Art In Stitches: Homestead National Monument, Day Eleven

(Above: A fawn at Homestead National Monument in Nebraska. Click on any image in this blog post to enlarge.)

Today has been my eleventh as an artist-in-residence at Homestead National Monument in Nebraska. I've been putting up a blog post every day, sharing something about this unique location first ... and then sharing the artwork on which I am working!

Since my arrival, I've been walking the trails everyday. I've been taking pictures of everything but have been especially fond of capturing the wildlife ... insects, birds, bunnies, and deer! I've depressed my camera's shutter button at least a thousand times. Mostly, I get a blur. Occasionally, I find focus, good lighting, and a nice picture. These are the only images saved.

Taking pictures of rabbits is actually easy here at Homestead National Monument. They are everywhere. Getting the sunset's lighting on a bunny's ears ... well ... that was luck! The rest of my wildlife photos are further below. Just keep scrolling down!

(Above: Volunteer quilters for Friends of Homestead National Monument.)

Every Friday volunteer quilters stitch together on a commissioned project. All funds raised by these talented ladies go to the non-profit Friends of Homestead National Monument. Like last Friday, I spent the afternoon with them.

Yes, I quilted ... on a traditional quilt! It was fun, easy, and an excellent way to make new friends.

(Above: The reverse of Staking Her Claim.)

Yesterday I shared a 19" x 25" art quilt called Staking Her Claim. (CLICK HERE for that post.) It was nearly finished ... but not quite done. This morning I made the hanging sleeve from two 1963 linen calendar dish towels. I added the doilies and lace and signature label. All these additional were hand stitched onto the background fabric (a section of a vintage quilt top). When stitching, I am careful to get the threaded needle into my felt batting but without piercing through the front's surface. These stitches act to unite all three layers: Front, middle/batting, and back.

(Above: My contribution to Through Our Hands' Portrait Shuffle, in progress.)

It's hard to believe that next weekend will find my husband and me flying to England for The Festival of Quilts. I will be exhibiting Saint Anastasia with Through Our Hands, an international group of textiles artists. I am very proud to be an affiliate member of this distinguished group. So, of course, I volunteered to participate in an important project that coordinates with the members' show. The project is called "Portrait Shuffle", and it benefits Save The Children. The donated piece could be any sort of portrait, even an abstraction. It had to be 15 centimeters by 21 centimeters (which is 6" x 8"). I knew I wanted to stitch this piece while at Homestead National Monument and to use buttons. I just hadn't done it ... until today. I took one of my xylene photo transfers of a cemetery angel and measured out the required size.

Each one of these images is on printmaking paper fused to fabric.

I used a metallic gold water soluble pencil to create a halo and stitched on a field of buttons. I'm pleased with the result and hope it helps the cause. Now ... just scroll down to enjoy the wildlife here on the Nebraska prairie!