Material Mavens: Carolyn's Desert Serenity

Monday, April 15, 2019

Carolyn's Desert Serenity

The desert Southwest is my favorite place of all. I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. As a result, this part of the country pulls at my heartstrings. For me, it is one of the most serene places I know. My husband and I just made a trip to Big Bend National Park. In springtime, it is alive with bluebonnets and blooming cacti. The bluebonnets, a different variety from those in the Texas Hill Country, grow as tall as 3-4 feet. Their color is a vibrant purple-blue.

My quilt was made with silk and batik fabrics and was quilted using Ricky Tims Art Studio threads. The sky is a hand-dyed cotton by Mickey Lawler. The cacti buds were hand embroidered using Laura Wasolowski’s hand-dyed embroidery threads.

Along with photos of my quilt, I have posted a photo of one of the tall bluebonnets of this unique part of the U.S.

7 comments:

Tricia DeckApril 15, 2019 at 6:03 PM
I love your use of silk and batiks. How special to see the bluebonnets. I need to make that trip.
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AliceApril 15, 2019 at 8:17 PM
I never heard of bluebonnets that tall! I'm delighted that you were able to capture this unique part of our state in this exquisite quilt! This is such a good interpretation of our theme!
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Kathy HarteApril 15, 2019 at 10:04 PM
What an outstanding portrayal of our Beautiful Texas during this phenomenal season ! And your use of the different fabrics and embellishments capture your thoughts & descriptions perfectly !
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Nedra WeaverApril 16, 2019 at 8:22 AM
Your choice of fabrics is wonderful and the execution is beautiful. I've never been to Big Bend but have seen the bluebonnets in Hill Country and love them. Gorgeous!!
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JudyApril 16, 2019 at 1:02 PM
Oh man! I’ve always loved Mickey Lawler’s Hand dyed fabrics. That sky is gorgeous just like the real thing! What weight is Ricky Tim’s thread? It is perfect for the quilting. Through your quilt I can step into Big Bend. This is beautiful!
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quyen12August 15, 2019 at 4:23 AM
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Themes for the Quilts

Below are the themes on which our quilts have been based:

Round One Quilts

9/15/11 Harmony

11/15/15 Surprise

1/15/12 South
3/15/12 Element
5/15/12 Mystery
7/15/12 Daydream
9/15/12 Spiral
11/15/12 Travel
1/15/13 Interwoven
3/15/13 Communication
5/15/13 Canyon

7/15/13 Cell

9/15/13 Green

11/15/13 Comfort

1/15/14 Strong

3/15/14 Translate

5/15/14 Spring

7/15/14 Friendship

Round Two Quilts

10/15/14 Contrast

1/15/15 Modern
4/15/15 Neighbor
7/15/15 Time
10/15/15 Circle(s)
1/15/16 Pun

4/15/16 Doodle

7/15/16 Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

10/15/16 Reflection

1/15/17 Boundaries

4/15/17 Quote

7/15/17 Space

10/15/17 Reach

1/15/18 Rock

4/15/18 Blues

THE MATERIAL MAVENS

We are a group of art quilters who come from various parts of the United States, from the East coast and then south to Arkansas and Texas. We were inspired by the original Twelve by Twelve international art quilting group.

Beginning in September, 2011, we started posting our 12"x 12" art quilts, which were based on themes chosen in turn by our members. For Round One, we posted quilts every two months, always on the 15th of the designated months.

Round Two of The Material Mavens began in October, 2014. Some changes were made: quilts were posted every three months, and the quilts could be be either 12"x 12" or rectangular ones measuring 11" x 14", either horizontal or vertical in orientation.

Round Three of The Material Mavens began in July, 2018. Again, changes have been made. Now those members who wish to stay affiliated with the group are free to post quilts every time or every now and then. Two, our blog administrator collected suggested themes from the members who wanted to remain affiliated. These themes were then pulled at random from a "hat," and they were then assigned in order for the posting dates. Since we had 13 members who wanted to remain, we will be posting quilts every 3 months until 2021! This date is significant and appropriate, because 2021 will be the 10th year that our group has been in existence.

MEMBERS REMAINING

1. Alice Baird (Waco, TX) (abaird125@gmail.com)

2. Andrea Willey (MA)
3. Carolyn Henson (TX) (cjhenson214@gmail.com)

5. Gail Bradney (AR)
6. Jane Hartfield (AR) (arkjjhart@mynewroads.com)
7. Judy Steward (TX)
8. Kathy Harte (TX)

9. Karen Pulaski
10. Sara Norris (TX)
11. Tricia Deck (Lincoln, (MA)

12. Teresa Schlabach (AR)

13. Nedra Weaver