Season 10 Great River Shakespeare Festival Quilt

Ideas and plans to create the Season 10 Great River Shakespeare Festival Quilt began in February 2013. Seven local artists, artisans, stitchers, and sewers, Dee Cipov, Connie Larson, Mary Kaser,  Kathy Seifert, Mary Alice Anderson, Margaret Kiihne, Mary Lee Eischen and Rob Thomas  came together around a large dining room table at Margaret and Ray Kiihne’s home.  This is a simple story of the quilt coming together.  There were many hours of work, gathering together, discussion, laughter, and time that went into this quilt.  

 

           Margaret Kiihne and Dee Cipov

                     Connie Larson, Ray Kiihne and Dee Cipov

Three additional artists Jeanne Oost, John Baird, and Zachery Wagner agreed to create blocks for the Season 10 Quilt.  

 

                               Jeanne Oost and Zachery Wagner

                                   John Baird

People came forward with design ideas: Kathy Seifert, Connie Larson, and Jeanne Oost.  After much discussion, a design was chosen that would include a center medallion and 10 blocks measuring 9.5” finished squares to surround the center.   Sashing strips would be added around the blocks.  It was decided to create a queen sized quilt.  Guidelines and parameters were considered for balance, design, and artistic beauty.

                  Dee Cipov, Kathy Seifert,and Mary Kaser

                Photo credit Rob Thomas

Photo credit Rob Thomas

   Mary Alice Anderson, Mary Lee Eischen, and Margaret Kiihne

   Photo credit Rob Thomas

The artists who lived at a distance were sent costume fabrics from the previous season’s plays and invited to create a block. The discussion was involved.  Some of the discussion happened via e-mail and telephone.

              Connie Larson, Dee Cipov, Kathy Seifert, and Mary Kaser

            Photo credit Rob Thomas

       Stitching the final binding  Photo credit Rob Thomas

 A design decision was made to use solid colored cottons as sashing around the blocks and as part of the border. Kathy Seifert and I agreed to take swatches of the blocks fabrics and find solid colored fabrics to compliment the costume fabrics used in the blocks. 

 

Many discussions about the center medallion happened.  It was suggested that we create a rosemary plant image to honor Rosemary Ingham, the costume designer and co-founder of the Great River Shakespeare Festival.  She graced the Great River Shakespeare Festival with her talent until her death in 2008.  I agreed to work on the rosemary design alongside Kathy Seifert.   I created the drawing.  Kathy provided the expertise about the applique technique.  Over one weekend, we put it all together.  Then the rest of the quilt could be assembled.  

                                          
                                     
                                  Kathy Seifert 

  

                      
                    
                  Rob Thomas

Season 10 Great River Shakespeare Festival Quilt 2013 
86" x 96"

Raffle tickets cost $5.00 for the chance to win the Season 10 GRSF Quilt.  They are available at the downtown box office or from any of the makers.  Drawing for the quilt is happening at the Callithump, July 30th, 2013 at the Performing Arts Center on the Winona State University Campus. 

Learn about all the events of the Great River Shakespeare Festival such as plays, free concerts on the green before the plays and more.

Thank you to Rob Thomas for taking group stitching photos on the day of the finish binding. All other photos on this blog post were taken by Mary Lee Eischen.

See you this summer around the festival.







 

Back in the Studio--Oh Yes!

Three Generations:  
Mary Catherine, Mary Rose, and Amaliya Rose

10" x 12.25" fabric, paper, photo transfer on fabric, yarn, button, cotton batting,  hand and machine stitching

This small art quilt had a beginning a very long time ago, and then the pause button was pushed.  I wasn't sure how to proceed--what was next?

I loved the two images of my daughter, Amaliya Rose at 3 years old in the bath tub.  She loved water and bath time was a treat--you can see the big smile.  The lower image is my grandmother, Mary Catherine.  She looks dressed up and ready to go some where.  She  was a dear woman and met Amaliya when she was a little baby before she passed away.

I looked for an image of my mother, Mary Rose to add to this collage piece--but I didn't have the image that completed this art quilt.  And then I found the word, Rose as part of a garment label.  It fit and connected.  So the energy of Amaliya Rose and Mary Rose is present in that small word.

The button was sewn up beside the Amaliya image and I had to move it to its current location. 

The antique button looks like a tree of life to me.

My dear Grandma Mary Catherine

Amaliya and showing the world her pleasure.

I finally found peace to complete this lovely little quilt.


See more art quilts in the Breeze on my Skin Gallery.

Nia with Laurie Bass

Feel Good, Look Good

And maybe you too can move around in speed motion!  And then smile!!!!

Nia makes you feel good!

Birds of Fancy, A Mini Art Quilt Workshop

Birds of Fancy ~ Create a Mini Wall Art Quilt

A Workshop to create, stitch and enjoy

Saturday, June 27, 12-4pm

Cost: Workshop $30.00, Materials $10.00

SUTRA, global by design, 570 Main St, Dakota, Minnesota 55925

Call: (608) 792-7641 to register.

Instructor: Mary Lee Eischen

 

In this workshop, students will learn and create a collage mini quilt with photo images and words on cloth to delight and inspire.  We’ll begin with images of birds, nature and/or angels that Mary Lee provides for the group.  Images and text on cloth will be provided to give lots of possibilities for the creation of each personal mini quilt.

We will consider and discuss composition, color, and placement to give dynamic or calming effects depending on the creator’s desires to support the creating.  As in a quilt, we will have our top cloth with images and words, a middle batting cloth and at back piece of cloth.  Putting it all together will be with hand stitching—no need for a sewing machine for this project.  We’ll also create a miniature hanging devise to hang your mini art quilt on the wall.

All materials provided—you may bring a notebook for any personal notes, favorite art supplies such as pencils, colored pencils, scissors, fabrics, or trims, if you choose.

Mary Lee Eischen is a fiber and mixed media artist.  She dyes and paints on fabric, and creates art quilts.  She uses nature, women, family, color, and abstraction in her mixed media artwork.  See more of Mary Lee’s art at her on line gallery at Breeze on my Skin,  or at the Lanesboro Arts Center in Lanesboro, Minnesota or Bluff Country Artists Gallery in Spring Grove, Minnesota.