a quilted garden

a few weeks ago i attended the international quilt festival in houston and promised to show you some of the amazing quilts i photographed there.  as usual, i found myself drawn to quilts that depicted elements found in nature.  so come and take a stroll with me through the iqf garden… (all images are credited with the artist’s name and title).

let’s start with the handi quilter best of show award (and $10,000) winning quilt:

on the wings of a dream, by caryl bryer fallert (paducah, ky)

check out the quilting detail:

detail, on the wings of a dream, by caryl bryer fallert

winner of the world of beauty award (and $7,500) went to this magnificent baltimore album quilt:

hearts and garlands, by liz jones (leominster, herefordshire, u.k.)

hearts and garlands, by liz jones (leominster, herefordshire, u.k.)

block detail, hearts and garlands, by liz jones

the future of quilting award ($1000) went to this lovely:

tuscan sun, by gina perkes (payson, arizona)

this quilt won honorable mention in the handmade category:

the endless world II, by noriko endo (nagoya, aichi, japan)

detail of the endless world II, by noriko endo

i loved the simple fabric selection in noriko’s depiction of a traditional grandmother’s garden quilt (above).  the next quilt won the handmade category ($1000):

white dew, by tsuneko shimura (tokyo, japan). embroidery on applique.

loved the hawaiian-inspired applique on this quilt:

my mother's quilt, by yachiyo katsuno (setagaya, tokoyo, japan)

detail of chrysanthemum. my mother's quilt, by yachiyo katsuno.

this quilt won the art-abstract, small category award ($1000):

building up, by kathy york (austin, tx)

according to the artist’s statement, the quilt above is a comment on the beauty of modern urban architecture, but also on its underlying population and consumption issues.  in it i saw plan views of both buildings and parterre gardens.

beyond the horizon, by mary ann hildebrand (comfort, tx)

the quilt above was AMAZING!  according to the artists’ statement (a wife and husband team), the appliqued design was based on a woodcut that appeared in Flammarions Book on Astronomy, first published in the late 1800’s.  here’s a detailed image:

detail, beyond the horizon, by mary ann hildebrand.

another blazing beauty:

rose mandala I, by anne lullie (lake in the hills, il)

the following quilt was inspired by a cross-sectional cut of a tree:

cycles of life, by jean wells keenan (sisters, or)

this quilt was just too funny, and as neon as it looks in the picture:

starbugs fly-thru cafe, by kathy kennedy-dennis (houston, tx)

this one was long and lean:

carrot farm, by carol morrissey (double oak, tx)

the next quilt was INCREDIBLE!  i loved the multiple perspective points along the split rail and field rows:

everyday barns & family farms, by karen hanken (medford, or)

you can’t really tell from the photos, but the multiple angles of the barn vignettes made the entire piece look like siding on an old barn.  here’s a detail:

detail of everyday barns & family farms, by karen hanken

i fell in love with this one:

keeping watch over carlson ranch, by david taylor (steamboat springs, co)

the artist used rust-dyed fabrics to realistically depict the owl’s feathers.  it.was.STUNNING.  here are some details:

detail of feather applique, keeping watch over carlson ranch, by david taylor

detail of quilting, keeping watch over carlson ranch, by david taylor

the following whole-cloth quilt won the superior threads master award for thread artistry ($5000):

protection, by hollis chatelain (hillsborough, nc)

thread detail, protection, by hollis chatelain

yes, the ENTIRE image is made with thread…!

thread detail, protection, by hollis chatelain

the following quilt won the traditional pieced category award ($1000):

relationship, by kayoko hata (yokohama, kanagawa pref, japan)

i really liked its color palette:

detail, relationship, by kayoko hata

this quilt won honorable mention in the traditional applique category:

my challenge, by vicki jenkin (horsham, victoria, australia). based on magical medallion pattern by karen kay buckley.

every good quilt garden needs a classical reference or two:

medea escaping, by marilyn belford (chenango forks, ny)

and a way to mark time:

zodiac, by martha brown (pickering, ontario, canada)

zodiac was pretty amazing.  the image above was at the center and was surrounded by the artist’s interpretation of the astrological signs.  here’s a detail of leo:

detail of leo, in zodiac, by martha brown

and aries:

detail of aries, in zodiac, by martha brown

the show’s youngest white-glove curator (or so her mom told us) saw us looking at the quilt, and showed us its inspiration, which was stitched on the back of the quilt:

embroidered zodiac, made when the artist was a teenager (martha brown)

this next quilt was absolutely STUNNING:

african adventure, by janneke de vries-bodzinga (kollumekzwaag, friesland, netherlands)

great color gradations throughout, accentuated by tone-on-tone quilting:

leaf detail, african adventure, by janneke de vries-bodzinga

and the bubbles even looked like water:

bubble detail, african adventure, janneke de vries-bodzinga

this quilt won the mixed-technique category in the future of quilting award ($1000):

midnight in the garden, by paula byrd (spring, tx)

this one was a pretty view:

a tree's nature, by lucia chan (forest hills, ny)

a moon garden:

she came by the light of the moon, by marlene shea (wethersfield, ct)

this quilt won first place in the minature quilt category:

mission: impossible 2, by kumiko frydl (houston, tx)

just look at the size comparison between the quilt and the blue ribbon!  its a teeny tiny 128 point mariner’s compass…!  proof nothing’s impossible for kumiko:

detail, mission: impossible 2, by kumiko frydl

this quilt won honorable mention in the art-painted surface category:

moon garden, by judy coates-perez (chicago, il)

the colors and lines on this quilt were quite nice:

winter to spring, by kathy york (austin, tx)

i REALLY liked this one:

surfing school-winter, by harumi iida (kamakura, japan)

and last, but certainly not least, we pass through the fabric forest:

fabric forest, an installation by the grobenzeller quiltgruppe of germany

there were many trees of fabric suspended from the ceiling.  you could walk around them to observe how different artists interpreted their favorite trees.  the aspen was my favorite:

detail of aspen, by vassen heidrun (unterhaching, germany), member of the grobenzeller quiltgruppe

walking through the quilted trees...

it was quite an inspiration, walking by all those quilts.  if you have any interest in design, regardless of your choice of media, i highly recommend making a trek to this show.  it will surely inspire you too.

if you want more information, or to see entire images of the winning quilts, click here.

a sweet gathering

it’s someone’s very special (60th) birthday today… and mr. grwhryrpltd went out of his way for this one.  a trip to mexico for the gifts, a large hand made shipping container to get it to the final destination, and two flights later we had one heck of a surprised birthday girl:

the bewitching pinata is strung while the lucha libre mask is donned

she strikes...

and strikes again... (arm down)

a change of implements was eventually needed, but the pinata is finally down!

a sweet gathering...

with tasty treats for you...

you deserve it, happy birthday jan!  the weekend went too fast, but the memories will last and last…

festival trades

my mom and i recently got back from the international quilt festival in houston.  we had a great time…!  lots of quilt oogling, vendor perusing and mixed-media class taking.  while i sort through which of the 300+ photographs i took of the quilts to show you , here are images of the atc’s i traded for:

atc trades (front)

top row (l to r): pokey bolton, founder and editor-in-chief of quilting arts magazine, lisa mallette of studio rose, pat schultz (no web presence that i could find).  bottom row (l to r): ana buzzalino of patches & paint, adena joseph of sew4real, maddy sibley (no web).  here’s an image of the backs:

atc trades (back)

i’m very pleased with my “trades” as each one spoke to me… other than maddy, who i was able to meet and exchange cards with personally, i have no idea who grabbed the other ones i stuck on the wall… maybe they will contact me, maybe they won’t – it’s all part of the fun.

stay tuned for future posts on the quilts featured at festival, and to see what mom and i produced in our mixed-media class…

unfurling

i’m actually early for this month’s bloom day, hosted, as always, by carol at may dreams gardens.  i have a beautiful bloom to share with you…  i missed it the last time they opened in our garden here, but i was fortunate to spot one unfurling today:

another jaded chrysalis, this time above our front door

emergence

a hard landing (the chrysalis above is from the spring monarch hatching)

Asclepia's rest

i’m not so sure this was the best day for the monarch to come out of hiding.  the clouds and intermittent rain prevented the monarch’s wings from absorbing the heat of the sun’s rays.  i thought i’d be helpful and bring some open milkweed flowers for it to rest on (Asclepia is a primary food source for monarchs), but its proboscis seemed to be sensing the shape of things rather than searching for nectar.   when another major storm front moved through, i gently coaxed the butterfly from the concrete and onto the branch of a potted plant (Eupatorium) i have yet to put in the ground.  i hope the leafy porch shelter is amenable.  as of writing this post, the monarch is still there.  i was able to capture a few videos of the unfurling, but i’ll wait a while longer before posting them; hopefully she’ll fully bloom by then.

happy bloom day.

festival

the 35th annual international quilt festival starts tomorrow in houston.  on the way there, i’m going to swing by the airport to pick up a certain someone so she can see for herself why i was so taken by it last year… it is the festival for quilters, sewers, mixed-media artists and every combination thereof to attend…

in preparation, i’ve been making some atc’s (artist trading cards) to swap with other people i meet there.  since the cards are small (2.5″x3.5″) they don’t take much time to make, and are a good way to use up the bits and pieces of fabric, ribbon and printed images i’ve had lying around forever… random, but fun for the muses…

industrial interfacing base

image printed on silk chiffon

sewn image

atc window box...

embellished

dimensionalized

and critterized...

hope i can find some good trades… and inspiration along the way…

drats…

uh-oh… we have a problem.  i’m not sure if it’s something i really want to admit to, but it exists and appears as though it isn’t going to go away anytime soon.  you see, a certain kind of critter has taken refuge in our garden.  and not just any kind critter.  the kind where you skew up your nose, curl your lips and look for the nearest chair to stand on… we have rats.

the first visual indication of our new garden squatters was near the compost bin, as an attractive nest of shredded paper started to grow along one of its edges.  “huh… i think something is nibbling on our tasty compost.”  firmly in denial at this point, i asked a friend of mine who had recently gone through the city’s three day composting program if they addressed how to deal with say, i don’t know, rodents in residential compost…?

“oh, no, we didn’t cover that,” she said and quickly asked, “why…”

“well, i think we may have rodents in our compost.”

“oh dear, you aren’t putting your kitchen scraps in your compost are you?”

“why, of course we are,” while i thought to myself, isn’t that what compost bins are for…?

“oh, you shouldn’t do that…”

um, okay.  it’s not like we put meat, dairy or oily products out with the spinach, egg shells and veggie debris… but hey, if i were a rodent in a new residential development, i’d belly up to the free bar too!

and then the neighbors started talking…

“have you seen any rats around?”

“no, but i think i may have heard some scampering feet last night – we had our windows open and the kitties were captivated by something going on out there.”

“you open your windows at night?”

“yea… it’s good to let a little fresh air in the house… i think the scampering feet were running along the fence lines.”

“well, we’ve seen ‘em in our yard, and have trapped a few.  i hear the neighbor’s dog, behind your lot, caught one that was as big around as a rudy’s cup (our local bbq joint, and yes, they have HUGE plastic cups for sweet tea)…”

that's a big... glass of sweet tea...!

“really?  that big?!”

“yea, and it wasn’t the only one…”

“huh.  well, we’ll let you know if we see any.”

“we’ve put out some bait traps.  the kind that your cats shouldn’t be able get into, so they should be okay.”

“alright, thanks, we’ll keep an eye out…”

i think the neighbor’s bait stations are working.  about two weeks ago i found a small (4″, not including its tail), decapitated rat in our front yard.  how it lost its head is a mystery to me.  last week dude, our black cat, alerted me to the second dead rat in our back yard.  euwww… it was lying near a generously-sized opening under the fence, with its mouth clenched around a tuft of sedge that was surprisingly difficult to pry it away from… i take it the poison must’ve worked poor thing…

side note: aren’t you glad i’m still camera shopping?  no macro closeups for this story…

pumping station

late last week i was awarded another good find… i decided to hookup the pump to drain the ever-collecting water in our backyard, as it’s been raining here and the pathways are a soggy, muddy mess.  we’ve installed a french drain system that’s connected to a submersible pump to convey the water from back yard to front yard.  the not-yet-automated pump is in an open hole (we’re working on it…) that frequently fills up with water.  i was pumping the water from this hole, occasionally cleaning out the grass clipping debris with my gloved hand.  when the water got to the half-way mark the thought occurred to me, i wonder if something’s been living in the drain this whole time, like a snake or something… and a few moments later, a furry mass with a long ratty tail came out of the pipe and floated next to the pump intake…

EUUWWW…!!!  good thing it wasn’t alive, and was smaller than a rudy’s cup…

three times must be the charm for this rodent family, because i haven’t seen one since…

have any of you had similar experience with critters in your compost?  any suggestions are welcome…

desire

i’ve been enjoying watching the pbs lineup this fall.  ken burn’s latest documentary the national parks, the craft in america series, and now, i have this to look forward to:

if you haven’t already read it, pick up a copy of michael pollan’s the botany of desire, and change the way you think about the plant world…

here’s a link to the press release.  thanks to the upstate gardener blog, ear to the ground for sharing the news.

september moments

aaand we’re back… just in time for the sun to set on another september.  according to the calendar, summer has officially transitioned into autumn, yet i find it hard to sense the seasonal queues i’m more familiar with ushering in this personally favorite time of year.  we’ve had some nice long, cloudy days with rain gauge quality rainfall, rendering the foliage green and plump with moisture.  while the colors of the foliage have not changed, other subtle indicators of seasonal shift have started to migrate through – butterflies, dragonflies, hummingbirds, and other various birds.  it’ll be a different way to mark the passage of time, but i look forward to observing what the rest of the season has to offer.  in the meantime, here’s a mosaic of the garden (and other) moments of september:

september moments

introducing the garden professors

i just came across a new blog via garden rant.  please meet the garden professors, and prepare yourself to learn a thing or two from the academic/research world of horticulture.  while i haven’t had the pleasure of attending any of the professor’s actual classes, i’m familiar with some of their work – namely bert cregg at my alma mater, msu, and jeff gilman’s book the truth about organic gardening.  i’m looking forward to seeing who else jumps on this blogger bandwagon…

https://sharepoint.cahnrs.wsu.edu/blogs/urbanhort/default.aspx

distracted

no news on a camera update, but i have been looking at reviews and shopping around… so in cases when i must capture a moment, i take out my cell phone and hope for the best.  here’s what i’ve been distracting myself with the past week:

knitting bacchus socks for mom

yes, i have lots of other projects to work on (like that long-ago promised sweater for mr. grwhryrpltd, who still patiently waits and reminds me about it, even in spite of the 95 degree weather…), but i picked up a skein of fiber optic yarns while at the michigan fiber festival that just had to be knit into socks.  as you can see, this pattern features bobbles to simulate grape clusters, and if you know my knitting history, understand my penchant for bobbles… one sock down, one to go…