Laughing Dog Arts

Sunday, September 19, 2010

My "Hairy" quilts


I haven't been making as many wall quilts as I used to so I am going to show you some of my old ones.  Remember that you can click on the photos to see better detail.  Someone recently asked me about my Rapunzel quilt, and that reminded me of my series of  "Hairy" quilts.  I didn't set out to make a series of hairy quilts, but after making several with a vague hair theme, I decided to call them a series.  The first was this one, titled Wind In Her Hair.  It measures 58" x 34".  It is all raw edge collaged with lots of fibers and beads couched down.  Machine stitched.  This is one of my very favorite quilts and I have it hanging in my studio still.


Above is a close up of the face area.  Below is towards the bottom of the hair.
A year or so later I joined a challenge and created this Rapunzel's Longing.  I sold this one, I think it measured about 45" x 30" or so.  It is also raw edge collaged with couched fibers.

Below is a close up of her face. 

Another challenge led to this quilt I titled Wind Tangled.  It is a sort of self portrait.  The challenge was to make something with the theme of Entanglements.  I still have this one, stuffed away in a box somewhere.  I like it, more of the raw edge collage work. 
I think this next one could fall into the hairy quilt category:


Flower Girl
I'm in a yahoo group called the Fiber Pirates and now and then we have what we call a Baggo challenge.  All the participants gather some fabrics and embellishments together, enough to fill a one gallon zip lock bag.  We send the baggo to the facilitator who then sends our bag to another participant.  After you get your new baggo you make something with those fabrics and when it is finished it gets sent back to the person who's fabric you had.  You don't know who you are making the quilt for until it is finished.  It has been a really fun thing to do and I have 3 baggo quilts in my studio.  So this was one I created, I call it Flower Girl.  It is another self portrait.  Looks just like me, don't you think?  It resides at Becky's home now, she is the one who's fabrics I received.


I used only fabrics and embellishments I received in the bag, except for the background, which is painted cotton batting.
Last and least is this one:


Crow Woman.  She is just a journal size quilt. It was meant to be a practice for a larger quilt that so far has not been made.  I gave this one away.  It was a first attempt to use a bit of roving and needle felting.  I like the idea of it if not the execution but like I said, it was really only a mock up.

So that is a little journey through my Hairy quilt series.

Summer is about over, if you can even call what we had here a summer.  It looks as though the fall rains have arrived early.  Big surprise.  Today I am listening to The Decemberists album, The Hazards of Love.   
Hope you all are enjoying some more appropriate weather and that you will
Be well.
 
Posted by Picasa

18 comments:

audrey said...

OMG, Jan, you do quilting too??? You are SO multi-talented! These are all wonderful works of art and I am so happy that you posted them for us to see. I just love your use of color and how you incorporate beads and more into them. They look so time consuming. This is one reason I have never taken up the art of quilting, but I LOVE quilts.
These are tuly beautiful, Jan.
♥ audrey

Emma said...

I love your hairy sieries, particularly that crow!

You did make me laugh with your comment! Apparently, top stitching along a seam defines the line of the seam (bear in mind I'm new to this neat clothes sewing business)it, of course, emphasises it. In a bodice, in the design I chose, the seam goes from the neck, down & over the breast & tucks in towards the waist, making it a very sexy seam. The top stitching has to be exact, right up next to the seam but i sewed too far over, just at the point (ha ha!) where the nipple would be. In class, we called it a learning curve ;) Well, you asked for an explanation! (I hope I'm not being too rude here!)

Maggi said...

Superb quilts Jan. There is a real sense of movement and freedom in them. My favourite is Wind in Her Hair although Rapunzel's Longing comes a close second. I'm not surprised that someone bought it.

Anna Rosa Designs said...

Hi Jan,
Oh wow, these quilts are fabulous!
You're such a clever lady.
Hugs,
Anna

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Jan, I remember all these seeing them one by one, but they really do hold well as a series! Gosh---what was the Entanglements challenge? Was it the one small group CyberFiber? Because that was what I made my Frida and Diego for. I had totally forgotten that until reading your post.
Thanks for the pleasant walk down memory lane with these.
I am off to my big wall piece today, feeling rather *entangled* in it! LOL!!!

XXOO~~♥
Anne

Marlene said...

Jan these are simply gorgeous. Amazing detail in each of them. I have no favorites as they are all beautiful but the top two really got my attention at first glance. The colors you chose to use are fabulous together.

Karen S said...

These are so cool -- I love the hair!

Elena said...

I never cease to be amazed by the wonderful creativity. Just beautiful!

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

I adore your hairy quilts. I am always delighted and amazed by your work, no matter what it is. You are so talented and the quilts are wonderful. The Olde Bagg

Anja said...

Dear Jan, for me you are not only talented in quilting you are also very modest and that is the greatest thing of all. I like all the quilts I see on this post, they express high artistic qualities. They invite to dream for a while, like the feeling from a child someone is reading aloud from a book it loves.
Have nice autumn days, here at my place it is still late summer, sun is shining. Anja

sjmcdowell said...

Hello Dear Jan,

I am speechless...the Hairy Quilt Series is absolutely wonderful!! "Flower Girl"
I have to say is my favorite one of all!!

Peaceful smiles,

Susan

Robbie said...

Jan, your work is very cool and I really enjoyed this series! Rapunzel's Longing is my favorite! VERY nice.

Iowa Gardening Woman said...

They are lovely! I especially like the last one, Crow Woman.

Deborah said...

OMGoodness, what fabulous works of art! I greatly enjoyed enlarging the photos and seeing the thousands of stitches. Amazing. **clapping of many hands** ♥Deb

Marie S said...

Jan all of your work is amazing!!!

Linda Vincent said...

Your quilts are beautiful Jan.....great to have a 'series' like this.
I really love the detail you showed for 'Wind in her hair'.

Bunny said...

Hi Jan your work is so amazing I love the flower girl you are a talented gal. I have not been blogging for a while so I wanted to pop over to see what you were up to. Great jaw dropping work

Julie Zaccone Stiller said...

Jan, this is so cool to see all the hairy quilts together. There are a couple I don't think I'd seen before. A very cool series you've got going there. And isn't The Hazards of Love wonderful?