Craft in America: QUILTS episode premieres on PBS Dec 27, 2019

     In case you missed the Quilts episode on TV you can watch it now here or come back later and watch it. I liked the Michael A. Cummings interview. He was a sickly child and by himself often so he learned to draw. While his parents wanted him to major in business he set his mind to become an artists. His quilt "Springtime In Memphis" was inspired after a trip to our marvelous city. I was very impressed with all the featured quilters and what they had to say.

     Armed with my pen and paper to take notes, (I am a note taker and list maker) I learned that the segment is available on Amazon Prime Video,You Tube, and PBS.org. Share in a comment what you liked about the Quilt episode.

Peace, love, and art,
Angela

Cotton the Fabric of Our Lives

The title of this blog post is taken from a 2012 TV commercial titled "Cotton the Fabric of Our Lives." This analogy in many ways describes what connects us rather than what makes us different.
 

Authentic Mississippi Delta Cotton

Can you imagine how excited I was upon salvaging this cotton stalk from a grade school teacher who taught a lesson on Cotton during Black History Month. Many of the children had never seen real cotton before. They really loved the touch, feel, and smell of it. This plant is straight from the Mississippi Delta.

Monroe is a fan too.

If you are wearing something made from Cotton check this out!

Known as "King Cotton" it is the most common fiber used by quilters.

It would also make for a beautiful flower arrangement with other natural plants too.

Here is a picture of what our roadsides look like.

Cotton truly is the Fabric of Our Lives.

Peace, Love and Art.

Merry Xmas To all of You

I felt a little better today after feeling flu like symptoms the past few days and  did a little decorating.  Many years ago I love making ceramics and made  this tree.

Mama liked it so much I had to make one for her.

Here is another take on a tree that a quilt guild member made for our xmas party table.



A  few of the quilts displayed for the Viewers Choice Awards.


And lots of entertainment including a skit called ‘It a wonderful day in the life of a quilter”. Can  you relate?


And finally lots of yummy party foods. This one was a favorite. It’s called crock pot peanut clusters. I have not tried the recipe and was amazed that they were prepared in a crock pot. But I can tell you they were delicious.


Here is the recipe.


And another holiday party at my friend Lester Jones studio. Here is the link to his website  http://lesterjones.com

I bought a lovely piece and I plan to make a necklace. Lester is a Memphis City Schools art  teacher by day and Raku Sculpture artist in his free time.



Lester’s work includes a combination of pottery , sculpture, title work, and jewerly. I  am saving to buy one of Lester’s bigger pieces.


Peace, love, and art,
Angela

Davies Manor Quilt And Fiber Arts Show

First time visitor and you bet I will be there next year. The show was held in November 2010 a bit late
posting . Davies Manor is the oldest log and chink house in Shelby County. It was filled with antique and vintage quilts and tops from pre-civil war  through 1960.
On the plantation grounds is Hillwood, a barn where all the action was with quilts, demos, sewing and vendors. At Hillwood and in the Manor house visitors could vote on their favorite quilts. This trip inspired me to join a quilt guild. Don't know which one yet. I have several quilt buddies who have invited me to join in with them.  I learned what a  pie safe was see photo below. Found out they were used during this era (civil war) to store leftover food, mostly sweets. If you look closely there are teeny tiny holes in the doors to allow to circulate.

                                          Davies Manor Plantation
             

             Ina, the docent standing at the pie safe in the kitchen of the manor house
                                        
          

                      Moses cabin filled with Underground Railroad quilts
                                  

        Spinning Loom in the Gotten Cabin with spinners and weavers doing their thing
                                       

Peace, Love, and Art
Angela
                   

Quilt Art Grab Bag Challenge

 I filled my grab bag with several orange fabrics  and mailed it to the hostess Tomme Fent. Tomme then  mailed each person in the challenge a grab bag. When the quilts are finished they will be put on a CD to benefit "Fiberart For A Cause". a project of the American Cancer Society.The fun part  was not knowing whose grab bag you received or who received yours until the project was over.

 Made for me by Sandy Burket  Santa Fe Sunset

Made by me for Merrie Jo Schroeder Autum Leaves

Peace, Love, and Art
Angela

Martin Luther King Quilt Exchange

 I was a senior in college April 4, 1968 at SIU Carbondale when Mama called to tell me that Dr. King was dead. She said "this city is in a state of turmoil, we cannot go out of the house because there is a lot of trouble in the streets". Most people know Dr. King was killed in Memphis but many want to know why and what was he doing in Memphis the night he was killed. He was here for the 1,300 sanitation workers who wanted to organize a union.

I hosted a Black History quilt challenge honoring Dr. King during Black History Month in 2004. Yahoo African American quilt group members Debra Cole, Toya Charles, Regina Wade, Carrie Davis,  Laronia Oliver, Pataricia Gainor, and Rosalyn Jones  joined the exchange and made blocks for each member. Each block in the quilt reveals its own story about Dr. King's life. The most moving message the "King's Crown" block (upper left)  is printed on fabric and reads "to ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it". Another block (bottom right) called Courthouse House Steps" commemorates  Dr. Kings non violent work in Birmingham.  I designed the layout and pieced the top. The quilt top was quilted by Carol Williams of "Quilts and Sew On" website with the same name.

In observance of Dr. King's holiday "make it a day on, not a day off  by serving your community".

Peace, Love, and Art
Angela

Birthday Party and Quilt

This year  I celebrated a milestone birthday. All I can say is I am growing older and feeling younger. Everyone attending my party was asked to sign a quilt block for a quilt I made to remember this amazing and fun evening. The food was great and the customer service exceptional. Hey don't you like this , the restaurant was a New Orleans themed place called "Cayenne Moon". Boo hoo, the restaurant has since closed but I will always remember Polly the manager for the exceptional customer service she provided.

 It is worth mentioning that I had relatives to come all the way from Calif and Chicago, in addition to
classmaates, collegues, and other relatives. Those who could not attend were mailed a quilt block to sign and return. The center panel of the quilt will have a photo collage of a few party scenes. I received so many lovely gifts, took lots of pictures, went shopping the next day, and had lunch at Corky's barbecue.

                                                       
Peace, Love, and Art
Angela

Journal Quilt 2007

Follow this link to see my journal quilt that was on display at the International
Quilt Festival in Houston.   http://www.quiltart.com/2007journals/JQ07_07.html
Look for my quilt on page 6. Gosh I can see things that I could have done better. Don't
you just hate it when you finish a project and then find flaws. That's a part of growing
I guess!

Artist Statement

Angela F. Moore

Memphis, Tennessee

USA: Moonlight Over Mount Baobab

Creative techniques used: discharging (p266); shiva paintsticks (90); threadpaint (p71)

Seeing the California Mountains for the first time was breathtaking! For this quilt I wanted to capture the synergy of a beautiful mountain with the moon shinning. I began my journal quilt by selecting a piece of blue green African inspired fabric for the quilt background. Then I began playing around with different fabrics to support the focus fabric and I came up with using different shades of orange.

Using gold iridescent Shiva Paintsticks I added texture to the background using corrugated cardboard as a rubbing plate. I knew I wanted to experiment wihth discharging black fabric for creating the moon. My second attempt was better than the first. I think the beaded leaf vines using bugle and seed beads add dimension to the composition. To make the mountain I drew a simple shape and centered it over the moon and zigzagged it in place. Then I sewed gold sequins and seed beads on the mountain for added texture. The free motion quilting on the mountain with rayon thread and the wavy quilted lines on the blue green background with metallic thread complement each other.

In the early stages of making the quilt I came upon my horoscope that described me as a "Baobab tree blooming under moonlight when I do my best collaboration work". The Baobab tree is native to Africa and Australia, hence the name Moonlight Over Mount Baobab. After reading this I added the tree. The tree was sketched on two sheets of Sulky Solvy and threadpainted. Adding the tree was another way to set the tone for the quilt. The discovery I made was I like the ease of sewing, weight, and look of using unbleached muslin for the middle layer of the quilt. For sometime I have wanted to collaborate with this group. I am glad I did and learned a lot in the process.


Peace, Love, and Art
Angela

Happy Hour Patchwork

About 7 different cotton fabrics and crown royal  bags were used to make this jacket. I think it is lovely.

Peace, Love, and Art
Angela

Playing The Symmetry Game

Playing the Symmetry Game is a class I took at Quilt University
http://www.quiltuniversity.com/.  Raymond Huston invented this
system of designing quilt blocks and shared his method.  I learned that symmetry brings a sense of harmony to design. The class relies heavily on drawing skill. I thought big mistake, I cannot  draw.  But EQ (electric quilt) makes it so easy. Students did their drawing using graph paper, windows, and other drawing programs. This is the quilt I designed, I call it  "wonky star".

Peace, Love, and Art
Angela