Quiltsy Team Great Finds: 11-8-14

Hello--
November is here, but on Long Island, we've been having mild temps.  I guess I don't want to jinx the weather, but it has been so nice!  And the longer I can hold off on putting on the heat, the better for my pocket.  I know the weather will feel November in no time, so I found these great quilts to snuggle under and keep warm. But quilting is not only for "quilts" - finer artists make great, original bags and bracelets too.  

Remember, PLEASE CLICK on the team shop to see all the lovelies these talented quilters have made!

Barb from Mountain Quilt Works out of Sun Valley, Idaho:

Kathy from Kathy Kinsella Fibre Art out of Canada:

Ilse from Orchid Fabric Decor out of Silver Spring, MD:

My mother and I make up the Olive Street Studio design and sewing team.  I cannot remember my mom NOT sewing or quilting.  Since 2003, we've made chenille and cotton baby quilts, baby gift sets, little girls dresses and skirts.  In 2013, we expanded into Home Decor quilts and after getting requests for even bigger quilts, we're working on largers quilts too.  Then, with extra time, because we all have extra time, ha ha, we also make reversible tote bags, smaller handbags, and zipper pouches.  I joined the Quiltsy Team on Etsy in 2010. 
Etsy Shop: Olive Street Studio
Website: Olive Street Studio
Blog: Olive Street Studio on Blogger

SPOTLIGHT: Sally of "Sally Manke"

Happy April!  Not sure where you are in the country, but here in New York, Spring may finally have arrived today.  It has been so cold.  It seems the groundhog got his prediction wrong in 2013.  I'm sure Sally Manke, the subject of this SPOTLIGHT and who has "Sally Manke" shop on Etsy, may agree with me on the delayed advent of Spring since she hails from Arcadia, Michigan, which if you don't know, is on the shore of Lake Michigan just southwest of Traverse City.  Not only is Sally a leader of the Etsy "Quiltsy Team", but also a quite accomplished quilter who has had many instances of having her beautiful quilt work showcased by the media.  Her most recent features include a five page article in the winter 2012-2013 issue of "Art Quilting Studio Magazine", which is available at JoAnn's Fabrics and Crafts; the article covers Confetti Quilts and it is mentioned right on the cover!

Hollyhock Cottage
Sally's art quilt wall hanging "Hollyhock Cottage" combines many of her passions in one work of art...bright colors, texture, vintage doors, heirloom flowers and a summer day. This beauty was made with thousands of confetti 'cut & strip' pieces of batik fabric, which were placed freehand on quilt backing and batting.  The fussy-cut flowers and foliage were added before she covered quilt with tulle and she then machine quilted. Is it any surprise this quilt was accepted and displayed at the September Quilt Expo in Wisconsin presented by PBS TV / Nancy Zieman Productions?  It was also included in the special exhibit "Celebrate Spring! 2012", which premiered at the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati, and was exhibited at the Long Beach, CA and Houston, TX IQA shows:

Sally also mentions that she heard it was in a recent issue of "Quiltmania" magazine!  She hasn't seen a copy yet or even know how they got it for the magazine, but it is good to be published!

Background
For Sally, fiber and creativity always have been a part of her life, from the time she created a pattern from newspaper and sewed her first garment on a Singer Featherweight at the age of eight!  Fast forward to an undergraduate degree in home economics and a masters degree in art, which lead to a 25 year career teaching art and life skills (the current idiom for home economics).

Although Sally enjoys crafting traditional quilts, dolls and holiday items, her passion is fiber art.  Her perfect day is one spent in her home studio with fabric spread far and wide creating confetti art, which brings together color and texture with the skill and methods of stitching layers of fabric.  Each confetti quilt has thousands and thousands of tiny bits of batik fabric “painted” on quilt batting and backing. 

Several of Sally's fabulous creations which are favorites of mine include jewel-toned quilts, her coiled baskets, mug-rugs, and table runners:

Those Machines that Help Create the Art
Sally has several sewing machines.  For the last five years, she has used the Handi-Quilter mid arm, and she has a love/hate relationship with it.  :-)  Sally also has a Viking Sapphire and a portable Viking, and loves her Featherweight because it's what she first used.

Colors / Inspiration
Sally isn't drawn to favorite colors, but rather all colors of batik fabrics.  And those that are hand-dyed are her favorites to use in her creations.  Confetti quilts use both sides of the fabric.  Sally's inspiration comes another favorite pastime - hiking trails and beaches in Michigan or while on family vacations to other destinations.  Sally and her husband are avid travelers; She finds inspiration in old buildings, nature, flowers and "old stuff".  Sally's high energy level makes her quite productive, but she feels there is never enough time to create all the ideas bouncing around her my head!

On the Nightstand....
When not in front of a sewing machines or creative in her studio, Sally is an intense reader!  She listens to books on tape while driving, audio books while sewing, she reads on her iPad at night.  Sally may have several books going at once.  Sally enjoys mystery or suspense with an occasional romance thrown in, and she just finished Jodi Picoult's "Wolf Man".

Cheers! - Jennifer

My mother and I make up the Olive Street Studio design and sewing team.  I cannot remember my mom NOT sewing or quilting.  Since 2003, we've made chenille and cotton baby quilts, baby gift sets, little girls dresses and skirts, and for a second dimension, reversible tote bags and smaller handbags.  I joined the Quiltsy Team on Etsy in 2010. 
Etsy Shop: Olive Street Studio
Website: Olive Street Studio
Blog: Olive Street Studio on Blogger

Art Quilt Tips - Painting Your Quilt

This is my first blog post with tips about art quilting . . . and I have decided to jump off the deep end and suggest a technique that you might not have considered using in your quilting projects . . . Painting your quilt after it is all finished!

Don't be horrified now!!! This can make a quilt come alive in a way that you never expected.

In this first photo you will see a traditional quilt block that has been free motion stitched with a leafy design inside softly curved ripples ... and then the leafy area has been painted with White pearlized Setacolor Textile Paint. See how the quilted stitched show up so nicely ... and the patterned background recedes a bit in the area that has been painted but it is not totally covered up.

In order to keep the paint from going outside your desired area, you can cut a piece of freezer paper into a stencil and then iron it onto your quilt block to protect the outer areas. To do this you will use an almost-dry brush and use light strokes to brush the colour across the top of the quilted design. Several light coats of paint looks better than one heavy coat. Because the paint does not go down to the stitching, it creates a valley of contrasting colour and texture which adds appeal to your art. If you want to use more than one colour of paint, the first should be dry before applying the second coat of paint.

Here is a photo of a section of a little purse that I made for a customer who requested that I incorporate a peace sign into the purse. I couldn't find a commercial fabric with peace signs that appealed to me so I created a stamp with the image and used it to discharge the colour from the purple fabric . . . it discharged to a beautiful soft blue-grey. I then used a irridescent turquoise, pearl white and violet paint by Jacquard to highlight an area of the purse that I had previously quilted with a swath of circles . . .

This is a wonderfully lighthearted technique (once you get your breath back after the first stroke of paint) and I can highly recommend it as a way of creating drama in an art quilt . . . or perhaps to rescue a quilt that was destined to the rag bag. As with all new techniques, be sure to try it out on a sample that has been made with the same fabrics so that you can figure out how much paint to use and to have a bit of an idea of what the finished art quilt will look like.

Have fun!!! . . . posted by Kathy Kinsella

Kathy Kinsella is a fibre artist who lives in British Columbia, Canada and whose work includes original fibre art purses, art quilts, and liturgical vestments. Her Etsy shop is www.kathykinsella.etsy.com.