Here are some photos.

The post I won a prize!!! “Opposites” quilt exhibit, Jerusalem theater appeared first on CindyRQuilts.

The exhibit runs from July 8 — Aug 31.
335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT
Opening July 8 6-8pm

I am especially excited because I have 6 pieces in the exhibit! (Check out the top left piece on the poster!)
Come visit and enjoy.

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Palms at the Kinneret. W: 22 in x H: 24 in. 2014.

Last year at the summer workshops of the Israel Quilter’s Association I started a piece based on my photo at the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). The workshop was taught by Maya Schonenberger. It was great! Maya is exceptional. Her work is exquisite and we all learned tons.

I finally finished the piece this week. It’s a really interesting technique that brings out the true texture of all the fabrics. The depth created by this technique is amazing! Well, you can be the judge. Here are some photos.
Dimensions: 22″ x 24″ / 56cm x 61cm

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Holy Land Poppies. W: 19 in x H: 16 in. 2013

Quilting Arts Magazine ran a Reader’s Challenge: Come up with a quilt that fits the theme “In the Garden”. There were more than 150 submissions and 12 “winners”. My quilt, “Wild Poppies” made the cut and appears in the June-July 2014 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.

I based Wild Poppies on the fields of poppies that bloom every spring in Israel. Poppies are the national flower and when they start to bloom the fields are carpeted in red around the countryside. It’s an exquisite site!
The technique used for this piece is “stained glass”. The fabrics and batting are all cotton with a layer of tulle on top. Free motion quilted with cotton thread.
Below is a photo of the quilt in print and the cover of the magazine. To see more of the works and the magazine, visit Quilting Arts Magazine.

The post I won! My poppies are in the garden in Quilting Arts Magazine appeared first on CindyRQuilts.

I finally decided to start taking drawing classes and they have really made a difference. I have learned a ton about perspective and rules of drawing. I drew a self portrait, which everyone agrees looks like someone or everyone in my family. I think it’s a great start! Naomi Ocean, my art teacher and Riki Metz my fellow art student are both incredibly supportive and share so much knowledge. Thanks you guys!

I decided to prepare a piece for the Color Palette challenge for the Israel Quilter’s Association. The piece made the cut and is now hanging in the Jerusalem Theater through 15 June 2014. There is an exhibit opening on Thur, 15 May 2014 if you want to join us there. All are welcome. Below is the invitation and a photo of my quilt.

My vision of color is the rainbow formed by fruit at the Jerusalem market, Mahaneh Yehuda, which is a very unique place that challenges our senses. The colors, sounds, smells and flavor of the atmosphere tempt us and pull us into this addictive setting. I tried to evoke this feeling in my quilt.

Six of my quilts will be shown during July and August 2014 at the Chase Family Gallery at the JCC in Greater Hartford, CT. The theme is Connecting Threads with a Jewish Tone. If you can visit the exhibit, it looks like a lovely gallery. Let me know how it is. I wish I could make it, but at least my quilts will be well traveled!

I prepared loads of quilted accessories for the fair at our synagogue. I worked around the clock and have loads of stock now. So, keep that in mind if you need any handmade gifts this summer.
Quilted Accessories
Textile Bags and Purses

The post Exhibits, drawing, art challenges… What else? appeared first on CindyRQuilts.

This is my latest creation… just to give you an idea of what I’ve been up to lately.
Double click on the thumbnail to enlarge it.

Welcome to my amazing journey into the world of quilt art. I have been creating art from fabric for many years and have a lot to show you and talk about. I use this forum to share my thoughts about art and everything that surrounds art. These are my musings and reflections and I hope they help inspire you.
If you want to see photos of my art work, visit Fiber Art. If you want to see my quilted accessories, visit my Quilted Decor & Fashion Gallery. To see what is available for purchase, visit My Etsy Shop.  If you want to contact me, visit Contact Me.

The post The dimensions of fiber art… appeared first on CindyRQuilts.

Here are some photos.

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I drive to different spots and am in awe of the beauty around me here. Last week we drove to my son’s army base to pick up his stuff before his release. (He’s out now!!!) We drove through the Negev. The scenery was stark desert and it was spectacular. You could see green patches and lonely trees in the sand where there must be underground springs.

I listened to a lecture recently where the subject was about finding your voice. I am convinced that the nature scenes that surround us in the Holy Land are as spiritual and passionate as it comes. What better medium than to create textured art with vivid colors and depth and dimension? So after much thought and introspection I have come to the same conclusion. I should quilt one-of-a-kind fabric landscapes that evoke the strong emotion I feel for the land around me.

Here I go… On to my next piece with the help of my furry friend Oreo. I’ll let you know when it’s ready. I think I will make smaller wall hangings for awhile and see if they are more accessible.

Bye for now, Cindy

The post Decorative art wall hangings: Is that the right direction? appeared first on CindyRQuilts.

“…Every song you sing should show some evolution from one to the next. Everyday practice is an occasion to evolve. When we practice, though it doesn’t seem like much, it is actually a spiritual event and should be treated as such…”
Riki keeps these words in mind as she works on any project.

Riki decided to master free motion quilting — specifically quilting Feathers. Riki purchased a book about mastering feathers called Feather Adventures by Patsy Thompson. After purchasing the book, Riki sketched her design and practiced it with a pencil. Next she made practice sandwiches and hit the sewing machine. Hour after hour Riki persevered, paying attention to the shape of her loops and the overall composition. Week after week, Riki painstakingly repeated this exercise until she was happy with the results. Happy is not just satisfied… Finally, before touching the real quilt, Riki did a practice run with the thread she intended to use. She didn’t like the look and actually went with another thread. After this “dress rehearsal” as she called it, Riki tackled the real quilt.

I won’t go into too much detail here because my message today is about the value of practice. It turned out the thread Riki chose was faulty and it was very difficult to sew with. Because Riki now had the confidence to do the job well, she finished it up with another thread rather than throwing up her hands in defeat.

I thought I would show you some of the practice pieces that Riki created in this process. It really was a wonderful experience watching the mastering of this skill. I learned a lot from Riki through this process. From this student, I was taught… Thanks, Riki!

Now it is my turn to tackle feathers, but more than that, it is my turn to consider the value of practice in the journey towards mastering any skill.

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I decided the best way would be to make a map of the enlarged quilt. Here is a photo of the map I worked up.

Next, I started to put together the strips. When sewing long strips the challenge is to keep everything straight. The longer the strip the more likely the fabric will stretch or that it will be off just a little by the time you reach the bottom. Well, if you do a few strips, that isn’t so bad, but the entire quilt is composed of strips of different widths. I worked painstakingly to keep everything straight. I put sections together, measuring each section to make sure it was even at the top and bottom before attaching it to the next section. Finally I attached all the sections and this is the top I made.

Next I made my quilt sandwich; that’s a top, batting and back. I set it on the dining room table to baste it. I got the usual groans from my family for taking over the table…
Here are some shots of the basted quilt.

Finally I quilted the piece. I have a wonderful sewing machine with lots of bells and whistles, but it is not a long-arm sewing machine. Fitting a quilt this large within the throat of the machine is hard work — hard to manipulate and no small challenge for my back muscles…
Here is a photo of the quilted and bound wall hanging. I’m really happy with the result. The buyer has just sent me payment and I will mail it to her in the US today! I sent her photos along the way and she is very excited. She promised me she would take a photo of the quilt once it is hung on her wall.

P.S. This is the message I received from my happy customer:
“Your amazing piece of artwork arrived 5 minutes ago!!! It is safe and gorgeous!!!! I will hopefully have it hanging tonight!!! I will email you a picture. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you!!! I’ll be in touch.”
So rewarding when people are happy with my work.

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