A Border Ready and Waiting

I'm still working on the HSTs and came up with a great plan while putting the extra HSTs away. In the box were the Cultural Fusion Crossroads blocks that have been waiting over a year.

A dark block anchors each corner while the remaining Crossroads blocks were added in two possible values. They both look good to me. The one on the right needs a very strong border while the one on the left needs something else. The blocks won't fit together without some type of border or adjustment.

Dark and light borders around HST center

Compare the photos above with the one below which was an early version of Chinese Coins II. Even though the stars are about the same size as the triangles and the coins in CCII are narrower than those in HST, my Crossroads blocks changed appearance like a chameleon. They are spindly and fragile below but perfect with the HSTs. Like they were planned for this design. Why this works is something I need to study more.

Chinese Coins II quilt
with possible Crossroads block border

In other news, Color Study's binding is on. It should be a finish soon.

Binding strips cut,
then sewing to back first

A group of us visited the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles recently. Their exhibits included fifteen or more swing coats by Patricia Montgomery celebrating important women of the Civil Rights Movement.

Honoring the Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement:
Patricia A Montgomery exhibit
at The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

Construction is highlighted by the unfinished coat on the wall. The textiles and colors of each coat vary. They are embellished with quotes and photos celebrating each heroines importance. In a time when Helen Keller has been removed from Texas social studies textbooks, it's even more important to remember that women can effect change as much as men.

Strong People Don't Need Strong Leaders -
Ella Josephine Baker

This yellow coat highlights Ella Baker who advanced group-centered (grass-roots) leadership where people "directly directly participate in the decisions that effect their lives." One advantage is that the movement becomes important rather than a single charismatic leader. This idea led to longer-lived, independent organizations such as the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Enjoy the day, Ann

Preparing for Freddy Dot Com Class

Last month, LeeAnn of Nifty Quilts came to the Bay Area for work. We met for a delightful afternoon lunching and visiting the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. The current exhibit, Blanket Statements, pairs quilts from the Kaffe Fassett Studio with their historical inspirations from the Quilt Museum and Gallery in York, England.

The next week, Freddy Moran was the featured speaker at our guild, SCVQA. What a quilting treasure! After her lecture, we took her to the museum, too. Of course, she wanted her photo in front of a "dotty" quilt.

To meet most of the demand in our group, Freddy gave two workshops of one of her most popular classes - Freddy Dot Com.

I didn't think I had many dotted fabrics but decided to pull all of them from my stash before shopping. And here they are. {See why I can't have too large a stash? I can't even keep track of my small amount.}

Black-and-white fabrics are not big features of my stash. They never looked good with most of my fabrics. After dining with Freddy I figured out why. Freddy likes "pure" colors - those that are not shades or tints. Except for the reds, most of my fabrics have some grey or brown leanings. While I think they are bright at times, they are nowhere near as vivid and clear as Freddy's fabrics.

Even though I didn't have many fabrics that went well with the black-and-white, there were still many more than needed. I used the two fabrics on the left below (the  stripe and the black-and-white) to choose a more limited set, culling them to ones that blended. The three on the right made the cut. Most of the pinks did not.

Enjoy the day, Ann

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