Some small diversions from my early work

Yes, there are more maps, but first, perhaps it's time for a little detour. In my art, I usually try not to detour. There are always countless  new designs to explore, and scores of fun techniques to try, but I only have one lifetime, and can't master them all. So, generally, I try to stay focused on this strange little path I'm following. However, this week, I'll be sharing things like my...

 Geological Quilt Series

Yes, you can sew rocks in your quilts! While I was up in Maine one year, fascinated by the incredible rock formation on the coastline, I gathered especially flat stones to sew. I patched together a variety of fabrics, then ran big smocking stitches across them. The stones have a layer of netting over them to hold them into the folds. And it's all attached to a thick layer of wool.

Same technique here, but on a background of commercial cloth. 

Down in Florida, they have oolitic limestone* which can be found in heart shapes! This has a piece of a beach towel, commercial fabric, some seashells, happy little buttons and beads and limestone. In the next photo, you can see some of the gray netting sewn over the stones:

* This limestone underlies a great deal of Florida, and acts like a sponge. So no matter how many seawalls they build, the ocean can just seep right up through the limestone. 

I also made a few quilts with the round, smooth stones from my native NJ shore. But I did not follow the standard artist rule to PHOTOGRAPH IT BEFORE IT LEAVES. And this series went fast. People loved them, bought them, asked for them......and I stopped making them. If you happen to be at the beach this summer, look around, collect a few pieces and try this - it's great fun. Here's 2 more, not part of the geological series, just playing with a few stones from another coast (certainly not California, where it's illegal to collect anything on the beach):

These 2 are mounted on squares of half-inch thick industrial felt. There's a few stitches of embroidery floss over them, then a bit of weaving and wrapping.