Chinese Coin Demonstration

Since agreeing to give a short demonstration on Chinese Coins that date looms ever larger in my mind. Several of my Coin quilts were gifted away while others are tops at best {and some are just ideas in my brain.} It didn't seem right to have only photos to show; I need to finish {and keep} some. And I need to create a simple-yet-interesting Coin top to start them off.

How to best explain this process to new quilters is another issue. What process? As my sister aptly noted, I just pull everything from my stash and scrap bag and throw it together. Finally I wrote what I think I do. Now I will follow those directions {guidelines? suggestions?} to verify that's a workable plan.

Dovetailing my efforts, I cut strips with a certain person in mind. This woman likes yellow. "Yellow and what?" you ask. Unspecified. Last time I made her a string quilt that avoided resolving that question. This time I'm adding green. Yellow, black, white, and green. Easy peasy.

Chinese Coin fabrics in
yellow, green, black and white

The yellow and green look great together. Probably a bit louder than she wants but, hey.

Yellow and green
Chinese Coin columns

Adding the white columns made the green unworkable. Now the green is too bright, too loud. It makes the other columns look faded and dirty.

Yellow, white, and green
columns of Chinese Coins

After a day's reflection, I sewed only yellow and white columns together. A soft, lovely quilt I think she will enjoy. Well, there are some wild fabrics in there but it does come from me and I like the buffalo plaid, the black and cream triangles, and the white daisies {which I bought for Freddy Moran's class when we took her shopping... or more truthfully, we drove while she took us shopping. Good memory there.} I bought a yard but only used one arc's worth in the Polka Dot quilt, so it became the back of the Racetrack quilt. One strip surfaced in the scrap bag.

Yellow and white Chinese Coin quilt top

Chinese Coins VI contains most of my talking points with no extraneous techniques to muddy the presentation. Mixing prints, using solid white, adding a strip square, changing column widths, and ruler cutting the sides. The only thing missing is using a third color. Much as I and FO (future owner) like this quilt, it might confuse new quilters into thinking they should only make two color Coins.

Sigh. I'll have to try again. Another sigh because there are still many green coins to use up. I do wish I could learn to cut what is needed rather than creating a small mountain of pieces each time.


Quilt Trunk Show in Berkeley
A special treat yesterday: Julie Silber presented a trunk show of some of her quilts dating from 1828-1948. Here's my favorite of the night. All she needed to add is, "Make up your bed."

Red and green quilt
in Julie Silber's collection

Our friend, Rod Kiracofe helped her display the quilt and showed one of his Wheel quilts.

Julie Silber holds a Wheel quilt
from Rod Kiracofe's collection

Rod and Julie are selling quilts from their collections February 10 and 11. They are sure to be swamped with buyers.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Rod Kiracofe Presentation and August 2016 AHIQ Linkup

It's hard to get back to my old routine after taking off most of the summer. Quilts were left in progress  and I've had trouble remembering the plans.

While still a difficult time, this month has been more fun. We drove across the western US. As schoolchildren we learned a line called the Continental Divide separates rivers flowing east to the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic from those flowing west to the Pacific. This is not quite true.

The Great Basin encompasses about a fifth of the country from the western Rockies to the eastern Sierra Nevadas. Water in this area flows nowhere. It can only evaporate leaving alkali beds, salt flats, and several salt lakes. The Great Salt Lake is the largest, but there are several more.

Mono Lake from a distance

 Mono Lake is one of them. It's so salty birds have trouble paddling in this lake; they're too buoyant. Tufas formed by fresh water springs famously tower above the lake's surface, in part because the lake has been drawn down to transport water to other parts of California.

Closeup of tufas at Mono Lake

Fortunately, this is no longer allowed. Unfortunately, the west has been in such a severe drought that the lake level is still falling.

Rod Kiracofe was the guest speaker at our quilt meeting yesterday. Although not a quilter, he has done more to advance quilting as important American art than anyone I know. Starting in 1983, The Quilt Digest juxtaposed antique works with contemporary art quilts highlighting the commonalities. He went on to write The American Quilt, a seminal work that displayed the development of quilting designs and styles through time when other books organized material by block design. As a maker, I learned skills from the latter layout, but as a student my understanding was enriched by Rod's history.

One-Patch quilt from the collection
of Rod Kiracofe shown at SCVQA meeting, 2016

I believe his greatest genius is, as he wrote in Unconventional and Unexpected, his "practice of creating new ideas in the larger cultural conversation." This is most evident in the exhibits he curates where he opens my eyes to relationships between different groups of people or art. For example, his exhibits last year at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles and at the Sonoma Art Museum.

Improvisational quilt,
possibly from men's hatbands.
Rod Kiracofe collection.

Hearing him again has reignited the need to quilt.

Edit: Monica suggested that since we both host this linkup Kaja and I each add our posts below to help others visit both. Such a good idea. Thanks!

Enjoy each day,
Ann

InLinkz removed because it was hacked.

Improv Immersion: Rod Kiracofe Shows and my Study Group

Rod Kiracofe just gave a walk-through of Found/Made, his current show. He included works from several major collectors, contemporary artists, and quilters. There's a list on the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles website. Rod can "charm the birds from the trees" as we'd say back home. Not only did he talk gallery owners and artists into contributing works, he convinced the owners of one quilt to take it off their bed so he could use it!

The works are much more nuanced in person that they could ever be in a mere photo. You can clearly see Rod's sophisticated and whimsical eye in the staging of this exhibit. He effortlessly highlights relationships between different artists causing viewers to consider what inspires them and how those touchstones thread through time. The show runs until November 1, 2015, so make plans to see it.

Quilt tops hung on a clothesline point the way to the entrance. The one in the middle is entirely double-knit polyester, very precisely cut and pieced. I wonder if it was made after 1979 when rotary cutters became available? Rod deliberately hung the one on the left backwards so visitors could see the sewing and seam allowances. You better believe I checked each seam closely. Extremely interesting but also a cautionary tale to quilters: "If you don't finish your tops, everyone can (and will) take a gander at your piecing!"

Rod Kiracofe at the entrance to Found/Made,
his exhibit at San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.
Photo used with permission.

Rod has collected quilts since the 1970's. Among his many books, he wrote two seminal quilt histories. The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950 is an excellent chronological overview of quilting through those centuries. His newest book, Unconventional and Unexpected: American Quilts Under the Radar, 1950-2000 focuses on the eccentric, improvisational quilts dear to his heart. In my opinion, Okan Arts wrote the most interesting review.

This past April Rod curated Unconventional and Unexpected at the Sonoma Art Museum, juxtaposing quilts from his book with Shaker furniture and tools. Fan (partial view below) appears on page 146. Rod collected it from Wood County, Texas, which just happens to be the birthplace of my husband. How's that for coincidence?

Fan from Unconventional and Unexpected,
Sonoma Art Museum. Photo used with permission.

Pools of light emphasized the rich colors and textures of the quilts and brought the soft patinas of the wood into focus.  I was especially struck by the quilts he hung as if they were on a clothesline blowing in the breeze. Obviously, that image evokes strong, early family memories for both of us.

Unconventional and Unexpected,
Sonoma Art Museum.
Photo used with permission.

On a more personal note, four of us meet monthly to discuss sections of The Improv Handbook by Sherri Wood. We share our current project, inspirations, roadblocks, detours, and successes. Although we are working the same score, our results differ wildly, showing that artists and artisans working in community can sometimes reach greater heights than working in isolation.

Floating Squares from our study group.
Same score but four different results.

Last month we brought floating square tops. Clockwise from the left in the group photo above. Mine was large and scrappy; I already posted about it. MN grouped her green and red fabrics into strong color-blocks on a baby quilt. She's written two posts: the beginning and the finish. MKreative started a table runner of very sophisticated triangles that she wrote about here. Tami's selected aquas and purples from her scrap bag. She hasn't written a post yet but her blog is here.

After we've exhausted our discussion, taken photos, and enjoyed our tea, we choose what we want to explore next. While it's lovely to write back and forth with quilters in blogland it's even more fun to share, learn, and laugh in person. I'm very lucky to work with these talented women.

Enjoy the day, Ann