Winona on Ice

This is part 2 of a blog about small photo quilts.

After making the two smaller quilts, I printed this larger winter scene in 2 halves and pieced them together, to make a larger quilt for myself. I added two outer borders to frame the scene.  It is called Winona on Ice.

Winona on Ice, a quilted photo by Ann Fahl, © 20 x 15.5 inches

This photo was taken several years ago, and I always wanted to quilt it for myself. This is the view of Winona Lake IN when you first arrive.  Now that the quilt is finished; when I wake each morning, the first thing I see is this quilt! It is the next best thing to actually being at Winona! I like this photo so much that I'm thinking of having it printed on a larger piece of fabric!

Again, using the Bottom Line thread (Superior Thread)  in the top and bobbin, gave me quilted texture without covering up some of the tiny details. It was important for me to carefully detail all the cottages across the lake; as I know most of the people that live in them. I chose a light gray for the sky, but right above the horizon there a subtle orange glow, so I used a soft coral thread for the quilting. If you look closely you will see the shape of a ginkgo leave quilted in the upper right hand corner of the photo and border. So with this fine thread you can achieve interesting effects with machine quilting.

The frozen lake is quilted with light gray. The weeds in the foreground are detailed with Superior Threads # 855 Rainbow thread. It was the perfect choice. This thread is quite a bit heavier, so it gave great ragged texture to all the tall reeds and weeds on the shore nearest the viewer.

Larger photos of the quilt are on my website.

The photo was printed on "Printed Treasures" by Dritz.

After this quilt was completed, I felt sufficiently "warmed up" and ready to tackle a larger design; so I  made  End of the Hockey Season! This was a subject of many blogs.

Ann Fahl

Crisis in Orange

Here we are, Christmas is almost here. Everything should be red and green and sparkly.  So what's the problem?

You know I love the color orange.  It used to be my least loved color, but today it has become part of my repertoire. When I look back at my childhood, how could I have left that orange crayon in the box unused? Below, you will find an anatomically correct, Oreo, walking under some giant coneflowers on a warm background. Actually this was made of leftovers, but it is a really successful quilt.

Under the Giant Coneflowers, (c) quilt by Ann Fahl

Years back, before "Under" was created, the members of the quilt/art list helped me extend my selection of orange fabrics by sending me orange squares to create this colorful piece. I was hoping for 100 squares, but I actually received more than 300.  Wow, That's Orange is one of my top 10 favorite quilts in my career. There is more of the story on my website.

Wow that's Orange, (c) quilt by Ann Fahl

So what's the problem?  I'm wearing an orange top and jacket today; and I needed to wear my only pair of orange socks; my friend Sally gave them to me a few years ago. When I put them on, I realized there were holes in each heel, but I wore them anyhow! It's about time for these socks to go, sooooo sad, because I love them.  I guess I know what I'll put on my list for Santa!

Ann's favorite orange socks

 It is a sad day, but I will recover!

Merry Orange Holidays to everyone.
Ann Fahl

Enjoy a Quilt Every Day!

Do you have a personalized Google page?  I have a gadget that you can add to your iGoogle page, that shows you a different quilt each day.  The quilt that pops up today is my Egyptian Water Garden II.

Egyptian Water Garden II, quilt by Ann Fahl

This is one of my favorite quilts.  The quilts appear in random patterns so you can't predict what quilt will be shown next.  If you keep the gadget long enough you will be able to see almost every quilt I have ever made.

You need to sign up for an iGoogle page, click on "add gadgets" icon, and type in "art quilt of the day."  Click on the "add it now" button, and a quilt will appear.  This is a little visual treat for each day. Have fun with it.

Hope to see you at Paducah.  I will have copies of my Metallic booklet and my Black and White Tale with me, so you can see them first hand. Come up and introduce yourself.

Ann Fahl

The End is Near

Again, a long awaited show is coming to a conclusion.  Quilts in Color, closes this Sunday March 25.  You still have a couple days to get there.  Here is my "fireplace" photo.  Another View, is included in my book, A Black and White Tale, and is hanging in the parlor of the Anderson Arts Center.

Flamingo Garden, Purple Iris, Smelling the Flowers

Gallery View

Another deadline.  For those of you interested in my Free-Motion Quilting Tutorial, the termination is March 31.  If you'd like to read it go to this link. Thanks to SewCalGal for putting this challenge on the web.

I'm going outside to work in my garden now.

Ann Fahl

Pulling from the Past

The new issue of The Quilt Life, April 2012 is out on news stands now.  What a great magazine!  I admit that when I first heard, last year, that there was going to be a new Quilt magazine coming out, I was less than enthused. I am so tired of pattern magazines!

The April 2012 issue of The Quilt Life magazine

The Quilt Life is different. It is published by the good people at AQS; Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson are the executive directors; Jan Magee is the editor-in-chief.  They have put together a magazine that is artful, well designed and includes a plethora of topics. When my issue came in the mail today I sat down and decided to read it cover to cover.  The articles include a very wide range of subjects by authors that you will recognize and some you will not.  Each is tied in to the subject of quilting in some manner.  Each author was so inspired by some story, experience or subject, that it became a part of their work.  No matter what level of quilter you may be:  beginner or experienced; you will find the magazine colorful and fascinating. I would also like to mention that the subjects are equally divided between traditional and artful quilts. Whatever type of quilts you prefer, you will find something of interest.

The article I wrote is on pages 50-53; it is titled Yesterday and Beyond.  I have to say, that I am pleased with how the editor, Jan, took my mishmash of photos and made a beautiful article out of everything.  Look closely at the first page, and you will find a ginkgo tree from Winona Lake. Suzanne Marshall is featured and one of her hand appliqued pieces is printed on the centerfold.  Yes, quilters can have centerfolds too. On the very last page, p. 86, there is a lovely soft landscape designed by Sarah Ann Smith. This quilt took my breath away.  Go find a copy and check this out!

Take a moment to celebrate this day, March 18:  National Quilting Day.  Go start a new quilt!

Ann Fahl

On the Front Porch--My Journal of Terror

January 9, 2012

To think, this morning I didn't have any idea of what to blog about! Things have changed.

Fall Fun

The drama begins............

My complete show from the La Conner Museum, was to arrive this morning, in 8 boxes.  I waited all day, and no quilts.  So at 5:30 pm, I tracked one of them and found that they were left on a front porch at house with the same number, but on the wrong street.  Terror almost stopped my heart. I tracked the remaining 7 boxes, and they were all delivered to the same incorrect address.

Hairy Homage

 I called UPS, and they found that they did indeed deliver them to the wrong address. By this time my voice was shaky.  Candace  was very calm and said she would work on this right away, and someone would call me back within the hour. In the meantime, I got in my car, drove several blocks away, and looked at everyone's front porches, but  it's 8 hours later, and it is dark outside. I talked to several people that were walking dogs and one lady that gets lots of deliveries, but no one knew anything about my 8 boxes.

In the Black Eyed Susans

 All I can think is that my body of work is sitting on somebody's front porch.  Would it be stolen?  Where was it? Thank goodness it didn't rain or snow.

As I pulled into my driveway from my personal search, my husband was standing at the front door talking on the phone.  This time it was Glen at my local UPS delivery hub.  He told me they had already picked up the packages, and would be delivered the next day. I didn't really believe him, as I had found there was no such address over on the incorrect street.

Coneflower Fiesta, my featured quilt at the exhibit

Glen called back a few minutes later and said my shipment had arrived and had already been loaded onto the truck that would deliver the boxes tomorrow, hopefully to my address. He had spoken with the driver that had picked up and returned the boxes to their depot.  So, all I can do now, is relax and hope for the best. Did I say "rest?"  

End of the Day

 It's going to be a long night until the quilts arrive.  Keep your fingers crossed.

January 20, 2012

I didn't sleep too badly last night.  I've tracked my packages, some say they've been delivered, some say they are back on a truck for delivery, so I trust what Glen said last night, that the packages will be redelivered. I've planned my activities for the morning, so that I will be able to hear the doorbell ring when that wonderful UPS man arrives!

I'm cutting several hanging rods for my show that opens at the Anderson Art Center on Jan 29.  As I drill the last hole in the end of the last rod I hear the door bell ring.

The drama concludes.........

It's 8:36 am the UPS man has delivered the 8 long boxes.  I am so relieved.  I have learned several things from this "opportunity for learning."  I will share those with you next time.


Ann Fahl

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Really is the Good Life!

I have just finished the last of the studio polishing.  The white flannel is pinned on my design wall and I am vacuuming one last time.  At 4:00 today, I sat down, with a chocolate chip cookie, tea and watched Dr. Oz. And I thought, "Life is really good today, my studio is ready for me!"  It has never been so clean.

Looking at my communications center and newly covered design wall.

The pink Styrofoam design wall is covered and usable, a beautiful quilt is hanging on it, and my walls have  quilts and other special items that surround me that I love.  My printer which conked out this week, is now working, thanks to HP tech support.  The baseboard heaters are painted a beautiful white and trim is too. The dark 70's paneling is gone. It is time to work on my newest Egyptian quilt again, it needs lots of embroidery before it can be quilted.  There is my collage which you've seen, which is ready for basting and quilting.  Lots to do.

Before I begin my embroidery and quilting, I will give you a quick tour of my studio.  This wall is my communications center and design wall which is 8 x 8 feet. It is shoved into the corner, but if I need the full width, I can scoot is to the left, covering up the clock.  Egyptian Water Garden II is hanging on it right now.  I love this quilt, when I look at it, it makes me feel good. 

Check out the fresh white walls! My cutting table is half a ping pong table, & rulers hanging on the wall.  Notice the outlet on the wall where the pencil sharpener is plugged in.

Around the corner is the long wall with my TV, cutting table and windows.  I have hung up Line Dancing Under the Stars, Tragedy on Esplanade, Black Eyed Susans on Purple and A July to Remember.  It is good to live with your quilts surrounding you. My studio gets lots of light in the morning, so I rotate the quilts to reduce fading.

This is a very long wall, so I'm showing it to you in 2 parts.

Around the next corner is my short wall with all my products that I sell online: books, patterns, booklets etc. My stereo keeps my quilting smooth and there is an assortment of Winona Lake items on the wall. My postage stamp piece honoring Winona, a historic painting on grass cloth, a water color by local artist Jean Thielen, a Japanese figure I've had since the age of 12, a poster of Winona, and two black eyed susan pieces. The little one was a gift from Emily Parson, and the Purple Eyed Susans was a demo in my book Dancing with Thread.  It really sings on the bright white wall.

This is the part of the room where the embroidery and quilting happen!

 Last of all Oreo is thrilled with the new look.  She can walk along the ledge that is 4 feet up from the floor and watch over all my creative activities and the critters outside. Another bonus, I found an electric outlet, that I didn't know was there, on the long wall. It had been piled up with assorted treasures and junk for years.

The drawers facing out, under the machine cabinets are where I store my thread--by color.  They are on wheels and can be moved around.

Well, I'm ready to sew now.  This major cleaning will never happen again. Once every 35 years is enough. I'm good to go sew.

Have a good weekend.

Ann Fahl

Ten Thoughts on Creativity

© 2011 Ann Fahl

Sometimes you have the time to work, but you don't have any ideas for a new project. What can you do to spark your creative energies and get going?

Pile of fabric that was auditioned for one of my current quilt projects!

1. Always keep a list of quilt ideas. Post it where you can easily look at it or add new ideas! If you don't have one of these, start one today.  Then you can check your list of ideas and maybe find something to work on.
2. Go and touch your fabric, look through the colors, what speaks to you?
3. Go to your local quilt shop and find a fabric that you can't live without; and use it to begin a new quilt.
4. Look through your quilt magazines and books.  You can also check the links on my webpage to see what others are doing.
5. Take yourself out to lunch or go to your local garden center or museum.  Take a notebook or little camera and photograph things that interest you. If you look, you will find ideas all around you.
6. Cut a bunch of squares in one or two colors and construct a background. Or--make some nine patch blocks with your scraps and see what develops.
7. Just sew something.  Do you have a nightgown or piece of clothing that needs to be altered? I am a firm believer in the fact that if you sit down at your machine or start cutting fabric, an idea will come to you.  If you sit with your coffee cup at the kitchen table all day, nothing is likely to happen.  But, if you go to your sewing area where all your "stuff" is and get busy; an idea is more likely to emerge.  Why not make some placemats and practice your machine quilting?
8. Pull out some scraps with Wonder-Under on them, and make a tiny little quilt.  Allow yourself to play or color freely, just like when you were in grade school. Who knows what might develop? 

Buds and Beads a tiny quilt 12 x 10 inches  Made from scraps with Wonder-Under on the back

     9. If nothing seems to come to mind, you are probably distracted by life's events. Or, sometimes your brain is just tired, and needs a creative break. It is called "writer's block" by people that do lots of writing.  I have just emerged from a very long blank period.  Take this time to read a good book, paint the bathroom, or throw yourself into a completely different project. If this is where you are, just concentrate on NON-QUILTING activities.  You will know when you are ready to get back to work.

    10. Try wearing a pair or colorful socks or a wild T-shirt, something that is FUN. This will help set your mood for more creative thoughts.

Good luck.

Ann Fahl

Trillium and Ginkgo Leaves

It seems to take forever to finish a quilt these days. This new one is called Trillium Landscape. It is small just 26 x 26 inches. I had to put it aside for awhile as I worked on some other things, so it has been in the works for months.

This is the third quilt that I have used the idea of setting my subject into another shape--a ginkgo leaf! This will make its debut at the LaConner Quilt and Textile Museum in LaConner, WA in October.

A closeup of Trillium Landscape

The trillium and leaves are heavily machine embroidered. I chose to use a curved and spiral combination of patterns as a contrast to the petal shape.

I love this little bud that rests on the right side of the ginkgo leaf.  You can also see the embroidery in the ginkgo leaf behind it.  My choice is always to use variegated thread. I try to have every variegated rayon or polyester thread in my studio.  I love the way it shines, this enhances the stitching. If you choose the correct needles for the free-motion work, you will have success with your embroidery.  Try using the new titanium topstitch needles.

This is a closeup of my signature on the front of the quilt. It needs to be there, but I try to choose a color or placement for it, so it doesn't draw the eye away from the subject.

Sometimes I like to repeat shapes from the subject in the quilting. You can see I've added a quilted leaf in the middle of the two embroidered leaves. Quilting should add surface interest to the quilt, but not be a distraction. For me it has to be fun, so I enjoy the process of quilting.

Ann

Ode to My Purple Vase

I've just finished sewing the binding on a new little quilt.  As soon as I finish the tragedy quilt, I will post it with my final comments!

So here is the picture of my new little piece, My Purple Vase.

My Purple Vase    by Ann Fahl

And here is the poem I've written about it:

Oh, you are such a wonderful purple

But my new vase looks like a urinal.

Your glass is both rippled and clear

With a price of five dollars you’re hardly premier.

Add a flower, you totally transform

Into an object whose color both cool and warm.

With embroidered flowers and curly green leaves

You are a sight that’s so sure to please!

The big pink flowers and fabrics scrappy

You are a sight that makes me ever so happy.

With thread covered flowers and leaves at your base

You have now read my Ode to this little vase!

You can see larger images on my website.

Did I make you smile?

Ann Fahl

Tea and Daffodils--As Promised

The Vermont Quilt Festival is over, and I've returned home. This was my
first time to teach there. Burlington VT is really beautiful. The quilters up in New England are very lucky to have such a great show and conference in the area. I was fortunate to teach in a Janome sponsored classroom, and the first time that their brand new Horizon machine was used in a classroom! Now I'm home, rested and ready to get back to my studio.

At last here is my new little daffodil quilt, shown in stages of its development!

April and May were wonderful months for daffodils and narcisis in my yard. I picked large bouquets of them for my dining table and living room. After a long winter the color and fresh scent makes me feel so good. One day while I was having tea, the idea for this quilt struck me, so I got started as soon as I could.

Above is the background. The angle on the right side is to give the impression that there is a table top. Next it is time to make a vase full of flowers. I took a closeup photo of an arrangement on the table and that's what I used to create the flowers. Working a little each day on the flowers, it took me 4 or 5 days to get all the flower heads fused together. The stems are great. I used bright green cotton, and shaded them with Inktense Pencils.

The vase was a sheer iridescent piece of Polyester fabric. It created a great glass vase. Just what I needed.

I knew that a tea cup was going to be sitting on the table but what else should I have?  There should be 3 things included in my composition. So I talked about it with a friend at coffee the next morning. We came up with the idea of using several cookies. The idea worked for me.

Here are the cookie shapes cut out of paper for a pattern
.

Next comes the cup and saucer. I love the contrast with the yellow flowers and the blue background. Now the cookies don't seem to work, so I put a napkin under them, to make them more visible.

A week has gone by and something is wrong, and I'm not happy with the composition.  Finally the solution for the problem comes to me. The cup and saucer are larger than the cookies. So I pulled them to the front, and put the cookies toward the back. At last it works. Now everything is fused together and time to do the embroidery.

I added a fallen yellow petal laying at the base of the vase.

I'll show you the finished photos next time.

Ann

Windmill Flowers

The weather has been hot humid and there has been lots of rain. My garden and the weeds are so very high. I've spent hours weeding.

I finished another little quilt from my hotel series. This one is called Windmill Flowers.  I actually started this tiny piece in my last workshop at Empty Spools, Asilomar Conference Center in CA. I brought my bag of Wonder Undered scraps to class and asked everyone to start a little piece, it had to be smaller than a sheet of notebook paper. Mine finished up being 10.25 x 7.25 inches. They could use my scraps and add some of their own. It's fun to dig through old scraps, or someone else's stuff and come up with something. You never know what will develop! It's fun!

Beading is one of my favorite hand sewing activities in the evening. I didn't want to overload this machine embroidered piece with beads so I confined myself to just the flowers. Adding the seed beads to the outside edges of the flowers adds a different effect to the outline of the petals, I'm pleased it. You can see it in Ann's Small Quilt Gallery

Right now, I am hard at work on a new quilt. In an earlier post, I showed you a picture of a bouquet of daffodils and narcissis. My house was filled with such arrangements. This photo served as a starting point for my new quilt called Tea and Daffodils. I'm not going to say anything more, I'll post in-process photos as soon as the quilting is done. Traveling and writing seems to consume so much of my time; when I allow myself the freedom to design and fabricate a new quilt, I am on cloud 9.

News tip: go to Diane Gaudynski's blog. Her cat Oliver recently posted a review of my new book! http://dianegaudynski.blogspot.com  The title is "book is cat approved."

Have a great day------Ann

Of Ferns and Quilts

I got a new printer last week, and I've had a devil of a time, getting everything to work together. It took almost 2 days of calls to the tech support phone lines of HP and Toshiba before the difficulties were solved. Most of you know how absolutely frustrating it can be to spend so much time, trying to get your systems to work together. Right now, everything is working well, so I am both relieved and relaxed!

Finally, I've had some time to work on a little quilt. This is another in my hotel series, using little scraps, hand painted background, and a few beads in the red strips. I hand beaded the little red pieces, machine embroidered and quilted the rest. The name of the quilt is Beads, Ferns and Spirals.  You can read more about it on my website http://www.annfahl.com/ann2/quilts.php?key=142

Here is a detail shot showing the embroidery, beadingand quilting. I had fun making this little quilt.


All the ferns in my shady garden have all opened up and look kind of lush.  We've had some really hot weather here, and lots of rain. All my late spring plants are fully opened and blooming.

My little quilt is just a piece of my outdoor garden.

Ann