Archives for October 2020

Two Pieces Accepted for The Art of the Quilt

Two pieces, Rust Blossoms and Red Silk with Sticks, have been accepted for the invitational show, The Art of the Quilt at Piedmont Arts Association in Martinsville, Virginia October 23- January 9, 2021. Click Here for more information. Click on the images below to view larger versions.

Rust Blossoms
Width: 9.5″ Length: 13”
This small piece contains rust marked cotton, repurposed table linen and part of a dress as well as remnants from a silk tie. The embroidery stitching is meant to provide texture and reproduce the hand stitching known as Kantha. I call this technique fabric collage. It is inspired by Japanese Boro.
Red Silk with Sticks
Width: 9.5″ Length: 13”
This small piece contains rust marked cotton, repurposed table linen and part of a dress as well as remnants from a silk tie. The embroidery stitching is meant to provide texture and reproduce the hand stitching known as Kantha. I call this technique fabric collage. It is inspired by Japanese Boro.

Sequestering with Sticks

Sticks, what can I say, I like sticks, the way they change directions. Plus, I grew up next to the woods and played with sticks; climbed trees, built shelters out of sticks. That stuff is basic to me. And that may be why I turned to sticks when we began sheltering in place to keep us away from Covid-19.

At first, I couldn’t find sticks – Mostly palms down here in Florida, and the neighborhood is compulsively neat. Martha, an artist friend in Virginia sent me a box of sticks and this is what happened.

A closeup of sticks covered with acrlylic painted deli papers, or wrapped with yarn.

Sequestering made me feel like I should use what I had, make do. That meant finally using things I had tucked away, my stash of little trinkets (buttons, charms, beads, yarn), so I went on to decorate the sticks. This is the first large stick I made. I call it the Sanibel stick as I collected the shells when visiting my friend, Ann on Sanibel. The silk fabric is also from there, found in a thrift store we visited.

A particularly spiky stick to shake at the virus, should it lurk nearby.

These are small, pencil size sticks in a vase. They’re covered in recycled silk from old garments.