Rhianna Makes an Art Quilt

While I was in Virginia this spring, I helped my niece Rhianna make an art quilt. She drew a picture of the Eiffel Tower. Then we translated it to fabric and she quilted it.

Byler Family Art Quilt

The Andy Byler Family
8'X10"
NFS

From an old family picture I ...

 ... used some photo filters and printed the outcome onto fabric.

The back.

Patches Workshop

I recently had a "Patches" workhop in our home. These ladies came from Alabama, Mississippi, and as far away as Kentucky. We had a delightful time together.

They worked hard to get their pieces quilted before leaving.

Art With My Little Friends

Talya drew a picture and then wrapped the edge around a skewer to make a flag.

Ashton participated in the 'youth' category at the Pine Belt Fiber Art and Quilt Show in Hattiesburg.

Delta with her page all colored up.

Paulina and JJ came to make art one afternoon. They are from Texas. Their dad hauls cotton bales for the local gin each fall.

Paulina and her turtle.

JJ and his kangeroo.

Paulina's stitched straight lines are impressive.

I look forward to these children coming back to finish up their projects.

Teryn makes sure none of the page is left uncolored.

Preparing Supper for Sheila

From an old photo of my Mother peeling potatoes while my next younger sister Sheila watches with her dolly ...

... I tweaked it with a photo filter and printed it on fabric and ...

... and quilted it for a piece of fiber art. Sheila is delighted!

Preparing Supper -- 8"X11"

Linking to Nina Maria's "Off the Wall Friday."

Pinocchio

Our local quilt guild is making a quilt, just for fun, with blocks depicting Fairy Tales or Mother Goose rhymes. I chose Pinocchio for my block.

I made copies to use as templates from a coloring book type image. I used this technique with some of our grandchildren that you can see HERE.

Each piece was cut out and fused to the black background.

Progress

I tried this background but liked the checkerboard best.

Pinocchio - 12"x12" finished and ready to be turned in.

Linking to Nina Maria's "Off the Wall Friday."
and Sarah's "Can I Get a Whoop Whoop."

My Mother, Margaret Heatwole

I'm over the moon and my head is spinning. Today I was notified that my art quilt "My Mother, Margaret Heatwole" is accepted into the exhibit "The Power of Women" for the Houston Quilt Show this November. It measures 24"X72." I posted a few pictures on a recent post HERE.

Detail

This picture didn't make it into the quilt. It depicts Father & Mother at their fabric store, 'The ClothesLine' where they sold Bernina sewing machines. Both Mother & Father were Bernina mechanics.

I couldn't find a picture of Mother with her school bus; but she drove for Rockingham County Schools for over 20 years.

This is the picture of Mother when she was 11 years old that I used to make the large outline of her. She is posing with her Daddy & Mother, William & Mary Wenger and her only sister Aunt Elizabeth in the very bottom right picture on the quilt.

 

Snapshots capture moments in time, and when stitched together, reveal a life of quiet determination built upon the solid foundations of faith and family. “My Mother, Margaret Heatwole” celebrates 93 years of adventure, from milking cows to flying in her son’s homebuilt airplane. The outline figure over the collage is from a photo of 11-year-old Margaret with her parents, before her father was killed in a tragic logging accident. This heartbreaking lesson about life’s brevity and the importance of making the most of every opportunity shaped Margaret’s choices for the rest of her life. She and her husband, Oren, spent their lives instilling in their children the importance of family. They raised seven daughters and one son on a tight budget. To supplement the family’s income, Mother embarked on an artistic career, painting and selling landscapes of the familiar Virginia countryside. While she diligently taught important life skills to her children, including sewing, gardening, reading, food preservation, and frugality, she also sparked their future passions. Two of her daughters are nationally recognized fiber artists and quilters. In the words of King Lemuel, writer of Proverbs 31: “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:  Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. … a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” Julia Graber created this quilt by scanning photos, applying a filter in a photo editing software to create a united color palette, and printing the images onto cotton fabric. 

Parting Shot -- another picture that didn't make it into the quilt.

Can you believe this is Mother & Father? ............. It is.

 

Linking to Kelly's 'Needle & Thread Thursday.'
Nina Maria's 'Off the Wall Friday.'