The Guest Pieces: My Second Pre-Auction Post

As part of my "40th Birthday Extravaganza, Quilt Show and Online Charity Auction" I invited a few friends to donate pieces to the cause. Each one is very different and adds greatly to the variety within my on-line auction.

Want to see them?

First, "Everyone Forgets that Icarus Also Flew"   (18 3/4 inches by 21 inches) 
by Kathryn Greenwold
She writes, "My art is inspired by the natural world, literature, and traditional needlearts.  The manipulation of surface design, layering of color and light, and finding new ways of working with textiles are important factors in what I create.  This work is the result of a challenge to work with an image from another art work that we love.  I chose Matisse's Icarus.  I have always loved the simple flow of this human form and the ambiguity of whether he is flying or falling.  The image was scanned and manipulated in Photoshop, then printed on silk.  I then incorporated the image with hand and machine quilting to create the final work.  As I was working on this piece I came across Jack Gilbert's poem, Failing and Flying. The first line of the poem is "Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew" which is how I've always felt about Icarus - he achieved something no person before him had, but he is remembered for his failure which I've always felt was unfair.  So, this first line of the poem became my title for this work.  I contacted Jack Gilbert and got his permission to use both the first line and the whole poem which is printed on the back of the quilt.  He was happy that it would be donated for this project."

 
"Whirligig"
by Lee Poremba

 

Measuring a petite 8 1/4 by 9 3/4 inches. This little piece was created for our guild's 2012 paint chip and Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative challenge. Therefore, Lee used only the colors on her paint chip to create this paper pieced work which needed to be no larger than 9 by 12 inches. The design is from the American School of Needlework's book, 202 Little Log Cabin Blocks. WOW! 


Using the "Half Moon Bay" bag pattern featured in the January 2, 2013 post, I made this fun bag using blocks from fellow quilter, Kathleen Heintzman Morris.

Kathleen writes, "After every major quilt I make, I treat myself to randomly piecing from my scrap pile a 12 1/2" block or two.  Of course it is impossible for humans to produce truly random events, and my squares are composed of many personal, qualitative decisions about harmonious and complementary colors with a little "shocking" thrown in at times to keep it lively.  Because there are few other rules I create for myself, these are very relaxing and fun to make. Curiously, they are often more interesting to me than the larger quilts that I so carefully create.  There is wisdom in this process that I am still trying to fully grasp into my conscious living. "

Fellow quilter and young mom of three, Sara Musick made these two adorable dresses for my auction.

Gray Twill Dress (Simplicity Pattern 2392)
Size 12-18 months
Sara adds, "The original pattern for this dress had a daisy embroidery design, but I decided to design my own embroidery and make it a little more elaborate. The embroidery mimics some of the flower and scroll work designs on the print fabric of the pocket interior."

Pink Rose Jacket (Simplicity Pattern 4384)
Size 12 months
Sara comments, "Upon finding this pink rose-covered fabric in a remnant bin, I knew it was destined for a pink, puffy, baby girl's jacket."

Sara's story from sewing to quilting and back to sewing is similar to the creative journey of many a quilt artist. She comments, "My mother taught me to sew at a young age. She would make us any clothing we needed - from pajamas to dresses for special occasions - often using remnants or leftover fabric. I dabbled in sewing clothing but was never seriously interested until my mother gave me my first sewing machine in graduate school. I started sewing clothes for my nieces and nephews and progressed in to designing my own patterns for my daughters. With the motivation of the ladies from a sewing group in New York, I began designing and making my own modern quilts. I get to utilize my background in graphic design to craft my own clothing and quilt designs, which often incorporate custom embroidery or crochet details. Sewing is my escape and allows me to have some hands-on creative time. I love to dress my three girls in clothing that I've designed or decorate our house with pieces that I've created. My future plans include opening an online store to sell my designed pieces and to someday create my own fabric designs. I am grateful for the opportunity to do what I love and love what I do."

Patchwork Twirly Dress (McCall's Pattern 6497)

Little Girl Size 8
Sara speaks to the connection between this second dress and the other auction pieces.

 "The patchwork pattern on the skirt of this dress reminded me of a basic patchwork quilt. 

Small details like the topstitching around each piece on the skirt make it even more quilt-like. 

The appliqué edging is a great contrast between the green fabric and the rest of the bolder prints. 

The very full skirt perfect for twirling and is made from 3+ yards of material."

"Twister Table Runner" ( 15 by 33 1/4 inches)
 by Lucille Makrin, my mother-in-law

Lucille writes, "This was the second 'Twister' piece I was working on and realized from the first one that 
I needed more contrast between blocks.  Got out my "Blue" box and started 
picking lights and darks.  Then I decided that a narrow white border might be 
nice to set-off the pinwheels and added another round of dark blue.  I was very 
pleased with the results.  Hope you enjoy using the piece."

Finally, using the "Twister" template, I created this beautiful and 

tropical looking quilt. It was featured in the March 4,2012 piece titled "Change." 

My friend, Kathie Lutz has been practicing her long-arm quilting skills at our

local long-arm machine quilt for yourself shop At-Home Quilting of Johnstown, NY. 

Here is her work with a quilting design called "Twinkle."

 

This lap quilt measures 52 by 60 inches.

Thank you to all the ladies who have donated their art and their time to help me 

celebrate my 40th Birthday. 

I am very grateful!!!

- Lynn 

     P.S. Interested in placing a bid on one of the pieces or one from the January 21st post? 

Please contact me at LRMakrin@Aol.com.