‘Touchy-Feely’ a mini artwork – 2021.02.14

Posted on February 14, 2021 by TerryAske

Here is my initial fabric pull for a small piece for SAQA Western Canada regional trunk show titled Touch. Each piece in the trunk show will be 8″ x 10″ and will be mounted to an 8 ½” x 11″ black backing board but will be uncovered for display and viewing. The mounting will help protect the pieces from excessive handling and soiling but viewers will be able to see and visually touch the art without a screen of plastic film.

Given that viewers will be able to touch the artwork, I wanted to make a piece that would invite touching, with physical as well as visual texture.

I started with some shot cotton fabrics, which have beautiful fringy selvedges.  The saffron and berry shades of the shot cottons set the tone for my color palette, to which I added shades of orange. 

My design concept was to create a grid of colourful texture on a black background, with a partial frame of selvedges.

I used a variety of textured fabrics –  felt, open weave, netting, shiny-glittery fabrics – layered into little squares and arranged in a grid.  Some of the fabrics were fraying and leaving fluff and threads on the black background, so I fused Mistyfuse to the back to control the fraying. Each square has 2 or 3 fabric layers and is topped with a button to add even more texture.

I spent a couple of hours arranging – and rearranging – the fabrics in a grid. Once I had finalized the arrangement, I carefully removed all but the base layers. I fused each base layer in place with a bit of fusible web in the center, leaving the edges un-fused. For each square, I added the other fabrics and the button, then tied them in place by threading embroidery floss through the button, the layers of fabric, and tying the floss to the back.

top layers set aside

Here is the finished artwork. Its title is ‘Touchy-Feely’ – suggested by my husband.

. . . .

Thanks for stopping by.  I will be linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts, Quilt shows | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

X’s and O’s – part 3 – 2021.02.01

Posted on February 1, 2021 by TerryAske

In my previous post, I had removed all the freezer paper templates, and was ready to cover the raw edges with bias tape (or maybe couching or zigzag stitching). My original plan was to use pre-fused 1/4″ black bias tape. Then I thought that gray would look better against the black background. I auditioned some gray macrame cord – I liked the color but not the thickness. Then, I actually tried making my own gray bias tape (I’ve owned that little bias tape maker for years, but this was the first time I’ve actually used it!). Again, I liked the color, but didn’t like the way my stitching looked – click on the image below to see a larger image).

In the end, I used the pre-fused black bias tape. The fusible gives me more control over the placement of the tape, and my stitching with black thread is almost invisible. (Even though it is fused in place, I always stitch both edges of the bias tape.) Sometimes I stitch the tape before layering with batting, and sometimes after layering. In this case I layered the quilt first then stitched the bias tape in place.

Edited to add: Usually I spray baste my quilts. This time I used Mistyfuse to layer the top to the batting. The first step was to pre-fuse one side of my batting with Mistyfuse, covering it with parchment paper to protect my iron. Then I smoothed the quilt top over the batting and fused them together. I really liked how smoothly the top adhered to the batting. I did use spray to baste the backing fabric to the batting.

My next decision was the overall quilting. I had been thinking about straight line quilting in an X shape. I was a little concerned about keeping the lines straight, and the challenge of quilting over the bumps created where several bias tapes overlapped.

But then it occurred to me that I could quilt from the back, following the lines of the design on the backing fabric. I had selected this fabric because the colors coordinated well with the front, and because I had a piece the right size. So it was a happy accident that I could use the design as my quilting pattern.

I quilted along every other vertical and horizontal curved line, with dark gray thread in my bobbin, which is what shows on the front of the quilt. I love the end result! I’ve quilted from the back on a couple of other quilts, using a striped fabric as my guide. I will definitely look for more backing fabrics that I can use this way.

And here is a full view of the finished quilt, which is 21 x 28 inches. I couldn’t think of a creative title for it, so it called ‘X’s and O’s’.

‘X’s and O’s’ by Terry Aske

. . . .

Thanks for stopping by.  I will be linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.
~ Love Laugh Quilt Monday Making
~ Quilt Fabrication Midweek Makers
~ WIP Wednesday @ The Needle & Thread Network

Posted in Art quilts, Modern quilts | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

X’s and O’s – part 2 – 2021.01.27

Posted on January 27, 2021 by TerryAske

As I said in my last post, the next step is to sew the pieces together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

I’m using a technique I use a lot with circles, but it works with any shapes. My process is inspired by and adapted from Rose Hughes’ Fast-Piece Applique technique –  video tutorial here. The main difference between my technique and Rose’s, is she presses the freezer paper to the front of the fabric, and I press it to the back. She covers the raw edges with couching, I usually use bias tape or zigzag stitch.

Here are some previous posts where I described the technique in detail.

In a nutshell, I drew my design on freezer paper, cut the freezer paper apart and ironed each piece to the back of the fabric. I cut the fabric around the freezer paper templates, adding 1/4″ seam allowances. I reassembled the pattern by overlapping the seam allowances and using the freezer paper to hold them together. Working from the back, I stitched in the gap between the paper templates. Then from the front, I trimmed each seam allowance very close to the stitching. This leaves raw edges, which will later be covered with bias tape, zigzag stitch or couching.

Here are some photos of the process. You can see some of the seam allowances showing through from the back – those will be trimmed away later, after the freezer paper is removed.

adding the blue circle to 4 pieces already sewn together

I stitched the pieces together, until I had 3 sections assembled – the top, the center circle and the bottom. Then I joined the 3 sections.

Then it was time to remove the freezer paper pieces (there were 29 pieces), and trim the seam allowances that were showing through on the front (I forgot to take a photo of that).

The next step will be to cover the raw edges with bias tape (or maybe couching or zigzag stitching). Check back in a couple of days to see that part of the process.

. . . .

Thanks for stopping by.  Today, I’m linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.
~ Love Laugh Quilt Monday Making
~ Quilt Fabrication Midweek Makers
~ WIP Wednesday @ The Needle & Thread Network

Posted in Art quilts, On my design wall, WiP Wednesday | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

On my design wall – X’s and O’s – 2021.01.24

Posted on January 24, 2021 by TerryAske

Here’s a new design featuring X’s and O’s, intended for the upcoming fibre art exhibit at Gallery Vertigo in Vernon BC. The theme interested me, and I was considering several ways to depict X’s and O’s. When I saw an ad on Instagram with overlapping numbers, it sparked an idea for my design. I found a simple, chunky font and printed X’s and O’s in several sizes.

inspiring ad, and simple, chunky font

I printed the letters in various sizes ranging from 5″ to 8″ high, then cut them out and arranged them on my design wall. When I had an arrangement I liked, I removed them from the design wall (after taking a photo for reference purposes) and traced them on a large sheet of freezer paper. Of course, I made a few changes as I traced the letters.

At this point it occurred to me that I might have made the design more complex than I had originally intended. But I liked the design, so decided to proceed and see how it evolved.

The next decision was colors. I decided on bright solid colors on a black background. On the left below, you can see the main colors for each X and O ironed to the freezer paper templates and pinned on the design wall. In the middle photo, the ‘overlapping’ colors have been added. And the third photo in black and white shows the values. I’m liking how this is looking! Now to sew all these pieces together – like a giant jigsaw puzzle!

. . . .

Thanks for stopping by. Today, I’m linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

Posted in Art quilts, On my design wall | Tagged , | 5 Comments

First quilt of the year – 2021.01.08

Posted on January 8, 2021 by TerryAske

This is my entry to the newest Curated Quilts mini challenge. The theme is Covid-19, using “honor” as inspiration. The color palette is included in the image below: soft grey, medium grey, caramel, gentle yellow, soft pink, and brick red. The bottom right photo shows my fabrics.

Recommended color palette, and my fabrics

My quilt honors all the people who are doing their part to slow the spread of the virus – by doing the basic things – maintaining distance, minimizing contact, wearing a mask, and (perhaps simplest of all) washing hands.

‘Wash Your Hands!’ by Terry Aske

My piece is called ‘Wash Your Hands!’ and is 12.5 inches square. I used the pattern for the clapping hands I made in June. I re-positioned the hands and added soap bubbles and a 20 second clock.

I fused the elements to the background, then added batting and outlined each element with zigzag stitching. By doing this step without the backing fabric, I didn’t have to bury all those thread ends.

Then I added the backing and quilted vertically over the entire piece.

I almost always finish my quilts with a facing, but I thought this one would look better with a narrow binding. It’s been so long since I did a binding, I had to look up some of the steps!

. . . .

Thanks for stopping by. Today, I’m linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts | Tagged , | 4 Comments

One last quilt for this year – 2020.12.31

Posted on December 31, 2020 by TerryAske

Here’s a new project I completed this week. It’s for an exhibition of work by our local SAQA group. Our exhibition, A Touch of Orange, will be on display at the White Rock Library for the month of February 2021. All pieces will be either 16″ x 16″ or 16″ x 24″, and all will have at least a ‘touch’ of orange.

I had selected these fabrics some time ago without having a specific design or project in mind. This color palette seemed perfect for this exhibit.

fabric pull

I was in the mood for circles and curves, so I looked through my collection of designs. I selected a variation of the design I created in 2015 for Eclipse. You can see how different colors and a line or two can dramatically change the look of a design.

Eclipse – original design – Touches of Orange

As I often do, I used bias tape to define the curved seams and add contrast. I quilted it with randomly spaced matchstick quilting.

detail of matchstick quilting
Touches of Orange

This is my last post of 2020, but I’ll be back in a couple of days with a review of the year. Have a Happy New Year! I hope 2021 be much better than 2020!

. . . .

Edited January 1 to add: I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday.

Posted in Modern quilts, Quilt shows | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Where did December go? – 2020.12.27

Posted on December 27, 2020 by TerryAske

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

After not posting at all during November, I had good intentions to post several times during December. But the time has slipped away from me.

I spent quite a lot of time making two new quilts for the 2021 Grand National exhibition. I’m not ready to show them yet. I’ll know in February if they have been accepted for this Canadian exhibition that will travel for a couple of years to various venues across the country..

In November, I submitted 3 art quilts to Road to California’s virtual event called Road@Home. The event will be online from January 20 to 23, 2021. I’m happy to say that all 3 of my entries were accepted.

Bad Moon Rising :: Air of Elegance :: Please Touch This Quilt

I made 2 of these a few years ago, so they are not eligible for most quilt shows, as entries are usually restricted to those made in the past 2 or 3 years. So I was very happy to be able to enter them in this show.

  • Bad Moon Rising – I made this quilt in 2015 and blogged about it in 2016. It was part of an exhibit called Fly Me to the Moon which travelled for 3 years. I received my quilt back earlier this year, and I’m happy I can enter into another exhibition.
  • Air of Elegance – I made this art quilt in 2014 for the Fibre Art Network’s exhibition called Canadiana, which toured from 2015 to 2017.

I also submitted several quilts to another virtual event – QuiltCon Together, which will be online in February 2021. Two of my quilts were accepted, both in the Small quilts category.

Twisted Ribbons :: Please Touch This Quilt

Yes, I did enter Please Touch This Quilt into 2 shows. I realized that one advantage of a virtual show is that I don’t have to physically send the quilt, so it gives me the option to enter in more shows. And, I love this little quilt, so want to give it as much exposure as I can.

. . . .

Thanks for stopping by. Today, I’m linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts, Modern quilts, Quilt shows | Comments Off on Where did December go? – 2020.12.27

Where did November go? – 2020.12.04

Posted on December 4, 2020 by TerryAske

November has flown by, and I didn’t post anything here on my blog. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy! I’ve been attending lots of Zoom meetings with various fibre art and quilting groups, reconnecting virtually with friends and watching interesting presentations.

I decided to submit entries to a couple of virtual quilt shows. I spent several days in November deciding which quilts to enter, taking photos, editing photos, writing artist statements and entering online.

Road to California will hold a virtual event in January 2021 called Road@Home. They will have online classes, lectures, panel discussions – and a quilt exhibition and contest! There are no date restrictions for this quilt show, so I entered 3 of my older art quilts that are not eligible for most quilt shows. I’ll know later in December if any of my quilts are accepted.

I submitted 6 quilts to QuiltCon Together, which will take place in February 2021. “This brand new online version of QuiltCon will still feature a juried quilt show as well as top notch workshops and lectures. The five day event will include live lectures, panels, and tours, as well as on-demand workshops and many opportunities for socialization.”

Here is a glimpse at 5 of the quilts I submitted:

I also submitted my self-portrait quilt to the Knitting & Stitching Show online self-portrait competition. It’s online now, with hundreds of fabulous entries. And the winning entries have been announced. Check them out.

In other news, my entry to Quilting Arts magazine’s Art as Inspiration reader challenge was accepted as a finalist! I have shipped it to them for photography for publication in a future issue. (See my last post for information on how I made it.)

Dramatic Diagonals, by Terry Aske

. . . .

Thanks for stopping by. Today, I’m linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts, Quilt shows | 1 Comment

Mini quilt of WOW Westminster – 2020.10.31

Posted on October 31, 2020 by TerryAske

When I read the theme for the current Quilting Arts reader challenge – Art as Inspiration – I knew immediately what my inspiration would be!

I often walk to a nearby waterfront park, the site of a massive public art installation.  The WOW Westminster is was a 140-foot installation, comprising four 40-foot shipping containers precariously cantilevered to form a W-shape.  It was designed by Brazilian artist José Resende and was installed in 2015.

Sadly, in September 2020, the pier was destroyed by fire, and the big W installation could not be safely moved, so it was demolished. This article about the fire includes a time-lapse video that shows the W being taken apart. https://bcitnews.com/2020/09/17/wow-westminster-w-artwork-dismantled-after-fire/

If you are a regular reader of my blog and Instagram feed, you will know I’m fascinated by the diagonal lines and perspective of this piece of art. And that I’ve taken many photos of it, and used many of them as inspiration for my art.

Here are a few examples of the many photos I’ve taken since it was erected 5 years ago.

  • WOW from a distance
  • WOW up close
  • WOW from another view
  • WOW and bridges
  • recent photo

Here are the artworks I’ve made based on WOW Westminster. In the upper right is Dramatically Diagonal from 2016, and W and the 3 Bridges from 2017. The bottom 3 are 12″ x 12″ pieces.

Art quilts inspired by WOW Westminster, 2016 to 2019

My art quilt – The challenge is to create a 6″ x 6″ ‘postage stamp’ quilt inspired by art. I won’t make you read all the way to the bottom to see the finished quilt – here is Dramatic Diagonals.  Keep reading below to see how I made it.

Dramatic Diagonals, by Terry Aske

My design and construction process – I started with the W. It was the most detailed and difficult part. I wasn’t sure whether I could scale it down to a height of 5″ and still make it look massive and dimensional. I thought I might have to try making it more than once before I was satisfied. But I’m very happy with how this looks.

Here are the steps I followed (refer to the photos below).

  1. I used the first photo for the background of my mini quilt.
  2. I used the second photo for the W, because I prefer this viewpoint of the W.
  3. I used 3 solid rusty-orange fabrics – light, medium and dark to make it look dimensional.
  4. I traced the W onto freezer paper. I cut the W out and labelled the pieces as L, M and D.
  5. I ironed the freezer paper background onto black felt. This allowed me to easily position the fabrics in the correct positions.
  6. I applied fusible web to each fabric and cut out the pieces. I positioned the light value pieces on the black felt.
  7. Then the medium value pieces.
  8. And finally the dark value pieces.
  9. I fused the fabrics onto the black felt. Then I removed the freezer paper and stitched around each side of the W with black thread.
  10. Then I trimmed the black felt very closely around the W.
construction of W – step by step

Then I constructed the mini quilt in 3 layers.

  1. The base layer is a 6″ square of black felt. For the perforated edges of my stamp, I cut white fabric with pinking shears and fused it to the felt.
  2. The background (sky, river and pier) I fused to a 5.5″ square of Decor-Bond, and wrapped the edges to the back.
  3. I stitched the background square to the base by quilting around the edges of the square.
  4. Then the W was quilted in place on the background through all 3 layers.
mini quilt constructed in 3 layers

I love my little mini W art quilt. I’ll know on November 11 if it’s accepted to be published in the magazine. I’ll definitely be making more quilts inspired by the W, but probably larger than this one!

. . . .

Thanks for stopping by. Today, I’m linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

“Plus” mini quilts from September – 2020.10.25

Posted on October 25, 2020 by TerryAske

I keep a spreadsheet with a listing of all the quilts I have made, including the year made, the name, the width and height. This makes it easy for me to determine which of my quilts fit the requirements for a call for entry. Here’s a partial view of of my spreadsheet.

I was updating my quilt inventory spreadsheet, and realized I forgot to blog about my entries to the most recent Curated Quilts mini challenge – Plus quilts. I did post them on Instagram, but not on my blog. I like do both because it’s much easier to search on my blog for information about a quilt I made in the past, than it is to scroll back through my IG posts.

So I’m posting about them now. When I first saw the color palette for this call for entry in mid-August, I pulled some fabrics out, but was uninspired until a couple of days before the deadline in September.

My first entry was Peach Plus, 11.5 x 11.5 inches. My construction method was improv, and I didn’t know exactly what it was going to look like, or what the final size would be. I improv pieced the corners from the outside edges in toward the center. Then I pieced the plus in the middle and squared it up. I finished it with echo-quilting in each section.

Peach Plus, by Terry Aske

My second entry was Plus Divided, 11 x 11 inches. For this one I was very precise, using a freezer paper pattern. I constructed each section separately, then used 1/4″ fusible strips to adhere the bias tape outline in place.

Then I matched up the 2 sections and sewed them together along the diagonal line. I quilted the aqua section with pink thread, and the blue-gray section with peach thread.

Plus Divided, by Terry Aske

As is often the case with these mini challenges, I like the second one I made better than the first one. Neither of them was selected for the magazine, but now I have two more minis in my quilt inventory.

. . . .

Thanks for stopping by. Today, I’m linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

Posted in Art quilts, Mini quilts, Modern quilts | Tagged , , | 1 Comment