Orchids: Sensuality Stitched Installed

Planning the layout on the floor

Here is Susan Brubaker Knapp viewing one option for hanging the show. This was our first time to see all the work and it was wonderful.



PJ on the Step Ladder

PJ Howard was the official ladder climber for hanging the pieces. She was amazingly patient as the rest of us made changes as we saw the work on the wall.
The upper center piece is her work, note the orchid on the tightrope, too funny!!



PJ on the Ladder with Cindy

Cindy Klemmer is the Education Director of the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and is responsible for bringing in the exhibition.
When the smaller ladder was insufficient, Cindy got PJ a taller one.




Susan with Last Minute Finish Work

Several of us had a few last minute details to finish and worked while the installation was in progress.

Debbie Langsam Working on her Hanging System

Note the small photos on the back of the sleeve. Each of these photos provide bits of imagery that Debbie uses in creating her photoimagery pieces. Check http://fiberartoptions.blogspot.com for a detail of her exquiste work.
I not only love her work, but check out the agility of those knees. Ah, to be young again. What I would give to be able to bend like that!!

Our First Viewer

Even before the work was fully up, we had viewers stopping by to comment and check out the work. People were amazed at the variety and that art could come from the quilt tradition.

The purple-pink pieces are by Susan. Working from her photos, she has painted the designs on fabric before wonderful machine quilting for emphasis.

To the upper right of Susan's work is Grace Howe's Tribute to Gene. Check out the word in the top background of this piece. A couple of the pieces bring chuckles to observors. Grace and PJ let their wonderful senses of humor show in their work.

The Variety is Substantial

While the exhibition has the common theme of orchids and common sizes to all the work, the techniques and imagery are very different. This photo shows a bit of the variety. The two pieces to the left are by Janet A Lasher who used a shibori technique on Japanese paper, adhered the paper to a cradle board and then covered the work with layers of wax. it is an encaustic process.

The top middle piece by Linda Stegall is a photo image that was printed on fabric and then quilted with great detail. Another piece by Linda is the top right piece. Here she used Photoshop to transform the image and printed it on fabric. Then she printed orchid photos on fabric and appliqued them to the top before quilting it.

The lower middle piece is mine, and is my current process, working with an initial photograph for inspiration, I created stencils that I used to ink the design to the Heide Stoll-Weber hand-dyed fabric, before extensive hand guided machine quilting and some hand embroidery for details.

The bottom right piece by Debbie Langsam is an abstract of the aerial roots of the orchid on silk dupioni. What luscious colors!!

The panel in the middle contains the gorgeous portraits of the artists, our names, and a small detail photo of our work to help viewers connect the artists and their art.

How Many Quilters Does it Take to Hang a Quilt?

Here Grace, Susan and PJ consult on how far apart the work needs to be in order to get the title cards positioned.

In addition to the 24 by 36 inch pieces in the main hall, we each created a small 18 by 12 inch piece inspired by two photos of the same orchid. Once again the variety is enormous. The panel in the center shows the photographs we worked from.

Finishing Up

PJ is doing some final work on the titles. It took awhile to do, but we were all thrilled with the work and how it looked at Stowe. Now if the weather holds we will be doing artist walk throughs and demonstations tomorrow and Sunday from 12 - 4. Hope to see you there.

Keep Quilting

Nancy