Current Events

Guest speaker Andi Perejda provided members with an exceptional presentation of her  textile art  work at the July 10th Zoom Meeting. If you missed the presention, visit Andi's website at https://andiperejdaquilts.com/. After the meeting, Andi, an experienced quilt judge, selected 19 entries for the Challenge "Endangered"

 Nelda McComb - Endangered; Joann Sarachman - BOTO Pink River Dolphins;  Carol Churchill - Hanging By A Thread;  Bunnie Mauldin - Grinnell Glacier;  Janet Tranbarger - The End;  Sharon Jaeger - Whooping Cranes;  Karen Gutherie - Out of Time;  Janice Willis - Truth;  Laurie Mutalipassi - Going, Going, Gone?;  Ardis Bucy - Vulnerable Beauty;  Tara Ritacco - Monarch's Risky Reigh; Sally Freeberg - Borderland;  Judy Crotts - Vanishing Paradise;  Marilyn Gourley - Ancient Voyager;  Charlene Tuch - From Sparks to Flames;  Ann Turley - The Woody;  Guila Greer - Lunch Break for Bees;  Karen Johnson - Endangered in the East;  Jennier Beatty - Survival of the Vulnerable;

Visions Art Museum in San Diego

First Responders

Congratulations to Quilts on the Wall Members Tara Ritacco and Deborah Weir and to SAQA Regional Director:  Kathleen McCabe

Congratulations to Guila Greer, Katherine Pellman,

Sally Wright, Laurie Mutalipassi and Linda Anderson,

current and former members,

for being selected for this years Road at Home show.  

Visit Road2CA at:

https://online.roadtocalifornia.com/

Congratulations to Linda Stone and Guila Greer

who are exhibiting their art work at Extreme Quilter's Art From Cloth on line exhibit. 

Spotted in the Garden, Life's a Beach, Black and White with a Twist

and other Quilts on the Wall Challenges by both artists are featured.

The on-line exhibit replaces, for now, the annual Gallery exhibit many of us have attended.

Check out the link.

http://www.extremequilters.com/2020-art-from-cloth-show/

You will enjoy the variety of art quilts and bring some sun shine into your day.

The Violet Protest. Each and every one of you, whether red or blue, has stepped up to say that

we believe in the core values we all want to make real in America.

It is with great hope that we believe that our hands will make a tangible representation of our belief in these values -

a gesture that cannot be ignored because of the spirit each Violet Protest square will carry with it to the members of the 117th Congress. 

Violet Protest Square - made by Tara Ritacco from Carlsbad, CA

​• Respect for the other   • Citizenship   • Compromise 
• Country over party and corporate influence
• Courage     • Candor    • Compassion   • Creativity 

 

Five entries by Tara Ritacco that will be part of Exhibit and delivered to U.S. Congress.

“Soar Into Spring”
2021 Mini Challenge

2021 brings us a new year with the budding of spring.

Let us welcome this year with a mini excursion to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
At the Museum we find a world renowned collection of art: statuary, paintings, photographs, decorative furnishings, textiles, porcelain…on and on.

Artists visit the Museum to learn and be inspired.
The museum’s vaults are filled with objects collected from all corners of the world and throughout world history.

The Board has selected two pieces of art from the collection for this challenge.
Quilts on the Wall invites members to create a miniature textile art piece.

Use the art work of Henri Matisse and Mariano Rodriguez to
get your imagination to “spring” into action.

Do you see colors, shapes, moods, images, textures, and
objects that bring the feeling of Spring’s rebirth?

Let your artwork Soar Into Spring
The size is 12” x 16” - portrait or landscape orientation.
Your tour de spring will debut at our April 2021 Happy Hour.

Madame de Pompadour by Henri Matisse                                       The Painted Cock by Mariano Rodriguez

The theme that received the most member votes was  
Endangered _ Due July 2021
Size:  30” by 30” square

The theme for the 2021 non-juried challenge is

It’s All “A Round” Us - Due November 2021
Size:  maximum dimensions are 30” by 30” but the quilt does NOT need to be square.

 In can be round or whatever shape the artist chooses

as long as it is no bigger than the maximum dimensions.  

In addition, at least 50% of the shapes in the quilt have to be round.

 It is fine to have more than 50% of the shapes in the quilt round - there is no maximum percentage of round shapes.

Contact Laurie Mutalipassi or Carol Churchill for more information

Update Your Calendar

 July 25,  September 12, November 14, 2020, Meetings will be held on ZOOM.

Members will receive an Invitation with access information.

Contact Guila Greer for help using Zoom. Her email is on the Roster.

Look for Happy Hour on ZOOM in the months of August, October, December 2020.

No programs...just good conversations...catch up...and Show and Tell.

Invitations will arrive in your email.

PROGRAMS ON ZOOM

Saturday, July, 25, 2020 - Speaker - Jean Impey - “Are You Crushing Your Creativity?”

Power Point Presentation

Saturday, September 12, 2020 - Speaker - Johanna Wissler - “Taking Better Photos of your Quilts at Home”

Show Your Art Work to Its Best Advantage

CHALLENGES

“It’s Not All Back and White” juried challenge - last day to deliver to Carol Churchill is August 15, 2020

“Fiddling With Fabric” non-juried challenge due November 14, 2020

You may vote for only ONE of the entries.

Compare the original fat quarter, a piece of which is located on the BACK of each entry.

Look for the fabric on the FRONT of the entry, and decide which entry best turned "trash into treasure".

Here is your chance to be a JUDGE and ask....

Did the artist address the theme?

Was the fabric transformed?  Was the technique unusual or creative?  

Is the entry special and cause you to "stop and take a closer look" as you walked through a gallery?

Send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the name of the artist you select.

Please send your email NO LATER THAN May 20th

I will collect the names and forward them to the Board to determine the "winner".

Everyone will be notified and a special "gift" delivered to the 2020 Ugly Fat Quarter Queen.

 Photos and Artist Statements are set out BELOW

Entries for the Ugly Fat Quarter Challenge

Members exchanged fat quarters and were asked to create an "artwork" by using a recognizable portion of the ugly fabric.

Members will vote for the ONE entry that demonstrates there is no such thing as an ugly fabric.

Two images of each art project are shown below:

(1) the back with a sample of the ugly fabric; and

(2) the front incorporating the ugly fabric....can you spot it?

BACAL 

BOMMARITO

BUCHER

BUCY

CHURCHILL

CROTTS

FARMER

FREEBERG

GOURLEY

GREER

MARKLEY

MATHENY

MAUDLIN

McCOMB

MUTALIASSI

OBLINGER

RITACCO

SILVERS

STONE

TRINDLE

TUCH

TURLEY

VALLES

WILLIS

Artist Statements of Materials and Techniques

Charlene Tuch

 I was inspired by the materials I found in my yarn and trim box: DMC thread from a class I took 15 years ago.  And a little bag of dyed yarn given to me 20 yrs ago by a friend who spun her own yarn.

 I stitched down the DMC thread and then painted it with water color paint.  I layered the wool in stages using clear thread. 

 Laurie Mutalipassi

 A photograph of a Long Tailed Salamander became my inspiration.  I cut the fabric into many succulent plants which I planted all over the quilt.  I put the Salamander amongst the succulents but I needed more.  So I gave her two babies.  The quilt is called “Salamander Family Amongst the Succulents.”

 I fiddled with the fabric by sewing many, many black beads onto the Mama Salamander to show her spots and stripes.  The babies were too small to bead so I embroidered all their spots and stripes.

    Ann  Turley

 "Ugly Haystacks” inspired by the Haystacks series of paintings from Claude Monet, each created during different times of the day. I created confetti from my ugly fabric as well as all the other fabrics I used. After everything was in position I covered the entire composition in Black tulle before quilting. It is bound with a simple zig-zag stitch; the ugly fabric is in the sky and also makes a pathway between the haystacks.

Nelda McComb

 Materials Used:  One very ugly fat quarter; Raw edge appliqué;  Machine quilted;   Fabric paint;  Hand carved wood blocks

Andrea Bacal

 I am a new member so as I was organizing fabric. I came across the bacon fabric, wondered how I ever got it, almost tossed it, then remembered, Ah, ugly fabric!

  Ardis Bucy

 Ugly fabric: It was so ugly, dated and wonderful all at the same time. It became the inspiration for the next step. Also, thanks to my friend Sandie for the sign idea.

 Materials: hand dyed background and torn strips of linen

Techniques:    Inktense pencils to give the ladies some color, fussy cut the ladies (I think my mother is in this group!), marker on wool sign, embroidery stitches, random quilting

Carol Churchill   

 Growing up in the 1960’s with Jackie Kennedy in the Whitehouse, Vogue patterns were the Gold Standard for “chic”.  What would be more of a challenge than to take a truly ghastly fabric and remake it in the image of Vogue?

 Materials: Black spider-web ribbon; copyright free paper dolls; commercial cotton fabric; hand-dyed silk embroidery floss, Mistyfuse, cotton batting.  Hand embroidery; raw edge applique; machine quilting. 

Janet Farmer

 I over-dyed the ugly fat quarter using Dharma Fiber Reactive Dye.    I also added strips of hand dyed silk gauze ( dyed with Dharma Acid Dyes) and quilted organic horizontal lines. 

Marilyn Gourley

 “Tree” was inspired by a brown fabric, covered in small brown leaves, that I received in the QOTW Ugly Fat Quarter exchange.  I decided to feature the fabric as a tree trunk and branches. I sketched the tree onto the brown material and placed a layer of RNJ Sew-Shrink Fabric behind my “ugly” fabric.  I thread painted the tree design with blue, red, brown, and orange threads. I added additional color with Caran D’Arch Neocolor II Water-soluble pastel crayons. I applied steam to the fabric and watch it shrink by 30% as the Sew-Shrink Fabric did its magic. This added a wrinkled texture to my tree bark.  I used Misty Fuse to adhere the raw edged applique pieces to a burlap background. I added a few rocks to the bottom of the piece.

Tara Ritacco

 Inspired by Vasily Kandinsky's, " Komposition 8 done in July 1923, this abstract draws emotion.  Kandinsky quoted that "Form itself, even if completely abstract, has its own inner soul.  The many shapes show chaos, yet there is order in the balancing of the geometric shapes and planes.  One can feel the energy and movement.

 Materials- Ugly Fat Quarter - see back, loosely woven cotton print, Batik fabric, hand dyed fabric, Soutache Braid, Organza, Tulle

Technique:  Machine Embroidered and Quilted

 Susan Trindle

 I used Shiva sticks, rubbed over bubble wrap and color discharge technique.  Echo quilting. 

Robin Valles

 The ugly background fabric was result of ice dying gone wrong. Design elements are all stash fabric appliques. 

 Janice Willis

 I created a small slow stitched collage comprised of the dyed pink "Ugly Fat Quarter" and other fabrics. I attached the collage to a coffee dyed duck cloth as a component of the overall composition.

Bunnie Maudlin

 I received this fat quarter in an exchange and decided to piece a small forest, using the fat quarter as moss on the trees and ground cover.  My inspiration was a walk through a forest in Oregon, as well as my fascination with the shapes, lines and colors of trees in general.

Tracy Matheny

 I've called it Love Letter. I saw a picture of an envelope with hearts and flowers coming out of it and soon this all came together. 

I had a hard time getting enough of the part of the fabric I wanted to use. So glad whoever chose this gave me ample fabric to cut so many little pieces. I discovered the largest piece I could get was 1 3/4" square. I covered the "inside" of the envelope with chiffon. And I had to include the love bugs in the corner, just for fun.

Laurie Bucher

 When my family gets together we like to play word games. Every moment is precious, and the time goes by so quickly, like a floating bubble in time.

 Materials:   Commercial cotton and hand dyed silk were used. Sheer silk was layered and  hand embroidered. Also, some cheese cloth was applied to mute the "ugly fabric" Foiling was also used.

 Guila Greer

 I tried over-dyeing the ugly FQ with Procion dye - unsuccessful results - very subtle change only. I painted the FQ with a transparent paint - Dyn-a-flow - better results .   I used a tiny woodblock circle stamp to embellish the fabric with Jacquard Lumière acrylic paint.   I used a fabric weaving technique to lay down the strips of fabric that I cut semi-randomly.  I then stitched the strips together - butting the edges with a zigzag stitch.     I free motion quilted the heck out of the piece - so much so that the edges were too stiff for a regular facing or binding.  So I zigzagged the edges to finish the quilt. 

Sharon Oblinger

I used the ugly swirly fabric for the sky and sheep’s wool. After painting the wool black you can’t tell the old print though. I used extra layer of batting on the sheep so it’s kind of tranpunto. Everything else is fused appliqué with free motion stitching.

 Linda Stone

 It includes yoyo’s, hand embroidery, ruching, and weaving.  

Sally Freeberg

This quilt is based on a photo I took of my daughter and her dog last summer in Colorado. It is collage and thread painted. 

 Karen Markley

 FIBONACCI.   I have always been fascinated by fibionic numbers.  This little quilt has several design aspects that follow this sequence.    I was lucky enough to end up with a fairly non-descript, previously dyed fabric.  First, I divided up the fabric into smaller pieces which I dyed.  The lightest of the fabric I stamped repeatedly with a Linda Friedman stamp.  I made half square triangles in the size appropriate for the number sequence. And I repeated the sequence with the stamped fabric in squares.  Machine pieced and machine quilted.

Sally Silvers

Blue Cat.   Cotton fabrics were used, including some batiks to go with the blue ugly fabric.  Flowers were part of the design to detract from the “ugly” blue fabric and to enhance the sweet quality of the cat.  Yarn outlines her, to simulate fur.  It was attached by hand.  The sun is big, shining on all of us with good wishes during this Corona Virus pandemic.

Chagall’s Blue Dog     Chagall’s paintings often have figures floating in the sky, and he uses the most gorgeous shade of blue I’ve ever seen.  So, the cat in the upper right has wings and is floating above blue dog.  Blue dog was modeled after paintings by the artist George Rodrigue, made in the 1980s and 90s.  Cottons were used and enhanced a bit with fabric paints.  Blue dog is outlined in yarn, couched by hand,  to simulate fur.

Judy Crotts

The striped fabric reminded me of trees and then of  the devastating fires in California and Australia.  The quilt is pieced and fused appliqued and quilted with a combination of machine decorative stitches and free motion quilting.

Stephania Bommarito

 It is called "The Clock Time Warped circa 2020".

Somehow over the past 6 weeks I lost track of times, days, dates, and landed somewhere. 

Thus this quilt expresses what I've been feeling. The clock is supposed to have 12 points on the circle. Climatically over time, the circle got lost, the clock hands disappeared, and now a sense of confusion reigns. Although there are glimmers of hope that life will be reaffirmed and time will be rejuvenated.

The techniques used are machine applique, machine quilting, fabric modeling, thread sketching, and beading.