Photo Morgue

During the development of a new design, I rely upon my drawing skills and art experiences to establish the integrity of an idea, a new design. Accuracy of details is important to me. I maintain a variety of reference materials to assist the effort: anatomy books, historical photos as well as a wealth of digital images I have taken, plus postcards, and clippings from magazines and newspapers.

Many artists keep a photo morgue, which is a collection of ephemera. My collection is carefully filed in four file boxes. My computer organizes my digital images and I do make CD copies of my photos. And lastly, books, I buy lots of reference books.

I can’t possibly have instant recall about body movement of people or animals, nor remember what period clothing looks like. I rely upon my photo morgue and other references to assist me with details. However, I do not copy directly from any source. That would be an infringement upon another person’s copyrighted creative effort. I am emphatically diligent about respecting Copyrights.

Ideas & Research

Where do I find my ideas for my work? Firstly, as a child my imagination was fueled by Walt Disney animated films. In my mind, the occasional scampering mouse in my home is wearing a little sweater and cap; his name is always Ben. The incredible Disney artists of those early films introduced me to drawing and creative ideas. Art school and life's experiences refined my approach and technique.

My imagination is always the starting point. I live in Oklahoma. People, open sky-vistas and history of the old American west surround me and make me pause to consider possibilities. I love reading 19th century histories and diaries, which does spark many ideas. Also, hiking at the nearby wildlife refuge allows me to see deer, coyotes, elk, bison, long horns, and, yes, hawks making lazy circles in the sky. These critters prove to be equally fascinating and subjects for my textile art. I carry a sketchbook and a camera.

"No Time To Waste" began with reading a brief history of the Pony Express. Immediately I started hearing the drumming of hoof beats, then I "saw" the distant rider gaining size as he approached the station. Soon the dogs started barking to announce his approach; then, the waiting riders began to shout while rounding up fresh horses. This image in my mind started swelling and took shape with many rough sketches until I found the tableau I wish to prepare. If I don’t "see" and "hear" an idea in my head, a design will hardly blossom.

If I am portraying an era, I believe the details must be as accurate as possible. I do research by looking at period clothing, tack, and other items at a local museum, which permits me access to their collections. The staff also allows me use of their extensive library, where I study old catalogs and other reference materials. And, yes, I have assembled home library of references.

Padded Hangers & Hanging Bags

I prefer hanging my large bed quilts in a closet rather than wrapping each on a tube. I am equally meticulous about the hangers as I am with the tubes I use for rolled quilts. I bought my heavy-duty wire, blanket hangers from the dry cleaners. These inexpensive hangers came with a thick cardboard roller attached. Each hanger can adequately hold the weight of a large quilt with no sagging. Metal hangers may corrode; adaptations had to be made to protect the textiles.

As with plain tubes, I wrap the roller on the hanger with aluminum foil, then apply strips of batting to pad the roller. I wrap the batting up the sides of the hanger to provide a barrier between the wire and the hanging textile. The batting strips are anchored in place with basting thread and large stitches. Wrapping the batting roll with pre-washed muslin is optional. The hanger is ready for the quilt.

I recycle projects that never made it into a show or simply lost their appeal into Hanging Bags to cover quilts or special clothing. Of course, one can make a "plain jane" bag from muslin but that’s boring. A plastic dry cleaner bag* can serve as a pattern, or, you can make a paper pattern by outlining the shape of the hanger shoulders. Be sure to add enough allowance to avoid the finished bag from being too snug to slide over the quilt on its hanger. I add a hanging tag to the bag for identification purposes.

*Please don't use plastic bags to cover textiles. Plastic retains moisture and could cause mildew.

Quilt Storage Tubes

As a consequence of volunteering at my local museum and working with its quilt collection, I like to roll my quilts on cardboard tubes that have been prepared following museum guidelines.

I glean hard cardboard tubes from a local fabric store or carpet outlet. For smaller quilts, use the tubes from waxed paper or plastic food wrap. The first step is to wrap the tube with aluminum foil because the foil serves to trap and contain any gases emitting from the cardboard. After wrapping, tuck the foil into the tube ends to hold in place. Follow by covering the foil with leftover batting to pad the tube.

Pre-washed muslin is used to cover the padded tubing. I quickly hand sew a seam using an overcast stitch, the length of the tube to secure the muslin covering. Others like to use a strip of fusible to close this seam, but I’m concerned with the fusible breaking down causing the sticking chemical to permeate the muslin covering and contaminate the quilt. Simple cloth ties are used to hold the rolled quilt in place. A long cloth bag is constructed into which the rolled quilt is slipped. And, yes, I store more than one quilt on a tube.

To aid the quick identification of quilts once hidden away in cloth bags, I use hanging tags that are purchased from an office supply store. Each tag has a reinforced hole with a string for attaching to the bag. I write the quilt names in pencil on the tag and pin it to the bag so I can easily read the bag’s contents. I tend to switch quilts from one roll to another over time, so I use pencil to write the information on tags. It's easy to erase pencil and I’m Scottish enough not to write new tag each time I pull a switcher-roo.

Next posting, Hanging Bags for Quilts.

Studio Reorganization

Everyone hates to consider organizing h/her stuff. In the studio environment I believe it’s necessary in order to save time when the intense Creative Mode is engaged. Having to stop and search for supplies, tools and other items will severely hamper the process. I have just completed my studio refurbishing and reorganization, a great accomplishment for the New Year. And, yes, my studio lost body mass in the effort. That’s part of the Ruthlessness I mentioned in the previous posting.

Following the floor plan I prepared, all has been returned to the studio. Five-double stacked shelves contain most of the fabric (see photo below). Three bookshelves hold miscellaneous supplies, and notes books that are used frequently. The sewing machines, the chairs, the workstation and the cutting board are in place. And, most of my quilts are tucked away, either hanging on padded hangers or rolled on padded tubing.

Next posting: Making Tubes for Quilt Storage.

Up grading a studio, no matters its size, has 4 requirements: 1) Determination, 2) Ruthlessness; 3) Organization, and, 4) Planning. The onset not only requires determination but may require some negotiations if you live with another human. The dog doesn’t care as long as you feed him on time. The job is chaotic for some days, if not weeks. I recommend keeping a good bottle of wine and a sense of humor readily available. The rewards at the end of the exercise are highly worthwhile.

Every 5 years I like to conduct review my studio contents, to see what I have, find the supplies I actually use, and get rid of the extraneous. This is a 21-year-old habit from military moves every 2 years and the itch continues to reappear. I now call it Refocusing. The last effort was a consequence of chronic stumbling over boxes of fabric and other creative necessities. I was going to seriously injure myself if I didn’t do something. Fed up, I took everything out of my 12 x 16-foot studio and move it all across the hall. This is where Negotiation is involved because everything was a mess.

In 2008 a new plan was launched. I wanted more, particularly laminate flooring and a better working environment by making better use of my studio space. This was Determination. Everything was sorted & packed into boxes. Some boxes stayed, others went curbside. I determined I hadn’t used this stuff since the last reshuffle, so now, out it goes. No second thoughts, gone, Ruthlessness ruled.

While waiting for the re-painting and the new flooring, I drew up a floor plan-to-scale to figure out the best use of the room. My studio has a closet, plus doors or windows on every wall. Where to place the 5 doubled-stacked fabric shelves, one sewing table & machine, the cutting table, 2 bookshelves, an accessory cabinet, and work station with the 2nd sewing machine? Working it out on paper is highly recommended before one has to actually move furniture into the room. This is the first step of Organization. It makes everything easier because you have a Plan.

Color Difficulties

Selecting from the thousands of colors is a major challenge to most artists, even for the highly experienced ones. We become overwhelmed by the possibilities frequently finding it difficult to make the "good" choices. Some will stay with comfortable preferences made before and others will wildly plunge in to select the hues that please for the moment, hoping the moment doesn't pass into oblivion. Both are valid starting points.

For my work, I reply upon Mother Nature's suggestions. She knows what she is doing. The sunlight (or lack thereof) will enhance the visual possibilities. Sometimes the wet, overcast days provide more reliable hues and contrasts from which to select. Winter, for me, provides incredible amounts of color choice and it isn't all white and gray. It has to do with the angle of the sun reflecting off ice, snow and other variables. It's quite amazing to my eye to actually notice a wealth of hues and related values.

I find the summer presentation more burned out, flattened, and less thrilling. Of course, if you happened to be strolling through the phenomenal flower gardens at St Clare's college in Cambridge, England, then you'll witness the most splendid use of Nature's color pallet.

I'm in agreement with Camille Pissarro's observation: "Contrary to what colorists believe, Nature is colored in the winter and cold in the summer."