Archive for the ‘Art Quilts’ Category

leaps and bounds

Friday, May 24th, 2019

Good day! There is much to report from the Sassaman Studio this week. Lots of intermittent sunshine and showers have made for extreme greens and optimism all around! I have tried to harness this spring energy to launch several new products and projects.

The web store has some more exciting new entries! I have been selling my Sew Sassy thread in class for a while, but now it is also available on my website! Hooray!! I have bundled them into two economical sets of 33 spools each, Prime Colors (brights) and Sublime Colors (rich and deep).

Superior’s Sew Sassy is a creative quilter’s dream thread. It is a two fisted 12 weight topstitching thread for dramatic sewing results. Sew Sassy is a great thread choice for projects where you want the stitching to be very visible. Use Sew Sassy for big stitch quilting to give your larger hand quilting stitches a bold look. Sew Sassy is a popular thread for Redwork or hand embroidery. The thick stitches provide the heirloom look of old-fashioned hand embroidery designs. In the machine Sew Sassy can be used in the top with a Topstitch 100/16 needle for quilting or decorative stitching (use either a 40 wt. or 50 wt. thread in the bobbin). And don’t forget Sew Sassy for your needle punch projects too.

12 wt./3-ply Spun Polyester thread.

Superior’s Recommended Needle and Tension Settings:

Home Machines: Topstitch #100/16. Set tension to 2.0

Longarm Machines: #21 (MR 5.0). Reduce tension as necessary.

I recommend a 4-5 stitch length.

I have also added some new limited edition Art Prints derived from my favorite FreeSpirit fabric designs. I think of my fabrics as “art by the yard”. Unfortunately, the fabric always disappears too quickly!! So prints are a wonderful way to enjoy the designs everyday. The new large archival prints are on lovely 13” X 19” rag paper, numbered and signed by hand. The printed image is 10” X 16”. Perfect for framing.

Thanks to all of you who keep in touch via Instagram and Facebook, too! My next post will cover the step by step process of several new quilts. Stay tuned.

The Urn Quilt Evolves

Wednesday, July 27th, 2016

Sassaman Urn Quilt 1

Many people think that making art just happens by magic. They think that it comes out effortlessly and fully formed. Unfortunately, this is far from the case. There are hours and days of trial and error, fits and starts. One of my students once said that she was surprised by the emotional highs and lows she went through my the 5 day Abstracting from Nature workshop. She had discovered that the creative process is not always comfortable and sometimes just downright frustrating.

So I thought I would take you through a sequence of design dilemmas that I struggled though in the past two weeks while working on a new quilt idea.

For the past year I have been concentrating on mostly smaller abstract quilts, as a way to play through some new ideas. But I was feeling the urge to work in a larger scale again. I had also been thinking about the opulent and symbolic Dutch still life paintings called “vanitas”. Vanitas paintings portrayed life’s brevity through symbols like watches, skulls, smoking oil lamps, partially consumed food, etc. Since I have always been attracted to divine
decadence in art, over the years I have accumulated my own slightly subversive symbols that often appear in my work… skulls, spiders, dandelions, moths, spiky seeds, dangerous plants.

So this is where my idea started. I imagined a skull sprouting dark leafy plants. The skull became an urn. An urn brings to mind Victorian plants and lavish layers of composition. So these are the subjects that I started with… skull/urn, elephants ears, purple black sweet potato vines, coleus, moths and an egg behind it all.

The scale of the urn determined the size of the leaves. I have pinned the urn to a piece of tracing paper to make it easier to move and hold itself together. Most of the fabrics are hand dyed Cherrywoods.

Sassaman Urn Quilt 2

I made some paper clouds to act as frames, almost like curtains on a stage, and some oversized moths in lovely subdued colors. The Passion Flowers have been in my orphan file for years! Looking good.

Sassaman Urn Quilt 3

The clouds are now in fabric. Then I thought I could fit in some of my favorite dandelions, so I cut them out of paper to test them. The moths had to move.

Sassaman Urn Quilt 4

I made the dandies in fabric and added a spider, for good measure, and some smaller moths.

Sassaman Urn Quilt 5

But the dandelions are floating in space, so how to anchor the dandelions to the ground? By adding a forward layer of leaves and a darker horizon line.

Sassaman Urn Quilt 6

But the whole thing is just too damned busy, too many small scale shapes. So a couple more elephant ears are added and that seems to help… but not enough.

Sassaman Urn Quilt 7

I hated to remove the dandelions before I had another direction to head toward. So I took a picture of the composition and blocked out the dandies in Photoshop. Yes, it is better without them. Rats! Out they go, but now I have some nice leaves and stems already made for another project.

Sassaman Urn Quilt 8

What about adding some more clouds? I pulled out the paper models again. Too curly!!

Sassaman Urn Quilt 9

Back to Photoshop to take out the busy spirals. Nope, try again.

Sassaman Urn Quilt 10

How about a moon to add some nocturnal mystery. I seem to have moths and moons on the brain lately! But it’s working. Less seems to be more in this composition and I’m feeling pretty good about it. And yes, the blue background will go all the way to the top eventually.

Sassaman Urn Quilt 11

A moth to block part of the moon and a bit of tweaking here and there and we are good to go! Now as I begin to embroider each individual character, I can study the piece from my sewing station and make adjustments over the next weeks of stitching.

I hope this gives you a little insight into my collage process. Yes, there are lots of decisions to make, but that is what makes this appliqué technique so satisfying. If you would like to join me on this creative exploration, you are invited to come to one of my 5 day workshops and see what transpires. I hope to see you there!

collage quilt step by step

Tuesday, March 8th, 2016

Sassaman Quilt 2016

I finally had a little free time after all the design projects to fondle some actual fabric!! So I wanted to dive  in immediately. So I get out my collection of “orphans”, these are shapes and templates left over from other projects which I file away in baggies for just such an opportunity. I peruse my collection to find the shapes that interest me and that I think will play nicely together.

Sassaman Orphan Shapes

This is when the play begins. I “Ouiji” the shapes around and let them start talking to each other. Eventually, a composition begins to settle in, but not until lots of options have been tried.

Sassaman Shape Shifting

It is a stream-of-consciousness exercise as I listen to the conversation of shapes. I really enjoy this part of the process, as I have very little idea of where the shapes will take me. But part of the trick is starting with shapes that speak your language… shapes that are personally meaningful. You may have noticed that there are shapes that have become a regular part of my design vocabulary, spirals, dandelion leaves, bugs, blossoms, etc. These are motifs that I have collected over the years and that I can use in any combination. I am always on the look-out for new shapes that will work for me.

Sassaman Quilt Top

When the composition is finalized I make a tracing to record the arrangement and then applique each shape, starting with the back most pieces. Each piece gets finished with embroidery and the background behind it gets cut away. Then I pin baste with batting and backing.

Sassaman Quilting

The first quilting I always do is to outline each shape in the ditch with 12 wt. topstitching thread using my open- toed walking foot and a long stitch length. Each brand of 12 wt. thread gives a slightly different look and performs a little differently. For this outlining, Sew Sassy by Superior supplies the nice heavy outline that I really like.

Sassaman Bury Thread

Because I want these nice outlines to start and stop cleanly, the threads at the beginning and end of each stitched row must be tied and buried on the back side of the quilt. This job is made much easier using an easy-threading or self-threading needle. With these needles the threads simply snap into the eye from the top of the needle. This can be an extremely tedious job, but I love it… very meditative and also a nice time to listen to books-on-tape.

Sassaman Quilting Detail

After the quilted outlines are done the other quilted details get filled in, like the extra stitching on the flowers and the echo quilting on the cloud.

Sassaman Golden Threads

In this case, I was not satisfied with basic quilting. The quilt was not dramatic enough, it needed some punch and “attitude”. So I decided to quilt over the whole piece with a series of spiky brambles. But first I needed a guide, so I drew the guidelines on Golden Threads tracing paper. The paper was pinned to the quilt and stitched through, again with 12 wt. thread.

Sassaman Golden Threads 2

The stitching perforates the paper, making it easy to tear away. Now I have a baseline to build from. I echo quilted very closely on either side. Then I added the brambles with a simple blind hem stitch. I think this final addition makes a world of difference. The final piece is 17.5″ X 19″.

Sassaman Quilting Detail

New Small Quilts

Monday, June 8th, 2015

Peonies

The landscape is lush with Peonies and Irises this week. And the first summer heat is steaming things up after some dark rainy days.

As I mentioned in the last post, I have been yearning to get back to the craftsmanship of art quilting. I seem to be doing way too much piecing (with my FreeSpirit fabrics) and not enough applique. So after seeing Gwen Marston’s exquisite small quilts at Empty Spools Seminars this spring, I have decided to make as many small quilts as possible during the month of June. I’m having a blast with two quilts completed and one ready for stitching so far.

Since I had no special subject in mind when I started, I decided to pull shapes from my “orphan” collection… all the left over pieces from previous quilts that didn’t get used. Then I let the shapes start talking to each other and see where they take me. I love working in this collage technique, as the results are always a surprise.

Sassaman Spring Bud Quilt

Here is the first composition, Spring Bud, which is 14.5″ square. As the shapes fell into place a little bud started to develop. The wavy shapes hopefully imply the energy of growth. I did have to make a couple new pieces to fill out the idea, but basically, this little quilt was sitting in my scrap box just waiting to be discovered.

Sassaman Spring Bud Quilt Detail

Here is a detail of the stitching. The edges were finished with satin stitch on the quilt top. All the other stitching is quilting, including the small zig-zagged squares. All the straight stitching is done with Sew Sassy 12 weight thread by Superior. I love the confidence that the heavy threads supply.

Sassaman Spring Sprouts Quilt

Quilt number two, Spring Sprouts, is 14.5″ wide by 15.5″ tall. I am pleased with this abstract little piece. Obviously I gravitate to very graphic shapes. The power of combining contrasting shapes is quite evident here. The quilting was the icing-on-the-cake, though.

Sassaman Spring Sprouts Quilt Detail

Using some decorative stitches on my BERNINA 880, I quilted the black sprouts with branches and leaves. It was a pleasant surprise to see how this softened and enriched the whole composition. The little leaf motif was also used for quilting the background spaces. Lots of threads to bury, but worth the effort.

I hope these photos give you some inspiration to get into the sewing room and do some stitching and perhaps to sign up for a quilting workshop one day soon!

Madeline Island 1

Madeline Island School of the Arts, Jane Sassaman Workshop, July 13-17, 2015

@BERNINAUSA, #BERNINAUSA, @SuperiorThreads, #SuperiorThreads

New Silk and Cotton Quilts at Madeline Island School of the Arts

Thursday, May 21st, 2015

Spring Tree

This lingering spring has been a delight. But after a week away from home for the #International Spring Quilt Market I was greeted by plants that where twice the size… including the weeds! I walked the park this morning to exercise and enjoy the cool spring morning. This tree was on my route.

I have enjoyed designing fabric for 15 years, but recently I have been aching  to get back to the fine craftsmanship of art quilting. So I try to steal a bit of time for some quality interaction with my BERNINA, @BERNINAUSA. I am very excited to have the next few weeks to devote to some new quilting ideas.

I have been wanting to incorporate silk in my work for a long time. So during the last year, I have been mixing my beautiful #Cherrywood hand-dyed fabrics with dupioni silks and have been very pleased with the combination. Of course, it is the contrast between the depth of the matte and the glow of the shiny that creates the drama.

Sassaman Feather Quilt

Simple shapes are also very appealing these days. This is a simple abstraction of feather shapes and the colors are reminiscent of peacocks plumes. This quilt really glows and the silk makes the quilting stand out nicely.

Sassaman Feather Quilt

The quilting is done with my favorite two-fisted topstitching thread, Sew Sassy, so the heavy lines of stitching are quite definite. The silk edges are embroidered with rayon thread to extend the shininess and matte cotton satin stitch on the cotton fabrics.

Sassaman Coral Bean Quilt

Here is my second silk and cotton quilt. This is my interpretation of the Coral Bean Pod from the Coral Trees that I was delighted to discovered in California. These silks are a little less shiny, but still very rich and a nice foil for the resonate hand-dyed cotton.

Sassaman Coral Bean Quilt

Here is a detail so you can see all the fun I had putting this piece together! I quilted a blanket stitch around each bean to create a little movement or animation and several passes of black thread to add the depth of a shadow.

My plan is to use this gift of time to make a handful of smaller quilts and try some other ideas that have been percolating in my brain. I will post them here as they evolve. And I will bring them to class at Madeline Island School of the Arts in July!! Hope to see you there!

Madeline Island School of the Arts

Empty Spools Workshop

Saturday, March 7th, 2015

Sassaman Asilomar

The teaching year is getting off to a productive start, after being at the Empty Spools Seminar, Session 2, last week. It is a favorite environment for quilt teachers and students for many years. Located in the quaint town of Pacific Grove, California and a skip away from Carmel, it is an ideal place to take a break from your everyday routine and infuse your spirit with beauty and inspiration. I was teaching Abstracting from Nature and got to be in a favorite classrooms in a building designed by Julia Morgan, a renowned California Arts & Crafts architect.

Sassaman Class Asilomar

Here is the classroom during the glorious mess of creation. Doesn’t it look like fun? The class went for five days. On the end of the fourth day, everyone cleans their space and prepares their work to be displayed for the “walk-around”. This is when the students from all the other classes can visit to see what other methods and ideas everyone else has been working on. It has become such a tradition, that many people come from outside the seminar come to see all the new work that has been created.

Sassaman Asilomar Class

Here the room is all cleaned up and ready for inspection. My students were hard-working and very diligent, as you can see. I am always amazed and pleased with the results, which is why I enjoy these longer classes so much. Most folks got to stitching on the last two days, so they really have experienced the whole technique.

Begonia Quilt

I will be teaching the same five-day class this summer at Madeline Island School of the Arts, another fabulous place for rejuvenation and inspiration.

MISA+Lg

I hope to see some of you there!

Getting back to Earth

Monday, June 16th, 2014

2014 Siderealistic Timesters

I am just getting back in the groove from nearly two months of travel and teaching. Thanks to all my new friends and old buddies who have made my time away from home so comfortable and invigorating!

This will be a busy week. Greg and Gabe (Siderealistic Timesters) have curated another stellar show which will open officially this Saturday night. But this time their installation is in the historic Old Courthouse on the quaint and vibrant Woodstock Square. I will have a couple of kaleidoscope quilts on display. And my local quilt shop is right across the street… and the Starbucks. Greg and Gabe designed the wonderful poster, too.

Illinois Album 500px

Plus the International Quilt Festival Chicago is in town this week! I will have a few quilts on display there, including the Illinois Album quilt and some other pieces in the Chicago School of Fusing display. I hope to see many of you there!

A Wonderful Week at Asilomar

Friday, May 9th, 2014

Asilomar Beach 2014

I have just spent a terrific week teaching at the Empty Spools Seminar at Asilomar State Park and Conference Center. It is in Pacific Grove, California just down the road from Carmel. It is a favorite event for every quilt teacher and student. You can walk on the beach morning, noon and night. The original buildings on the grounds were designed by Julia Morgan in the Arts and Crafts style.

Chapel

This is the Chapel, one of my favorite buildings. If I was ever able to design a house from scratch, this would be my inspiration.

Asilomar

This is the cozy building where you check in and can hang out.

Sassaman Class 19

And this is our productive classroom! There were 24 students for 5 days of class. There were 10 other teachers doing workshops at the same time. The place was crawling with QUILTERS! This was the Abstracting from Nature class, my favorite to teach. The girls really did some wonderful work! Here are a few examples in various states of evolution.

Sassaman Class 4Sassaman Class 16

Sassaman Class 7

Sassaman Class 8

There was a little time to go exploring around the charming town if Pacific Grove which is in walking distance from Asilomar.

Pacific Grove 2

These over sized plants made quite a statement in this window box… looks like a house in the Land of Oz.

Pacific Grove 1

I love datura. Their trumpet blossoms are so elegant.

Pacific Grove 3

This Midwestern gal was in paradise! I could have spent a whole week photographing the wonders of this area! Luckily I get to go back next year, too!

Winter Light

Monday, December 30th, 2013

Gantner Winter Cemetery

We had a quiet cozy Christmas day at our house this year. No kids for the first time ever! We will have our Christmas together next week. But the company of my lovely mother-in-law and witty brother-in-law made the day a delight. Plus the landscape was perfectly “Currier and Ives”.

Gantner Winter Light

Greg took these beautiful shots during his daily explorations. Notice the icing on the trees!

I have been attempting to stick with my plan of concentrating more of my schedule to making art quilts again. I snagged some holiday time to work on this new piece. It’s a simple totem, 26″ X 62″, composed of basic shapes as a nice surface for playing with stitches. It was inspired by some ancient alchemist illustrations.

Sassaman Art Quilt Totem

The top is all raw edged applique finished with satin stitch. But I plan to get very adventurous with fancier stitching in the quilting. I am also imagining some gold metallic threads to add to the esoteric spirit of the piece.

Sassaman Art Quilt Totem 2

Here it is on the work table during the basting phase. So now it is ready to be quilted whenever I can grab a few quality hours at the sewing machine, as designing the autumn fabric line begins in earnest on the first day of the new year. So far I’m thinking of a Weeds and Seeds theme, but initial ideas often transform as the collection evolves. We shall see!

Sassaman Art Quilt Totem 3

But as an artist with tunnel vision will I be able to work on two projects at once? But it is a nice dilemma to have, since I love doing BOTH!

Happy and Healthy New Year, my friends!!