New Work Under Way

I have a new series of small work underway. These rose hips are the first design. It is also a study in creating depth. For more details on depth, check out an earlier post on http:nancygcook.blogspot.com. For background on the rose hips check out my recent blog at: http:nancygcook.blogspot.com

Nancy

Sewn By Hand Book Review - Loved This Book!

Sewn by Hand, by Susan Wasinger and published by Lark Crafts, is a delightful book of two dozen projects to be stitched with needle and thread.


The projects are varied to suit many interests and styles. The inside front states: unplug sewing from the machine and make 24 super-cute projects the slow crafts way: by hand. Sewing without electricity is fun, eco-friendly, and mobile, allowing everything you stitch to tag along to cafes, on trips, to sporting events, and to other social occasions the way knitting and crochet projects can.


The layout of the projects makes it easy to determine the level of skills needed, the portability of the materials, the required materials and tools. Templates are included as well.


My first project will be the Sewing kit for on-the-move stitchers. The author states :"This clever little kit carries all the tools-of-the-stitching-trade. Even better, the very making of it teaches you all the stitches a competent hand seamstress will ever need. It's a tiny treasure (5 x 7 inches closed, 11 x 13 open) that holds your gadgets, your notions, and a good bit of your stitch wisdom, too." Looks like the perfect way to stay organized with my hand sewing needs on trips and moving from studio to living room sewing. Practical but a fun project as well.


The project on the cover, Owie Puffs for Boo-Boos, is perfect for a new baby gift or the loved grandchild. It consists of 3 sizes of thermal packs to soothe little ones' bumps and bruises.


The author, Susan Wasinger (who was taught to sew at age four by her couture-trained grandmother) reveals simple embellishments and embroidery techniques that will give your work designer style.


This book is the perfect way to join the slow crafts movement. When you sew without a sewing machine, you plug into community and portability.

It was a great pleasure to read this book and to contemplate the different projects. I recommend it heartily.

Nancy

Twelve by Twelve Book Review - A Charmer!!

This delightful art quilt book was sent to me by Lark Books to review. What a pleasure that is! I love books, especially when they are interesting, tell me something I want to know, and are written by people who have a new experience to share and share it well.

The concept for the book is simple, 12 people each came up with a different theme for a 12" x 12" quilt series, such as: Shelter, Illumination, Water, Identity. Then each person interpreted the theme in her own way, resulting in 144 different small quilts with unique styles and concepts for 12 themes. For each theme, the artists had 2 months to create and reveal their artwork to each other.

In the two years of doing the challenges, the twelve women from three different continents, got to know each other well and formed on-line friendships. Since beginning they have each gotten to meet at least one of member of the Twelve.

While the concept is simple, the execution is excellent and the resulting book that documents their two-year quilt adventure is a highly engaging book that can be read quickly or slowly for more depth. Each of the twelve themes is laid out in a chapter, with one of the Twelve writing about her experience and often telling a bit about the others' experiences as well. Each person writes a brief note about her quilt on the theme. Photos for each of the pieces makes the book rich. In addition, there is information on how to form a challenge group, even an international one. And lots of tips along the way.

I wanted to wait until I had read the book entirely, but it has become my favorite bedside book for slow reading and absorbing. So this review is based on a overview of the layout of the book and a careful reading of the first three chapters (themes). The book is a delight. I recommend it heartily.

Nancy

My new book is coming out in July!

I have some very exciting news that I’ve been wanting to share with you for more than a year, but I had to wait until now… I’ve written a second book! It is called Point, Click, Quilt! Turn Your Photos into Fabulous Fabric Art, and it will be released by C&T Publishing this July.

The book includes 16 artful projects inspired by my digital photographs.

In the book, I show how to compose and shoot dynamic digital photos from a quilter’s perspective. You can follow the fun workshop-style exercises and step-by-step directions to turn your photos into small art quilts, both realistic and abstract. Most of my projects use fused batik and hand-dyed fabrics, but four projects include innovative materials (paint, Tyvek, Angelina fibers, and foils).

I think you’ll also be inspired by the gallery section of the book, which includes beautiful work by other gifted art quilters I know, including some members of Fiber Art Options.

If you are interested in learning more about my book as it gets closer to the release date, please e-mail me at susan@bluemoonriver.com. I'll add you my mailing list and let you know when you can order the book.  

Here’s a peek at the projects:

The Unexpected Rewards (and Awards!) of Internet Surfing.

I was off in cyberspace a while ago and came across a call for entries from the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences in Rocky Mount (NC).

Rocky Mount lies between Raleigh and the North Carolina coast. It's a town rooted in tobacco and cotton...the hometown of musician Thelonius Monk and novelist Kaye Gibbons. If you're looking for a burger and fries, it has the oldest operating Hardee's fast food franchise.

But the arts? Not exactly - or so I thought.

Still, the description of "Handcrafted," a juried national show intrigued me.

The show celebrates traditional and non-traditional craft media and so I took a chance, sent in some images. I was delighted when "Out of the Mouths of Babes: Purple Lips" and "Under the Watchful Eye of Queen Charlotte" were juried in.

Husband Joal and I had the pleasure of attending the opening and seeing the Arts Centre firsthand. We were stunned by what we saw:










a 135,000 square foot state-of-the-art cultural facility that houses an arts center, children's museum / science center, and community performing arts theatre.

The Centre occupies the former sites of the Imperial Tobacco Company and Rocky Mount's Braswell Memorial Library.


The huge iron doors of tobacco furnaces and the high-ceilinged exposed brick galleries are a perfect backdrop for the center's eclectic collection of sophisticated contemporary art and craft.



















The show itself was a treat, with its mix of metal, ceramics, glass, and - of course - fiber.


Including "Emergence" by Nancy Kimpel (Oconomowoc, WI)...












Laura Gaskin's (Fairview, NC) "Lost"











and a stunningly different piece, "Nasar," by Leslie Pearson (Leland, NC). This intriguing scroll (10 feet long?) was accompanied by a time-lapse video showing the scroll as it was being created.





..











Of course, I was delighted to see my pieces hung in the gallery as well...

Both "Out of the Mouths of Babes..."



and

"Under the Watchful Eye of Queen Charlotte."





And if a lovely day at a wonderful opening wasn't enough, "Queen Charlotte" won 2nd place!

A very happy ending to be sure....

Debbie

A "Chuppah" Under Construction: process and progress

I've recently been commissioned to do a chuppah for some friends who are about to tie the knot.

"What's a chuppah?" you may well ask.

It's a Jewish wedding canopy, a structure that forms a roof over a bride and groom during their wedding ceremony. Although the chuppah symbolizes many aspects of love and marriage, it's most often described as representing the couple's future home. It's openness -- no walls surround it -- symbolizes the hospitality and generosity that the couple hopes will be a hallmark of their home.

Fortunately, my friends prefer simplicity. A good thing since the wedding is at the end of January and a highly complex design might have put me in a tailspin.

Since I've never made a chuppah, I thought it might be fun to document the process:

So where to begin? I wound up being inspired by a Celtic chain that forms the borders of my friends' ketubah (a traditional Jewish marriage contract) and abstracted the chain into a series of braided designs.



The braided theme seemed apropos. It's reminiscent of braided challah bread that's served for Sabbath and festival meals. But it also seemed symbolic of the marriage: two friends weaving the individual strands of their very full and active lives into a new, even richer, life together.

The couple chose the 2nd design...shown
here with the strands of the braid shaded.

The basic design seemed "okay," but I wasn't quite satisfied
with the dark strand. It seemed too clunky...

So back to the drawing board for revision:

I decided to add a couple of twists to the darker braid and this has become the final sketch....





and here's the mock-up with fabric in the couple's chosen colors: deep blue, claret red, and harvest gold.



The only problem here, the braids seemed too "flat."

So back to the drawing board one more time to add some dimension with some lighter colored fabrics.





Here's the pencil sketch mock-up for the "final" final draft...












and the "final" final mock-up in fabric...

Well almost...the braids need to be lowered a bit so that the design is more or less centered on the vertical.

And I'm still pondering the top and bottom borders (shown here in blue)...

We've all (bride, groom, and me) decided not to use a border on the sides. We wanted nothing to restrict the flow of the braids and the life that my friends will share together.

But perhaps the border should contain all three colors? or maybe just the blue and claret (since a light gold will form the background for the piece).

I'm on my way with this...and I'll post the finished product...*eventually.*

But in the meantime...suggestions for my border conundrum are welcome. Please feel free to leave a comment!

Debbie

Fire And Fiber opening reception at Mint Hill Arts Friday - 7-9

Three members of Fiber Art Options, Susan Brubaker Knapp, Deborah Langsam and Nancy G Cook, have work in the exhibition that features pottery and all kinds of fiber art at Mint Hill Arts, Mint Hill NC. Exhibition runs through January 28. Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturdays, 11 - 3. Admission is free.


Debbie has one of her photo based pieces in the exhibition as well as one of her pieces from the Orchids; Sensuality Stitched collection created for Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.


The photo to the left is of Orchid Rhythms: Stems and Leaves by Nancy. There are several other pieces of Nancy's work in the exhibition as well.

Hope you can join us for the reception!

Studio Spirit now has a name!

Linda has decided to honor my initials and call her new studio spirit "Penelope Jane".

It’s time for The Sketchbook Challenge!

Have you heard about The Sketchbook Challenge? It is being hosted by a group of artists — including many fiber artists and mixed media artists whose work I greatly admire. Basically, the idea is to encourage yourself to sketch daily, or as often as possible, and to share your work with an online group. The incentive is great prizes, including wonderful art supplies, from their sponsors. 

Each month, the hosts post a theme that acts as a creative “prompt” to get you going. January’s theme is “Highly Prized.” The Sketchbook Challenge’s blog will include lots of tutorials, ideas, and information about materials to help you out. 

So far, there are several hundred people signed up, including very experienced artists, complete novices, and artists who work in many mediums who wish to stretch their creative muscles or build their drawing skills.

I have sketched my antique alarm clock collection (above) – to represent time, and my eye – to represent my vision. I’ll be documenting my sketches on my blog. I wonder how many of these ideas I will end up using in my fiber art? The last time I tried regularly working in a sketchbook, I found it to be very valuable, so I am excited to try again.

Color Study

I am doing a series of reviews of books and tools that have helped me develop my use of color in my quilts. The series will be on my blog. If you are interested, please check out : http://nancygcook.blogspot.com/

Here is the first book that I reviewed.

And Happy Holidays everyone.

Nancy

FAO Members at Mint Hill Arts Winter Judged Show

Nancy G Cook and Deborah Langsam have work at the Winter Judged Show at Mint Hill Arts in Mint Hill NC through December 30. Hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10 - 3. Admission is free. Great gift shop for Holiday gifts created by local artists.

More details can be found on Nancy's blog at http://www.nancygcook.blogspot.com

Studio Spirit

One of our number has a new studio which we are all looking forward to seeing soon. I wanted to make a little "studio spirit" to give some good energy to this new place. Here are a couple of glimpses of what I created. Full photos to follow after the spirit gets to its new home. -PJ-

"New from Old" Auction Begins on eBayTonight!
Thirty gorgeous little quilts to collect or give!

The AAQ's annual fundraising auction of 16"x16" quilts donated by artists from all over the US and Canada (including me!) begins tonight on eBay.com, and will continue through December 6 with four one-week auctions. During the auction week go to the eBay website and search keyword "Alliance for American Quilts." All of the quilts for that auction week will be displayed and all registered eBay users can enter a bid (please note: if you search anytime before or after the auction dates, the quilts will not be viewable).

Don't miss this opportunity to pick out special gifts for the holidays or add to your own quilt collection. Click here to view all 118 quilts and read complete auction information. All proceeds support the Alliance for American Quilts, a national nonprofit organization documenting, preserving and sharing the rich history of quilts and quiltmakers.

My quilt "7 of 9" goes on sale in the second round starting on Monday, November 8th! -PJ-

Denver Art Trail 2010 -- PJ's work at Blue Heron Bed & Breakfast

The Denver Art Trail is this Saturday (Oct 23 10-5) and Sun (Oct 24 1-5) on the west side of Lake Norman in/around Denver, NC. This year's trail features 44 artists at 11 stops. A new feature this year is the preview house provided by Keller Williams Realtors, with displays of art from all of the trail artists as well as art from local high school art students. Trail brochures are available before the trail at Honeysuckle Gifts, Lake Norman Flowers, Lake Norman Frameworks, Red Rooster, Sweet Vine Winery as well as all the trail stops on Saturday and Sunday.

To glance at a trail map, see http://www.blueherononlakenorman.com/id12.html

Come see us on the Trail!

AutumnFaire at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

Some members of Fiber Art Options spent this weekend manning our space at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden’s AutumnFaire, part of their “Fall with a Flourish” celebration. We had two lovely days of clear October weather to display our goods and talk to shoppers.

“Look, Mom!” A youngster had fun at the pottery display in the tent next door:

There were horses to meet:

And carriage rides to take:

Here’s another wonderful reason to go to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden this fall. Nancy Cook’s beautiful “Seed Play” exhibition is hanging in both halls near the entrance:

For more details on Nancy’s show, see her blog here.

At about three o’clock on Sunday, the dark clouds were coming…  Time to pack up and head home!

Susan has a new DVD

I am thrilled to announce that my second Quilting Arts Workshop DVD will be released in October. This 70-75 minute DVD is called “Master Machine Stitching: Thread Sketching Beyond the Basics” and it follows up on the techniques I introduced in my first DVD, “Master Machine Quilting: Free Motion Stitching and Thread Sketching.”

Here’s more information from the blurb on the back of the DVD jacket:

Following up on the concepts introduced in her first DVD,
“Master Machine Quilting: Free-Motion Stitching and
Thread Sketching,” Quilting Arts columnist Susan Brubaker
Knapp delves even deeper, teaching you how to add color,
dimension, texture, pattern, line, and movement to your
quilts using thread. After a quick overview of the basic
materials you’ll need, as well as some helpful tools to make
things easier, Susan breaks down each of the six topics (from
color to movement) and provides step-by-step machine
stitching demos. She shows numerous samples that illustrate
the basic thread-sketching concepts being discussed. Prepare
to expand your view of the opportunities for using stitch on
your quilts.

Thanks so much to all of you who have purchased my first DVD. My oldest daughter has braces because of you! :-) 

Here I am on the set of Quilting Arts TV about three weeks ago. I was there to tape three segments for the TV show, and my DVD. All in one day! Whew; what a whirlwind! Quilting Arts managing editor Helen Gregory took this photo. (Thanks, Helen!)

Here are some photos of the projects I used to demonstrate techniques on the new DVD. This one is called Prepared for Takeoff:

The second project I work on in this DVD started with this photo of a Cripps Pink apple:

I used the photo to create a very simple pattern, with only two colors for the apple:

On the DVD, I demonstrate how I got from the simple fused fabric piece above to this:

I can’t say enough kind words about all the folks at Quilting Arts and at Beachwood Studios for helping me make this DVD. In particular, I must say many thanks to the smart, sweet, kind and incredibly helpful Helen Gregory. 

The DVD will be available for purchase from Interweave/Quilting Arts website, and on my website, sometime in October. I’ll keep you posted. I’m off to sip some champagne and celebrate!

Art Meets Science - 3 Quilts by FAO Members

Art Meets Science Exhibition Catalog

Susan Brubaker Knapp and Nancy G Cook have quilts in this exhibition. Susan has two pieces in this traveling exhibition, Coleus and Lepidoptera. For more details check out Nancy's blog.

Nancy

Quilting Arts TV taping

On Sunday, I flew to Cleveland to film three segments for the 700 series of Quilting Arts TV. Here I am with host Pokey Bolton on the set. All the shows I shot – #703, #707 and #712 – will air this fall/winter on many public TV stations across the country, and will be available on DVD at the end of the season.

One of the best things about doing this is that you get to meet all sorts of wonderful fiber artists, quilt designers, mixed media artists, and fabric designers… and hang out with them in the green room and see their work up close. Check out my blog to see lots more photos of all these folks, and read more details.