Two more Brocante quilts

These brocante pattenrs alternate with nine patch blocks. The top lap quilt is for my son Steve. The one on the bottom is for my friend, Kattie. The bottom one incorporates four friendship stars and a North Star in the center along with the nine patch blocks.

ENIGMAS & MYSTERIES 2015

This is a presentation I did at our church. It's a PowerPoint presentation. Click on the link:

ENIGMAS & MYSTERIES 2015

It moves rather quickly, but you can click on the bottom of the screen to see the progress and stop and start it with the Play/Pause button on the bottom left so you can read the text. I hope you enjoy it. 

CELESTIAL TIMING  #4

Brocante quilt

This pattern is called Brocante. I love the illusion that the  diagonal square goes behind the sunflower material. I want to do this pattern again with a more limited pallette. This lap quilt is for my daughter Angie.

Quilt repair

I'm repairing an old quilt. Above is one edge before and after the repair. The idea is to not do anything that can't be undone, so I'm sewing new cloth on top of the old. I'm doing it by hand, since the whole quilt is hand made. I see some other places where the quilt has been repaired in the past. I wonder about the maker of the quilt and the people who used it. Obviously, it was a well loved and well used item.

This is the edge before the repair.

During the repair.

After

Batik triangles

I made two of these for two of my favorite Saras.

STARS

This is a wall hanging I made for behind my daughter's couch. I got the star motif patterns out of a book. I'll post them individually.

54-40 Fight

54-40 Fight

Variable Star

Variable Star

Square and Stars

Swamp Angel

Memory

Memory

Square and stars

Appreciating people just the way they are....

“When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.” ~ Ram Dass

TULIPS FOR SUSAN

The commission was a Christmas gift and I worked with the client over a few months to create a very specific painting in size and subject for very specific spot. I'm pleased that they like it and will enjoy it in their kitchen.

Disappearing nine patch quilt 2015

My latest quilt project was a queen sized disappearing nine patch quilt. The top picture shows the traditional nine patch. To make a disappearing nine patch, the 9 patch is cut in 1/2 both vertically and diagonally. It can create lots of lovely patterns with a limited palette of fabrics, but for mine, I chose to have lots of colors and novelty prints that would be at home in an eclectic cabin in Northern Michigan and few lined up seams. There are fish, deer, birds, ducks, pheasants, flowers, leaves and lots of wonderful prints. I love this quilt concept, but I'll never do a queen sized again!

2015 Chopped block quilt

I am working on a queen sized quilt utilizing the chopped block pattern. I'm using the quilt as you go technique, so each block was quilted before the pieces were assembled. I cleverly planned a pattern for the back and then in the midst of putting the pieces together, the pattern got thrown off, since I was only really looking at the front and some of the blocks needed to be adjusted. I'm anxious to get this done so that I can paint in the studio again! I love the quilting, but I need to push some paint!

AUGSBURG PRESS

LAKE AND SKY

MORNING ALLELUIAS

PSALM 121 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth

These images have been chosen by Augsburg Fortress to be used on church bulletins for 2016. MORNING ALLELUIAS will be used for Easter and they will be printing 375,000!  This is a wonderful year end surprise. I didn't seek it out and the serendipity is delightful. I am really praising the Lord for this opportunity! I should probably get my paints out and get painting, but I have more quilting to do and that comes first. But I am reveling in the affirmation!

THE LEARNING CURVE

The Learning Curve (detail)

The Learning Curve (detail)

The Learning Curve (detail)

The Learning Curve

This quilted wall hanging will hang in the guest room of my daughter's house and will match the green walls. Through this project, I learned to 'quilt as you go', how to make my own bias tape, and also how to create perfect circles out of fabric for applique. A learning curve, indeed! I'm thankful for videos on the internet that helped me make it through.

AND we're back!

My web guy, Arend VanderPols (he's terrific), fixed the website in nothing flat! So it's ready to be browsed!

These photos show where my energy has been going since I found out our daughter will be having a child in February. These quilts are on the baby's crib in Denver waiting to snuggle him or her. I've been watching quilt videos while I'm on the treadmilll and learning all sorts of things. Today, I hope to finish a quilteed wall hanging that taught me circle making, bias tape making and "quilt as you go" techniques.

Web site malfunction!

I was making changes to my website yesterday and it suddenly turned to text! Of course, my web guy is out of town. My apologies to anyone trying to access it right now. Images are still available on my computer if you need an Advent image. Email me at vwieringa@gmail.com

A show at Church of the Servant

New shows of my artowrk

This week I'm hanging a major one person show of my artwork at Church of the Servant (3835 Burton SE, Grand Rapids, MI) I'll post pictures here when it's up. The ARTery is a long hallway, and I intend to fill it to the brim and I hope to not bring all of it home. There will be a price list in the office or available through me and the work will be very affordable.

In November and December, I'll be showing some of my Advent work at Bella Vista Church in Rockford and at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church. ( You can also see my whole body of Advent work here.

And finally, November 8 I will be joining with other artists for a one day show and sale. It should be a wonderful pre-Christmas opportunity to see and buy unique handmade work.

Psalm 130 revisited

I revisited this theme because frustration, anxiety and depression are realities in life and in faith communities. Psalm 130 is an honest plea for God to listen and pay attention to the psalmist and a reassurance of God's unfailing love. "I wait for the LORD. My whole being waits!" We get trapped in the mazes of our lives but God knows the way we take and God leads us up into the light!

Psalm 130   A song of ascents.

 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;

    Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
    to my cry for mercy. 

If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
    Lord, who could stand?
 But with you there is forgiveness,
    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
 I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love
    and with him is full redemption.

He himself will redeem Israel
    from all their sins.