Art Quilts, A Trip Down Memory Lane

As you know I recently revealed my 31st Art Quilt. Woohoo! Please pardon my temporary pause to celebrate! 🙂 After sharing the last one I was reminiscing abut the stories and photos behind each of my art pieces. Even though I was the person that created them, the older I get I have to admit it is sometimes hard for me to remember what they all look like. To satisfy my curiosity and fill in a few of those hazy recollections I decided to search back through my notes and my posts to refresh my memory. My travels brought back many fond memories and aha moments. Thank goodness for photos as they many times are worth a thousand words.

To celebrate my milestone I decided to share photos and links to all 31 in one place. Their combined history spans a period of more than a year. While that probably doesn’t seem like a long time to you for me it feels like ages ago. So much of my time and my heart has been poured into each and every one. They represent a small piece of my journey through fabric as an art form. Please enjoy my trip down memory lane.

AQ # 1: Bloom

Bloom
Bloom

AQ # 2: Paws for a Moment

Paws for a Moment #1
Paws for a Moment

AQ # 3: Quilting Friends

Quilting Friends
Quilting Friends

AQ # 4: Flowers

Flowers
Flowers

AQ # 5: Sunrise

Art Quilt # 5: Sunrise, The Quilt
Art Quilt # 5: Sunrise with its many embellishments

AQ # 6: In the Right Direction

In the Right Direction
In the Right Direction

AQ # 7: This Way

This Way #1
This Way

AQ # 8: This Way # 2

This Way #2
This Way #2

AQ # 9: Moo

Moo
Moo

AQ #10: Crossroads

Art_Piece_10_Crossroads_1
AQ # 10: Crossroads

AQ # 11: Birch Trees

AQ # 11_ Birch Trees.jpg
Birch Trees

AQ # 12: Autumn

Art_Piece_12_Autumn_3
Autumn

AQ # 13: Ticktock

Art_Piece_13_Tick_Tock_2
Ticktock

AQ # 14: Tulip

Art_Piece_14_Tulip
Tulip

AQ # 15: Hodgepodge

Art_Piece_15_Hodge_Podge_2
Hodgepodge 

AQ # 16: Bird House

Art_Piece_16_Bird_House_2
Bird House

AQ # 17: The Chosen Nine

Art Quilt # 17_ The Chosen 9
The Chosen Nine

AQ # 18: Four Friends # 1

Art Quilt # 18_ Four Friends # 1
Four Friends # 1

AQ # 19: Four Friends # 2

Art Quilt # 19_ Four Friends # 2
Four Friends # 2

AQ # 20: Rising Star

AQ# 20_ Rising Star
Rising Star

AQ # 21: Backwards

AQ # 21_ Backwards
Backwards

AQ # 22: Crossroads

AQ # 22_ Crossroads (Finished)
Crossroads

AQ # 23: On The Fringe

AQ # 23_ On the Fringe
On the Fringe

AQ # 24: Multicultural

AQ # 24_ On the Fringe (finished)
Multicultural

AQ # 25: Towne House

AQ # 25_ Towne House (finished)
Towne House

AQ # 26: Blue Condo

AQ # 26_ Blue Condo (finished)
Blue Condo

AQ # 27: Summer Picnic

AQ # 27_ Summer Picnic (finished)
Summer Picnic

AQ # 28: Buttons

AQ # 28_ Buttons (finished)
Buttons

AQ # 29: Pink Cadillac

AQ # 29_ Pink Cadillac (finished)
Pink Cadillac

AQ # 30: Harvest Medley # 1

AQ # 30_ Harvest Medley # 1
Harvest Medley # 1

AQ # 31: Harvest Medley # 2

AQ # 31_ Harvest Medley # 2
AQ # 31: Harvest Medley # 2

Well, that was quite the tour! I like all 31 but I have to confess that I have a few favorites. Actually, let me rephrase that. I have ten favorites. Making my Top Ten Favorites list are:

  • AQ # 1: Bloom
  • AQ # 3: Quilting Friends
  • AQ # 5: Sunrise
  • AQ # 10: Crossroads
  • AQ # 14: Tulip
  • AQ # 15: Hodgepodge
  • AQ # 16: Bird House
  • AQ # 22: Crossroads
  • AQ # 25: Towne House
  • AQ # 28: Buttons

If I were to narrow it down even further I would select these as my top five:

  • AQ # 1: Bloom
  • AQ # 10: Crossroads
  • AQ # 22: Crossroads
  • AQ # 25: Towne House
  • AQ # 28: Buttons

Then my all-time favorite, if you must know, is……

  • AQ # 25: Towne House

After reading my lists you have probably noticed that I made a slight booboo when choosing the names for my quilts. Oops! Somehow I gave AQ # 10 and AQ # 22 the same name. Who does that? LOL! I mean, it’s not like I have oodles and oodles of quilts that are hard to keep track of.

You would think that I would have a master list somewhere that monitored the name assignments. Sadly I did not. I do now though! I’ve taken the time to organize my blog posts and created categories to make the management of my art quilts easier. The categories also make it simpler to find all of the posts related to each quilt. All this organizing probably makes me sound slightly analytical but I am a numbers kind of gal so it only makes sense that I would do it.

So, which one is your favorite? Notice I am not asking for your top ten or your top five; just your # one choice. I know it probably seems unfair to ask you for only one favorite but I didn’t want you to have to work too hard. Leave me a comment sharing your thoughts of the tour as well as which art quilt is your favorite. You can also ask me questions. I love receiving and responding to comments from my readers! 🙂

I know you probably have a limited amount of time set aside for reading blogs and because of that I want to thank you for stopping here. I’m so glad we had the chance to visit and catchup.

If you like what you have seen and are not currently a follower why not become one! Becoming a follower is a really easy process. In the right margin of my blog there is a box provided for entering your email address. Type your address there and voila you are all set. Then every time I publish a post you will receive a copy in your email.

If you are already a follower let me give you a big HUG! Thank you so much for being a faithful reader. You are the reason for my success!

About Cindy

The world of art has always brought me joy. From my childhood explorations with chalk and paint to my creations using fabric and thread, I have utilized art as my vehicle to stretch my wings and explore the world around me.

My favorite art form has been given many names; I know it as “free-form” quilting. This direction has taken me on a journey resulting in the formation of more than 200 art pieces. Most of them center strictly around the manipulation of fabric. Some of the later pieces have added elements of hand stitchery. All of them have brought me an immense sense of joy.

I use this blog to share glimpses of my art and the environment in which it is created. Most of my art pieces are available for purchase. You may see a sampling of them at Raven’s Wish Gallery in Janesville, Wisconsin.

My art is periodically on display in a variety of venues. To learn about my current exhibits you may send an email to cindy [at] inastitchquilting [dot] com

Now go and create your own masterpiece. With warm hugs…

Cindy Anderson

AQ # 23: On the Fringe Update

A Milestone

Before I share my post with you today, if you don’t mind, I would like to do a little self promotion. I have been blogging at this address since early 2012. Since its inception I have been busy sharing my personal as well as my business experiences. The post you are reading today is my 600th post. Can I get a round of applause! Whoop, Whoop! Yeah! 🙂 I don’t know if I have 600 more posts in me but I will do my best to keep going and trying to make this a great place to visit. Ok, I’m done. Now back to our regularly scheduled program! 🙂

Introduction

On September 29, 2017, I shared a post announcing the completion of 16 quilts. Since then I have been writing stories featuring each one of my completed projects. In this edition I will share the undated version of AQ # 23: On the Fringe.

The Details

On the Fringe was the first quilt made using home-made fabric. The fabric was constructed following the tips I learned from Victoria Findlay Wolfe‘s 15 Minutes of Play. To my new fabric I added a variety of materials. Among the additions were denim, a piece of an old curtain and a couple strips of hand-dyed burlap. By the way, I did not dye the burlap. While I would like to learn how to do that I haven’t as of yet. Maybe in my next life. LOL! 🙂

The center art piece was then fused to a black cotton. Behind that is a sandwich of black fusible fleece and more black cotton fabric. I chose black because I didn’t want to risk having a lighter color show through. The three layers were quilted together, on my Pfaff sewing machine, with straight-line quilting. I used a color-coordinated, variegated thread on everything except the black cotton. To embellish the black cotton I stitched a geometric pattern with black thread.

The Fringe

All around the outside edges of the colored fabrics I removed multiple threads creating a fringe. In the very center of my art quilt is my crazy denim add-on. This is the piece that provided the inspiration for the art quilt’s name and the other fringing. If you would like to read the story behind the fringe you can read my post titled AQ # 23: On the Fringe.

After the top was finished I removed the excess perimeter fabric and added a black facing. The facing was folded to the back and hand-stitched in place.

The Reveal

This is how my odd quilt looked when it was finished. Some might think the denim section in the center looks a bit out of place. I think it adds a nice contrast to the two horizontal pieces of blue burlap. I also think it provides a cool texture that is fun to run your fingers over. In light of those reasons the center denim do-dad is staying. 🙂

AQ # 23_ On the Fringe
AQ # 23: On the Fringe All Finished

The quilt from top to bottom measures 19 1/2″ and 19″ from side to side.

If you would like to read about the other six Quilts, of course I know your would, you will find links to them below.

I know that there are so many other things you could have been doing yet you took time to visit with me today. For that I am grateful. Thank you so much for sharing your valuable time! I always look forward to our visits.

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Scrap Fabric Art Quilt Recap

My mini series on 15 minutes of fun has certainly lasted way beyond 15 minutes. It all started with the purchase of Victoria Findlay Wolf’s book 15 Minutes of Play. Using her book I transformed scraps into home-made fabric and eventually turned that into 7 mini quilts. Here are all seven.

Art Quilt # 23: On The Fringe
Art Quilt # 23: On The Fringe
Art Quilt # 24_ Multi-Cultutal with Borders
Art Quilt # 24: Multi-Cultural ready for quilting
Art Quilt # 25: Towne House
Art Quilt # 25: Towne House
Art Quilt # 26: Blue Condo before adding borders
Art Quilt # 26: Blue Condo before adding borders
Art Quilt # 27: Summer Picnic after adding borders
Art Quilt # 27: Summer Picnic after adding borders
Art Quilt # 28: Buttons
Art Quilt # 28: Buttons
Art Quilt # 29: Pink Cadillac
Art Quilt # 29: Pink Cadillac

Each mini quilt has its own unique style. I’ve had a blast creating every single one. As I write this post I have been busy doing the quilting and adding bindings or facings. If all goes well I hope to share final updates within the next month. Cross your fingers for me.

Thanks for following along!

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