Creston Quilt Show

Creston Valley Quilters' Guild Show

What a successful quilt show this was on Friday and Saturday. This post will mostly be photos as I am rather spent from all the organizing that goes around getting to a show. Thank you Creston, Nelson, Moyie, Cranbrook, Kimberley, Idaho, Kootenay Lake residents for all the support you give me by visiting my booth and by buying my hand (dye) painted fabrics.

Stephanie Longpre (right) drawing the winning name for my free draw of a mug rug with hand painted fabric, textile card, artisan button card and package of hand painted fabrics. Stephanie was the event organizer and she did a fantastic job. One of her plans is to be an event planner for weddings. She will be great at it I am sure. Thank you Stephanie for your hard work organizing the show.

My booth of hand (dye) painted fabrics, textile cards, artisan button cards, mug rugs, and artisan pillows.

A few hand painted fat quarters. Win Dinn's mandala colouring book which can be ordered online here: http://windinnart.blogspot.ca/p/color-me-up.html

 Some of the Entries in the Quilt Show

 

This photo is especially for my friend Patty who also loves to use striped material.

This complicated colour combination delighted me.

The Quilt Group Challenge

Samples from the Quilt Group Challenge

Vendor's at a show develop a special connection and I met some lovely people this weekend. Here is one of the other Vendor's booths. Keith and Carol Kepke's sell precision wood crafted items for quilters. See you at the Canmore Show.



I love calendar pictures. One person did all these!

Wow what a wonderful organization that donates quilts for children. Take a look at that total.

Self portraits

The winner of viewer's choice. Such talent!

Splashed Dots: A New Design in Textile

This past week was full of textile art and turkeys. Yes I did say turkeys.

 

Cherry Quilted Mat by me, Eileen Gidman
new at Creston Card and Stationery for Art Walk
The beautiful cherry mug is by Pridham Studios. Click here for their site.

 

Sold.
Off to a new it's new home in Calgary.

Eileen Gidman's Art Walk Display
at Creston Card and Stationery http://crestoncard.com/
See it at it's new location in the store (right in front as you walk in)!



14 new Textile Cards: dyed, stitched and ready for sale at Creston Card and Stationery.
 

 What do you think of my newest design? I am thinking of a whole range of splashed colours with whimsically stitched flowers.

 






My newest design. Splashed dots with whimsical stitched flowers.



Each card in the series will be it's own unique piece of art work that is suitable to give as a gift card or for framing.



My favorite.

Here is what else is happening in my world this week. These two turkeys have been diligently raising these chicks all summer. It's hard to believe they are nearly the size of chickens now.

Art Walk 2014

Mike Poznikoff of Creston Card and Stationery http://crestoncard.com/ in front of his store.

This is my venue for Art Walk 2014 in Creston, BC for July and Aug. Thank you Mike for supporting the local artists!  Greeting cards by local artists are also available at the store.

'Grapes': Textile Art; painted by Eileen Gidman
Sample of my art work available at Creston Card and Stationery for Art Walk July & Aug 2014

Display panel for Art Walk. It is located right beside the checkout counter. My art work includes watercolour paintings, artisan pillows, mug rugs and hand painted fabric squares for framing or sewing. If you are in Creston in Aug come and check it out.



Need a present? Like something unique and locally made? These one of a kind textile art 'mug rugs' have been popular this summer. Women and men alike seem to appreciate them. Customers have told me they use them not only for a coffee cup but also a wine glass, reading glasses, cell phones and TV remotes. They are washable and keep in mind, they are easily mailed. Available at Creston Card and Stationery, this month only for $25.

Watercolour Paintings by Eileen Gidman. These are featuring birds and botanicals.

Three Quilters take a Challenge

This is so exciting to show this post! Three quilters, myself included, were given a similar 5 X 7" piece of my hand dyed fabric and were challenged to create something with it. This was in February and now, here they are all completed!

Betty designed and created this wall hanging using pieced squares and strip borders. Take a look at the free motion stitching that extends right into the white background. Too exciting! What a great use of a small piece of hand painted fabric. I don't know if you had these fabrics in your stash Betty but are they ever great.

 

Joan created this piece with a theme in mind: 'Spring in the Desert'. For the background she used a muslin with speckles in it to emulate the desert sand. Note that the lines of the off white background are not quilting lines but rather narrow pieced strips!!! The texture of this and the different direction of the lines reminds us of the desert landscape.

Only Joan could make a 5 X 7 piece of fabric go so far into 5 triangles. These yellow and light green triangles depict the first greenery coming up in the desert after the hot summer and the dry winter.

This is my piece which I made into a 'mug rug'. Surprise, surprise as I can't seem to stop making lately. I free motion stitched the daffodils after ironing the hand painted 5 X 7" piece onto  interfacing. A narrow golden strip was added like the golden colour in the flower centers. The rest of the piece is from a green variegated fabric that I wish I had more of as it has been so versatile.

There you have it, three textile artists with their own interpretations using a similar piece of hand painted fabric.  What fun this was to see the great variety of quilted pieces that were created. I love it!

 

If you have a group of quilters you want to try this with, let me know and I can provide you with the hand painted fabric using colours of your choice. You can email me at egidman@kootenay.com



Highlights of 2014 and a Chance to Win

This is the Newsletter I sent out to those on my newsletter list. To receive an email Newsletter, send me an email request to:  eileengidman@kootenay.com

 

NEWSLETTER

I have either met you at Quilt Canada, Quilt Shows, Markets in BC and AB, through Quilting Groups or Art Shows. Although I didn't get a newsletter out in the fall, I have been continually working in the studio painting original textile artwork. These fabrics are popular with quilters because the premium cotton material and fibre reactive dyes leave the hand of the fabric soft and washable. Perfect for quilting.

WHAT OTHERS HAVE BEEN CREATING WITH ORIGINAL HAND PAINTED EILEEN GIDMAN FABRICS

 

by Kathleen Little

It is a wonderful surprise to me to see what others create with my hand painted fabrics. Each time I am thrilled to see the sewn, quilted or framed pieces. Thank you to those who have taken the time to send me photos. Send more!




by Marg Moore

by Anne Morrel Robinson



by Joan Cavers

 

 

 

 

 

by Jayne Hisml

 

 

 

 

WIN a hand painted Fat Quarter

 

 In 2013 I had two give-aways of hand painted fabrics. An original hand painted fat quarter will be given to the winner of a the draw on February 15, 2014.  Email me at egidman@kootenay.com for  chance to win.

 

 A FEW HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2013 can be found by clicking on these links to my blog:
Color Confidence for Quilters Workshop Summary
Textile Interpretations of European Sketches
Jackie White and I dye one piece of Fabric
Artisan Pillow Series
The Portrait Project
Key City Theatre - Art Show
Skimmerhorn Winery: Kootenay Crush wine label by Eileen Gidman

FROM THE ARTISAN PILLOW SERIES - This new series was popular at the summer markets.

'The Three Roses'

'A Cottage Summer'

 
COMMISSIONS: Several quilters have ordered specific images and it has been rewarding to create something original for them. If you have an image you would like painted on fabric with dyes, send me an email at egidman@kootenay.com

UPCOMING: After listening to people that came to my booth, I am creating sets of blocks for those of you that want to paint or colour fabric yourselves but are unsure of the drawing part. Watch for upcoming sets of blocks on white cotton fabric of wildflowers and birds. Let me know if you have some other ideas.

May 2014 be a year full of inspiration, quilting or otherwise. Don't  forget to reply to this email for a chance to win a hand painted fat quarter.

Thanks,
Eileen Gidman
www.eileengidman.blogspot.com
www.eileengidman.com

'Creston Cherries' hand paint fabric panel



How to Paint with Dyes

 

Textile Card
'Robin'

Many of my frameable textile cards and several pillows from my 'Artisan Pillow Series' found new homes this weekend!!! We enjoyed the people at the Invermere Market and it thrills me to think of my artwork in my customer's homes.

Highlights for me this weekend were:

• having repeat customers from the weekend before.
• knowing some artwork was going to New Brunswick and some to Ontario.
• having a younger couple purchase original artwork because she "loves birds".
• not having fabric blowing everywhere and business cards blowing down the street this weekend.
• having one of the purchased pillows going on a new couch!

People were asking about the process of painting with dyes so here goes. First I wash the fine quality cotton fabric I purchase with a special soap. Then I soak the fabric in a solution of soda ash and water, dry it and tape it onto a Plexiglas support. Often, I first create a sketch and using a light source transfer the sketch to the fabric by drawing with thickened black dye that is in a bottle with a nib. After curing that fabric in plastic overnight, I paint it with dyes I have mixed from powder and thickened with sodium alginate/agar which comes from seaweed. As you can see from the photo, I use Styrofoam plates to mix the colours needed. After I have painted the image, I again wrap it in plastic to cure for 24 hours in a warm place. The fabric is then washed in hot water with a soap that stops the dye from bleeding back into the fabric and then rinsed well in cold water. I always dry it on the line or iron it dry. If I am satisfied with the results, it is then ready for framing or sewing.  

Reference Photo; Soda Soaked Fabric, Thickened dyes.

'Prairie Home'
Hand (dye) Painted Textile

Artisan Pillow Series - 'Three Roses'

Artisan Pillow - 'Three Roses'
using my hand (dye) painted fabric

Using a hand painted panel, I sewed 1/4" tucks vertically every 1 1/4". Then starting in the middle, I pressed the tucks all one way and sewed them down with invisible thread. I measured over 1 1/2" and pressed the tucks the other way and sewed them down. I repeated this process on one side and then came back to the middle and repeated the other way being sure to alternate which way the tucks were laying.

 

This hand (dye) painted panel has a complementary colour scheme. The reds range from cool to warm and are shaded from white to dark red. Remember the whites are the light of the fabric itself and so must be planned from the beginning. Note the green leaves were created by painting a dark green around an already painted light green. This means this piece was dyed twice.

 

For the back, I placed in a zipper. I then squared up both front and back evenly and with right sides together stitched around the perimeter. I trimmed the corners and turned it right side out. So for those of you who have purchased my hand painted fabrics or have one of your own, you may want to try this technique to create one of your own original works of art in a pillow.