Arlinda's Art Quilting

I am doing the happy dance. Autumn's Glory Days won 1st place in the art quilt division of the Little Balkans Quilt Show. When I eagerly opened my critique to see what improvements were suggested I was pleasantly surprised and a little non-plussed. No negatives. Instead she( the judge) commented that my piece was gallery ready art, threadpainting outstanding, loved the detail and it went on. Wow!

I had been a little nervous before entering the show because I knew that in this area most of the quilts would be traditional. I was afraid my quilt wouldn't be well received. What relief and happiness.

Wow! Since the first of the year I have been quilting up a storm. I need to post some pictures but I'm staying so busy it's hard to do. I finished my niece's quilt (kingsize) which was asian fabrics and my own sillkscreen designs (geishas). It was a huge quilt and by the time I finished quilting it I was thoroughly tired of it. LOL. My niece loves it though. I also have made donation quilts (two so far) and that was fun.

I have also made and quilted and won first place with my quilt for the guild challenge. The challenge this year was to make something from something else. I had three kimonos languishing in my closet that called my name when I heard what the challenge was. I have made a rather large lap quilt from them. It was lots of fun and at times frustrating. It is very heavily quilted and I pieced the background and then added flowers and fans which were machine appliqued on with a satin stitch. Also I made a pieced backing from the leftovers which added to the intensity for me. I was so surprised when I won the challenge that it didn't register for a moment or two.

Now I am in the process of finishing my landscape Autumn's Glory Days for the quilt show in the fall. I have also designed and am helping my daughter make her first quilt. It is a queen size for my nephew who is also a quilter in Kansas City, tattoos and all. Really interesting fabric and I hope she catches the bug so that when I die she won't have a bonfire with my fabric stash.LOL.

Oh, and I am collecting blocks from some members of my guild to make a New Orleans block by block quilt to help the city and St. Bernard parish. With the devastation from this oil spill I'm afraid the situation is just going to get worse. Wish I could get Harry Connick Jr. to add his name to the project. That might help spur quilters on to do the good work.

For now, happy quilting!

Winter is the season I dislike most in the Midwest, and saying dislike is putting it mildly. Everything dies up here in the winter. Trees full of radiant color in the autumn shed those glorious leaves and stand naked and exposed to the world for the next few months. Earth which was warm and inviting becomes barren and cold. The world loses its color and warmth and part of me goes into mourning for what was.

The one good thing about winter is there is nothing to distract me from quilting if I can overcome the lethargy which rules me for the season. I think I was meant to go into hibernation during the winter. I stay so tired and the world seems a little gloomy.

What seems to help is the colorful designs for quilts that spring to mind when I am in the studio. The view from my windows can be dreary and empty of life, my design wall more often than not, has scenes of summer or my rapturous visions of the sea.

The sea has been my soulmate since childhood. I am fascinated by its many moods and the diverse wildlife that makes their home in its depths. It doesn't matter whether I am swimming in its caressing warmth, watching sunlight sparkle on its surface, or just inhaling the aroma of the salt air; the sea wraps itself deep inside my consiousness and I am content.

I have been studying my fabric stash lately to see what is missing. I find my eyes constantly turning toward electric blue, turquoise and bright yellow. Memories of days at the beach haunt my dreams and follow me into wakefulness.

I have been wanting to do a series of quilts pertaining to the sea and now maybe it is time to start. By building a marine quilt I can escape the cold and swim with dolphins and sea turtles. I will feel the breeze and watch the palm trees sway in the moonlight. Laughter will wipe away the cold and tropical sunlight will cheer me up. Let's see, where is that sea turtle print I just had to have this summer?