Maverick Ideas

I have completed two similar styled works for this challenge. There may be 24 hours to go until reveal time but I can't see me getting to my other Maverick ideas so I thought I would share them with you.

First of all, it occurred to me that I had. touched upon this theme in previous challenges. What about the person on the outer in Community? (And, no, I don't wear earrings.)

Or the nonconformist in Suits? (although this one might be wearing a safety vest which isn't so maverick).

 Then I though of mavericks in nature.  The single yellow bloom in a field of red flowers.  (Sketch from my iPad using the Art Studio app.)

Or the tall poppy that dares to rise above the others? An idea I didn't pursue as tall poppies have stronger connotations of high achievers than maverick tendencies. (Sketch from my iPad using the basic Paper 53 app.)

And so I went off on a different tangent. Watch this space...

My Maverick Failure

I have a hard time blogging about what didn't work, I don't even like looking at the picture!  Whenever I hear our new challenge,  I usually spend a few days thinking about the possibilities.  I don't like to wait too long because I worry I'll be stuck near the deadline and not be able to come up with anything.  My brain was set on a maverick being a person, not a moment or a thing, despite discussions to the contrary.  I don't usually interpret people in my work, for whatever reason, I'm not comfortable with it.  I should have listened to myself on this one.

My idea was to think of someone I thought of as maverick, and Muhammed Ali came to mind pretty quickly.  The choices he has made through out his life have gone against society's choices for him, and he has stood strong for what he believes in and taken the punishment for it.  Once I settled on Muhammed Ali, I had to decide how to get my ideas across in an abstract way.  This is where I muddled it up.  I thought about his Parkinson's and how tortured he looked at the Olympics and wanted to portray this.  I now think that was a mistake because the Parkinson's is not who he is, it's just something he's got.  I went ahead and made the outside black and blue fabric, using wool felt in the batting to shrink it, trying to portray the gray matter in the brain.  This was ok, but I think I was worried people wouldn't know I was portraying a person, or who it was, so I thought I'd be clever by adding his eyes in a sheer fabric. Big mistake. I liked it at the time I was putting it together, but that didn't have staying power. So I set out to "fix" it, which is usually a mistake. The orange fabric is sheer also, and I stitched on it thinking you could see the remainder of the face subtlety, but it just kept getting worse.  I finally added cheesecloth because doesn't cheesecloth hide a lot of mistakes and tie the whole thing together?  Yuk.
So, Del, I think you were the one who asked us to talk more about our process.  I don't usually make sketches, I usually just think out the whole piece in my brain before I start, making changes as I go along.  I'm usually pretty successful with this method, but once in a while, it just doesn't work out.
In the mean time, I went back to the suggestions Brenda and Terry sent me about medical mavericks and came up with something I like a lot, and is true to my style of work. You will see it October 1st.

One Fourth of the Twelves at Quilt Expo

Nikki, Gerrie and Terry at Quilt Expo today. It was great to neet Nikki's mom and mom-in-law, both wonderful women. 

Twelve by Twelve on TV

Gerrie and Terry are such indefatigable troupers and Twelve by Twelve ambassadors.  They were up in the very early morn to do a star turn on Portland TV.  Click on the image below to link through to the fun video clip.  The quilts also look great at the Northwest Quilting Expo in Portland.

Together for the Last Time

It is bittersweet to realize that the two sets of our quilts will be together for the last time, here in Portland. So, I just had to post some photos.

As you can see, we have lots of fans. I was told by several people that it is the best exhibit in the show.

I just love to lurk and here the comments. Sometimes, I will introduce myself and people are always happy to meet one of us.

I took 12 books in for the Expo booth to sell. When I left this afternoon, more than half were sold.

I so love seeing these quilts together like this. 

Twelve by Twelve arrives at NW Quilt Expo

Mr C and I arrived at the NW Quilt Expo and were met by enthusiastic helpers. These kids loved our quits and were having a good time hanging them. The artist statements will be pinned between the two mosaics.

They were busy bringing in the other quilts and working out logistics, but they knew where we were to be. We are the first exhibit as you come in the doors.

After I explained the procedure and made sure they knew what the were doing, we left to go home. When Terry and I get there early Thursday morning, we can check that every thing is as it should be. I always get a thrill when I see these little gems hanging in a show once again.

Sharing Quilts -- and Ideas!

Did you know that Kristin recently moved from Hawaii to Virginia? And that's pretty close to where I (Deborah) live?! Kristin and her family came to visit this weekend and we packed three days with all kinds of fun, including sharing our 2012 Series art quilts.

Apparently we were gabbing and gesticulating so much that the camera couldn't even focus on our hands. We also talked a lot about where we are going with our "maverick" quilts. Kristin has a clear idea and plan. I am floundering, but she helped me consider several options that are both practical and inspiring.

There really is no substitute for sitting with another creative person and tossing out ideas, brainstorming, making sketches, thumbing through fabric and considering options. Thanks for your help, Kristin! (Now we'll see if I go the direction we discussed or abandon it entirely for something different.)

Maverick Shibori

I have three ideas for this challenge. This is a shibori work in progress:

Getting ready for the Quilt Expo

This week Gerrie and I met at my studio and opened up the two big boxes containing all of the Twelve by Twelve quilts sent to us from IQF Long Beach. We decided we needed to inspect each quilt and make sure they are in good condition and properly attached to the felt panels for exhibit at the Quilt Expo later this month. (See the details below) They are like old friends now and we were so happy to see each one again. We made a couple of tiny repairs and reattached some corners. Overall, they look great for all the traveling they have done. I can't wait to see them hanging again and to share them with our local friends. Gerrie and I will be there to greet visitors and answer questions. Be sure to find us if you will be there too!

Twelve by Twelve @ NW Quilting Expo 20-22 September

Are you going to be in the Portland area later in the month? In just two weeks, the Northwest Quilting Expo opens in Portland, Oregon and runs from 20-22 September 2012.

Don't miss the last opportunity to view both the Theme Series and the Colorplay Series of the Twelve by Twelve International Art Quilt Challenge all together, in the cloth. Bring your partner, bring your parents, bring your children. With 288 art quilts on display, there's something for everyone! You might get to meet Gerrie or Terry (and maybe Nikki) too.

Maverick Embellishments

I do have a theme to my quilt that actualty links to a maverick subject but I think maybe I will qualify just because of my materials..... this is what I am working with today...

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Wow,  can you believe that it was FIVE years ago today that this e-mail landed in my in-box?!* And the 4th of September marks the five year anniversary of Diane's inaugural post on this blog. In that time, we have collectively created 324 "official" challenge quilts (plus a multitude of bonus works and a special set for our generous angel Del Thomas); exhibited at 10 international quilt shows and galleries, with more outings coming up; co-authored a BOOK; and written more than 1250 blog posts.  I could rattle off other stats but the biggest rewards cannot be measured - the joy of friendship; the goose bump thrill of real life meetings; the development of creative voices and the quiet but certain knowledge that together we have accomplished something rather wonderful. Thank you Diane for inviting me to play and thank you to all the other Twelves for making the experience so much fun.  Happy anniversary to us!

*Actually, it went to a spam folder but fortunately Helen alerted me to its arrival for which I am very grateful.