Dinner At Eight Artists "Rituals" Exhibit

Sunrise Serenade

Sunrise Serenade was created for the Dinner @ Eight Artists juried invitational exhibit, Rituals, curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison. This piece was inspired by a photo taken at the Haifa Educational Zoo in Israel. While there, I stayed at a hotel located across from a park. Deep within the park was a zoo hidden from view. The first morning, I awoke to a rooster crowing, his voice accompanied by an unidentifiable, “caw caw” sound. Later, I came across this very unlikely pair. They were the best of friends and their contrasting colors were quite exquisite next to one another. Each morning, I would hear them practicing their daily ritual of greeting the new day with their delightful sunrise serenade. Thinking of them, brought a smile to my face and I just knew that I had to create this piece.
The base is comprised of a bamboo/cotton blend that has been painted with acrylic textile paints and machine quilted with trilobal polyester thread. The batting is an Eco Friendly Quilters Dream Green Batting which has been recycled from green plastic bottles. I absolutely love the idea of taking trash from landfills and giving back to the community, an aesthetically pleasing piece of art. Dinner @ Eight Artists, "Rituals" exhibit will begin its debut at the 2012 International Quilt Festival Travelling show in Long Beach, California and continue on to Houston, Texas. It is sponsored by Moore’s Sewing Center http://www.moores-sew.com/ and Havel’s Sewing http://www.havelssewing.com/ .

Since March when I finished creating this piece, I have stumbled upon a local park here in Austin that is home to dozens of peacocks. There was one male that was particularly flashy and actively displaying his courtship dances for the females. Not having captured the tail feathers in Sunrise Serenade, I was inspired to create this piece. It's current working title is Primavera though it is subject to change. It is funny how one piece can lead to another. Primavera is currently under the machine and will be finished later this week but I still have one more piece in mind. Can you guess? I am now pondering how to capture a front view of a peacock with it's feathers spread out. And I am thinking of doing it in a 3 dimensional manner. You know what they say, little ideas can percolate and turn into grander creations. I also have a hankering to create a piece with a pair of matching roosters from a photo I took earlier this year. who knows, I may end up with two series born from one piece. And that is the beauty of being an artist, deciding which one will be next and how it will be accomplished. For now, I am off to finish the second piece and see where it takes me. Wishing you a happy and creative day!

Art Quilters: What Happens Behind the Scene

Hello, thought I might give you a peak at our art quilt group meeting! I belong to the Austin Art Quilt Bee. Pictured from left to right are Leslie Tucker Jenison, Susan Storey Lewis, Connie Hudson, Sherri Mc Cauley, Barb Forrister, Natalie Jenison and Kathy York. Most of us live in Austin but we also are fortunate to have Leslie from San Antonio, Texas and Frances Holliday Alford from Grafton, Vermont. We gather together to work on group collaborations. This is an amazing group of women and although, we do not meet on a regular schedule, when we do get together, we are celebrating the holidays or are in high gear working on our next project. Each of us have our own unique style that we bring to the table and yet somehow we are always able to blend our work together to come up with some pretty cool compositions. This year is no different, We are working on a rock quilt and are now in the design stages. The background has already been quilted and pieced and the rocks have been created. Now comes the fun part; the design process. Pictured below is our third revision of the design and still, it may not be the end product. We will move and rearrange things until we come to a general concensus that we all find pleasing to the eye. Once we conclude the design process, we will address how to finish the edges. This quilt has an irregular edge on the bottom which I believe allows the eye to move freely around the piece and adds interest. This week, we will meet up again to reinforce the seams on the background and hopefully come up with the final design. The most wonderful thing I have experienced working as part of the group is that we are all committed to creating art collaborations and supporting one another in our own personal and art endeavors. That is a very unique and endearing aspect of which I am blessed to be a part of. I hope that this post offers insight as to what it is like to belong to an art quilt group that fosters love and support and enjoys creating art together. To read more about our group, please visit http://austinartbee.blogspot.com/ .

Reflections on Judging Quilt Shows

I have just returned from judging a quilt show. A few days later, I have decided that in sharing my experiences, I have a chance to reflect and also, perhaps offer some helpful insight as to what judges look for when they are looking at quilts. That said, I can say is that it is not an easy job and sometimes winners are chosen based on technical workmanship rather than what the judge may really like. In other words, had this been an art show, I might have chosen very different winners for some of the categories. This being a quilt show, I was asked to look at the workmanship along with the design principles of each quilt. There were a few quilts that had excellent design qualities but were not executed well in terms of stitchwork, binding and yes, even appearing square from a distance.  I began with each category by systematically doing a quick walk through to see the entire category as a whole. In this way, I could get a good idea of which quilts really caught my eye from a distance. Then, I began with the first one and using a judge's form began looking at each piece. In terms of design and workmanship, I was asked to address 10 issues: 1) Did the quilt appear square? I don't mean did the quilt have exact parallel measurements on opposite sides but rather did it appear to be square? 2)Were the bindings well executed? The number one thing, I have experienced with judges is that they always seem to comment on whether the binding is full. I tend not to care so much about this but rather on whether the binding appears even and the corners are mitered well. 3) Does the quilt lie flat or is it distorted? Many times, this will relate to #1, does the quilt appear square? Often, when a quilt does not lay flat, it appears distorted and not square. This can be due to heavy stitching and embroidery work or lack thereof. 4) Are the stitches even for the most part? Here, I tend to place emphasis on whether the stitches are overall consistent with one another rather than determining how many stitches there are per inch. 5) Was the quilting uniform throughout? I know that this is a very controversial issue and that most judges like to see a uniform amount of stitching throughout the entire piece. It is my feeling however, that dense quilting in the background provides depth while a change in scale both in the mid and foreground stitching offers a more 3 dimensional feel and I am fine with that. In fact, I support it! Though as I mentioned, my views on this matter do not reflect the norm.  6) Is the workmanship with regards to piecing and appliqueing executed well? If given my druthers, I would not even look at this aspect unless it was done extremely poorly. However, as a quilt judge, we are asked to assess this aspect and so we must. 7) Is the tension consistent throughout? To be truthful, unless there are major problems with ticking or knots on the back, I tend to think it is not an issue. 8) Is the design pleasing? Does it catch your eye and draw you in? This is so important and often overlooked. We tend to think that pleasing colors offer a pleasing design. Not so! Color is important but it does not replace design. Rather it works to support the design. Designs should be well balanced and move the eye successfully around the quilt, thus drawing in the viewer. 9) Is there a good range of color value within the quilt? There was in fact, a piece that was completed all in a medium value color range and consequently appeared flat and difficult to look at. I think the eye becomes overwhelmed when value is not used successfully. 10) Lastly, I like to provide a comment on each sheet to let the maker know what he/she is doing successfully. I find that positive critique when done honestly and genuinely, fosters a healthy and positive outlook. At the conclusion of the judging, we were asked to name our own Judge's Choice and confer with each other regarding Best of Show. I chose an art quilt that was very well executed for my Judge's Choice and we named a tradional quilt, Best of Show as the workmanship was phenomenal! I had a most pleasant experience and hope that I may once again be asked to judge a show. I love looking at all the quilts whether they be art quilts or traditional! Each one has it's own merit! 

Creating Fiber Art Rocks for Cairns

I have been working on making rocks for a group collaboration project with my art quilt group. At this point, the background has been quilted and pieced together with a zig zag stitch. We gathered together to square up the quilt and begin stacking rocks to make Cairns. We have a pretty good idea of what the quilt will look like. Here, I have my rocks on a black background but in fact, they will be placed on a neutral light colored pieced background. My group has been extremely patient with me as I am just now finishing my rocks. You may remember, I fell and broke my left arm. I am now in a splint and I have managed to finish my entry for the juried invitational, Rituals. It was time to move forward and begin making rocks. I have returned to working in the studio again, however, not as much as I would like! The healing process is slow but it is getting better! This was a wonderful way to ease back into the swing of things. I first began by layering scraps of hand dyed and commercial fabrics on batting. I sewed around each rock, placed a piece of fabric (for the backing) right sides together with the rockface and again sewed the entire sandwich together. Edges were trimmed and a slit was cut in the back of each rock so that it could be turned right side out. The rocks were pressed with a hot iron and I began painting them with acrylic paints to make them look a little more realistic. Some of the rocks were texturized with bits of thread and fiber bits fused on top with Mistyfuse. They were then quilted with decorative threads to add texture and interest. The photos below show some detail shots that I hope you will enjoy. Please let me know what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts!  

Sunrise Serenade



Sunrise Serenade
 by Barb Forrister

It seems like it has been ages since I last blogged about a new piece that I have completed. I very rarely get to say this but I have been travelling abroad and when I returned home, I broke my left arm. Good thing, it wasn't the right arm as I am right handed! I had been working on a piece for the juried invitational, Rituals, curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison. In fact, I took my piece to Israel and worked on it in the evenings at the hotel. I decided to change course, when I happened to come across this very unlikely pair. Sunrise Serenade was inspired by a photo taken at the Haifa Educational Zoo in Israel, this last February. While there, my husband and I stayed at a hotel that happened to be located across from a park. Deep within the park, there was a zoo nestled in the farthest corner, hidden from view. The first morning, we awoke to a rooster crowing, his voice accompanied by an unidentifiable, "caw caw" sound. Later in the trip, I discovered the zoo and these two marvelous creatures within. They were the best of friends and their contrasting colors were quite exquisite next to one another. Each morning, I would hear them  practicing their daily ritual of greeting the new day with their delightful sunrise serenade. Thinking of them, brought a smile to my face and I just knew that I had to create this piece. When I returned home, I began drafting the pattern for this piece. The format required it to be 24"wide X 60" high, a somewhat unusual size. It took three tries but I finally came up with a useable pattern. I transferred my pattern to fabric and began painting the piece. I was able to complete the rooster and the peacock before I fell and broke my arm. The sunrise and meadow had to be painted with one hand as I was in a full cast past the elbow at that point in time. I am so grateful for my two daughters who helped me to heat set and layer the quilt together so that I might attempt to quilt it. I had never broken a bone in my body before and really had no idea if it could be done with one hand but patience and persistence saw it through to the end. My machine broke early on and my good friend, Kharon graciously brought her Janome over for me to use. What a relief! I have always used a Bernina but I found the Janome quite easy and a pleasure to use. Sunrise Serenade was quilted entirely with Highlights, Nature's Colors and Living Colors threadlines by Superior. The batting is Dream Green, a soft, batting made entirely from recycled plastic bottles. The paints included Setacolor. Jacquard, DecoArt SoSoft and Stewart Gill. All in all, I am happy with this piece and have resigned myself to accept that the quilting is pretty good for having been quilted with a broken arm. Sometimes, we all have to let go and accept things for what they are! I am hoping this piece gets juried into the invitational, Rituals exhibit. Wish me luck! 



     

2012 Dallas Quilt Celebration

Wow, I was so jazzed to learn that Songbird placed Third in the Art Pictorial category at the 2012 Dallas Quilt Celebration. The exhibit sponsored by the Dallas Quilt Guild took place on March 9-11th at Market Hall in Dallas. Last year, I did not submit any entries but somehow, I had the feeling that this year might be different and it was! So glad I decided to throw my hat in! You know what they say, "The only way to win is to try." I was so tickled to hear the news! The show was judged by Cindy Ericson, Marcia Kaylakie and Connie Silber, three very well known and distinguished judges.  Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the show. Family always comes first and it was quite a busy weekend! Sometimes, life is just that way!  On Friday morning, a friend posted this photo on my Facebook wall. I am most grateful to her as it made my entire weekend that much more enjoyable. I have been waiting for the winners to be posted and have just learned that she, too won at Dallas though she never mentioned it, sly devil! And so, I would like to congratulate Andrea Brokenshire for placing Third in Master Art Category! Way to go, Girl!  To see more of the winners, please visit http://www.quiltersguildofdallas.org/quiltcelebration2011/assets/final_version_Award%20Winners%202011.pdf .   

Inspiration from Israel

Good morning, Everyone! It is so good to be back home and blogging again. This month has been a whirlwind but in a good way! I had the unique opportunity to visit Israel for two weeks and explore the many wonders this country has to offer. What a treat! My husband and I travelled all the way North through Haifa, Akko, Nazareth, Sea of Gallilee, the Golan and the ancient Banias waterfalls at Mount Hermon. Never knew it snowed up there! So much inspiration and beauty. While in Haifa, I visited the beautiful Bahai shrine and garden, the zoo and Castra Cultural Art Center. The zoo was perhaps one of the highlights of my stay there. They had the most unusual animals including a Siberian bear, an Egyptian vulture, black swan and even a griffon. Dozens of peacocks roamed the area. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit!

On one occasion, I took the train south to Tel Aviv to meet up with some amazing artists. They were most kind, engaging and invited me to their home to visit, have lunch and show me their studio and artwork. These women explained how they worked their strife and turmoil during war and difficult times into their art. It was humbling to hear their stories, learn of their perils and how they managed to work as a group to ensure their children’s safety during times of trouble. Such amazingly strong and graceful women! They were such a pleasure and I am blessed to have connected with them on so many levels. I hope to see them again, soon.

The following weekend, we made our way south toward Jerusalem where I came upon this fabulous textile market in the old city. The owner was a third generation textile artist from Damascus. He had the most beautiful fabric from all over the world. The photo above shows a small part of his shop. I purchased a few pieces, an ikat, some silk organza, striped pattern and a beautiful brocade. Ikat fabric is quite interesting as the fibers are dyed prior to constructing the textile piece and the patterns are endless. Continuing on throught the markerplace, I could smell the aromas of spices in the air. Here, you could find anything from spices, textiles, musical instruments, clothes, toys, carvings, food and so much more. Such a delight for the senses! We visited many historical and sacred places such as the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall and the Garden of Gethsemane. Such stunning beauty and architecture everywhere. It was like stepping into another world and you could truly sense the spirituality and ancientness of these places. Two days and still I did not see everything there was to see in Jerusalem but I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and look forward to returning soon and reconnecting with newfound friends. So blessed to have been able to see that part of the world.

Quilting Arts 3 Dimensional Art Quilting

Earlier this month, Kathy York contacted me to let me know that Quilting Arts would be featuring our Artist Village in the February/March 2012 issue. I was so thrilled! The news came when I was feeling blue and needed a little pick me up. Nothing like that to chase the blues away! Meanwhile, I have been planning a trip to Israel and anxiously awaiting my copy in the mail. Checking the mail everyday is a little like watching a pot boil. And still, I hoped to get my copy before I left. Finally, after the mail came today and still no magazine, I went and bought the issue at Barnes and Noble. At last, I could see it! Wow, I am so jazzed. Kathy did a fantastic job at bringing this project to fruition.  The article is wonderful and describes how to make a 3 dimensional house. This month's Quilting Arts issue features 3 Dimensional Art Quilting and is a special Art Quilt Collaboration issue. The Space Between by Dinner at Eight Artists is also represented and I am so excited to see my friends, Susan King and Linda Teddlie Minton mentioned. They are marvelous artists and I am happy Dinner At Eight Artists were represented well! I also really enjoyed Jane Davila's article, "Artistic License: Licensing Your Art to Maximize Your Time." So much wonderful information! To order your copy of Quilting Arts, please visit http://www.quiltingdaily.com/content/SubscriberServices.aspx .    

2012 Peoples Art Gallery with Generation Y: Song of Hope

I am so jazzed that Generation Y: Song of Hope was chosen by the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division to be included in the 2012 People’s Gallery Exhibition at Austin City Hall. I have never entered my work here before and I had been told that competition was pretty stiff. 350 artists presented more than 1500 works of art for consideration this year. I am thrilled to be able to share this piece with folks here in Austin.  An honor, for sure! Generation Y is a mixed media piece with 3 dimensional elements. A closeup detailed view features a painted background with tree branches created from lush upholstery fibers and dyed lace to mimic tree bark texture. The leaves are 3D and form a canopy. The baby jay rests in a 3D knitted nest. This piece took almost a year to complete and measures 45¼” X 49½.” It has received many accolades and was
 voted People s Choice Award at AFA Show, 2nd place at Austin Area Quilt Guild Show and was published in SAQA Portfolio 17 and Quilting Arts Mag April/May 2011, In The Spotlight with Barb Forrister. For more information, please visit http://www.barbforrister.com/naturescapes/generation-y-song-of-hope  . It has been travelling throughout the United States most of the year and I am happy to bring it home for a marvelous exhibit at the People's Art Gallery 2012. The opening reception will be held on Friday, February 24th from 6-9 p.m. at

City Hall located at 301 West 2^nd Street in Austin, Texas. Food and refreshments will be provided by Whole Foods and everyone is welcome to attend. Please join us. We would love to see you! This exhibit will be on display the entire year of 2012. Come see all the wonderful artwork by so many local artisans. It promises to be a fantastic exhibit. I look forward to seeing you all! Happy 2012!

Mexican Scrub Jay

Happy New Year! I am so happy to be blogging again! I am back making art again. This piece shows a photo that I took while staying at a friend's home in San Antonio, Texas. I love this picture and somehow I knew I had to incorporate this Mexican Scrub Jay in my art. He's a beauty for sure. The photo was printed on textured paper that was coated with Golden Digital Grounds Media to allow the full color to shine through. The background is handmade paper that I made years ago and at the time had no idea how I would use it. Bits of paper were torn and mixed with glue. I thought it might be fun to include some threads, Angelina fibers and even heat distressed painted plastics before setting the paper in the mold. Once the paper was formed, I painted it with acrylic paint. And there it sat in the studio for a few years before I finally paired the two together. They were treated with a semi gloss surface protectant and adhered together with acrylic medium. I really like the way they came together. It is as if they were made for each other and the background is simply an extension of the photo. Great way to bring in the New Year!      

Ruby and Scarlet



Ruby


Well, it's Christmas time and what better way to celebrate than with finishing up a few UFOs that have been hanging around for about 7 years now! The last time, my grandmother came to visit, I showed her some pieces that I had hand appliqued, beaded and sewn ribbon embroidery on. Her home is very vintage and she asked if she could have the only two pieces that were completely finished. But of course! They look fabulous in her home. Since then, she has been asking if I would finish some more pieces to add to her collection. These patterns are not my own design and try as I might, I can not find the designer to credit her properly. If anyone knows, please let me know. I would live to add that information here. Her patterns are wonderful. Meanwhile, as I had mentioned, all of these pieces are done entirely by hand. The difference between these two pieces and the ones that my grandmother already has in her collection is that I decided to finally let go of my purist attitude and need to complete the rest of the ladies by hand quilting them. This is a huge breakthrough for me



Scarlet


and a wonderful exercise in letting go. You see, I don't really like hand quilting. Rather I love and appreciate seeing hand quilting work by others. However, it is just not for me and I do not enjoy it! That said, I greatly admire those with the patience to do it! Still, if truth be told, these pieces would never get done if I held onto that need to be a purist! Ha! And so, I figure that I would give myself permission to finish these pieces by machine quilting which I vastly enjoy! And best of all, they will get to be seen and enjoyed rather than languishing in my closet. I decided to finish the two ladies dressed in red to celebrate the season. I love the way they have come out. My grandmother keeps asking me if I have had a chance to finish any more of the victorian lady pieces and I have pretended to not remember what she is talking about. I think she will be pleasantly surprised when I see her for the holidays or at least I hope so! Happy Holidays, everyone!

Fiber Art Palm Trees



Fiber Art Palm Tree by Barb Forrister



I am so excited about finishing my newest palm tree sculpture. This is a take off from my other canopy trees in which I have opted to use lutradur and lace for the palm fronds. I first began by experimenting with different weights of lutradur, specifically light and heavy weight lutradur. Then to change things up a bit, I added some interfacing. I painted sheets of both lutradur and interfacing with acrylic textile paints and used Mistyfuse Transdoodle sheets to transfer the palm frond patterns onto the painted sheets.



 



In order to clearly see the stitching, I used heavy weight threads such as Madiera Supertwist, Wonderfil Dazzle and Superior Razzle Dazzle 8 wt thread in the bobbin to stitch the palm fronds. Laying a copper wire along the central vein of the leaf allowed for shaping and sculpting of the leaves. The copper wire was couched by hand using yarn all along the central vein.


The stems of the palm fronds were attached to the main tree and the copper wires were wrapped with yarns. The tree trunk is composed of PVC and was covered in lace to add texture. I have also added decorative lights to the trunk of the tree, thinking it would make a wonderful decorative night light. I also believe it would be a great addition for a room with a tropical theme decor!

International Quilt Festival Quilt Scene Presents Quilts: A World of Beauty

Songbird by Barb Forrister

Wow, I was so excited to learn that Songbird had been included in the International Quilt Festival Quilt Scene, Winter 2011-2012 Special Annual Issue! What an honor! I am dancing on air. It is a wonderful way to bring in the holidays! The magazine features many wonderful quilts from both the World of Beauty and Special Exhibits show. Also included are Texas Quilt Museum Open for Business, an interview with Sharon Schamber, an article by Leslie Tucker Jenison and Jamie Fingal, 21 Quilts, Totes and Projects to Make, Book Reviews, Glimpses inside Artist's studios and even a Quilt Scene Crossword Puzzle which I am still trying to solve. LOL! The projects and articles are fantastic and as always, the photography is exquisite! This year, Songbird was included in International Quilt Association Presents Quilts: A World of Beauty. Songbird measures 24X18 and is a whole cloth painted piece. Thanks, Quilting Arts! I am so jazzed! Christmas for me came early this year and with that, I will dance in the New Year! To order your copy of International Quilt Festival Quilt Scene, please visit http://www.interweavestore.com/Quilting/Magazines/International-Quilt-Fest-Quilt-Scene.html

Chantilly Lace Finds a New Home

I am so excited that Chantilly Lace found a new home this month. She made her debut at the SAQA TX booth at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. This is the seventh piece in the Emerald Treasures Series and measures 9X12. The background is screenprinted and the coral reef is dyed, painted and soft sculpted. Her head and appendages arealso  painted with textile paints and her shell is built up on layers and layers of extra batting to provide dimension. She is embellished with beads and embroidery floss. You might remember that earlier in the year, I was blocked and could not seem to make art following my sister's passing. Chantilly Lace was the first piece I was able to create when I finally did get over my artistic block. I am especially delighted that she went to a dear friend and I know she has found a good home! I wish them well!

Studio Art Quilt Associates Portfolio 18: Call of the Wild

Studio Art Quilt Associates Portfolio 18 has just been released earlier this month, making it's debut at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas.   It is an absolutely phenomenal book featuring works of many artists who are professional members of Studio Art Quilts Association. The organization is international and sponsors fiber exhibits throughout the world. The book is published once a year with new works from its members. It is used as a marketing tool for approaching galleries and museums with samples of our work. This year, I have a piece titled ""Call of the Wild" " in Portfolio 18. Earlier, In March of this year, Call of the Wild found a new home when it debuted at the Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top, Texas. Inspired from a photo taken in South Carolina, this piece celebrates the Red Bellied Woodpecker. I love these birds and have been thinking of doing another piece with these beautiful creatures. If you have not yet had a chance to see this book, it is truly a feast for the eyes. To order your copy of Portfolio 18, please visit https://www.saqa.com/store-detail.php?cat=9&ID=9 .


Call of the Wild by Barb Forrister



  

Contemplation: Quilt of the Month in Machine Quilting Unlimited E Newsletter

Contemplation by Barb Forrister

Wow, I am so tickled that Contemplation was chosen as November Quilt of The Month in the Machine Quilting Unlimited E Newsletter. This piece was made in 2008 and was inspired from a photo of the Big Thompson River that flows along the Drake and Loveland area in Colorado.  I lived in Fort Collins for a while and used

  to make regular trips back and forth to Estes Park to visit family. Contemplation was inspired from these trips and was created with natural and synthetic fabrics, cellophane, cheesecloth, Angelina fibers, tinzl and dryer sheets. It is inked and painted, and contains heat distressed plastics, fiber etched leaves, thread painted trees and foliage on Solvy. The piece was machine appliquéd and quilted on my Bernina 1630 with Sulky 30 wt., Isacord trilobal polyester 30 wt embroidery, Superior trilobal polyester, and metallic and opalescent kaleidoscope threads with Superior Monopoly in the bobbin. Contemplation has received Honorable Mentions and has just returned home from a juried invitational exhibit called "The Trail That Lay Before Them" featuring contemporary art quilts at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management. I am honored that Contemplation was able to be seen and enjoyed by so many folks this month.  To sign up for your Machine Quilting Unlimited E Newsletter, please visit http://mqumag.com/ .

International Quilt Festival Memories 2011



Barb Forrister, Kathy York and Sherri, McCauley
 in front of Artists Garden, a group collaboration

 I had a wonderful time at festival this year. I was able to connect with so many old and new friends and hang out with people from all over the world. Love this aspect of festival. To the left, is a photo of myself, Kathy York and Sherri Mc Cauley standing in front of our group quilt. Sadly, we didn't win any prizes but we love this piece nonetheless! This piece was initiated and proposed by our amazing Connie Hudson! The top row of the quilt was made by Connie Hudson, Cindy Henneke and Annie Smith. The middle row is represented by Frances Holliday Alford, Leslie Tucker Jenison and Sherri Mc Cauley, while the bottom row was created by Kathy York, Barb Forrister and Suzan Engler. This year, International Quilt Festival had more than 1500 quilts available for viewing with so many wonderful special exhibits as well as the World of Beauty judged show. I especially liked the Texas Lone Star Exhibit, The Space Between, Tactile Architecture and Twelve by Twelve exhibits. They were absolutely phenomenal and I really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful artwork by so many artists. This year was my first time attending Gala On The Green and I had so much fun! Great food, delightful company, good band and lots of dancing. At the end of the night, my friend, Ysmay Gray and I rode home on a horesedrawn carriage. This is something that I have always wanted to do and I thought it was a perfect way to finish the festival! Loved riding through downtown Houston, seeing all the lights and enjoying the view!

Barb Forrister and Ysmay Gray riding home from Gala On the Green

Dinner at Eight Artists Meet in Houston for IQF 2011



Lost Cavern in The Space Between

 Dinner at Eight Artists met once again in Houston for the International Quilt Festival. This year's theme, The Space Between consisted of 37 artists including Natalya Aikens, Frances Holliday Alford, Betty Amador, Astrid Bennett, Loris Bogue, Deborah Borschert, Paula Chung, Joanell Connolly, Cindy Cooksey, Jamie Fingal, Barb Forrister, Linda Frost, Terry Grant, Desiree Habicht, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Lyric Kinard, Susan King, Pam Klebaum, Sherry Kleinman, Susan Brubaker Knapp, Jane LaFazio, Jayne Larson, Gwen Mayer, Linda T. Minton, Susie Monday, Jeannie Moore, Rachel Parris, Judy Perez, Yvonne Porcella, Wen Redmond, Karen Rips, Carolyn Ryan, Cynthia St. Charles, Julie Schlueter, Teresa Shippy, Gayle Simpson, Sarah Ann Smith, Terry Waldron, Laura Cater-Woods and Kathy York. So much fun to see how each of us interpreted the theme! My piece, Lost Cavern has been on my mind for a few years and I have always wanted to do a piece with stalactites and stalagmites under water. It was not until this year, that I finally delved into trying to accomplish this. The backdrop is a painted raw silk background covered with heat distressed lutradur and interfacing. I continued the jagged formations with wool roving and dyed cheesecloth mixed with lace and other bits of silk habotai. It is fused with Mistyfuse and quilted with Superior trilobal polyester thread and Aurifil 40 wt cotton machine quilting and embroidery thread. The divers are women who commemorate our pioneeer sister souls!

Below is a photo of Dinner at Eight Artists  meeting at Spencers on Friday night at of course, 8 o'clock. We had a wonderful time, meeting one another, exchanging cards, signing our new book, The Space Between and talking about next year's theme! As is traditional, we raised a toast to Strong Women. May we know them. May we raise them. May we be them! Then, we were off and being silly, playing with spoons. So much fun. Darn, I wish I had taken pictures of us with spoons but I suppose I was having too much fun. You can see more photos at http://dinnerateightartists.blogspot.com/ . Blessed to be a part of this awesome group of women! Truly one of the highlights of festival!


Left to right, Jamie Fingal, Terry Grant, Frances Holliday Alford, Gerrie Congdon, Susan Brubaker Knapp, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Barb Forrister and Susan King



3 Dimensional Palm Trees @ Quilting Arts Open Studios



One of my most favorite things about festival is doing Open Studio demos at the Quilting Arts booth. I love connecting and reconnecting with folks and sharing new ideas. At last year's Open Studios, I demonstrated how to make canopy trees like the one you see on the far right in the photo above. This year, I opted to carry that idea a step further by showing how you can make 3 dimensional palm trees out of lutradur and lace.  I began by experimenting with different weights of lutradur, specifically light and heavy weight lutradur. Then to change things up a bit, I added some interfacing. I painted sheets of both lutradur and interfacing with acrylic textile paints and used Mistyfuse Transdoodle sheets to transfer the palm frond patterns onto the painted sheets. In order to clearly see the stitching, I used heavy weight threads such as Madiera Supertwist, Wonderfil Dazzle and Superior Razzle Dazzle 8 wt thread in the bobbin to stitch the palm fronds. Laying a copper wire along the central vein of the leaf allows for shaping and sculpting of the leaves. The copper wire was couched by hand using yarn all along the central vein. The fronds make for wonderful fans also and I will be looking into this idea soon. The tree trunk was wrapped in lace and I am also planning to add some lights to the trunk. I think it will  make a great decorative night light! I will be posting photos soon of the completed tree. And perhaps by that time, I will have also had a chance to play with making some cool fans from lutradur and lace. I'm thinking some peacock designs would be pretty cool! Love playing with lutradur and now I am thinking about incorporating Misty Fuse and velvets/lace. So much fun!     

Mixed Media Beads at Quilting Arts MIU and SAQA Meet and Greet



Pokey Bolton & Barb Forrister @ Quilting Arts MIU

 On Thursday, November 3rd, I taught Mixed Media Beads at the Quilting Arts Make It University Booth @ the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. This was one of the highlights of my trip. I always enjoy teaching and in doing so, I often learn so much from my students. I love the way this educational experience develops. The students learned how to make mixed media beads and then some of them went on to have "aha" moments where they were able to carry the idea further and develop their own original inspirations. I love it when that happens!  Maggie Winfield, one of my students created some most unusual beads using fluffy yarns, Angelina fibers, and cloth. Another student created her own original beaded necklace. It was wonderful to see how ideas turn into creations!


Betty Busby, Barb Forrister, Holly, Mary Pal & Misik Kim

 Later in the day, I met up at the Studio Art Quilt Associates booth to connect with old and new friends. Some of you may know that I am from Albuquerque, as is my friend, Betty Busby who is one of the most amazing artists that I know! Betty invited me to dinner and introduced me to Holly from Santa Fe, N.M., yet another very interesting and engaging artist! Loved her sense of humor! Seated next to Holly is Mary Pal, an awesome artist from Canada who employs cheesecloth to create beautiful portraits from cloth. On the right is Misik Kim from Korea, one of the artists from Masters Art Quilts II.  We had a wonderful dinner at Massas Seafood restaurant, joked around and exchanged ideas. This was another highlight of my time spent in Houston. I love to connect with other artists and develop special camaraderie's. These women were absolutely so much fun! Awesome way to finish the evening!

Artist Village Debuts at International Quilt Festival 2011



Barb Forrister, Kathy York and Sherri McCauley



Wow, I am home from Houston and finally starting to blog. I had a fantastic time and had the pleasure of reconnecting with so many old friends and also new ones! I think that is my favorite thing about Houston! The comraderie is so amazing. This photo was taken on Wednesday, Opening Night at the International Quilt Festival. When I first walked onto the exhibit floor, the first main exhibit that caught my eye was the Artist Village curated by Kathy York. Words cannot describe how wonderful this village truly was. So fantastic to see 17 international artists coming together to express their ideas. I loved watching individuals come up to the exhibit with a smile on their face as they bent over to peer into each of the houses. It touched my heart to see how the village connected with so many people, a labor of love for sure!  

Artist Village Project at IQF 2011

To the left is a photo of the entire Artist Village, a collaboration with Susan Else, Frances Holliday Alford, Pamela Allen, Frieda Anderson, Lisa Call, Jane Davila, Naomi Adams, Jamie Fingal, Barb Forrister, Vickie Hallmark, Connie Hudson, Leslie Jenison, Sherri McCauley, Judy Coates Perez, Melanie Testa, Laura Wasilowski and Kathy York that is being enjoyed by some of the festival attendees. 

Closeup of part of the Artist Village Project.

The photo to the right shows a closeup part of the Artist Village with my contribution of the adobe pueble and 3 dimensional tree. I really enjoyed working on this project and am blessed to be a part of it all. Even more rewarding is seeing how it was received at festival. Wonderful to see it have an effect on so many people!

Quilting Arts Open Studios 2011: Creating 3 Dimensional Palm Trees

Remember the 3 Dimensional Canopy Tree? Ideas have been percolating and I am currently in the process of designing a 3 dimensional palm tree. In my quest to find materials that have body and lift, I have been experimenting with different weights of lutradur and interfacing. Below is a photo of painted heavy weight lutradur.
Please join me at the Quilting Arts Open Studio Booth at the International Quilt Festival on Friday from 12:40-2:40 p.m. where I will be showing how to create 3 dimensional palm trees and foliage. If you enjoy mixed media and sculpting, stop by and learn how to combine lace, lutradur and copper to create palm trees. By the way, these leaves also make for some pretty cool fans. If you have a chance, please stop by and visit. I would love to see you.