The Joy of Quilting

I'm in the middle of the longest stretch of time I'll be at home this year.  6 weeks.  I'm trying to make the most of it by spending a great deal of time in my studio.  Bliss!

Some of you may know that I "love" to piece, "like" to quilt and "hate" to bind.  So in the fits and starts of time I've had in the studio this year, I have mostly pieced.  Consequently, the pile of tops has reached gargantuan proportions.  It was time to bite the bullet and work through the pile.

So I've been mostly quilting during the day and sewing on facings in the evenings.  And there is great satisfaction in the finishing of pieces.  Who knew?

Well, to be honest, I suppose most of you knew that.  But it's something I forget when I'm caught up in the joy that piecing brings me.

Anyway, I've been home three weeks.  While I spent some time piecing a large mineral thin section quilt, I've spent the majority of my time quilting.  So I thought I'd show you a few of the pieces I've finished.

The first is a quilt I called, coincidentally, "Joy".  Piecing makes me very very happy.  And I love bright colors, bold shapes and lines.  So making this quilt was an act of pure joy.
Joy, 30"w x 44" h
I made the next piece for the Yvonne Porcella "Living Your Brightest Life" exhibit.  I only met Yvonne once, but her work influenced my early forays into art quilting.  "Joy #2" is an expression of my love of color and my admiration for a wonderful, talented woman.
Joy #2, 18"w x 26" h
Many of the unfinished tops in the pile are studioQ challenge pieces.  You may remember that each month one of the members selects a work of art to use as inspiration in creating a 15" x 20" piece.  The piece for August is by Matisse, Landscape at Collioure, 1905.  The original picture is:
My version:
What should I call it?
Yesterday I quilted three pieces from an earlier challenge.  The original picture was Van Gogh's Chair:
This color palette really appealed to me, so I made three pieces.  Sort of "Chair in a blender"-ish...
Chair #1, #2 and #3, each 15"w x 20"h
Today I've loaded the very large mineral quilt I plan to enter in an exhibit at the end of the month.  So, enough talk.  It's time to get to work!



Comments

susanfletcherking said…
love these! I think "chair in a blender" is one of the best titles for work I've ever heard.
Sharon Robinson said…
Nice bunch of work! I really like the first one.