ART QUILTS RECEIVE AWARDS David, my husband, and I were recently struck by her presence when we first saw her. She was sitting there stitching—highlights dancing in the bangs of her honey-colored hair. Her encompassing shadow behind her was cast large by the oil lamp on the low table beside her. “Oh, look!” I exclaimed. “She’s quilting.” Quilting! For thirteen months David and I have been thinking and talking about quilting, our conversation started by a phone call from local Carthage quilter, Jinny Hopp. Back then our calendars and days were full to brimming, when I agreed to take a first meeting with Jinny to hear the idea she wanted to pitch for artCentral—something about quilts. I agreed to |
For days David and I had been down on our knees and derrières working our way around the perimeter of the courthouse. While we painted one fire hydrant and then another with swirls of maple leaves and poufy white clouds floating over a cerulean sky above vibrant green grass below, the sidewalk pavement was, as the old timers say, “hot enough to fry an egg,” as temperatures soared through an end-of-summer heat wave.
In spite of the sweltering conditions we had to multi-task and meet with Jinny while we kept painting. We were on a deadline—determined, with the help of a bevy of plein air artCentral artists, to have all the hydrants dressed up and spiffy along the parade route for last October’s Maple Leaf Festival.
Jinny arrived, sat down on the midday hot, hot sidewalk alongside us and made her pitch for a quilt exhibit at artCentral. A month later in artCentral’s pleasantly cool, upstairs library, we met again—Jinny and I and members of the quilt exhibit committee including Barbara Montague, Ruth Potter and Sandy Swingle.
Since that first committee gathering, the excitement has been building. Jinny, Ruth and Barbara have visioned and worked and brought together an amazing collection of art quilts. They secured the generous underwriting of Edward Jones Financial Advisors in Carthage: Darren Collier, Kristi J. Montague, Joe Ryder and Garrett Stramel. The committee also approached Michele Hansford, former director of the Powers Museum. When asked to serve as juror for this regional fiber Michele graciously agreed. |
Michele Hansford spent an afternoon selecting award winners for outstanding entries based on their artistic, compositional and technical qualities. Michele’s husband, Gary Hansford, himself an accomplished quilter, lent his insights based on his years of experience and technical expertise. Award placards and ribbons adorned with quilted medallions handmade by Ruth Potter were paired with envelopes filled with cash prizes and set aside for the announcements to follow.
The Art of Quilting opened with last Friday night’s festive celebration! Guests arriving at Hyde House were greeted and treated to seasonal pleasures created by Joplin Globe food columnist, Amanda Stone—ice cream floats served “with and without”. When I asked Amanda for her recipe to share she replied, “Ummm…I don’t have a real recipe. The ingredients are apple cider, an array of spices, sugar, optional caramel vodka, club soda and vanilla ice cream.” No exacting recipe was needed. Amanda’s creations were heavenly!
At last the time for the long anticipated announcement of awards arrived. Best in Show: Jinny Hopp for “Full Bloom: 4th and 6th Designs”; Gold: Mary Thornton for “Hourglass of Life”; Silver: Sue Swindle for “Peach—Anyone”; Bronze: Joan Banks for “The Snowy Day”; and Judge’s Choice: Francis McDaniel for “Basket of Flowers”.
The honey-haired quilter, that so caught David’s and my attention when we first saw her at Cherry’s Art Emporium on the Square, was present for The Art of Quilting opening. Still seated and framed within “The Wedding King Quilt”, she continued working silently, beautifully rendered with oils on canvas by Roy Lee Ward.
During weekend gallery hours or by appointment at (417) 358-4404, come see this lovely, honey-haired quilter as you view this wondrous fiber arts exhibition. All remain at artCentral through November 18th.
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Full Bloom was designed by Barbara Persing and Mary Hoover of 4th and 6th Designs for Island Batik Fabrics.
I was drawn to the bright batik fabrics and was challenged by the machine appliqué to create the flower blocks. A very satisfying process!
Long arm machine quilting by Cheryl McFadden completes the quilt.
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Time ticks on in small bits.
But each bit has the power to take large bites of ones being.
Time seems to move effortlessly through space.
It is paced at being the present between the past and the future.
We can't alter the past,
We attempt to deal with the present,
We can only dream of the future, knowing in all certainty it is only a dream.
With such power that nothing can halt its progression,
It is cursed, it is envied, it is abused, it triumphs.
It adds balance to music, rhythm to dance, flow to words.
It has the power to crumble tall mountains, erode the strongest structures, diminish the greatest efforts and achievements.
Propaganda speaks that time has the power to heal but in whose life time.
Time has withstood all before it,
and the barriers that tried to hold back its passages
have all crumbled into nonexistence.
The beating of the heart, the swinging of the pendulum, the movement of the celestial bodies are all put in motion by its power.
Time will take it all back
To dust.
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Peach – Anyone is an oval table runner. There is reversible cream on one side. Peach on the other.
Peach – Anyone has a satin stitch edge.
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I like the dimension that a layer of organza gives to an art quilt. In this case, The Snowy Day feels almost as if you could step into this woodland setting and sink into the snow.
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I got this pattern about 2014 from a dear friend, Doris McCall, from Golden City, Missouri. The Basket of Flowers quilt she made for a full size bed was gorgeous.
I decided I wanted to make a miniature of Doris’s quilt. Using 2,249 hexagons, getting my Basket of Flowers made took all this time.
I was sorry Doris passed away before I got my miniature finished. For this reason, Basket of Flowers is precious to me.