An Exhibit to See: Upcycle!

upcyclecoverI am beyond thrilled to discover that my entry, Painting the Town, is featured on the cover of the exhibition catalog for the SAQA exhibition, Upcycle! This exhibit will premier at the International Quilt Festival in Houston this week.

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Painting the Town (detail) by Laura Wasilowski

Painting the Town is made from a drop cloth used on my print table. Each time I dye or print a fabric for my art work, I use a cotton drop cloth. These utilitarian fabrics collect the dribbles, stains, and shadows of the colorful inks and dyes. Like a journal, I can “read” the drop cloth fabric and reminisce about the art I’ve made and events in my life during the painting process. My collection of drop cloths are now being recycled into art and carry these memories with them.

Frantically Designing a New Class

libbysleavesnumber3detailbDon’t tell anyone, but I’m not quite prepared for a new class I’m teaching at the International Quilt Festival. My new class, Libby’s Leaves, premiers on Friday, November 1.

It’s not like I haven’t been thinking a lot about how to present the class. It’s just that I don’t have is a finished quilt to show the class.

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Libby’s Leaves by Laura Wasilowski

See the original Libby’s Leaves quilt (above) that the class is based upon has been sold. And, making it a rule to never replicate a quilt design, I have to invent a new design in the spirit of the original. It also has to be something that illustrates the construction methods of the design. Plus I need step-outs and an outline for teaching the class.

So as I scramble to catch up with my ambitions, I ask that you wish me luck.

And again, please don’t tell anyone.

State of the Studio: Packing

packingIt’s that time of year when packing up for the Houston show consumes two weeks of October. This year I’m teaching 5 (!) classes with each class of 30 people requiring a kit. Here you see kit preparation for class #366, Felt Like Gardening. 

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Felt Like Gardening #3 by Laura Wasilowski

This class is the most labor intensive kit. I’ve cut about 100 pre-cut felt shapes for each student to use in their creations, loaded thread rings with hand-dyed threads, cut felt for the backgrounds, and printed my booklets with embroidery stitch information. Sigh…….

And I’m giving one lecture called Art Quilts: The Musical on October 31 at 10 am. As this date also coincides with Halloween, you can expect a scary yet sweet production about quilt making.