by Rhonda Adams
Congratulaions to all the "Little old ladies of Mt. Vernon" who took the 2007/2008 Black, White & ______ All Over challenge! Who could have expected all of these wonderful interpretations of our theme. The next time you are faced with a challenge and can't find that creative spark, try using some of the ideas below to spark the genius in you! Never say never...just push a little harder.
Creative Ideas for Creative Quiltmaking
by Kathryn Kistner
I was asked where I come up with ideas for quilts. Here are a few thoughts, which I am still working on...
I "sit" with my fabric, and let it talk to me. IT knows how it wants to spend the rest of its life. I just have to quietly listen. Sometimes a piece of fabric will "speak" to me in the store, with a "picture-in-my-mind" of itself as a finished quilt or quilt block.
Pick a "NON-QUILTING" MAGAZINE, like a tractor catalog, a recipe magazine, or a gardening magazine (it doesn't matter!). Tell yourself that the original idea MUST come from something you see in the magazine. NOT the WHOLE concept, necessarily, just that initial "push". Maybe it will be an advertisement in the magazine. (Scan the picture, and include it in your quilt or signature label.)
- Pick a NON-QUILTING BOOK - a biography, a fiction, a history, a "how-to", or a horse-training manual (it doesn't matter!). Read the TITLES of the chapters, and let that spark your imagination. (In other words, you might "name" your quilt before you make it. You can change the name, later, if you wish.)
- Pick a SEASON. (Draw from a hat, if you can't choose.) Express that season as a quilt.
- Pick a SEASON, and REFUSE to use colors that are "traditional" for that season. (DO NOT use gold or brown for FALL.)
- Interpret a SEASON and DO NOT use leaves, trees, flowers or block names that are "seasonal" in nature.
- Pull 3 (or 4, or 5) color names from a hat, and use ONLY those colors in a quilt.
- Pull 3 (or 4, or 5) color names from a hat and DO NOT use those colors in a quilt.
- Pick a COLOR with a fancy name (blueberry swirl, katydid, deep lagoon, thistledown, etc. - look at paint chip names - look at lipstick names.) Interpret that fancy NAME as a quilt.
- Use ONLY fabrics already in your stash.
- Use one REALLY, REALLY GAG-UGLY fabric in your quilt, and do whatever it takes to make the quilt look BEAUTIFUL, EXOTIC, or ROMANTIC (you choose the POSITIVE trait).
- Ask another person to pick out one fabric that MUST appear in your quilt.
- Ask a child or other person what their favorite THING is. Whatever they say... use that in a quilt. You may "interpret" the item "generally" or "specifically", at your discretion. (If they say "Barbie", it can be "doll", or "fashion doll", or "BARBIE"..., or "dolls of the world", or "dolls from history"..., or "Oh, you beautiful doll", or "Hello, Dolly", or "I dropped my dolly in the dirt", or "all dolled up", etc.)
- Pick a PERSON you admire (past or present, fictional, cartoon, historical or personal friend). List what you like about them, and express that as a quilt.
- OR, ask yourself, "if they WERE a quilt", what would they look like? Expansive? Wild? Small and precise? Colorful? Subdued?
- Find a favorite QUOTE (famous or otherwise). Express that WHOLE quote as a quilt.
- Pick a period in history. 1500's. 1920's. Pre-history. Express the "feel" of the era.
- Make a quilt that was popular during a certain period in history, or something that is cutting-edge that you have never tried before.
- Make a quilt in a certain style (Baltimore Album, crazy, folk art, primitive, fussy-cut, etc.).
- Take the letters of your first, middle and last name(s). Using those letters, scramble the letters to make new words. (You may or may not use all the letters - you decide.) Make a quilt based on those words that came from YOUR name.
- Go to a Dictionary, Bible or classic literature book. Close your eyes. Open the book at random, and point to a word or phrase. Interpret that word meaning or phrase as a quilt.
- Pick a word, and write down words that rhyme with it. Put all those rhyming words/images in the quilt. (Bat, brat, cat, drat, fat, flat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat, scat, slat, spat, tat, vat, etc.)
- Make a quilt based on the TITLE of a song.
- Pick your favorite song, and interpret the feelings, thoughts, words, tempo, etc. as a quilt.
- LISTEN to your favorite song, and see what ideas come up.
- Pick your favorite animal, and incorporate it into a quilt.
- Pick an endangered (or extinct) animal, and leave a lasting memory of its having been here on Earth.
- Think of an ACTIVITY. Interpret, and quilt that. (Picking blueberries. Singing a song. Riding a bicycle. Missing the bus. Putting on pantyhose. Ice-skating.)
- Pick a body part (feet, hands, nose) and express something profound, humorous, or educational.
- Express your gratitude (in a quilt) for something that you usually take for granted.
- Pick a profession. (Baker, taxi driver, dancer...)
- Quilt a nursery rhyme. Don't use the words.
- If you remember your dreams, use them as a creative spark. (I write mine down as soon as I wake up, or I forget - I keep a pad and pen by my bed.)
- I attended a creativity seminar in 1971 by Mike Vance, who used to work for (or with) the Walt Disney Studios. The REASON Disney cartoons and movies are so wonderful, is because they use a concept called "Five-Sensing". They try to portray ALL FIVE SENSES as they tell their story. What do you SEE? What do you HEAR? What do you SMELL? What do you TASTE? What do you FEEL (emotional or tactile)? The more senses you involve, the more involved will be your audience. It works in movies, books, and songs. It works in a quilt, too.
- OR, pick ONE SENSE. Pick a SMELL (a flower, bread baking, fish). Pick a TASTE (a lemon, peppermint stick). Pick a SIGHT/VISION(the Grand Canyon, "I SAW mommy kissing Santa Claus", "peace on Earth" (vision), eyeglasses - and things seen through them). Pick a SOUND (car horn, kitten mewing, silence). Pick things that you FEEL/FEELINGS - textures, weights, pressures, etc. (rough, silky, smothering).
When life gives you a challenge, go WAAAAAY beyond your wildest dreams, to spark your creative GENIUS!
Libby Dudley"s “What’s Black, White & Sipped All Over? Tea.”
What first fired Libby’s imagination was the pink fabric with ladies in hats in graceful, by-gone era poses. After considering many options, Libby settled on her theme; many types of tea (black, white, red, green and herbal) and some of the many places where they are sipped. Libby said that once she had the idea it was a quilt she had to make; the vision would not go away. It is her first true “art quilt” and admits that though it contains some imperfections and many lessons learned her satisfaction comes from having actually created her vision.
Dotty Eisenhour's “What’s Black, White & Fans All Over?"
Dotty created a doll size quilt using the fabrics from her grab bag. Her Asian inspired fabric forms the center of the fans allowing her collection of black and white blades to “pop”. Her pieced border is the perfect ending.
Mary Stauss' “What’s Black, White & Mardi Gras All Over?”
Mary shared the making of her challenge with a good friend on a visit to Florida. What fun they must have had choosing all of the embellishments—including strands of purple, green and gold beads and feathered masks and butterflies, making a yo-yo collar among the many others—what a show piece and great memories captured in friendship.
Marjorie Parkyn's “What’s Black White & Flying a Kite?”
Why it’s a lovely lady dressed to the nines on a spring day! Even though Margorie was the first to come up to me and tell me she hated her fabrics and wanted to trade them in, she willing took them home and “rose to the challenge”. Marjorie used the embellishments found in her bag to create the kite string and the green feather boa around her ladies neck. Marjorie—now be honest, those fabrics weren’t so bad after all were they?
Kathy Edwards' “Lost in Black & White”
Kathy’s quilt doubled as a homework assignment from Art Quilts 101…a class taught by Cyndi Souder and for our chapter’s challenge. “This is the first circular quilt I’ve made and the second in my Art Quilt series “Lost”.
Rhonda Adams' “Be the Change… What’s Black, White with Inspiration All Over?"
That’s how Rhonda described her quilt tying it into her mantra of “going green”. With a myriad of new techniques to try out this challenge was an open slate on which to experiment with them. Even she admitted working one of the fabrics into the quilt was more difficult than expected.
Frankie Carroll's “What’s Black, White & Butterflies All Over?”
I remember the day Frankie opened her grab bag—she was instantly inspired by all of her fabrics and it was then that her theme was chosen. Where did you find that perfect black and white butterfly fabric in your background? It’s a perfect choice.
Barbara Zygiel's “What’s Black, White & Scotties All Over?”
You have to get up close to Barbara’s designer doll dress to truly appreciate the fine workmanship and her attention to detail. Barbara used her grab bag fabrics to make the scarves around the necks of the Scotties that encircle the bottom of the dress. “It has a hanger and two sleeves” Barbara said as she showed her piece—very catchy!
Elizabeth Eastmond's “What’s Black, White & Catrina All over?”
Elizabeth received her grab bag in the mail—imagine her surprise. Deciding to "rise to the challenge," Elizabeth completed her quilt and sent it here all the way from Riverside, California just in time for the reveal. Fascinated by the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations in late October through to November 2nd, she decide to explore what she might put on her own altar to departed spirits. "As I age, I honor and mourn those things that are passed: time to waste, chances to achieve, hours in a day, an ability to multitask, raw desire, sufficient energy and boundless passion. Elegantly dressed Catrina, a reminder of Colonial Mexico, is as susceptible to death as any of us. So like Catrina, I plan to keep laughing to the end."
Carol Kunkle's “What’s Black White & Spilled All Over?”
Carol got a late start but pushed herself to finish, this, her first “art quilt” in time to meet the challenge deadline. Carol’s grab bag contained a square of fabric with coffee cups on it and her inspiration started there. She tipped the coffee cup and used her embellishments to simulate the spill—let it be a lesson to all--keep that cup of coffee far away from your quilts.
Aby Dolinger's “What’s Black, White & What Were the Rules Again?" or
“A Whole Cart of Groceries in the 7 Items or Less Line”
Aby made us all laugh with her choice of title—indeed her quilt was larger than the suggested size for our challenge, but she used all of her grab bag fabrics in her friendship star blocks.
Barbara Tucker's “What’s Black, White & Tea Time?”
Look closely at Barbara’s teacups…notice they are made from fabric covered in clocks...Tea Time, how clever you are. Using embellishments found in her grab bag and adding some of her own, she was able to create perfect handles on each of her cups.
Anne Poulin's “Sheep Gone Wild”
Anne’s quit was inspired by a quilting weekend at the beach. “Ewe” captured the essence of true friendship Anne!
Beverly Dasch's What's Black & White & S. W. A. K. All Over?"
When Beverly opened her brown bag she thought, "YIKES!!" Right away she began looking around the room to see if anyone wanted to trade with her! At first she planned to make a piece using a traditional pattern… with mostly black & white fabrics and interject the challenge fabrics into it. Her “aha” moment came, though, when she recalled a gift she recently made for a friend who was moving away. It was "The Envelope" pattern given on the Simply Quilts television show, designed by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith. She couldn’t wait to get started! All the envelopes are in black and white fabrics... and when you open them you will find the challenge fabrics. Pretty tricky… huh!? Anything can go inside… notes, trinkets, treasures, secrets. Her friend’s quilt held recipes and “good-bye & good luck” messages from her old friends who would miss her. In the middle envelope of Beverly's challenge piece are pictures of her daughters, Emily and Catherine… the challenge embellishments decorate them. She's rather pleased with her little quilt and wonders which daughter is going to ask for it!
Tammy Mannarino's “What’s Black White & Round All Over?”
Tammy used lots of new techniques in her piece. “It was a challenge in the true sense of the word” says Tammy. “It was also a lot of fun."
Barbara Dove's “What’s Black, White & Jellyfish All Over?”
Barbara’s creative use of her fabrics and embellishments make these little guys seem quite friendly even though there are know to be quite dangerous in the open water. Look closely at the center of her slug—button, button, who’s got the button?
Mary Mazzuchi's “What’s Black, White & Seasons All Over?”
Mary used a rail fence graduating from light to dark as the perfect background to show off the four seasons in her quilt. Mary’s bushel of tomatoes, cut and appliqued from one of her fabrics, make the summer bounty look good enough to eat. And Mary, love that striped binding! You went above and beyond in your meeting a personal challenge.
Angela Miller's “What’s Black, White & Yo-Yo’ed All Over?”
Angie’s quilt is a table decoration with new styled heart-shaped yo-yos. She used a pattern for a wool penny piece she spied in a quilting magazine as her jumping off point.
MVQU members picked the following challenge quilt as the....
***Viewer's Choice Award***
Lynn Miller's “The Chase is On”
Lynn’s quilt shows Long, a Chinese Imperial Dragon chasing the Peal of Wisdom. Lynn’s dragon design comes from an art project she did with her twin 8 year old sons. Her piece is a combination of machine appliqué, machine piecing and machine quilting, but it is all the hand beading that makes this piece so stunning.
Photographs by Kathy Edwards
click here:
Dotty's Quilt Featured on Pat Sloan's Blog!
A Message from Rhonda
Marjorie Parkyn has been busy "busting her stash" and made these first two quilts to donate to "For Childrens Sake"
Carol Eberhardt, still commuting from upstate NY, says she travels light and showed off her crazy pieced handbag--it holds all she needs for those short hops
Mary Mazzuchi shares her mystery quilt from last year
Janet Betz and Rhonda smile for the camera as Janet shows her completed "lady bird" quilt that she purchased at the MVQU Silent Auction
Gail English proudly displays her hand quilted nine patch variation quilt. Beautiful!!
"Lost in MaMa's Garden"--Pat Alfredson shares her version of the Wild and Free Applique quilts started in our workshop with Pat Sloan...Stunning, Pat! It's no secret these colors are beyond Pat's comfort zone, but I think we can all agree, she did a fantastic job pulling it together.
Aby gave this show stopper to her husband as a gift this Christmas. Lucky him, but that's one way to keep it in the family!
Kathy Edwards used an orphan block to create this beautiful wall hanging. Using her new "Be-dazzler" she added crystals to make it sparkle
Kathy Edwards finished this reverse applique with no batt and a white backing so that when it hangs near light, it gives the appearance of stained glass. What a great idea!
Aby Dolinger's Civil War themed quilt is complete
by Rhonda Adams
Mary Stauss' “What’s Black, White & Mardi Gras All Over?” 
Kathy Edwards' “Lost in Black & White” 
Rhonda Adams' “Be the Change… What’s Black, White with Inspiration All Over?" 
Barbara Zygiel's “What’s Black, White & Scotties All Over?”
Elizabeth Eastmond's “What’s Black, White & Catrina All over?” 
Carol Kunkle's “What’s Black White & Spilled All Over?” 
Aby Dolinger's “What’s Black, White & What Were the Rules Again?" or “A Whole Cart of Groceries in the 7 Items or Less Line” 
Anne Poulin's “Sheep Gone Wild” 
Tammy Mannarino's “What’s Black White & Round All Over?” 
Mary Mazzuchi's “What’s Black, White & Seasons All Over?” 
***Viewer's Choice Award***
