Totem Exhibit at World of Quilts

My FiberArts Northeast group had a special exhibit of our "totem" pieces at the Northern Star Quilter's Guild's annual World of Quilts show this weekend.  We hung our "Spirit Flags" in the hallway to attract attention to the classroom where the 8' long pieces were hung.

 As you turn into the room, this is the first glimpse you get.  That first piece, made all of various circles of fabric stitched together, really catches your eye with all its color and movement.  The artist, Andrea Schedletsky, titled it "Still Circling."

 Then you walk into the room and between all these lovely columns of color.  Each one was a work of art and further evidence of our group's outstandingly talented members!  Front and center of the picture below is Nike Cutsumpas' piece and to the left of that is Joyce Sullivan's "Creatures of the Sea and Land and Sky."

Below is a close-up of Nike's, which was made with lace paper as well as fabric.  It was one of my favorites.

 Barbara Drillick, who created the colorful abstract piece below, used window screening as the main background of the piece.  She painted other pieces of a screen-like material, cut them in geometric shapes, and artfully arranged and stitched them in place.  It's so fun and different, I just love it.  Behind that is a tropical piece by Ann Louise Lyman.  She also made use of sheers for a portion of it.  And to the right in the background is Cecelia Leiseroff's colorful totem, on which she fused paper she had collographed.

Below, you see pieces by Nancy Mirman (left) and Claire Oehler (right).  They are both very experienced quilters and took a similar approach to the 8-foot length by dividing it up into sections.  Nancy likes to use unusual found objects, as seen by the pressed leaves she used on a subdued silk background, while Claire chose more traditional appliqued blocks and bright cotton fabrics.  Both were stunning to see.

 In the foreground on the right is Natalya Aiken's piece.  She often uses architectural elements in her pieces and chose windows for her totem.  She used a lot of recycled materials like dryer sheets as well as gold foil or paint, which is why it's so reflective in this shot.  In the background you can see Kathi Jahnke's piece which also incorporated windows.

Here is another shot of Kathi's windows.  I love the colors and the way they turn independently.  Another totally unique approach!

 Here is a shot of the other side of Natalya's piece.  I should've taken some close-up shots of hers.  As usual, the detail and workmanship were gorgeous.

 Vivien Zepf chose a more political theme for her piece.  I love the traditional red, white, and blue color scheme in combination with the block piecing and the text.  It was hard to get a shot of the back of hers, which was also striking.  You can see a piece of it by clicking here.

This is an underwater-themed piece created by Norma Schlager.  I love the way she used two 8-foot long sections and hung them back-to-back so the fish on the other piece look like they're swimming in the distance.

And finally, here is mine, hung in the back corner of the classroom, near the clock.  How do you like the "waves" at the top of the piece?  I used a stick from the backyard to hang it from, to look more natural.  I also tried to create an illusion of depth by layering the sheers and other components.  Unfortunately, it was hung so what I considered the back of the piece was more visible than the front.  On this side, only two of the three seahorses are visible.

I tried to turn it around, below, but it kept rotating back the other way.  It must've made a good enough impression though, because apparently, someone was inquiring about buying it!  That's a good sign!  Will I be able to part with it?  And for how much?

Tune in for more from the NSQG World of Quilts this week!