Today, on the Quiltart list, someone asked the question- What made you begin Art Quilting?
**A few notes have been added mid April 2008**
I posted the short version there. Here's the long version- I ended up taking a walk down memory lane.
Looking back, my journey to art quilting has been a long one. I honed my sewing skills by helping my mother make clothes for our family, my prom dresses, and wedding gown. My first successful quilting project was in HS art class- a pillow top hand pieced and quilted on one side, and machine done on the other, using the same quilt pattern- I still have it. I learned the log cabin in Home Ec. class, before rotary cutters and their rulers- too much work for my tastes then. My first quilt was double-knit- (remember that? mostly orange and a funky green? not a color I use today) poor fabric choice, but what was available- remember the late 70's? We made a lot of clothes out of the stuff. I always wished that I could have taken more art classes. The only art classes I have taken were elementary and senior years in school. I got my degree in Horticulture, and was able to take a floral design class in college. I also took an advanced floral design class while I owned a floral shop & greenhouse. My fabric stash began in high school, collecting pretty florals for ruffly dresses for my future little girls. I got 3 sons- no flowers, ruffles or lace…
I inherited a stepson-18, and a stepdaughter- 17, when I got married, before having my sons. One son was an uncle before he was born, when my stepdaughter had her first child, a boy, then she got a girl. My first "real" quilt was made after seeing Eleanor Burns on PBS (She almost lost me the first time she threw fabric over her shoulder- I thought she was crazy!). It was a Trip Around the World (TAW), I took notes as fast as I could, and had a top done for my granddaughter by the end of the day, using some of my pretty girly fabrics. That led to one for grandson, then stepdaughter, then stepson & wife, then I was hooked. I guess my sons didn't get quilts then, because my stash was mostly the girly stuff. All of my quilts were pillowcase "birthed" the Eleanor Burns way- I hate bindings, and have only done 2-3 in my quilting career.
After reading a book about making money selling crafts, and starting at step #4 instead of step #1, I decided I was going to make my fortune making and selling bed quilts …..NOT! My boys finally got quilts- the ones that didn't sell. I took a FMQ class, and thought I could bypass the practice …NOT! I then moved to stuffed toys, pillows, small crafty hangings, placemats, potholders, etc. Started back at step #1 in the book, and finally began selling enough to be worth my time, and supply me with fabric.
When watercolor quilts were becoming popular, I thought it was great that I could mix prints. I began making TAW wall hangings in different color and fabric combinations, as well as others that I could use to highlight FMQ, when I got better at it. I then made my first Trellis quilt with watercolor pieced background. At this time, all my quilted hangings were properly pieced according to the "rules".
These pictures show what I was selling in the beginning- top and right were really early beginning, with stuffed animals, pillows, and simple little wall hangings.
Bottom left picture shows placemats and other hangings I made later. Notice that my place mats were not rectangles- all heart shaped here. It also shows my #2 son who was the helper for that show (2008 update- It's hard to believe he is now a very tall, Army man).
Here are displays of what I made a little later. I had grown a lot by now. Bottom right shows the first piece I made "just for jury slides" (Watercolor Star piece), it sold the second show I took it to, for way too little, looking back. You can see pieced table runners, scans of flowers that I iron-on transferred onto hangings, quilted picture frames. Some of the Trip Around the World hangings in different colors. A lot of different styles and kinds of items. By this time, I was finally making money selling things at craft shows. All while raising my guys, and working full time in greenhouses or floral shops. Sewing took back burner in the spring.
Somehow I found the Quiltart list, and really began to learn a lot. Fused raw edge appliqe is a great thing!- I loved the look of applique, but did not like hand work. Now all I needed were realistic floral fabrics and Wonder Under for my quilted gardens. I began coming up with different quilts to decorate walls. Mickey Lawler is responsible for my addiction to painting and sunprinting. I bought her book, "Sky Dyes" to learn what to do with the paints I had bought from Dharma to marble fabric (never have marbled any). I started painting fabrics for backgrouds for my window and trellis series of quilts (I saw trellises, customers saw windows, so I made windows, too). I loved painting fabric, no more hunting for the perfect shade of blue in fabric stores.
I joined the Journal quilt project because of the Quiltart list, and that had a lot to do with where I have ended up. The "what happens if's" began. If I could make a quilt journal size, then why not a common size for framing? The birth of my 8×10" window and trellis series, (thanks to Tomme Fent for purchasing one when I started my website!) then slightly larger 11×14" quilts that looked like matted botanical prints, they sold well. I then discovered sunprinting, I saw that Mickey had used a fern and other leaves in her book, and the lightbulb went on. I had access to a lot of fun funky foliages to use for sunprints (and NO I did not strip ALL the leaves (just some) from the plants for sale at our greenhouse:). I found painting and sunprinting to be very therapeutic and fun. Problem- what to do with the sunprints… The birth of my simple 5×7-11×14" botanical print type quilts with a sunprint "matted" with fabric, and quilted.
I got the chance to get to Houston for festival (My first Quilt Show) the first year Journals were there. I had made enough money that year to take classes all 7 days (what was I thinking?)- Loved it, and saw some amazing quilts! Took classes on painting, FMQ, and I was able to take a 2 day class from Caryl Bryer Fallert on quilting business practices. She taught me a lot about the business side of quilting, as well as gave me inspiration from her work. It's because of her, that I decided I needed to put money into a "real" sewing machine- I'd been using Touch'N Sew Singers- yard sale finds, that kept breaking down- I now have a Janome 6500- worth every penny! I could now use fun threads, sew and FMQ with the same machine!
Each year has brought new ideas, and things to try. "Quilting Arts" magazine has given me so many ideas and new techniques to try (I have all from issue #1). Last year began my newest quilt types, due to very poor finances- I came up with my own version of fabric bowls, which led to using up their scraps in pins (you can't throw away perfectly good quilt sandwiches!), that I started beading with the beads I had been collecting, after drooling over some of the beaded quilts I had seen. I had piles of fusible backed fabric left from my place mat making days- my fused crazy patch resulted. I also began experimenting with "just chopping things up, and stitching them together". I am now playing with silks, pastels, sheers, tulle, and lots more fun stuff. I love not having to follow "rules"! Now I have a couple pieces that may be big enough to enter into a show.
2008 update- I did get some bigger pieces made, and had 5 pieces in the IQA Quilt festival in Houston, fall 2007, a new journal quilt, the journal quilt published, 2 pieces in the "In full Bloom" exhibition (one will have a new home this summer at the end of it's travels), and my first ever quilt to be juried into a show- "Stained Glass and Ferns" shown in another post.
I guess I'ts been a growing process from the beginning, and I'm still growing.
I am a former textile artist and new pattern designer with a degree in horticulture, wishing to share my love of nature, flowers and gardens with everyone through my photos, sunprinted fabrics, and now pattern designs. Chronic Lyme Disease has caused major changes to the direction my life. I have to limit the amount of time spent digging in my gardens, and quilting has become more difficult. I discovered pattern design as a way to get art back into my life. I now use my gardens and photos to inspire designs that can be used on fabrics and print on demand items.
