Andrea Brokenshire presents “Journey of an Art Quilter”

If you had to miss DAFA’s October meeting (or even if you just want to relive a terrific program), here are photos of Andrea Brokenshire’s presentation for us. A rising star in the world of art quilts, Andrea came to us from Round Rock, bringing a stunning trunk show of her quilts. She traced her story as an artist from its beginnings, when she was a traditional maker of pieced and appliquéd quilts, through the changes that took place in her work following a life-threatening illness. 

Andrea Brokenshire (center) takes the DAFA audience along on her art quilt journey. With the help of Chuck Baber and Sherrie Tootle, she showed both early works (left) and recent works (right).

It took two years of knitting and other techniques exploration before Andrea returned to quilts, and it was in a workshop with Judy Coates Perez that Andrea discovered she “could paint.”  Soon this trained botanist had found her voice and had begun to produce the art quilts for which she is so widely recognized today.

In the Confetti Backgrounds mini-workshop Andrea (at right) showed a new, heavily embellished abstract quilt. At left is her first whole-cloth quilt, her earliest painted quilt.

Andrea explained that she loves techniques of all kinds. Many of the quilts feature painting on silk, fusible applique, and intricate quilting, with lines that are often no more than ¼ inch apart. She spends long hours thread painting, making the backs of her quilts as fascinating as the fronts.

Andrea’s stunning Christmas quilt (left) was among the many works that DAFA members and guests admired and discussed with her after the program.

Thanks to Andrea for her wonderful program and her generosity in sharing so much information with all of us!

                                                                                                      --Carolyn Skei, program chair

                                                                                                         

DAFA art quilts supporting AAQI

Finding My Way Home
Lu Peters

DAFA ART QUILTS HAVE BEEN HOT SELLERS on the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative website. In just this past month 10 of our members' art quilts have sold, making our current total 13 quilts sold for an amazing $1,000! Yes, DAFA members, you are all Fiber Art Quilt Rock Stars in my book!

I checked the list to see how many DAFA art quilts have been pulled and slated to make the trip to Houston for the International Quilt Festival, and there are 22! I just know that all of them will be purchased and greatly loved and admired in their new homes.

Monday night I hope you will be in attendance for Recycled Runway: From the Sidewalk to the Green Catwalk. Lu Peters promises it will be a wonderful program. Thanks to so many of our members who have been working hard on their projects.

See you on the Runway!

                                                                                                         -- Jules Rushing, president

DAFA workshop offers rare chance to learn from “Miss Marble”

Catherine Levine demonstrates methods of floating the paints in the tray and raking or combing it in a variety of patterns.

One of the true stars of paper marbling, Catherine Levine, delighted yesterday's Marbling Workshop participants with as much information and hands-on experience as could be packed into a three-hour session. We each had our own carageenan-filled marbling tray, combs, alum-treated papers and as many paint colors as we could dream of mixing. And the results were amazing. Participants ranged from first-time marblers to experienced art teachers, but “Miss Marble” had tips and information for all.

Class members mix and thin heavy-bodied acrylics and go to work producing marbled papers by the dozen.

The toughest part was getting the papers to our cars on a somewhat windy day! Thanks to Catherine, to Asel Art (which carries a profusion of marbling supplies, by the way), and to all the fun-loving participants for a wonderful workshop!

                                                                                                        -- Carolyn Skei, workshop chair

Catherine Levine shares marbling history and craft

Catherine Levine combs the paints in her marbling tray and pulls a sheet of 17th-century-style marbled paper as Lisa Covert holds the microphone and Gail Sellers watches.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to “Miss Marble,” Catherine Levine, and to her rapt audience for a wonderful DAFA meeting last Monday night! If you missed Aug. 27, here are a few pictures to give you a taste of an evening filled with lots of excitement. Catherine told us how, in her studio in Dallas, she devotes long hours to the study and re-creation of historic marbling patterns. With an amazing skill, born of complete dedication to her art, she demonstrated several different marbling patterns, ranging from the early “stone” patterns to the more recent “zebra” and “nonpareil” patterns.

DAFA member Lisa Covert (standing at left) explains pamphlet stitch to a full house of mini-workshop participants. At right, Early Irwin concentrates on her two-part journal with marbled cover.

THANKS TO LISA COVERT for leading our mini-workshop on pamphlet-stitched journals. With the help of mini-workshop chair Chuck Baber, Lisa had kits ready that contained beautiful marbled paper covers, precut inside papers, and even threaded needles! Now that’s an organized teacher! We are so lucky to have had all three of these skilled book arts enthusiasts share their knowledge and love of paper and book arts with our group.

IF YOU STILL HAVEN'T PAID DAFA DUES for 2012-2013, you have a day or two before an important Sept. 1 deadline. Your name will be included in the Texas Federation of Fiber Artists directory and you will get your discount-bearing membership card promptly if you beat the deadline!

-- Carolyn Skei

Dallas Area Fiber Artists Support the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Above left: April Soncrant's "Super Highway." Above right: Jo Appleton's "Hidden Pathway."

We are busy watching the action on the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative site with the monthly auctions. Last month a few of our members' art quilts sold from the “ForSale” section, and Super Highway by April Soncrant has been selected for the September Quilt Auction.

A link has been added to the blog sidebar for the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative. You will also be able to keep an eye on the sales progress of the DAFA art quilts.

The Dallas Area Fiber ARTists have our own page so visitors to the AAQI website will know about us and see the quilts we have donated to AAQI.  

On August 15, AAQI wrote about DAFA's participation and our Priority Art Quilt project. It was very exciting for those of us who "Like" AAQI on Facebook to see the post.

The volunteers with Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative are busy sorting and selecting art quilts to take to the InternationalQuilt Festival in Houston in November.  They are listing the art quilts they are pulling for Houston, and some of the DAFA art quilts have already been selected.

During our September meeting April Soncrant and Denise Spillane will let us know about the next Priority Quilt Challenge for DAFA. Plus, Lu Peters will let us know about a 2013 show for which we have been asked to be the exhibitors.
                                                                                                                 --Jules Rushing

Taking time to “Reinvent the Clock”

Marney Makridakis autographs her book for a DAFA member with a time-related name – Early Irwin.

THANKS to Artella founder Marney Makridakis for her lively talk at our July meeting. In keeping with the title of her new book, Marney shared some of her secrets for “Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life.”

A quote from Marney’s book encapsulates an important part of what she said: “I have a very full life, and my time is filled with many things. Yet I notice that I feel pressured and stressed only when I’m thinking about the linear clock. When I allow more flow to come into my life – not only in the freestanding, time-stopping peak experiences but also in the everyday movement of time – I feel like I am partnering with time instead of working against it, and I realize how much time there really is.” 

A few of the participants in the mini-workshop show their collaged clocks during Show & Tell.

Marney urged us all to measure time less by the clock, calendar, or datebook, and more often in other measurements like pauses, ritual, metaphor, gratitude and love. As artists, we need to give ourselves more of what she calls “ARTsignments.” In our mini-workshop she challenged each participant to create a unique, individual collaged clock -- not a clock of hours, but a “Clock of Ours.”

-- Carolyn Skei, program chair

Molas and How's Your Studio Time?

Discovering More about Molas

If you missed our June program, you missed a wonderful presentation about molas. Lorie Haydenburk brought her beautiful collection to share with us. Lorie shared with us the grand history, as well as the culture and pride, that goes into the creation of each and every mola. It is a right of heritage to learn the process and develop the skill to create molas. The themes vary, as does the complexity of the creations. What a blessing for DAFA to be enriched by this program. Thank you, Lorie, for sharing with us.

And a special thanks to DAFA member Brenda Wyatt (above right with Lori), who has visited the San Blas Islands with Lorie. Brenda led us in making colorful and fun paper mola cards for our mini workshop. Take a look at a couple of the members' creations below!

UPCOMING PROGRAM: Do you struggle with making time for your art? Join us on July 23 to hear Marney Makridakis, creator of ArtellaLand.com  and author of the new #1 Amazon bestselling book, Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life. This will be another fun and inspiring program to get us out of our ruts and into creating new art.

2012 - 2013 DAFA Board

Left to Right - Chuck Baber, Michelle Knoerzer, Sherri Tootle, Mary Masal, Thelma Victor, April Soncrant, Denise Spillane, Fannie Narte, Carol Regan, VET, Carolyn Skei
Seated - Jules Rushing and Lu Peters
Not in Picture - JoAnn Musso

Congratulations to DAFA's newly elected 2012-2013 Board. Here they are, ready to lead us into an exciting new year (with a great new website, new blog, and lots of other good things.) Thanks to all these energetic members for their willingness to help us grow and create!

We have a great slate of officers this year, ready and willing to push DAFA forward in the techno and fiber worlds. Michelle Knoerzer has been busy updating our website, setting up the blog, plus she and Fannie Narte are hitting the ground running with their treasury duties. Carolyn Skei has a fantastic lineup of speakers for us and is working with Michelle on setting up the website to keep you informed. Lu Peters is considering another show for us this year and already has thoughts about our 2013 Annual Show. Our Community Service Chairs, April Soncrant and Denise Spillane, are shipping off our Alzheimer's Art Quilts and planning our next challenge. I am confident VET has good things up her very creative sleeve for the monthly raffles. Chuck Baber heard from several of us during the art swap of mini-workshops and other workshops that we would like members to do. The art swap was fantastic and the pieces were so inspiring! Carol Regan is getting her feet wet and has jumped in and making her mark to be a great Secretary. JoAnn Musso and Mary Masal are hard at work planning the 2014 Federation Conference. Thelma Victor is keep up with tracking the history of DAFA and making sure we make our mark (or should I say stitch) in history. Sherrie Tootle is our Membership Chair again this year and is already busy taking in membership forms for renewal and new members, so if you don't have yours in yet, it is time! Last but not least, our President, Jules Rushing is busy making sure everything is organized and in place. To help Michelle out with all the website duties, she has taken over the blog to keep it artfully organized.

Keep an eye on our blog for updates to the website and goings on.