Featured Sister: Linda Sexton-Patrick

We met Linda at a local Connecticut Guild lecture by Ruth McDowell several years ago. Linda's work is lovely, as you can see. She often uses pieced backgrounds and juxtaposes hand applique to create beautiful works of fiber art. The quilt featured above is entitled "Jill-In-The-Pulpit".

In her own words:

What is exciting about the medium of textile art is the collaborative effort it affords between the tactile nature of fabric, color choices applied, and the expression of ideas through design and technique. From initial concepts to the refining of the completed image, it is a joy to be engaged in every step of the creative process. Inspiration often comes from the flora and fauna of the many areas of this country where I have lived. I am particularly interested in including in my work woodland species which are endangered or rarely seen. There are endless possibilities still to be expressed!

Friday Quilting

The most important thing that keeps our group cohesive and productive is our Friday morning meetings. Fridays are sacred to us: we gather at one of the members' home for an hour or two of critique, support, planning, and COFFEE. Diane, our fearless leader, keeps the calendar full of events, trips, venues and opportunities to share our work. There is always a "Challenge" in the works or on display (the latest, Photo Challenge, is hanging in the Guilford Art Center until the end of the month) and a progressive quilt to be passed to the next quilter. "Fridays" are a gift to us all...

Still Time to See Photo Quilt Exhibit

The Sisters' show at the Guilford Art Center has been so successful and well received by the community that the GAC board has asked us to stay a bit longer...

Small Pieces/Big Ideas will continue to hang in the Gallery Shop Space at Guilford Art Center, 411 Church St., Guilford, through the end of June, 2009. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 12-4pm. For more information, see the GAC website http://www.guilfordartcenter.org/

Spot the Sisters

Linda Zimmerman, Yvette Howard, Diane Wright and Debbie Bento all attended my opening at Chroma Gallery in Guilford, CT last Thursday night. It was an exciting evening with about 200 guests enjoying the fused glass, woven rugs and lovely quilts made by three Guilford artists who all belong to the Shoreline Arts Trail. After a few hours of lively conversation and a glass or two of wine, I started taking photos of the attendees... Using the rules of "Where's Waldo", see if you can spot Diane, Yvette and Debbie... Thankfully I was behind the lens and not in front of it!

Excitement is Mounting

The Sisters in Cloth are getting ready for their unveling of a new show in May at the Guilford Art Center. Fifteen photos will be transferred to cloth, resulting in 75 small quilts. April 24 was the "Drop Dead Day" to complete the quilts and ready them for photography. MOST are done, some are in progress, but we can't wait to share the final results! Here are two members, Barbara Coleman Adams and Yvette Howard, admiring a few of the little gems.

Barbara Coleman Adams

These lovely postcards were made by our very own Barbara Coleman Adams. Barbara works mainly in an abstract style, and her pieces have a rhythm and tempo which is all their own. She has been an active member of Sisters in Cloth for several years - always willing to do her share of grunt work to make our group a success. Barbara lives in Guilford, CT with her wonderful husband Roger and daughter Liz. Her work is now available through the Chester Gallery located at 76 Main Street in Chester, CT.

Rayna Gillman Visits the Sisters

All day long while it rained cats and dogs, the Sisters and friends toiled at the Guilford Art Center under the tutelage of Rayna Gillman. We've employed her for the weekend to teach us her creative ways of salvaging uninspired fabric by gelatin printing and silk screening. Pictured is Robin Wolek, carefully applying rubber bands to a block of gelatin. You can see her family crest of four squares which she made multiple times in different colors. We expect to see some interesting surface design techniques used in future quilts!