Piecemakers Quilt Show 2012, Galesburg, IL

(Above: Diana Cermak's Elements of My Life.)

Last Saturday and Sunday the Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Galesburg, Illinois held its annual quilt show at Carl Sandburg College. I went on Sunday ... and didn't win the raffle quilt (which was absolutely lovely!) I was really looking forward to this event because I haven't been to a quilt show since 2008.

At that time I went to a quilt show in Maine. I was in the midst of another art residency at the MacNamara Foundation. The studio manager, Duncan Slade, pointed out the fact that my Decision Portrait Series pieces were, in fact, ART QUILTS. This was news to me. (Duncan knows art quilts! He and his collaborator wife Gail Fraas have three pieces included in Robert Shaw's The Art Quilt ... the definitive tome documenting the start of the art quilt movement with all the "movers and shakers" who put this exciting medium on the artistic map!) Anyway, quilts were on my mind at the time. I picked up Jeanne Williamson's The Uncommon Quilter at the Atlantic Bookshop in Damariscotta, read about making crayon-on-fabric grave rubbings, and went to a quilt show before making my first "intentional" art quilt.

So ... this show in Galesburg is the only quilt show to which I've ever gone since then. For me, it was important, very important ... because the next quilt show I'm attending is Quilt, Inc.'s big show in Houston next November when forty of my Decision Portraits will be enjoying a solo exhibit!


(Above: Detail from Jean Lohmar's Tequila Sunrise Sunburst Block.)

In a very short period of time, I learned plenty! There were over 250 quilts on display. I was introduced to various categories, vendors, authors, and why four inch sleeves are important for hanging wall sized pieces actually ON pipes that make up the hanging units!


(Above: Detail from Jean Lohmar's Tequila Sunrise Sunburst Block.)

I was treated to a wide array of quilts, styles, techniques, and also met some very nice people. I would have really like meeting Jean Lohmar ... whose award winning quilts totally blew me away. She's EIGHTY-TWO years old and still making quilts, fantastic pieces of great complexity, expert quilting skills, and gorgeous designs. There was no wonder at the blue ribbons and the "Best in Show" titles for her pieces!


(Above: Detail from Jean Lohmar's Hibiscus.)

If I understood the signage correctly, her Tequila Sunrise Sunburst Block won Best of Show this year and her Hibiscus quilt won the same award last year. There was an entire section of "past winners". Unfamiliar with the signage, I found myself reading the full page sheets that were pinned to every entry. Lots of information was there and nice personal notes of interest. I was unaware that quilts weren't necessarily quilted by the maker. Credit was given to the person or company/business that did the quilting and special notes added if it was done on a "long arm" machine. There were, however, several totally hand quilted pieces and this was noted too. I was also amazed to see the pattern designers' names listed and information about workshops attended for various entries. I'm told this is "typical" but such notes were "new" to me! I especially enjoyed the provided sentences that spoke of individual inspiration and/or for which family member a quilt was made.


(Above: Detail from Jean Lohmar's Tequila Sunrise Sunburst Block.)

All these information sheets made the show, the participants, and the quilts seem so personal. It also made me realize how difficult judging such an event must be! So many categories ... so many beautiful quilts.


(Above: Penny Gold's Late March.)

Some of my favorite pieces were by Penny Gold. I just loved the abstraction and the very, very well done minimalism of her Late March quilt. The sign let me know that this was her impression of the Illinois landscape in March ... and I could see it at once! The blue sky, the green earth, and the red barn! I'd seen just such a view on my drive to Bishop Hill the weekend before!


(Above: Penny Gold's Shelter.)

A few feet away hung Penny's Shelter. The strong design pulled me in and the signage let me know that this piece was part of her journey to recover after her son died in a car accident just after graduating from high school. It carried the message found in a psalm: "In the shelter of your wings". I could see the "unremitting blackness" held at bay and the way quilting was part of the maker's road to continuing life. It made me think about art, recovery, healing, and creative expression.


(Above: Piecemaker's Guild Memorial Corner.)

A since of remembering was also part of the larger quilt show. A special area was dedicated to members who'd died during this past year ... including a picture and a quilt and even an electric candle. Very special.


(Above: Mary Edwards' To Remember Phyllis.)

Perhaps that why I found Mary Edwards' To Remember Phyllis such a lovely quilt. A deceased friend's handkerchiefs were fashioned into an art quilt for a family member. Of course, this is very central to my current work in Galesburg ... taking precious pieces of the past and making something new! Love this concept!


(Above: Kaitlin Sickles Romeo and Juliet Wall Hanging.)

Now ... don't think I'm going down a "dark road" or into my known area of interest in "death"! I was also thrilled to see a section for "juniors"! How brilliant to showcase and award ribbons to teenagers just starting out in the quilting world! Quilts as education as well as art! Brilliant!


(Above: One of the vendor areas at the quilt show.)

I didn't officially vote for my "favorite" piece ... mostly because I was still studying all the pieces by the time the calculations were being made for this big announcement. I don't even know who won ... but my vote would have finally gone to Diana Cermak's Elements of My Life. (First image in this blog post.) I simply adored her concept of bringing her chemistry background into her quilting. She teaches at Knox College. The work was well thought-out, perfectly designed, expertly worked, and hand quilted! Way to go!

The Canopy and its fiber bedposts ... the start!

(Above: Stitching the giant canopy! Click on any image in this post to enlarge.)

One of the major reasons why Studios Midwest attracted me was the opportunity to work on a large scale fiber installation. The residency program encourages such work, provides a large space for exhibition and work which also has a smaller studio space attached to it. I've been wanted to make this canopy for over a year. I've been collecting vintage crochet, lace, and household linens for even longer.


(Above: My makeshift ironing board ... ironing the crayon-on-fabric rubbing made from the quotations chiseled into the stepping stones around "Remembrance Rock", the final resting place of Carl Sandburg on his birthplace's property. This was done before I could move into the large exhibition space.)

Steve and I used to have a booth at Terrace Oaks Antique Mall just outside Charleston, South Carolina. We were dealers for about twenty years. Things change. Life moves on. Gas gets expensive. Vintage textiles don't bring much money. In fact, some of the doilies I brought to Galesburg still had 50-cent price tags on them. They'd been in the booth for over a year ... and still no sales even at such ridiculously low prices. It pained me. Obviously, I saw all these pretty things for the time it took to make and for the joy of bringing beauty into a home. Some of these pieces were undoubtedly kept in a hope chest, a special drawer for "when company comes", and were cherished for their expert needlework skill.


(Above: My latest grave rubbing art quilt on the floor near the kitchen area of the large exhibition space. Genevivie Waller's artwork is still in the rest of the space ... but this was in the early evening when no one was around! I used a vintage bed sheet with lace insets for the reverse. I brought this piece with me ... stitching while Mathias drove me here to Galesburg. The piece is now finished!)

Unfortunately, things change. Families can't always cope with a house full of "treasures" when a relative dies. People don't use fabric tablecloths and lace doilies much. Damage and discoloration is a problem. Few families iron anymore. Loads of vintage textiles are piled into box lots and sent to auctions ... where I buy them only if no one else really wants to bid. Frankly, I'd be ashamed to write how little I generally pay for the countless hours of some anonymous woman's handicraft.


(Above: Four thick upholstery cords suspended from a pipe in the studio space ... getting ready to create the four fiber bedpost for the canopy.)

Something had to be done with all these things. I envisioned a giant canopy. With Studios Midwest, I actually have the place to construct it. At ten feet by eighteen feet, it is larger than my studio at Gallery 80808. This is exciting ... even when the temperatures hovered just under 100 degrees in the location that isn't air conditioned.


(Above: Cutting the strips of lace and crochet trim into 12" to 20" lengths in preparations for stitching them to the thick upholstery cord.)

First, however, I created the fiber bedposts. Why? Well, the large exhibition area was still showing Genevieve Waller's work from her July residency. For the first week, I was in the small studio space. I sorted all the linens into various stacks. I finished the grave rubbing art quilt on which I was working, ironed the rubbing I made at the Carl Sandburg birthplace, and then did the prep work for the four bedposts. All the lace strips and crochet trim were cut into 12" to 20" pieces and divided into four piles. Thick upholstery cord (each three yards in length) was suspended from a pipe.



I started stitching the lengths of lace and trim to the first cord while standing on the floor. Then I stood on a folding chair ... and a small, six foot step ladder ... and finally ...



...I found a very heavy, tall table on which I first put the stair and finally the step ladder.



The chair became my "material bin" ... until I had to use the fold down paint can ledge of the ladder.



I worked up and up ... one after another ... until all four were complete.



It was truly beautiful to see my vision become a reality ... even in the stifling heat!


(Above: The large exhibition space knows as "The Box" ... once Genevieve Waller's work was deinstalled and my "doll" photos were hung ... and the canopy was started! This is the view showing the kitchen area and the doorway to the small studio space.)

Well, last weekend the large exhibition space became available to work in. First I hung all thirty-five doll images on the wall. Although slightly creepy, it is almost like having some company in the room!


(Above: The tulle and netting for the canopy ... in layers ... taped to the floor. This is the view from the kitchen area/small studio entrance back across the space toward the foyer and door.)

Last Sunday was the first day to start the canopy. It began with ultra thin bridal tulle and heavier netting. The tulle isn't quite ten feet wide. Thus, I lay it out folded with a "gap" in the middle. The netting is less wide. I lay it out overlapping in the middle. Therefore, the entire substrate has either two layers of tulle and one of netting or just the opposite ... and in some places ... all four layers. The white tube in front is the PVC that will eventually hold the canopy aloft.


(Above: 1600 pins.)

I purchased four containers of pins ... some normal length, some longer ... a total of 1600. This was only adequate to pin down roughly 40% of the canopy!


(Above: Piles of crochet, lace and household linens, tulle/netting substrata, and a paper plate full of pins.)

Once the substrata of tulle and netting was in place, I brought out piles of crochet, lace, and household linens.



When sorting these vintage textiles, I found a few pieces which I instantly knew how I'd use. There was a large needle lace edged piece (with a stain and a hole) for the center.



I pinned it down and removed the fabric. I had another piece that fit perfectly inside the circle. Various stiff, lacy place mats were spread out in a balanced way across the tulle/netting.



Slowly I worked to design the canopy in a fluid way ... sort of balanced ... especially with the darker tan and browned pieces ... implied symmetry. Holes were filled with vintage bridal gown lace pieces and smaller doilies. Before last summer my studio assistant Olivia carefully took apart a crocheted bedspread ... that was two different colors ... probably two different threads ... one which bleached and one with didn't! The little circles came in might handy as I went.



This design process and placing the 1600 pins took seven and a half hours. It was wonderful to do. I was so involved that I didn't notice that this meant I was sort of doing "squats" for all this time ... up and down ... up and down ... bending. Boy, the next day I felt the results. Walking was, well, really more of a hobble. Frankly, I thought I was going to die ... and the temperature was 97 degrees that Monday.



But, how could I complain. I just loved the resulting design. Now it was time to actually stitch this work to the netting/tulle substrata ... on the floor.



I spent Monday trying to keep my back erect while running a chenille needle through the layers. Thank goodness for my smart phone Pepto (Yes ... my phone has a name and a bright Pepto-bismol colored protective cover ... the only hue I DIDN'T want but the only one in stock.) Pepto has a timer. I repeatedly set it for thirty minutes. When the timer rang, I pulled myself off the floor and hobbled/walked around the room at least five times ... sweating bucket, drinking water by the gallon, and thinking I'd never be able to finish all ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT SQUARE FEET of this canopy.


(Above: Makeshift sewing table ... two glass bricks and an old shelf. A LIFE SAVER!)

That night I sort of moaned myself to sleep ... waking in agony with every passing train. There's approximately 120 trains running through Galesburg and one of the two main tracks is less than 100 yards from my provided bedroom. I was worried. I was scared. I was pretty sure I'd bitten off more than an embroiderer could do in without killing herself. I was also determined to figure out "something". I needed "something" to raise the canopy off the floor enough to ease the stitching. In a storage room I found two glass bricks and an old shelf. It was like a miracle!



Please notice the nice, upright position ... the quality lighting ... the easy expression of a stitcher with confidence! Mr. Johnson took the photo. His wallpaper business is in another part of the building. This was taken on Tuesday afternoon. Today is Saturday. I'm over half done. In fact ... the section on which I'm working in the photo above is now taped to the floor and I'm tackling the canopy from the other direction! Pepto is still ringing every half hour for me to "walk around the room". I'm no longer hobbling. The temperatures have dropped and I know this project is going to be successful!

Bishop Hill

(Above: Clock cupola at the Historic Bishop Hill Heritage Museum. Click on any image in this post to enlarge.)

When Mathias and I first arrived in Galesburg, the Art Center's main gallery space was showing sculptural work by Steve Carleson of Bishop Hill, Illinois. WE LOVED IT. Steve and his wife Marsha are both artists with their own place called Outsider Art. Some of Steve's pieces had more than one artificial tongue attached to them. His work reminded me of one of my hair-brained ideas that has been bouncing around inside my mind playfully for over two years ... but ... I have never been able to create it. Why? Well, I need a "brain" and a "heart". While looking at Steve Carleson's work, I thought, "I'll bet this guy has both!"


(Above: Weaver in the Prairie Art Center demonstrating how rag rugs were once made. Below: One of the antique looms in the Heritage Museum.)


I emailed Steve Carleson. HE HAD A BRAIN AND A HEART for the right price! He also recommended that I come to collect them in Bishop Hill because it is such a cool, historic place. He was right again. (Sometime this fall I'll reveal the piece I've had in mind ... now that I can actually make it!)


(Above: Post office box in Bishop Hill.)

I fell in love with Bishop Hill immediately ... and took hundreds of photos of which the best 106 are now on a Flickr! set HERE (or as a slideshow HERE). This was a Swedish utopian religious colony established in 1846. It is now on the National Landmark of Historic Places and is simply CHARMING in every detail.


(Above: Back yard of Sweet Annie's Antique Shop in Bishop Hill.)

The town has its own website and a most incredible quilt shop and several truly picturesque antique stores in addition to the historic buildings from the Jassonists and the Henry County Museum.


(Above: Broom making equipment in the Heritage Museum. Below: Broom maker demonstrating in the Prairie Art Center in Bishop Hill.)


I was so completely taken by this place that I instantly said YES when the folks at the Prairie Art Center asked if I'd like to be a guest fiber demonstrator next Saturday, August 18th during the Fiber and Clay Festival! So I'm going back to Bishop Hill next weekend! If you're in the area, please stop by! More "favorite photos" below!


(Love the old television! Even the "junk" is picturesque!)


(Above: Black velvet cape in the clothing display at the Heritage Museum.)


(Above: Antiques from a dental office at the Henry County Museum.)

LOOKING FOR A MATE ... Galesburg Public Art Quilt Project

(Above: Sock Nite at the Galesburg Civic Art Center. Click on any image in this post to enlarge.)

LOOKING FOR A MATE was originally conceived and conducted in Columbia, South Carolina. I developed the idea as a way to humorously illustrate exactly what an ART QUILT *** is through public involvement. With financial assistance from the Congaree Vista Guild, advertisements were placed in the local Free-Times newspaper ... asking the public to bring their "mateless" socks to the annual Vista Lights art crawl. It was a blast. The finished piece now hangs in the lobby of Columbia's City Hall.


(Above: The first sock nite. Please notice that my original "prototype" sock art quilt is hanging in the background near the gallery sign. This space is the "Blick Gallery". Dick Blick is a Galesburg Civic Art Center and Studios Midwest major sponsor ... and the setting is PERFECT. In attendance was the last artist-in-residence, Genevieve Waller, and a local lady. This was before the newspaper article came out ... but there were already plenty of donated socks.)


Studios Midwest operates with their artists-in-residences conducting some sort of committee project. This one was a natural and brought me to Illinois. Flyers were posted all over Galesburg prior to my arrival. The local newspaper also ran an article. (It is HERE.) Sock Nite is every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 - 8 until the project is completed ... and it is going well. People are happy to find a use for their poor, mateless socks!



The design started taking shape on the very first evening.



On Thursday, August 2 ... just the second "Sock Nite", more ladies came and we started stitching!


(Above: The Galesburg Civic Art Center's booth for "First Friday". Photo by David Gutierrez.)

On Friday, August 3rd, Heather Norman, Galesburg Civic Art Center's director, arranged for the public sock art quilt and my prototype to be on display at "First Friday" along historic Seminary Street.



A week later, the sock art quilt has more than enough "mateless" footwear and more volunteer stitchers. I'll keep blogging about the progress as this project wraps itself neatly up into an art quilt!

***art quilt…must be predominantly fabric or fabric-like material and must be composed of at least two full and distinct layers - a face layer and a backing layer. The face and backing layers must be held together by hand- or machine-made functional quilting stitches or other elements that pierce all layers and are distributed throughout the surface of the work.

Dr. Mike Computer Therapist to the rescue!

(Above: Mike Kroll, owner of Dr. Mike Computer Therapist.)

Anyone recently following my blog knows that I've come to Galesburg, Illinois for a month long art residency with the Galesburg Civic Art Center's Studios Midwest program. During this time, I've planned to do three things:
1) Conduct a public art project called LOOKING FOR A MATE ... a unique art quilt made with the public and their donated "mateless" socks
2) Create a giant canopy with four fiber bedposts from vintage and antique crochet, lace, and household linens
3) Blog about my experience ... both on my blog and on the Studios Midwest blog.

Well ... my elder son Mathias Dingman (a newly promoted "First Soloist" with Birmingham Royal Ballet in England) was visiting us for the first time in two years. He drove me to Galesburg. We spent the first two days exploring Galesburg and then he flew on to visit my parents in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. I was able to blog about our time at the historic Carl Sandburg birthplace, the local train museum, going to Dick Blick's outlet store, watching hot air balloons, and even my first day in the new studio space ... complete with abstract images of paint splatters on the cement floor.

THEN DISASTER!

My laptop died. I took it up the street to Dr. Mike Computer Therapist who tried to boot it up with some mysterious disc before pronouncing it officially "dead". He recommended a refurbished Lenovo laptop ... a sweet deal with plenty of "bells and whistles" for a very good price. We ordered and hoped that I'd be back blogging in a matter of two or three days. But the next morning the company's security program noticed that my shipping and billing addresses were in two different states. They cancelled the order; the "sweet deal" was immediately scooped up by another savvy on-line shopper; and I was out of luck. Thankfully, my husband Steve (back in Columbia) noticed the cancellation email message and took matters into his own hands on South Carolina's tax free holiday. Steve had already shipped my Photoshop CD and other software programs directly to Dr. Mike. We hoped I'd be back blogging last Monday or Tuesday.

THEN MATTERS GOT WORSE!

Dr. Mike's mother past away in Tennessee. He would be "out of the office" until this past Friday (yesterday). While I was able to get the shipped laptop, my program CDs ended up locked into Dr. Mike's shop. I had to face facts. I wasn't meant to blog until today. As promised, Dr. Mike returned to Galesburg yesterday and got my brand new laptop up and running with all the programs to which I'm accustomed and also restoring all the documents and images from the old laptop's memory! Yippee! Thank you Dr. Mike!

Now ... I'm going to blog ... because my first and second priorities for this residency (the public art quilt project and my giant canopy) have been underway and are GOING GREAT!

Photo from Galesburg and sad news

Greetings. This is another guest post from Steve, the mousewife's husband. I am sad to report that she will remain without a computer until at least Friday. I did purchase and shipped one last Friday, and she will receive it tomorrow or Wednesday. Unfortunately for Dr. Mike (Michael Kroll), his mother suddenly passed away last Friday, leaving the Photoshop and Microsoft Office Cd's in his shop. He had to go to Tennessee for the funeral and will not return until Thursday night. We are saddened for his loss, and Susan will be able to survive a few more days without a laptop.

Today she sent me a picture taken with "Pepto", her smart phone. The photo appears below.



Strips of lace made into the canopy's fiber bedposts. The picture is taken in the artist studio space in Galesburg, IL. (click on image to enlarge)

The installation is coming along great. Look for more pictures and progress later.

First Thursday Solo Show at Frame of Mind

(The following is a guest post from Steve, who is still trying to solve Susan's computer woes. Contrary to my appearance in this photo, I am not "3 sheets to the wind", but recovering from my last visit to the skin doctor)

Susan's solo show, "Sun and Sand", opened last night during Columbia's Main Street First Thursday art crawl. There was a nice steady crowd for the show and early intermittent thunderstorms cooled the outside to make the evening quite pleasant. Mark Plessinger helped to organize an antique car show outside his shop where 30-40 vintage cars were displayed. Mathias and I had an opportunity to drool over these wonderful autos of the past.

Below is a photo of one of the "Squares of Sand" series purchased by Anne Larson, who saw Susan's work on her blog. Three other pieces also sold last night. Her show is on display at Frame of Mind until August 25.



Yours truly, with speckled face, pointing to Squares of Sand 3 (photos by Mathias Dingman; click to enlarge, if you dare!)

Still off-line

This is Steve again. We encountered an interesting problem yesterday that will prevent Susan from accessing her blogs for a few more days. When the computer was ordered from Lenovo on Wednesday, everything seemed OK and the computer was to arrive today. However, the order was cancelled on Thursday because the shipping address did not correspond to the billing address of our credit card. This is a problem that I have never encountered before when making on-line purchases.

After several frustrating calls to Lenova and my credit card company to authorize an alternate shipping address, I asked them to process Susan's order. I was then informed that since the order was cancelled, her computer was put back on the "Internet" shelf where someone else purchased it. I was promised a call-back from the sales person to see if they would honor this price on another computer, but alas, no call came! Duh!! Now we are back to square one which obviously means that I will purchase a laptop today during the sales tax free weekend, and the new one will arrive early next week. I guess I'll buy another Toshiba (her old brand) today!

A Temporary setback (dead computer)

Greetings from Columbia, SC. What?!? This is Susan's husband, Steve, who sadly must report that her laptop died this morning at Galesburg and therefore cannot write on her blog without her computer. A new one has been ordered from Dr. Mike Computer Therapist who has promised to get her on-line by Saturday. Look for additional posts this weekend.