Operation Renovation

The Odd One, Art Piece 17 (AKA The Chosen Nine)

The Odd One, AP 17
| Cindy Anderson
A Handfull
A Handfull

Busy, Busy, Busy:

This year has been very busy with  my renovation project, my solo art exhibit, finishing oodles of 8”x10” small art pieces and starting my own online store. Sandwiched in-between were numerous trips to my little cabin in the woods as well as fun activities with my peeps; all while practicing social distancing. The online store has taken up most of the time I would normally have spent on my blog. With the majority of those tasks accomplished, I can once again share my triumphs with Operation Renovation.

A Return To Operation Renovation:

Operation Renovation is a project I started back in January. During the early days of this pandemic I searched for something to focus my attention on. At the time, I had a number of art pieces that were finished but not quite to my liking. With my pandemic anxiety level reaching an all-time high I decided to redirect my attention to those less-than-appealing projects. A number of successful outcomes have already been shared but I still have quite a few to go; time to get back to sharing my progress.

Today’s journal entry will focus on the art piece I once called The Chosen Nine, Art Piece # 17. So, sit back and enjoy my next reveal.

The Chose O, AP 17

In The Beginning:

This art quilt began during  the summer of 2017 (see photo above). In its original form it was a grouping of nine improvisational building blocks. Each of the blocks was surrounded by four white borders. The nine, with their stark white edges, were stitched together and surrounded by a white binding. They were quilted with a simple, but attractive straight-line quilting motif. The finished quilt remained in that state until recently; that’s when I decided the composition was just too blah. To remedy my dilemma I grabbed a seam ripper and removed the binding, then gave it a good pressing

Simultaneous Renovation:

At the same time I decided to tackle the renovation of Art Piece # 17 I had also decided to work on two other items. Those compositions contained four blocks each. They are Four Friends # 1 and  Four Friends # 2. All three quilts could very easily have been left intact and mounted on a stretched canvas frame. Since I was making changes I decided to go wild and cut them all apart; I ended up with seventeen 5 1/2”x5 1/2″ units. To change things even further I reallocated them into eight separate art compositions: a six piece, a four piece, a two piece and five individual specimens.

Six Piece:

The six piece composition was the first one to be finished. To give this item a punch of color I chose to add a two-tone blue border around each block. All six blocks were then stitched together to form a new quilt top. The newly created fiber art piece was sandwiched together with a layer of batting and a new fabric backing. To secure the layers together I traveled around each block stitching straight-lines with a variegated blue thread.

A New Name:

Once the quilting was finished I decided to give this renovated item a new name. As I allowed my eyes to travel over its surface I made a discovery; one of the units incorporated into the project was quilted differently than the others. This revelation gave me the inspiration to title this fiber art piece The Odd One. See if you can locate it!

The Odd One, AP 17
The Odd One, Art Piece # 17

The Finish:

In its finished form The Odd One measures 16″x20″. Protecting the back from dust and bugs is a paper backing. For ease of display two d-rings and wire were added to facilitate hanging on a wall. Silicone bumpers were also added to help minimize sideways movement stability and to promote air circulation.

Thank You:

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing the once blah specimen turn into something much more spectacular. Sharing these stories with you is one of the best parts of the entire process. Thank you for being here!

Cindy Anderson

Fiber Art By Cindy Anderson

This Way I and This Way II, A Renovation

| Cindy Anderson

why

As I begin to record another journal entry, I can’t help but feel so blessed and energized by the opportunity to share with you my love of art. This blog was started in 2012. Since its inception I’ve added over 900 posts. The entry I am recording today is the fourteenth in a series I call Operation Renovation. I initiated the discussion to distract my attention from the ongoing Covid 19 “stay at home order” and to retrofit a number of my art pieces for mounting on canvas. With thirteen projects already tackled let’s move on to # 14 and 15.

A little history

Back in May, 2016, I attended a multi-day class taught by Rayna Gilman, an improv fiber artist, at the Woodland Ridge Retreat. Using the knowledge I gained I created a number of fabric building blocks; many of them were combined to form Crossroads, Art Piece # 10.

Crossroads, Art Piece # 10
Crossroads, Art Piece # 10

One of the remaining blocks became the inspiration for This Way I, Art Piece # 7, and This Way II, Art Piece # 8. Let’s take a look at both projects.

  • This Way I, Art Piece # 7
  • This Way II, Art Piece # 8

If we lay them side by side you will notice that they have obvious similarities. While they are not mirror images, you can see where the original block was sliced vertically. The left section became This Way I while the other This Way II. Both were surrounded by a soft blue border, finished with facings, hanging sleeve and label. They remained in that condition until now.

retrofitting

This Way I and This Way II were similar in size. This Way I measured 10 3/4” x 14 1/4” while This Way II was 9 1/2” x 15 1/2”. The process of retrofitting both involved stripping away their facings, hanging sleeve, etc. Next I whacked away at their blue borders until they were nearly identical in size. To spruce up their appearance I chose three different colored fabrics. First to be added was a burnt orange. Giving the smoky orange competition is a jazzy gold. Last to be added was a fruity purple with printed flowers. Each color was chosen to bring attention to those already incorporated in the pieced center. The purple, although primarily visible on the perpendicular edges gives each fiber art quilt a joyful pop of color.

The final measurements for the two partners is 16” x 20”. Both were embellished with straight line quilting in the burnt orange border and a grouping of wavy lines in the jazzy gold.

This Way I, Art Piece # 7 and This Way II, Art Piece # 8

assigning an identity

The names given to identify the fiber art quilts resulted because of the colorful angled strips used in the assembling of their centers. Those strips reminded me of the directional arrows one might observe on a road sign. The sign provides guidance on how to proceed just as I felt the angled strips were advising me. Since there are two siblings I decided to make their names unique by adding a I and a II at the end.

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!

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

Moo, Art Piece 9 Renovation

Moo, AP # 9
| Cindy Anderson

what’s in a name

I’ve been known to assign some very odd names to my art pieces; case in point this one. Who calls an art quilt MOO? Obviously me! A gal has to have a little fun doesn’t she!

Want to know what inspired me to use this name? If you look really closely at the right side of the pieced center you will notice a strip of dark blue fabric. Repeatedly printed on the material is the word moo. The presence of that simple three letter word gave me the idea for my art quilt’s name.

the project continues

Out of a desire to overcome my frustrations with the “stay at home covid 19” directive I decided to occupy my time with Operation Renovation. So what is Operation Renovation? I love making changes; whether it be to my home decor, my hair or my wardrobe it all helps to keep things fresh and exciting. The same concept can be applied to my art. Even though I have an inventory of fiber art quilts that are already finished that doesn’t mean they will stay that way. Almost anything can be changed. With that mindset I decided to select a grouping of small finished fabric art pieces to retrofit for mounting on a stretched canvas. The journey to accomplish that task is called Operation Renovation.

the next subject

One would think that after successfully renovating eleven of my art quilts that I would have exhausted the possible candidates. Oh but quite the contrary! Including today’s subject I have at least eight more.

The item I’m sharing in this journal entry is a fraternal twin to my last project On The Diagonal I. So far we know the reason why Moo, Art Piece # 9 was given its name and that it has a partner but what else can we learn; let’s figure that out.

the nitty gritty

Moo was one of nine projects created way back in 2016. The base, or pieced center, was harvested from a much larger building block. The first section of that block was used to create On The Diagonal I and the remaining portion was utilized for Moo.

To adapt Moo for mounting on a stretched canvas frame I first had to strip away the facings, hanging sleeve and label. After exposing the four raw edges I began making plans for the next steps.

In its original form, Moo measured 10 1/4” x 14 1/2”. The targeted size I wanted to achieve was 16” x 20”. To accomplish those dimensions additional fabric had to be added to both the top/bottom edges as well as both sides. I was able to succeed with that mission by incorporating two new borders.

The First border

The first border was created from a lime green fabric with aqua polka dots. Regular readers of my journal have become very familiar with my craving for dotted fabrics. Finding the aqua polka dotted material was a win, win situation. Not only did it add one of my favorite elements but it also incorporated two of my favorite colors.

the second border

The second border was fashioned from a multi-toned, delightfully ripe, purple batik. The colors in both this fabric as well as that of the first border are replicated in numerous areas of the pieced center. This techniques is important because it provides a path for the eye to travel around the art piece rather than remaining stagnate in one area. The replication also brings unity to the design and overall visual impact.

finishing touches

Before stapling the newly outfitted quilt to the stretched canvas frame I stitched rows of quilting on the two new borders. On the polka dotted border I stitched a simple straight line motif and on the outer border I added flowing lines of quilting. All of the stitching was done using color coordinated threads.

the final piece

After completing the renovation process I decided to give Moo a new identity. Since it originated from the same building block as On The Diagonal I I wanted to acknowledge that by giving Moo a similar name. From here on out Moo will be known as On The Diagonal II, Art Piece # 9. The phrase “On The Diagonal” is a reference to the numerous diagonally placed strips of fabric found in the body of the art quilt.

the reveal

After revealing most of the newly added design features I think it is time to share a before and after photo. Take a look!

Moo, Art Piece # 9 Before Renovation
Moo, Art Piece # 9 Before Renovation
On The Diagonal, Art Piece # 9 After Renovation
On The Diagonal II, Art Piece # 9 After Renovation

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!

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