Dark Places – Signs of Spring

Posted on May 22, 2011 by

I recently responded to a call for entries for a show called Deep Spaces. The quilt had to be 18″ wide by 45″ tall and I liked the challenge of working in a different size. The orientation is vertical and as I began to work, I thought about the darkness of winter and what was going on underground as spring got closer. I went back to my passion for circles and used them as a way to show new growth beneath our feet…heading toward the surface.
I used different batiks and hand dyed fabrics to collage the background and after heavily quilting with metallic thread, I hand appliqued lots of circles made of silk. I would love to hear your reaction. Any suggestions for a title?

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Where do ideas come from?

Posted on May 8, 2011 by

They say that there is nothing new under the sun and when I look at quilting patterns I often believe that the phrase is true. But when I am stuck for an idea, I find inspiration by looking at other artwork. Sometimes a pattern will come into the store and it will bug me. I ponder what I don’t like about it and resolve to do if differently when I make the quilt. Jewel Box was one of those patterns. I created my own block because I didn’t like the original and then after making a bunch of them, I opted to twist and turn them to create a whole new look. Sometimes I can see similarities to the original pattern but often my new pattern looks totally different from the idea that sparked me. I love when that happens.

You can purchase Jewel Box on Etsy if you want to make it yourself!

I love the overcast weather that we are having. It is just so darn hard to stay inside when the sun is shining but yesterday was a creative day for me and today may be the same. Lots more to share next time. Thanks for stopping by.

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Find me on Etsy

Posted on May 4, 2011 by

I have gotten very organized lately and I have begun to post some of my small art pieces on Etsy. You can find them at Karenworksart.

I have also been posting my quilt patterns on Etsy.


I hope you enjoy them.

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Moroccan Memories

Posted on May 1, 2011 by

This time last year I was in Morocco with my Mom, Jordan and Shayna. We did a two week tour of the major cities and a few gorgeous out of the way places. I took lots of pictures of doorways, animals and people when I could do it without them noticing. This quilt evolved from that trip.

I did the doorway in a workshop with Sue Benner and finally got up the nerve to quilt it. It has lots of small fused pieces so it required intense quilting.

Then I transfered my favorite photos onto silk and quilted them individually. They were sewed onto the felt background after being quilted. The purple line that weaves underneath everything will connect to other quilts when the Rogue Art Quilters hang their show in July at US Bank. Come see this quilt in person!


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What has Karen been up to?

Posted on April 24, 2011 by

That’s a good question. It has been a hectic two weeks, that is for sure. My son Jordan came to visit in a large UHaul truck and we spent one day unloading boxes of product into a storage unit. He has a line of wonderful science kits for kids that you can see at Dr. Cool Science (in the future it will be called Discover with Dr. Cool).

My living room became a packaging station and the fun began!

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Birdhouse

Posted on April 10, 2011 by

I am working on samples for new classes that I will be teaching at Quiltz over the next four months. One of the classes will be focused on fusing fabric and embroidering details. I will be using Laura Wasilowski’s new book as a guide. Here is a sample that I created from her book.

I did the embroidery in the car on my way to and from Trader Joe’s in Eugene. It was a one-day excursion with my friend, Debra. We visited 4 quilt stores, 1 needlework store and most importantly, Trader Joe’s. Well worth the trip in so many ways!

Here is a detail of the embroidery:

Makes me want to try it with my own designs.

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Birds of a feather

Posted on April 3, 2011 by

Birds of a feather

from 12 Connected by karenworks
I have a beautiful blue feather that was calling out to me when the topic of Birds was chosen by the 12connected group. I have been playing with Inktense pencils so I drew the feather on freezer paper backed fabric and colored it in with the pencils. I used fabric medium to wet the pencil marks and the colors came to life. Then I freehand quilted the feather and appliqued it to a fused collage background. I like weird outside edges and I love the technique of zig-zagging a binding. It all came together very quickly and I am happy with the results.
Here you can see the blending of colors from the pencils and the quilting.

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Sky High

Posted on March 27, 2011 by

I am still working on designing from the top down and after looking at an article in Machine Quilting Unlimited Magazine, I just had to try playing with Inktense pencils. So, I free motion quilted from the top and colored the sections in with the pencils. Then I wet the penciled areas with fabric medium and the colors came alive. Sometimes I tried wetting the fabric and then applying the pencil. It might be a little easier that way but the results are the same.

Because I used a white on white fabric, you can see the texture of the fabric coming through the color of the pencils. I was very glad that I picked a fabric with a subtle design because a thicker design would have taken over the quilt.  When the pencils were dry, I free motion quilted the rest in variegated thread.  Next time I will post another inktense pencil project. They sure are fun to play with.

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Energy in the doing

Posted on March 20, 2011 by

There are many pathways in this life and it doesn’t matter which one you take, for they all have a common destination, and that is the grave. But some paths give you energy and some take it away.
- Cervantes

I read this quote this morning on someone else’s blog and it home. Art gives me energy. Whether I am actually creating or just ironing the fabric and dreaming of what it will become, I take great pleasure in the doing. I hope you have something that fills you in this way.

 

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Another tallis

Posted on March 13, 2011 by

I just completed another tallis and matching bag in collaboration with Maxine Feldman-Cohen. This one is for the mother of her husband’s partner and we are both thrilled with the way it turned out. I also completed two other quilts but I can’t post them until the reveal day. Stay tuned!

And if you are in the market for a new tallis, be sure to visit our website at www.uniquetallit.com

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