Showing posts with label embellishments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label embellishments. Show all posts

Monday, April 28, 2014

I've been busy.. sorry it has been over a month since I've posted.

So March and April seems so much like a whirlwind.

Our exhibit, "The Art of Quilt Making" at The Design Management Art Gallery, in Pelham, NY in March was a big hit.  4 pieces were sold, including 2 of mine, "Which Path Would You Take?" (subject of my last post) and "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy".  I have been quilting for just over 13 years and in the last two years, have gotten the confidence to show my work outside of the normal quilting circles, family and friends.  I have been honored to see the reaction to my work, but most importantly have grown, since with the exposure comes my awareness of how much more I have to learn.  I think that is one of the reasons quilting speaks volumes to me...  as long as you are open to experimentation and practice...  the possibilities seem endless.

Well a few days after the exhibit in Pelham closed, my fiber art group, FiberArts Northeast (FANE), held there yearly gallery exhibit.  This year's exhibit was entitled "Architectural Elements" and I couldn't think of a more fitting gallery for the exhibit to launch than at a new fiber arts store and gallery, called 'Etui Fiber Arts".  Etui is located in a renovated old pharmacy, where the owner, Julie Saviano had the foresight to expose some of the original brick work and high ceilings.  Larchmont, the town where the shop is located has so many old buildings, just full of architectural wonders.  It was just a fabulous launchpad for the exhibit (besides the fact that the store is absolutely wonderful!).  Each piece in "Architectural Elements" had just one requirement, beside size, it had to include or represent an architectural element.  Size limitation was 18" x 30" and the piece could either stand up on  pedestal or hang on a wall.  Our leader encouraged us to include a 3D element, of which many members did.  Since the members of FANE come from all different backgrounds .... collage, felting, dying, quilting, printmaking,  etc....  the pieces were all so different.  Here is a picture of mine.  It is entitled "Just Knock...I'll Be There For You".  It does hang on the wall with timtex as its structural element.  My original theme was the knocker, which in does swing up and down, for the viewer to knock on my door, but once the knocker was made, the door itself, became such a strong visual statement.  I had fun adding the old wrought iron accents to the red door, in tribute to Larchmont, which has many homes and churches with red doors with ornate wrought iron hardware.



On top of the Architectural Elements show, I was also busy working on this years challenge for FANE.....  Opposites.  Meant to include a visual representation of opposites the piece had challenging hanging requirements as the concept had to be clear if the piece, which had to be made in two pieces, was hung on a wall, side by side, or over a stand, similar to the way our kimono inspiration pieces hung last year.  The Opposites exhibit opens next weekend at the Northern Star Quilt Guild show as a special exhibit.  The show runs May 3-4th at Kennedy High School in Somers, NY if you are free and can come by.

I will do separate posts on all the pieces in both FANE exhibits, as well as a post on the Pelham show in the coming weeks.  I promise :-).


Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Update on Visions of Paisley

I can finally say I am on the home stretch!  Visions of Paisley is all quilted and I have added a double piping.  This was my first time doing a double piping, so I had to do my research first.  I took out my Ricky Tims Grand Finale DVD, to review his method, then of course I went to Susan Cleaveland's YouTube page, because I use her Piping Hot Tool, so I wanted to see if she had any hints and techniques I could learn from.  I ended up watching a few other videos, before I jumped in.

I used my Bernina #32 Pintucking foot, because the grooves were a perfect size for my piping to slide through and it made it easy to keep the stitching tight.  I did use Ricky's technique of creating the piping with water soluble thread, so that if some of the stitching peaked out, I could just spritz it with some water.  Luckily for me, I don't see any yet :-).   I am pleased with the way it turned out.  Even with the binding sewn on the front, it is still nice and tight.

As always my pics taken in the studio are with my Blackberry phone, so the shot is a little fuzzy, but I hope you can see how tight the piping is.  I was worried, as I used the same Dupioni silk as the applique in the center of the quilt and you know Dupioni has those nubs on it, so I wasn't sure it it would behave.  But I think it did :-)

Once I got the binding on, (no it isn't stitched down in the back yet), I was anxious to get some of the swarovski cyrstals on.  I lost track of time, it was addictive, I just wanted to see the next shape outlined and the next.  In this picture I have about 600 crystals down and I still have quite a bit to go.


The problem???  If you look at the swirl of the large paisley shape.  it is a deep purple (although you probably can't tell that from this picture..  Blackberry...ugh), but I accidentally used the Cobalt Blue crystals vs the Purple Violet ones, so that means the next step is heating them each back up and taking all 50+ crystals off one at a time.  Sort of like un-sewing....  takes about 3x the time it took to get it on.  Oh well, it is what it is.

I am traveling on business now, so it will have to wait until I return, from Costa Rica.  Oh yeah, I know why they call it a rain forest!!

Until next time :-),
Renee

Friday, July 19, 2013

Kimono Inspirations

So a couple of posts ago, I shared with you the piece I was making for my Fiber Arts group, FANE's, Kimono Inspiration Exhibit at the Northern Stars Quilt Guild Show, World of Quilts, held the first weekend in May.

Well, I want to share with you not only my finished piece, but some of the other works of art as well, but since we have an exhibit opening soon, I will tease you with mine....  (details on the exhibit can be found below).

This is Pathways....



This was my piece.  I must say I had so much fun with the piece, from design to adding the 'fringe' at the end.  I am really happy that I joined the group, because they are really encouraging and since most don't focus on the machine quilting, it has opened my eyes on how to add texture to a piece with embellishments.  So slowly but surely, I will be expanding past just crystals as surface embellishments :-).  It is quilted with both Aurifil 50wt cotton and Superior Sew Fine and Art Studios threads.

There were 26 Kimonos in all and they really looked good on the stands that Jane and the team built.  The quilts are designed to be hung on stands that allow you to see front and back of  both the center piece, as well as he 'sleeves'.  But they can also be hung on a wall, although you will only see one side of the Kimono.


Lucky for FANE, two different galleries are interested in hosting the exhibit of Kimonos.  One in August and one in October.  The first is a show at The Quilt Gallery at City Quilter.  The exhibit runs from August 13 - 31, 2013, on 25th St, between 6th and 7th Ave., NYC.  The Gallery is open Tuesday thru Saturday.  All Kimonos will be for sale via The Quilt Gallery.

As information for the second exhibit draws near, I will share it with you as well.

Hope you like my Kimono and stop by the exhibit in NYC to see all 26!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Poetic Fragments

On April 28th, my Fiber Arts group, FiberArts NorthEast (FANE), hosted an Artist Reception for the Poetic Fragments exhibit at the Gallery at the Mahopac Library.  The exhibit is hanging until the end of May, so if you are in the area, please stop by.  There is no admission and there are almost 30 unique pieces!

This post will just be a series of photos, as I share all the wonderful small works done by the group.  Each piece could be no more that 14" on any side, had to be made of more that one element and was to be inspired by a line in a poem or a song.  The finished pieces were attached to an 18" canvass and displayed on the wall.

My apologies to the few artists whose names I missed....

Summer Kiss by Vivien Zepf


NY State of Mind by Donna Chambers


 A Pest Sense of How Not to Fly by Jane Davila


 A Rally Cry Unites Us  by Christine Wilheim

Arrangement in Grey and Black by Andrea Shedletsky

 Blue Grass  by Nike Cutsumpas

 Butterflies by Maxine Oliver

Circles by Elaine Sullivan

 Enkindled Spring  by Carolyn Drillick

Enlightened by Natalyia Aikens ....  this piece amazed me, because except for the thread and the dark brown building on the left that was felted, the rest is made on recycled plastic bags!!  Yep, you read that right :-)

 Float and Dance by Artist Unknown

 Golden Bugs by Nancy Mirmen

I Hope You Dance by me, Renee Fleuranges-Valdes

I Have a Song to Sing by Fran Osinoff

Seasons  by Artist Unknown

Serenity by Claire Oehler

 The Taven by Linda Long

 Title and Artist Unkown

 To Time by Artist Unknown

Tree Study VI Forest Shadows  by Barbara Sferra

 Tree by Kathy Tahnke


 Variations in Red by Carolyn Spiegel

White Crane Spreads Its Wings by Martha

Zen Garden by Judy Gignesi

A view of the company my piece is in :-)

A New York State of Mind and Forest Shadows, have already sold.  Most of the others are available for purchase via the artists.