Classes/Quilt Retreats I’ve Attended

Stories about classes I’ve taken and quilt retreats I’ve participated in

Cow On A Pedestal, Art Piece # 126

Cow On A Pedestal, AP 126
| Cindy Anderson

Cow On A Pedestal, Art Piece # 126 is the last in a series of fiber art quilts. All of them were created while I attended a class taught by Sue Benner. Using Sue’s fabric fusing method I made the pieces shared below.

A Brush With Copper, AP 68
A Brush With Copper, Art Piece # 68
Cow On A Fence, AP 69
Cow On A Fence, Art Piece # 69
Fusion I, AP 122
Fusion I, Art Piece # 122
Fusion II, AP 123
Fusion II, Art Piece # 123
Dancing Tootsies, AP 124
Dancing Tootsies, Art Piece # 124
Dancind Tootsies II, Art Piece # 125
Dancing Tootsies II, Art Piece # 125
Rectangles and Squares, AP 167
Rectangles And Squares, Art Piece # 167

The last specimen is this one

Cow On A Pedestal, AP 126
Cow On A Pedestal, Art Piece # 126

The name, chosen by a friend of mine, is as unusual as the composition. Assembled from groupings of leftover fabrics, this item contains very few elements. The majority of the building blocks came from Fusion I. Rather than adding them to my parts department I decided to make the grouping the focus of my final fabric fusing project. The irregularly shaped specimens were adhered to a really fun dotted black cotton. The large black dots, as well as the tiny grey ones, accentuate the print present on the cream pedestal. The cow, resting precariously atop the pedestal, has its own unique coloring; one quite unlike any other in the world. Most notable are the wisps of cheese cloth.

This small but interesting art quilt has a sandwich of batting and cotton fabric. To connect the three layers together I added straight lines of machine quilting to the cow and pedestal. To accentuate the large black dots I echoed around each one in a circular pattern.

In February of 2020 I took this fiber art piece along with several others to a retreat I was attending with a number of my friends. Part of the nearly week long adventure is sharing our accomplishments. Much to my surprise one of my roommates asked if she could purchase it. I was thrilled beyond measure to have the honor. Cow On A Pedestal is currently on display in the home of my friend Linda.

This is by no means my last entry in this journal. It is however the last installment in my Sue Benner adventures. Sharing with you this amazing experience has been truly a pleasure. The five days that I spent getting to know and learning from Sue were some of the most enjoyable I have ever experienced. Sue is such a wonderful person and teacher. If you ever have the chance to attend one of her classes I highly recommend jumping at the opportunity. You will not be disappointed!

thank you!

Before closing let me thank you for showing an interest in my activities. I am grateful for your participation and look forward to your comments.

Best wishes for a wonderful day!

Dancing Tootsies II, Art Piece # 125

Dancind Tootsies II, Art Piece # 125
| Cindy Anderson

Dancing Tootsies is the name I gave to art piece # 124 created during a class taught by Sue Benner. The assignment was to turn an image or drawing into a fused fiber art piece. My subject was a photo of a print containing three abstract flowers. Dancing Tootsies and Dancing Tootsies II resulted from my experiment. Dancing Tootsies II measures 12 3/4” x 12 3/4”. She contains the customary quilt sandwich of top, batting and backing. I used white thread to machine quilt all but the solid black and the black and white print. My lines of quilting follow the shapes of the various components.

I am thrilled to have both of the specimens as members of my portfolio. Pictured below are photos of both. Slide the arrows one way or another to view their details.

Dancing Tootsies, AP 124Dancind Tootsies II, Art Piece # 125
Dancing Tootsies, Art Piece # 124 and Dancing Tootsies II, Art Piece # 125

thank you!

Before closing let me thank you for showing an interest in my activities. I am grateful for your participation and look forward to your comments.

Best wishes for a wonderful day!

Dancing Tootsies, Art Piece # 124

Dancing Tootsies, AP 124
| Cindy Anderson

I took a class led by Sue Benner in 2019. During a nearly week long adventure she shared her fabric fusing and mono printing techniques. On one particular day we were instructed to design an art piece based upon a photograph or drawing. My inspirational photo (sorry but I no longer have it) contained three abstract flowers. The photo below is of my first attempt to recreate or emulate the flowers.

Dancing Tootsies, AP 124
Dancing Tootsies, Art Piece # 124

I really had a great time designing and assembling this composition. My love of color and my fondness for bold prints was reflected in my fabric choices. To give my piece even more interest I added embellishments. Near the bottom a hand dyed strip of rickrack was attached and in the center of each flower I stacked a circle of wool and three beads. I have included a closeup of the embellishments in the photo below.

Dancing Tootsies, AP 124, Closeup
Dancing Tootsies, Art Piece # 124, Closeup

As with all other art quilts, this specimen was layered with a batting and backing. The art piece was quilted with threads that both blend and yet add sparkle at the same time. Dancing Tootsies measures 13”x13”.

I was in a very playful mood when I was creating the Dancing Tootsies. As I assembled the flowers I had a vision of them dancing to the beat of a song. Their imaginary antics made me giggle which got my mind rolling and well…the rest is history. Dancing Tootsies, with their jazzy attire and funny name make a wonderful addition to my collection.

If you agree that Dancing Tootsies was worth seeing just wait until you read my next post!

thank you!

Before closing let me thank you for showing an interest in my activities. I am grateful for your participation and look forward to your comments.

Best wishes for a wonderful day!