythm and Repetition” in the January 2010 issue. When Sarah was writing this column, she was looking for examples from both traditional quilts and art quilts, and asked if she could include my quilt, Pink Petal Party. How nice!



Sarah notes that the dense quilting in the background helps to concentrate attention on the focal point, the vase of pansies. She also points out the realistic stitching on the pansies, and the stitching on the vase, where vertical lines cover the whole vase and horizontal lines come in from the left and right sides, making the center appear to come forward.

The article features photos of beautiful work by Sarah and Suzanne Sanger to illustrate her wonderfully informative column.

Machine Quilting Unlimited has a great mix of articles for long-arm machine quilters as well as for those of us who use regular home sewing machines. And there’s a nice balance of traditional quilting and art quilting. In the January issue, there’s a great profile of Laura Wasilowski, whose work is featured on the front cover.

Working on another orchid

by Susan Brubaker Knapp



Here’s how my latest orchid piece is coming along. It is another painted piece, and I struggled with the water droplets, but I’m pretty happy with them now.



Here is the photo I am working from:


Quilting starts soon.

Purple Phalaenopsis in progress

by Susan Brubaker Knapp



Today, I finished painting my next orchid piece for the Fiber Art Options exhibition. It is a purple phalaenopsis orchid painted with acrylic paints on Pimatex PFD (prepared for dyeing) cotton, which has a very tight weave and accepts paint well.

This piece will be about 24 x36" when it is finished. I am very pleased with how the painting turned out, and I can’t wait to start stitching on it!

I started with this photo that I took a year or so ago:


The photo I printed out, from which I worked as I painted, had a good deal more pink and red tones in it, which showed up in my painted version. I think I’m going to use a lot of bright purple thread to unify it a bit. The painted surface has so much detail that I’m not going to do my normal thread sketching on this piece. I’m just going to machine quilt it pretty heavily.

I’m so excited that I fear I will have to force myself to go to bed tonight, and not stay up until the wee hours working on it.

Embellished Travel Journal

Like Susan (see below) I am also in the middle of teaching a workshop at Joggles.

This 3 session workshop is an action packed mixed media project and is based on my Alaska Travel Journal - see Quilting Arts 10/11 2007.

This class includes machine hand and machine sewing, collage, book binding & beaded edging - here are some action shots taken from the class. It can give you an idea of what an online workshop is like.


One of the new journals featured in this workshop is based on a "Good-bye Dinner" for some friends who were leaving the country. Instead of tickets, maps and travel photos, this journal is full of recipes from the dinner, photos of our friends, and a good-bye sign-in page with well wished and signatures.

It would also be fun to make a journal for a first baby

birthday, or other "historic" event.

It is great fun to take a workshop online. You can work on your own schedule and interact with the teacher and other students using online postings.

Artists' Forum at the Mint Museum tomorrow night

Please come hear two Fiber Art Options members, Susan Brubaker-Knapp and Janet Lasher at the Mint Museum 2730 Randolph Road, Charlotte
tomorrow evening December 1st, 7-8:30pm for a discussion of our fiber art.

This program is presented through the Mint Museum's First Tuesdays forum and is free to all. We will be talking about our artistic approach, techniques and slides of our work. Q&A will follow the slide presentations.

More about Susan at www.bluemoonriver.com and more about Janet at www.janetalasher.com

This program is being offered in conjunction with the exhibition American Quilt Classics 1800-1980: The Bressler Collection which will hang through February 6th, 2010.

"Tis the season for art, continued....PJ's latest

I will be participating again in the 4th annual Denver (NC!) Art Trail on Dec 5 and 6. Forty-three Denver - area artists and guest artists are opening their studios or displaying their works in local businesses so that you can enjoy their latest creations. For more info see http://denverarttrail.shutterfly.com/

Please come to see my mixed media pins, wall hangings, and journal covers at the Blue Heron B&B. -PJ-

House Rules 2

I am in the middle of teaching an online course on how to make this little art quilt (“House Rules 2” on joggles.com. It features my whole family, pets included. (Yes, I made myself skinnier and with fewer wrinkles!) The figures are drawn on white fabric with pencil, then colored in with watercolor pencils, and moistened with a wet paintbrush before drawing the outlines with a Micron Pigma pen. The amount of water in the paintbrush determines how much the color bleeds out. You can see this in the difference between the eye and the cheeks in my sun, below:



There is a ton of handwork in this piece. The figures are done with needleturn applique, and all the “chicken scratch” quilting in the background took about six hours to complete.


I framed this piece in an inexpensive frame purchased at Ikea, after stitching it to the mat:


I really like the way it looks in the frame. Now to find the perfect spot to hang it!

– Susan Brubaker Knapp

A post from Debbie:

As Nancy's last post indicates...'tis the season for exhibits and shows of all types.

This Saturday, November 14th, the Charlotte Art Collective will be having its fall/holiday show. I'll be there with fabric art: quilts and wearables (including the scarf on the left in the middle).

Barking Dog Chocolatiers will be represented by hubby Joal Fischer. (the 3 marbleized hemispheres in the upper left hand corner are actually chocolates).

If you're a local or just passing through the Charlotte area, do plan to join us from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m at Avondale Presbyterian Church (2821 Park Road about a mile north of the Park Road Shopping Center in Charlotte).

With 18 other artists - showing everything from jewelry to turned wood to pottery - it promises to be an exciting opportunity for holiday shopping or just to sample the chocolate and enjoy the rest of the "eye candy" on display.

I hope to see you there....

Debbie Langsam