Our new challenge

Our group enjoyed last year's Fabric Swatch Exchange Challenge so much that we're doing it again this year.  Our finished quilts are already listed as a special exhibit at this summer's Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOSQ) on Sat., July14.
As we did last year, each member does some sort of surface design on fabric, cuts it into 9" square swatches, and exchanges them with other members of the group. The only caveat is that we use the same color palette as this year's SOSQ poster by Kathy Deggendorfer.

This year's poster by Kathy Deggendorfer.

Here are the fabric swatches we exchanged at our Feb. meeting:

2012 Fabric Swatches

If you counted them, you came up with 12, but presently there are only 9 members in Fiberexplorations. The explanation:  some of us got carried away and and created more than one surface-designed fabric, so extra swatches were cut and exchanged.    Here's another view:

An enticing array of color!

It's exciting to see how much our members have progressed!  I compared this new set of swatches with last year's, and everyone was much freer in experimenting and trying new surface design techniques.  This year we see plenty of hand-dyeing, but also the use of DeColourant, shibori, resist work, and even marbling.
Now the real challenge begins -- to design and construct an original quilt using at least some of each of these 12 fabrics, plus others.  Per the SOSQ's requirements, the quilt needs to be at least 36" x 36" and needs to be completed by the end of June.
This year I hope to post photos and notes on most of our members' quilts as they're being constructed.  Unlike other groups, we don't keep our work a secret and then have a big reveal at the end.  Instead, we share our progress along the way.  And if any member requests it, we offer suggestions and advice along the way.  I'm anticipating great results!

Salem OR Guerilla Art Project

Since I have lots of new photos, that must mean I have some catching up to do on this blog!  I'll start with this: Guerilla Art.

Along with other members of the Salem Art Group (another group I'm in), I've been leaving pieces of guerilla art around town.  For anyone unfamiliar with that term, here's how wikidot explains it:

Guerilla art, also referred to as "street art", is a method of art making where the artist leaves anonymous art pieces in public places. It is often an installation in an unauthorized location. It is a way for an artist to express their views and opinions to a large audience in an anonymous way. In contrast to popular belief, guerilla art does not have to be done with spray paint.  There is no one motivation for making guerilla art. However, popular reasons include statement making, the sharing of ideas, the desire to send out good karma, just for fun, or to make a political statement.  (My reasons are those that are underlined.)

Here are the cards I made.  I carry them with me and leave in various places around town for people to find.  Actually, that's what I plan to do.  So far, I left one for a friend  who owns an art store (as a belated birthday greeting).  I'm having a hard time parting with the others.  So silly.  What good do they do me bundled in a baggie in my purse?  They're to spread out in the world and send good karma.

 

Collaged cards

                               

   

These cards began as pieces of dyed cheesecloth, bits of ribbons, printed and handmade papers, bleeding tissue papers, transparent fabrics, stamped fabric, etc. sandwiched between layers of very fine MistyFuse, then ironed to fuse together, as below:

Fused collage

The final step was to cut the collage into 6 rectangles; each was fused onto a piece of watercolor paper and finished with a little hand-stitching in gold metallic thread. Glass beads were added to a few of the cards.

 Tomorrow I will leave some of these around town.