Falling Together At The Seams

In late 2016 I started an open-ended series called the Quilt Diaries. My idea was to create a quilt block each week, then join them together at the end of the month. I decided not to restrict myself to particular materials, sizes or shapes. I'm not worried if they all come out looking different (they do).

In January 2017, I began my first artist residency, and started work on Quilt Diary 201701: Falling Together At The Seams.

It was a tough time. 2017 was kind of rough all over. But many of us felt a galvanizing, a deep desire to practice empathy and serve our communities.

I think we looked at the choice between falling apart and falling together, and we chose the latter. We showed up, we gave, we hugged, we shopped local, we spoke out, we listened to one another. We made our seams tighter.

Where My Okies At

I lived in Oklahoma for seven outta-sight years. It's where my art career really began. I'm in Austin now, but Oklahoma will always have a cherished place in my heart.

That's why I have a special message for my Okie supporters and collectors. (Hi, guys! Lookin' good!)

I've lived in Austin for three years now, and I work with two excellent Texas galleries:

Cerulean Gallery in Amarillo Ro2 Art in Dallas

I have a show coming up soon at Cerulean. On Edge opens on Friday, 16 September 2016, and runs through 28 October. I've been working very hard this year to present you with the best paintings I've ever created.

On September 16th, I'll be at the opening with a big big smile on my face.

You know who I would love to see there? You.

Would you consider making the trip?

I'm asking two months in advance so you'll have time to make travel plans. Amarillo is about 3.5 to 4 hours by car from Oklahoma City. You won't believe how that time flies when you're carpooling with friends.

In addition to the amazing art show at Cerulean Gallery (wink), here are some other things to do during your visit:

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

Have chicken fried steak at Lucille's Roadhouse

Visit Palo Duro Canyon

Take selfies at Cadillac Ranch

Indulge with wine & cheese at OHMS Cafe & Bar

Wake up to Roasters Coffee

Take in two great exhibitions at the Amarillo Museum of Art: Light on the Plains: Frank Reaugh pastels from the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum Side by Side: Larry Bell and Gabriel Dawe

Take the challenge at The Big Texan

Hope to see you there!

Save

Save

Save

Making Hay

Let us make hay while the sun shines.- Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote de la Mancha

So I had a pile of reds, golds, and browns, culled from the donated fabric bin at the meeting of Community First! Quilters. The fields are ripe, they said - it's harvest time.

The front and back are both improvised strip-piecing. The emerging pattern reminded me of aerial photographs of farmland.

See the burgundy? It was in my fabric stash for ages. It was just waiting for that exquisite harvest-gold botanical print to pair with.

Like, hey, what's up cheese? I'm that wine you've been thirsting after.

This spring-green patch was left over from a previous quilt.

Making Hay was my first ever longarm quilting experience. Many thanks to Jessica and Ellie at The Cotton Cupboard for their patient teaching!

What is Modern Quilting? Learn more about Mobile Loaves & Fishes What is the Community First! Village? Contribute your quilting skills to the Community First! Quilters

As the Bat Flies

As the Bat Flies Improvisational patchwork quilt created for Community First! Sarah Atlee, 2015

What is Modern Quilting? Learn more about Mobile Loaves & Fishes What is the Community First! Village? Contribute your quilting skills to the Community First! Quilters

The Community First! Quilters group relies heavily on donated fabrics. I love the challenge of taking colors and prints that don't look like they should go together... and making them go together.

This is my variation on the traditional Flying Geese quilt block. I call it Flying Bats. See the grey print with the little insects? Bats eat insects. There you go.

Do you know about Austin's bat colony?

I was surprised at how difficult it was to make these blocks come out how I'd imagined. After a lot of trial and some error, I settled into a method.

The back.

Stitching detail. This was my second-ever quilt finished on a longarm machine. While I don't yet feel entirely adept at the process, I enjoy the speed and flexibility of free-motion quilting.

Whee!

Curves on Top of Curves - Part 2

The Austin Modern Quilt Guild got so many contributions for the Drunkard's Path challenge that there were enough for two whole quilts. Thus we were able to double our donation to the Community First! Village. See pictures of the first quilt here.

First some links, then the pictures.

What is Modern Quilting? Join the Austin Modern Quilt Guild Learn more about Mobile Loaves & Fishes What is the Community First! Village? Contribute your quilting skills to the Community First! Quilters

Even More Curves.

Plus some stripes.

I just love the two zebra-striped yin-yang blocks we got. Can you spot the one in the other quilt?

By the pool. In November. Because Austin.

The back.

Quilting detail, and adorable chairs fabric from Stitch Lab.

I want to thank the members of the Austin Modern Quilt Guild for trusting me with their quilt blocks - I had SO much fun assembling and quilting these guys! You rock.

Want to see more creations like these? Check out the Austin MQG on Instagram.