Inspiring Speaker Denise Labadie With Her Stone Quilts

Posted on July 19, 2019 by plaidjourney

Wow! These quilts from a distance look just like a painting!! And up close they are quilts to get lost in. Denise spoke of the stones at these sacred sites (see her much more in-depth website http://www.labadiefiberart.com) speaking to her. I can relate to that! I love stones, rocks, formations, mountains. So I was deeply intrigued by her story of her journey through becoming a world renowned speaker, traveling to the places that inspired her to create these quilts. She also has archways, stone steps, many from monasteries, all in Ireland, but speaking and giving workshops all over the world.

Denise paints a lot of her fabric to get that variety of colors that many stones have. She’s also thankful for Stonehenge fabric!

Denise spoke about the way she “builds” the stone walls as though she is actually building them!

Close up of the arch. She does tiny quilting in between the stones to be the mortar, and highlighting the stones.

I was intrigued with how she got the edge of the shadowed arch to be so sharp, and contrasting.

Here’s a close-up of the floor in front of the arch. Check out her website for many different quilts!!

Look at the edges of those steps!! And the shadows that make them 3D! This quilt has a bottom edge that follows the steps (I couldn’t crop out the background behind this hanging quilt). She met the owner of this quilt when she picked it up to show at our meeting. She must have sold it over the internet.

An early quilt with standing stones. Check out her many others at http://www.labadiefiberart.com!

Denise also does workshops, one is coming up in Mendocino, CA in October. She lives in Colorado. Please go to her website to see other quilts, hear from her directly, perhaps get as inspired as I did with her very meaningful quilts!

The Finished Recycled Denim Social Justice Sewing Academy Quilt

Posted on July 19, 2019 by plaidjourney

Hi Folks! Sorry I have taken so long to grace you with a post! Been busy, my family has 3 birthdays in June, got very serious with a business program to bring my art out to the world more fully (and financially!).

Hope you all are having a great summer, keeping cool when the temps go up, finding water to get into if that’s your thing, and here in the Bay Area, sometimes for me it’s finding the sun! But this summer has mostly been sunny at some point during the day, not much cold fog.

Here’s the almost finished top, only the backing and binding to go. Quite the puzzle to put together with staggered angles!

And here it is hanging in the Panorama Framing shop at 3350 Grand Ave in Oakland, CA. They regularly have art on their gallery wall.

There will be more Social Justice Sewing Academy art to come. Their quilts will be shown at the quilt show in Paducah, Kentucky in the spring. There are 2 now at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Students from Baltimore just completed a week here in Oakland in a summer program. Sara Trail who founded this program is a ball of energy, involved in so many things!!

I’m posting another inspiration in a separate post. On a different wave of creativity, yet still in a cultural realm.

Take care, stay cool, have fun, enjoy your summer!!

Another Social Justice Sewing Academy Community Creation

Posted on June 7, 2019 by plaidjourney

The Social Justice Sewing Academy is all about community! Students and adults create the quilts, then share them with the larger community. Often the quilts travel to shows and museums (see former Quilt Con post). One day not too far into the future they will be in the DeYoung Museum!!

I wish all students had the chance to voice their experiences, opinions, fears, anger, hurt and grief, desires, hope, knowledge and wisdom with the world. They have so much to say and share. The future will be theirs! I am grateful for all the adults listening to young people these days!

Here are photos of the quilts I and quite a few others were working on at the EBHQ community workshop on May 18, 2019. The students who work with SJSA made the squares, and us women cut strips, added borders, and created patterns from the pieces of fabric to surround the squares.

These are the 3 quilts we worked on that day:

A few of us worked on the denim pieces to be used in Quilt #3

Here’s a quilt to show us how we would be laying out the squares and working around them, an example of a quilt already made with Japanese fabric:

This one reminds me of a scene from a video on the protested meeting of the WTO, World Trade Organization in Seattle 1999 where it started out fairly peacefully. Young people were putting flowers in the rifles of the police. It turned extremely violent when the police in riot gear sprayed pepper spray into the protesters faces and eyes, arrested them, beat them, etc. But the meeting was shut down!! Hope in action. Creativity is so important these days when protests don’t have that same result necessarily. Gratitude to the young ones who through the ages have kept after justice!!!

Watch for an update as the quilt in denim becomes whole.

An Appreciation of a Compelling Talk by Roderick Kiracofe

Posted on May 25, 2019 by plaidjourney

I hadn’t heard of him before, and might not have gone to hear him if not for my role of running the raffle before East Bay Heritage Quilt Guild’s educational meetings which happen every last Monday of the month (except Memorial Day). http://www.ebhq.org

A delightful man, showing his collection of many southeastern rural quilts from the 1950’s to now. Not the usual primly perfectly (beautifully) points matching, patterns and quilting to admire with open mouths. But so interesting!! So humbly sewn together with what was available, including the double knit polyester from back in the 70’s, that looked like regular quilts from afar until you got up close to touch them. I was awestruck with these quilts and managed to get a few photos. But you can go to his website to see a few more. And I’m sorry for the less than accurate clear photos!!

http://www.roderickkiracofe.com

The way he talked about the reds that he loves was endearing. He has a whole collection of quilts that depict red in them, so interesting how random it is!

Log cabin, courthouse steps, where they don’t match up necessarily but are compelling in the way they stand out and are mixed with plaids, stripes and other prints. He calls his collection unconventional and unexpected, sometimes ugly, edgy. I agree with all of it, but by the time he finished speaking with such affection and appreciation of the work of these women that he usually has to track down because there is no label on them, I was hooked and very appreciative of him!!

Again, so sorry for the lack of photo clarity! This was my favorite. The colors are so earthy and geological, it won my heart!

Here it is close up. A crazy quilt without the embellishments!

This was a quilt with only these boots in every square. Obviously very much loved by their owner or a gift to someone! Again I apologize for not having a photo of the whole queen or double size quilt!

Silk, corduroy, woven, knits, you name it, and it comes together!!

So fascinating how we can be creative!!!

Roderick told a story of two quilts that used this same pink, red and tan fabric so he thinks they were made by the same women. Or maybe in the same town or area?

This is the second quilt with same fabric. So cool that historians can name dates by what kind of fabric was used at what time in our history!

So all in all, I have a new appreciation for my own work, for that of all aspects of the spectrum of human creativity!!!

May we not judge ourselves or each other for what we do or don’t do, as long as we are happy with creating that which we love!!!

More Quilts From the San Francisco Quilt Guild Show

Posted on April 9, 2019 by plaidjourney

Well, this has taken a long time to get back to you!! Sorry about that! How are all your projects going? I have been setting up an online store called Sewing Wishes at

http://www.sewingwishes.com

I will be creating a page that we all can have our entrepreneur stores and websites on. This is the age of strutting out into the world of online experiences. Wow, what an experience it has been! I am not one to navigate technology. Right now I envy the young! And can’t wait to get back to the world of tactile fabric!!

Ok, here are some more of my favorite quilts:

Look below to see some close-ups of this quilt.

I apologize for cutting off the words. Not sure what they were, perhaps you can guess?

My son got various family members to go in with him on ancestry.com. It’s a lot of fun to look at the history, where people came from and when. Even what accomplishments they had like writing “Jingle Bells” or being the sheriff of Nottingham before the age of Robin Hood!!

Another interpretation of the California fires in summer and fall 2018. A bit more hopeful with all the colors, than the other one with only red and gold (which is really what it felt like at the time, just burning, and I was only in the smoke for 2 weeks, not the fire!).

This photo doesn’t do justice to the experience of walking up towards this glowing quilt! It was so striking! The darker shades radiated! I didn’t even notice the olive until I saw the photo. Also, I didn’t take a close up photo (lots of people standing around discussing it and I was running late and out the door, grabbing photos as I went).
I was about to remark about what you can do with solid fabrics, when I looked up close and saw that some of the fabrics have very subtle patterns.

When they add on another sheet of paper for people to put their stickers on, you know it is well-liked!! And you can see a tiny bit of the patterned fabric.

Notice the small print in there at the end! You may have a chance at winning this gorgeous raffle quilt at the EBHQ quilt fair “Voices in Cloth” 2020!

I love recycling clothes into fabric or up-cycling into new clothes!

I love the stye of this jacket as much as the quilted embroidery on it!

Alright, that’s all folks!! Hope you enjoyed all these beautiful and creative quilts and clothes!! Back to work on bringing notions, embroidered patches, lace and feather collars, cute buttons, fabric to all who want and need them!!

Please let me know if you want me to add your store whether brick and mortar or online into the entrepreneur page on this blog!

San Francisco Quilt Guild quilt show March 2019

Posted on March 27, 2019 by plaidjourney

As usual, each quilt show I go to, I learn something, I get inspired, this time I spoke with a couple of artists who won honorable mention but I thought they should have gotten first prize! They were so proud of their jointly created and constructed quilt. They are artists in different ways, had rings on fingers so we deduced they are married. And they were so sweet talking with us, thanking us for the attention and appreciation. In the midst of hearing about their process, I didn’t get a close up of their AMAZING quilting patterns that changed in every small and large block. SOOOO beautiful! If anyone reading this has photos of that, please add them for this quilt.

Wish you could see the amazing quilting up close!

These were also made collaboratively, by the guild members.

Made by 46 of the quilt guild members, this was their raffle quilt. Stunning illusionary weaving!!

8×8’s made by guild members since 2003! They just keep adding on with ties.

And then some of my favorites up close.

This one was way up high. I spoke with the woman who made it, about 10 years ago!!

This was the featured artist. I’ll let her write ups speak her stories.

Following my last post, I bring these images in because so many of us across this country, whether we speak out or not, have feelings about what’s been going on. I know that some of you may not agree with this. I’m sorry to step on anyone’s toes. But we all matter!! Our words matter. Our actions matter. Lives who are endangered every day just because of the color of their skin, the country they come from (as we each and everyone one of us has come at some point except the people who were here first, and those brought as slaves), the language they speak, the traditions they have brought, what gender or who they love. None of us should feel threatened as we go about our daily lives, going to school, to work, coming from ravaged countries to seek asylum, or speaking out (unless it’s threatening the lives of anyone, that isn’t free speech, it’s hate!).

After all, this is San Francisco!! And here’s a project that many people across this country and Mexico are joining in together.

So many words that truly matter!! America has not always been great for everyone!! And still isn’t for those threatened every day. And Immigrants have built this country since all of us come from immigrant ancestry except those whose shoulders this country was built on – people who were enslaved, and the Native peoples whose land we live on.

I love this thought! Can’t imagine not having stars, and I definitely have quilts on my bed!

As soon as I can, I will post more of the quilts. Here’s a last one today to bring us back to what I hope we all want!

So big love to all!!! Keep being inspired, speaking your truth, and quilt!! Or any type of art.

Quiltcon happened!

Posted on March 6, 2019 by plaidjourney

Good Wednesday afternoon to you all.

Quiltcon is new to me, but many of you have followed it for years! I know you can go to the website to see some of the quilts, but thought I would highlight my favorites and the local to Bay Area quilters. https://www.quiltcon.com

Local winners: in the Youth category, from Social Justice Sewing Academy

1st Place: Activist ABC’s
20” x 83”
By Bianca Mercado
Individual Member
Antioch, California
Quilted by Nancy Williams

The photo on the Quiltcon website doesn’t do it justice, and the measurements are for each panel, 20″ wide, and some longer than others as you can see in their photo.

I took videos of these panels and don’t yet know how to bring in videos. Sorry, still learning!! But please go to SJSAcademy website, the icon is the top one above Hello Stitch on the home page of the Portico, and you can click on that, go to their gallery. Activist ABC’s is at the top, you can see the whole thing and each block by clicking on the photos below the large photo. The volunteer embroiderers and quilters do an amazing job on the youth’s designs! It’s beautiful and inclusive of many people’s needs for justice.

The 2nd place youth winner is just as beautiful and meaningful, again by Social Justice Sewing Academy youth artist.

2nd Place: Exit Wound
55” x 60”
By Audrey Bernier
Individual Member
Antioch, California
Quilted by Nancy Williams

I’m sure it will come into their gallery soon, I don’t seem to be able to copy it, but you can go to quilt con’s website to see it. Since I can’t bring in the photo here, I trust that you’ll go looking for it!

Sherri Lynn Wood of Oakland, CA had a special exhibit. An artist who shares my values of recycle, upcycle, reuse of fabrics, etc. Check out her website https://sherrilynnwood.com

Next post will have photos I promise!!

Also, I’m working on bringing the pages back on this site. I want to highlight links to videos I have used in my sewing/quilting. Another page for entrepreneurs. Any requests?

Have a great day! Lisa

San Francisco Quilt Guild Show Coming Up (2 days left for advance sales on tickets)

Posted on February 27, 2019 by plaidjourney

Good Morning Creative People,

I attended, and worked at, my quilt guild’s monthly meeting on Monday night. Because I was coming back from my vacation, spending the day working at creating a home for my future art studio, and single handedly working the raffle we have before our meeting, I completely spaced on preparing for a fantastic blog post!! Please forgive my newby faux pas!!

I could have taken photos of Sue Fox and Julia McLeod’s wonderful inspiring talk and trunk show. Beautiful, modern and traditional mixed silk and other fabrics quilts collaboratively created together. Please check out their website to see photos that should be right here!! I’m learning, thank you for your patience and support as I learn this business of reporting and sharing of the creations we all love to see and get inspired by for our own innovations.

Please check out their website to see what photos I didn’t take! https://silkandsalvage.com

Sue Fox is also a member of the SF Quilters Guild. Here’s a link to get yourselves to the San Francisco Quilters Guild quilt show coming on March 22-23, 2019

www.sfquiltersguild.org through February 28 it’s $10 for both days of the quilt show $15 for the 2 days after that. I’ll be there, hope to see you!

In the meantime, I will be posting what strikes my fancy!! May your day be what you want it to be. Lisa

Watching Amazing Women and Girls work hard on Children’s quilts to give to those who need them

Image

The East Bay Heritage Quilt Guild (EBHQ) creates and gives away about 1500 quilts each year to children in hospitals, foster care and after “natural” disasters. They also make and give adult quilts for the hurricanes, floods, fires, tsunami’s, earthquakes. I think this is not an anomaly, other quilt guilds do this too. The African American Quilt Guild of Oakland asks each member to make one each year to give away as part of their membership.

I’m including the photos I took today of these mothers and daughters and their quilt guild mentor who worked on a number of “kits” ready to go out to other people who finish them. It is indeed a labor of love! In this EBHQ Quilt Guild, years ago Deanna Davis started this project. When she was alive, she stored all the fabric that was given to the guild for the quilts, and sewed many of them herself. Now it is up to many people in the guild, and those who come to help, to bring them forth and out to those in need.

The top photo shows Ellie with her mother Maria Belshaw of Orinda, working on this quilt with the help of Paula Zurowski, long time member of EBHQ.

This photo shows Kris and Katherine Leamy of Lafayette, again working with Paula Zurowski, moving back and forth between the two mother/daughter quilters.

Here’s a doll or stuffed animal quilt I made in an EBHQ workshop where we all made something for children in long term treatment in hospitals.

So, have fun being creative in whatever ways you enjoy! And have a great Sunday. So nice to have the sun shining after all the much needed rain.

Warmly, Lisa Carey

Good Morning From a New Voice

Posted on February 13, 2019 by plaidjourney

Hello Creative People,

I’m happy to say that I am resuming The Plaid Portico from the wonderful Carol Van Zandt. She is graciously teaching me how to take over her job of networking, reporting on events, sharing many of your beautiful quilts, and more.

I am thrilled to start this endeavor, as I have wanted to be blogging. She has shown me how many of you come to this site. Seeing each other’s quilts are very inspiring. And I find that other forms of art inform mine.

Sometimes in the face of what’s happening in this country, I wonder if my art is really contributing to making the world a better place. Then I look on the many forms of creativity, including the sounds of beautiful soothing or exciting music, the smells of artful cooking, beautifully pruned trees and landscaped gardens, the hard work of small farmers who grace the farmer’s market tables with the beauty of their labors and I know that whatever each one of us chooses to do with their own creativity (many more ways than I have listed), I know that because we are creative creatures, it’s what we must do!!!

Here in northern central California, we are having another so needed rainy day!! I look forward to walking in my beloved Nature, hearing the water rushing, breathing in the smells, viewing the sites, listening to the birds in Nature brought to us by the greatest creator of all!!!

May you enjoy this new day. In immense gratitude, Lisa Carey

Redwood Park in Oakland California is a favorite place of mine, the soaring redwood trees, the quiet sounds of the forest, the bright green of our rainy season. Here’s a photo I took of the creative way that the regional park workers have shored up the bank of the now rushing stream to protect the trail from slipping down. Remember Lincoln Logs?