20080822 - Quilting

This my latest homework, Chapter 3 from ‘Art Quilt Workbook’ by Jane Davila and Elin Waterston. This chapter was about making a collage. I wanted to follow my theme and was able to find a fabric with a nice saguaro cactus. I really like the idea of abstract representation. What I would really want to be able to do with my quilting is get to the point where I can using traditional quilt patterns to somehow depict the nature of things. I am not expressing myself well here, but have you ever seen a line drawing where with a very few lines the artist is able capture the essence of something (like a fox)? That is what I want from my quilts. Not realism but the essence. I am not sure it can be done nor if it can be done by me, but that is what I wish.

One thing I learned here is that as with all art you cannot just skip the initial training. Even Picasso had to paint realism before he could do abstract.
I am pretty pleased with the progression so far. But I think I am going to have to adjust my theme a little for next month.



In order to make money to buy supplies to make quilts for charity, my quilting group is making things to sell at the Quail Creek Fall Festival. These are some of the items I made.

Purse from donated upholstery fabric samples. This was something I have been wanting to do for some time so it was great fun. The fabric in the base of the purse has a very interesting texture. I plan to make several more using a variety of these upholstery samples.


We decided to make eyeglass cases; easy, fun, and not too expensive to make or sell. The larger more dramatic ones are for sun glasses the smaller are for regular glasses.