39 Squares

Today, I laid out 39 squares. First a long 3 by 13 rectangle.

 

Then 5 by 8 with a piece missing.

I don't know exactly where Crossroads is heading. The patches are a mediation. Each square is like a little companion to take along and stitch. Yesterday it was at the ophthalmologist. Today, it was sitting in the living room.

As I rearranged the squares, it brought to mind the end of Sue Bender's book, Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish. It's been a long time since I read this book...but I do have a clear memory of how living with the Amish affected Sue Bender's approach to her artwork.

My work began to change. I drew hundreds of individual ninepatches. Pencil. Ink. Paint. Material. One dark patch, one light patch, a tic-tac-toe grid, a checkerboard. The squares filled every corner of the studio. There was a lot of activity, but this time it wasn't frantic. Moving the actual squares around became a meditation.

I worked with no plan--letting the spirit of the Amish take over. Just as I was about to sew the individual nine pieces together, I saw that the squares didn't need sewing. Even that was too much control. If they were to succeed, they had to just be....

...I learned there is nothing simple about the ninepatch. The varieties, mutations, and possibilities are almost endless. Looking down at one as if the first time. I saw the ninepatch with fresh eyes.

I saw a prehistoric marking, an icon, an ancient cross, and most clearly I saw a crossroads...

So I'll continue to stitch and arrange and see where this road leads....

Blue Patch

Stitching.

Looking through.

Breezy.

Finished.

More to do.

Fifteen and Counting...

Fifteen patches completed and more in the works (many more...).

After four and a half hours of pouring down rain this morning, we are getting a short respite and a peak of sun.

Undoubtedly, this means we will have thunderstorms later.

I'm beginning to think I live in a tropical rain forest!

First Five

Here are the first five squares for Crossroads.

During the meeting with my exhibiting group, F.I.N.E. (Fiber in Nearly Everything), I got some useful feedback and some possible new directions in which to take this piece.

There are many more squares to make.

Before I left Savannah, I laid out the large printed squares from the family printing project. I'll be painting/printing some fabric for borders around these and for the backing fabric.

It's going to be a busy summer!

New Fabrics and Roy Reminder

I've been spending a lot of time the past couple of weeks creating new fabric designs. Some fabrics have been for my new project, Crossroads. This week I focused on getting some fabrics ready to sell at my cooperative gallery, Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery. I've been having a lot of fun working with blues, aquas, and purples and using my Confectioner's sugar resist recipe.

I took my camera out to get some different views.

This is also an opportunity to remind you that this Thursday, June 20, is the next installment of the Searching for Roy G Biv Challenge (the colors of the rainbow). BLUE is the color of the month...which seems fitting as I've been creating a lot of blue fabrics! If you're not familiar with the Challenge, click here for more information. Hope you can join in this month!

The finished fabric packets.

Favorite Blocks

 Today, I was back in the studio making a few new hot glue blocks.

These are some of my favorite blocks to make. They are very versatile. You can use them to print directly or to do a brayer rubbing. When you print with them they have a very distinctive look.

My goal today was to create more blue fabrics for one of the Crossroads pieces. I did a base layer of paint yesterday. Today, after creating a few new hot glue blocks, I did some rubbings using a Confectioner's Sugar resist. This is the technique I used to make some of the fabrics here , here and here.

Tomorrow, I'll paint over the resist layer. I'm realizing I'm going to need a lot of fabric for this new piece.

Getting into the Blues

No, this is not supposed to be a promo for the next Roy G Biv search (though it is blue this month)!

I've started work on my Crossroads piece. I've been painting blue fabrics..some are more blue-gray or turquoise, but I wanted a full range. I've been using some resist techniques to give them more interest.

I've been cutting the fabrics up into small squares.

Top sample: Two layers of cloth with raw edge appliqued crosses which also act as quilting. A small patch of reverse applique. Bottom sample: Stuffed patch with raw edge applique.

I've been experimenting with two possible ways to go. The interesting thing is that both of these sample ideas have many of the same elements but the required hand and machine sewing come at different points in the process.

I've been considering doing two pieces, each using one of the techniques.

Now I believe that the stuffed squares will be in blues but the flatter squares with overlapping crosses and reverse applique will be in more neutral colors. I have some coffee dyed fabric I made a couple of weeks ago...that will be my starting point.

I also realized while working with the blues that I need even more contrast in the shades and tints. I'll be painting some darker blues today.

A good start.

Crossroads

Detail from Red Chair

Now that I've given myself permission to take a different direction for the F.I.N.E. mapping show, I'm finding myself looking back at some techniques that I enjoyed and want to explore further.

I've decided to focus on two ideas.

One is the concept of Crossroads.This is hitting home particularly as I try to find my way to the next stage in my artwork. At the moment, I'm conceiving (great word!) of this as a series of square shapes with strips of fabric hand stitched to form cross shapes. The overall design will be made up of nine patches using these squares and there will be a large cross shape formed in the center.

I'm debating about make the squares or rows of squares into stuffed pockets that I can quilt as I go. This is similar in concept to how I worked on my small primitive dolls.

Small Primitive

I like the effect as it creates a sturdy piece, that's feels good in the hand.

The other idea is X Marks the Spot. This piece will be made from small folded squares sewn together to form units that have an X in the center. These will then be sewn together so that a larger X is formed.

I used this technique for a piece called Red Chair that I made ages ago. I've always wanted to come back to this technique. Now seems like a good time.

Both of these ideas are larger pieces generated from small parts.  Right now, I'm dyeing, painting and printing  lots of fabrics that can be cut into small units. These will be portable (until they are sewn into the larger pieces). I know that I'll be making some trips to Savannah to see my folks so having small portable units to work on will keep the ball rolling with these pieces.

Two artists got me thinking about working in small units that I could carry with me and work on anywhere. My friend, and fellow fiber artist Pam Sullivan suggested that working larger didn't have to mean a single large piece but perhaps instead many small units that become the larger piece. Maya Matthew recently had a post about a textile piece she carried around with her and worked on over a period of time. Click here to see the post.

So...I am beginning work on these two ideas and will see where they lead...