Just a Detail

Here is a detail of a quilt using orange, fushia, purple and a few other colors. Of course there is a bit of black and white and yellow and pink and green.

New Quilt Today

My idea was to create a long narrow quilt again. I have made several in this style and it is so much easier to machine quilt this size for me. Finished it is 15" x 60" so putting on the binding by
machine on the long sides and then the short top and bottom is so easy and eliminated lots of hand work. This style of quilt uses MistyFuse bonded to silk fabrics. Most of the silks are very thin and
handle well with fusing to a lightweight surface before batting and quilting. My attempt to was to use more of the two silk blouses I had hand painted many years ago. The colors are perfect to use as granite seen in the Sierra Nevada mountains. "Labor Day" commemorates the last backpack trip of the year that was our family ritual. We would climb into some of the most beautiful areas on the east side of Yosemite, often being treated to wild flowers that struggle to survive in small spaces within the rocks. I finished the top yesterday and didn't think I could ever machine quilt it.
So my suggestion when you are stuck, go to bed and start fresh. The quilting went very quickly today as I put myself in "hiking" mode and remembered all the contour maps my husband used to identify our elevation and route up the mountain. We no longer climb these areas, but the memories and old stories are great.

A New Design

I just finished a 15" x 60" quilt. Inspiration was memories of hiking in the eastern wilderness areas of the Sierra Nevada mountains many years ago. We were above 10,000 ft and found a fabulous display of wildflowers. I started this piece by cutting up two hand painted silk blouses, out of style yet still great fabrics. Using MistyFuse it was easy to fuse the blouse pieces for part of the background and add a few more silks.

Dick & jane is whole again

I was able to restore the panel that was stolen in April. The original was spontaneous so making it again was a chore but now that it is finished, I am happy I spent the hours doing the redo. Now I am ready to try something new and different. I do like the concept of long and skinny, about
15 wide by 60 long. This week is full of appointments so
look out next week! Studio here I come!

Artist Reception at Stanford April 15, 2011

Kathleen Sharp and I looking at my quilt on display until May 19 at
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA in the Paul G. Allen and David Packard buildings on Via Palou. It was a nice exhibit of 20 of my quilts along with
40 paintings by 2 other artists. The vast spaces and large white walls looked great with colorful art.

Dick & Jane

This quilt is on exhibit in the David Packard Building on the Stanford University Campus, Palo Alto, CA. Every 2 months 3 artists are invited to exhibit 20 pieces as part of the Stanford Art Spaces program on campus in the buildings on Via Palou off Via Ortega. Sometime between April 1 and 5, the far right panel of this quilt was stolen.
It is very hard for me to understand how someone would take one part of a whole and ruin the artist's work. Keep an eye out for this panel! The exhibit is up until May 20 with the artist reception on April 15 from 5 to 7. Parking is available on Via Ortega off Campus Way Drive.

Print on Demand the return of Colors Changing Hue

My book on painting on silk published in 1994 will soon be available for purchase through Amazon.com and my publisher, C&T Publishing.
This is a how-book showing tools, techniques, and projects using hand painted silks and cottons to create beautiful quilts, wall hangings,
dolls, gift wrapping and more. As with POD books, the original pages
are scanned for digital media, some colors may not be as vibrant as the original. This does not diminish the value of the techniques offered in the book. I hope you will consider adding this book to your library.

New ED search at the Museum

Exhibit opening the end of March at Stanford University

I will have 20 quilts at Stanford University from
March 20 to May 19, 2011

Still time to make a quilt for the Alliance contest

http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/projects/galleries/Alliances/guidelines/.  

Don Porcella: Cave Dwellers by Don Porcella Reviewed in Staten Island Advance

Don Porcella: Cave Dwellers by Don Porcella Reviewed in Staten Island Advance

The Alliance for American Quilts contest

Check out the Alliance website for contest rules for the 2011 auction to benefit the Alliance. Each quilt is 16" Square, exhibited at Paducah in April and other quilt shows. The
auction on ebay will be later in the year. Great prizes if your entry is voted on by the public. My quilt is titled "Hi 5"

Baltic Cruise

To celebrate Valentine's Day, those wishing to join me on my Baltic cruise in May will receive $100 off their registration if it is received by February 14.  We will be visiting some amazing ports and having incredible classes with workshops I have designed just for this cruise.  See http://worldofquiltstravel.com/Baltic.htm

 

Ironic Iconic

Another fused quilt, designed in 2 days, horray for Mistyfuse! and quilted in one day, 44 " x 44". Some of the hand dyed silks in the top background were done by a friend of mine many years ago. I am so happy to use them and not just get them out of a bag to admire.

New Fused Quilt Designs

These two 44" pieces are at the Long Arm Quilter's studio to be quilted. I am excited to see her selection of quilting patterns.

Announcing the 2010 Legend on The Quilt Show

TQS Quilting Legend 2010 (Yvonne Porcella)

www.thequiltshow.com

I am so happy to announce that Alex and Ricky have awarded me with the honor of being their 2010 Quilt Legend. I hope you

can all visit their site to see the video filmed in September in my studio. Lets all enjoy a wonderful 2011 and making great art quilts. 

Cruise with Me

"I will be teaching in the Baltic on a World of Quilts Travel cruise next May/June, would love to have you join me."

You can ad the link -http://worldofquiltstravel.com/Baltic.htm

World of Quilts Travel: Quilter's Baltic Cruise

worldofquiltstravel.com

Quilters have voted us #1 quilt travel provider. Deb Roberts' Textile Tours, Baltic Cruise

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Bold Strokes

Luana Rubin and I at the opening of Bold Strokes exhibit. Thanks to Luana for coming from Colorado for the opening and for co-sponsoring the exhibit.
www.equilter.com

Yvonne Porcella Bold Strokes Exhibit information

This quilt, never shown in a public exhibit will be on display at my exhibit in San Jose, CA. It is big an bold!

My image at Quilt Market

Photos from Quilt Market

Quilt Market Houston 2010

I had a great time spending a few days at Quilt Market looking at what is new in the quilt world. Best part of going to Market was seeing friends and viewing the fabulous quilts on display. I had three pieces in ther show that will be on display until Nov. 7.

Yvonne Porcella Bold Strokes Exhibit information

http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org
Still time to sign up for the 1 PM lecture before the exhibit opens at 2 PM on Sunday November 21, 2010. I have heard the exhibit looks great and it will be up until January 30, 2011. Cream of the Cloth is also on display and it your opportunity to see an exciting collection of art quilts. While in the museum, be sure to stop by the gift shop for great gifts.

Dona Nobis Pacem

I made this a few years ago, just reusing images from church banners. Today it is being framed for a donation to a chapel. I am excited about it being in a place of devotion. Question is can you translate the Latin?

Don Porcella at Alphonse Berber

Don's exhibit will be on display until October 2 at 575 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA on second floor. Also see Don's exhibit in Berlin opening in September. Info on Don's Blog http://donporcella.blogspot.com

Yvonne Porcella Bold Strokes

Save the date Nov. 16, 2010 for the opening of my exhibit at
the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles in San Jose, CA. If you can't be there for the opening, visit anytime until January 30, 2011

SAQA 2010 auction quilt

Please visit the SAQA web site and look at the wonderful 12" square quilts that will be auctioned off beginning on September 20th. "Bid in SAQA's 2010 Benefit Auction starting September 20th: http://www.saqa.com/news.php?ID=1423"

International Quilt Market 2010

International Quilt Market in Houston opens October 30-November 1, 2010. George R. Brown Convention Center Houston, Texas. This is a Trade show only. Not open to the general public.
International Quilt Festival open to general public Nov. 4-7. Please go to www.quilts.com for registration information. Two of my quilts will be on exhibit, "Dick & Jane" on display in Art Quilts from the Book, 500 Art Quilts and "Madama Yolanda - Mind Reader" in the exhibit Beneath The Surface. Current photos from International Quilt Festival Long Beach can be seen on the Quilts, Inc web
site, click on the ruby red slippers.

High Fiber Under Five

First Friday in November at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is the sale High Fiber Under Five. A great opportunity to purchase fiber art. Half of the sale price is shared with the artist and half goes to the museum. Large crowds attend this event
and if you are in San Jose plan to gallery hop that night and see great art. Highest price per piece is $500.00 but lower priced pieces are also available. Title of this still life is Platinum and Pearls

Victory Garden Quilt for Auction

I posted a photo of my panel on my blog in June and now here is the full quilt. Money raised will support SAQA 12 Voices exhibit in Davis, CA

Yellow Page

My initials are YP, I have had experiences where people ask for last name, I answer Porcella, then first initial, I answer Y and the comment back to me is "because we need it". The letter Y obviously when spoken becomes "why". I made this quilt in response to the Why P conflict. I used Mistyfuse to fuse each panel to the batting and machine quilted each panel finally adding the border. An old favorite yellow silk blouse with 25 tiny yellow buttons done the front finally became too labor intensive to wear, buttoning each button. I cut up the shirt, wet each piece, sqeezed out the water, ironed it to maintain the wrinkles, fused this to maintain the wrinkled fabric, then used this "new fabric" for the borders.

Victory Garden

Louise Schiele asked 14 artists to make a 7" x 24" panel for a group quilt that will be auctioned off this summer to benefit 12 Voices SAQA artist exhibit. We could choose a fruit or vegetable for our panel. Louise asked that it be colorful and fun. She will join the panels together and do the machine quiltig. "U Pick Em" is my entry, lovely cherries ripe for picking only to find out the birds have had the first taste. To see all the submitted panels.http://louiseschieleworksandwords.blogspot.com/

Quilt Market Houston 2010

If you attend Quilt Market as a wholesale customer or vendor, be prepared to see this quilt. Selected from the book 500 Quilts edited by Karey Bresenhan and one of the featured exhibits at
Houson 2010, the image of my quilt will be featured on the Quilt Market catalog, tote bag and pin. I am excited, and I hope you will be too when you get to take home a small remembrance of my art. See you all at Quilt Market Houston.

New from Old quilt contest

The Alliance for American Quilts has a contest every year and
the quilts are auctioned as a fund raiser for this wonderful organization. My design uses images from previous entries I submitted so that qualifies as the old part, the new part is bright new fabrics. I titled the quilt Redotwo Ten, referring to recycling my designs, and redoing images of houses and giant flower trees. The actual quilt is very bright colors, 16" square, my phone camera doesn't compensate for light. Visit the Alliance website to hear more about the eBay auction later this year.

Historical Photo! Yvonne's Fashion Show

Many years ago I agreed to do a fashion show of my wearables. The local newspaper took this photo. I photocopied the photo and hand colored it to use it in a new quilt titled "Talking Through the Fence". The quilt top requires machine quilting, some day in the future.

SAQA 2010 auction quilt

I guarantee this quilt is a perfect 12" square but apparently my iPhone camera doesn't think so. Title of this quilt is "Oh - O". Look for the auction on the SAQA web site.

Detail of Ballet Shoes

Ballet Shoes

Just for fun project. A friend gave me a pair of size 4 1/2 toe shoes to make art. I used my impression of two different themes to "fill the shoes". The shoe on the right celebrates famous
dance themes of flowers plus my watching a ballerina moving her legs that reminded me of a butterfly. Silk flowers were made using Hannah Silk hand painted ribbons. The shoe on the left reminded me of all the different ballet companies who go on tour. When I go on a tour, I like to make a journal to remind me of places I have visited, pasting trinkets into a book or in this case, a shoe.

Jamie Fingal Designs Collaboration Quilt For Yvonne

Jamie Fingal, Leslie Tucker Jenison and Iris Karp sent out a call for friends to make a block for a "gift of love" quilt for me. I am being treated for ovarian cancer and what a fabulous project for me to enjoy and treasure during and after this "side line" event of 2010. Jamie has the development of this quilt on her blog http://jamiefingaldesigns.blogspot.com/. Check out March 20th entries. I cannot imagine how much effort went into the making of this quilt in such a short period of time. Quilting is all about friendship and I am honored to be remembered by so many.

Beneath The Surface

Dinner at Eight Artists presents Beneath the Surface, a special exhibit at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA - July 22-25th at the Long Beach Convention Center. Sponsored by Moore's Sewing Centers and Brother International and Dinner at Eight Artists. for more information become a fan of http://dinnerateightartists.blogspot.com/

Jacket Pattern packaging

My new pattern is now available. Ask your local Bernina Store to order one for you.

New Book Information

500 Art Quilts, juried by Karey Bresenhan, showcases the work of 363 fabulous contemporary quilters. Martha Sielman, executive director of Studio Art Quilt Associates, describes the book as "an incredible feast for the eyes ... this book is a must-have for every art lover, quilter, and fiber enthusiast." Learn more at http://bit.ly/7RqgW2. Thisbook is also available for purchase from Amazon.com. The first printing is expected to sell out quickly so get your copy NOW. Then go to Amazon.com and leave a five star review of the book. I have two pieces featured in the book (thank you Karey), one is my large abstract titled "Dick and Jane" the other is a tryptic made using a variety of mixed media techniques. A very different look for me but such fun to experiment with Mistyfuse as a way to apply different fabrics to the surface.

March and the color Red

It was such fun to go out to breakfast with my friend Kay. My appetite is coming back and I had a beautiful cream cheese stuffed french toast covered with blueberries and strawberry sauce. I just sat there and enjoyed looking at the lucious colors; then I ate the whole thing! My red outfit was perfect for the day as I still experience hot and cold periods: off with the jacket, on with the jacket.The hat is essential to cover my bald head. Suzanne Staud, artist supreme, invited us to visit her studio to look at the artwork she is preparing fora local gallery exhibit. What a fun morning. Too bad you all can't come to Modesto on March 13th to attend The Chartreuse Muse opening exhibit : Pets and their People. Great title for a 4 artist exhibit. www.TheChartreuseMuse.com or www.staudesign.com

Amazing how things change

Just a few weeks ago I was lecturing at a museum and now I am recovering from major surgery and starting treatment for my ovarian cancer. Obviously this all happened very fast but with the intervention of a SAQA member and her husband I was treated asap, I have already had one infusion and see my doctors next week. I avoided the shock of hair loss and I have a new do... Our grand daughter came over last night and we played with the computer camera. Here we are underwater. You can see by the photo that I intend to beat the odds and try my hardest to return to full health. Thanks for all the notes, emails, letters, good wishes. If you only knew how much they help!

de Young Museum

Be sure to visit the Amish Quilt Exhibit at the museum Large crowds on the weekends but worth heading to the textile galleries. Be sure to go into the study center. I love sitting at the computer terminal and looking at the collection. Also the drawers display precious smaller pieces. My lecture was well attended and the audience was enthusiastic about art quilts. Anyone can join the Textile Arts Council to support acquisitions and documentation of this important museum collection. The museum is joined with the Palace of the Legion Of Honor and together they are known as Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. What a treasure we have in our area.

Holiday Distractions

Well they are over, decorations put away (the last ones done today at church) so I guess it is time to get back to the job of being an artist. I am preparing silk kits for a fabric painting class this week for a guild and it is such fun to get all the materials out an then trying to see how well they will fit in my car. Driving does have its perks but a trunk is only so big. I go from my lecture and class on to another venue of a lecture. Then home again to put it all away. We will be doing my silk embellishment class that uses burned silk, the subject of my 1994 book Colors Changing Hue. Still a great technique with such varied results. I spent the last few weeks learning how to use my new Mac Book Pro laptop and transferring my power point presentations to that computer. Wow the images look so good on a larger screen. My former travel computer was a small PC with a small screen.

Trying Something New

Madama Yolanda:Mind Reader a new 36" x 48" quilt. Black damask fabric background, Mistyfused photo transfers, selective cut flowers, funky YP flowers, and of course, a variety of images that reside deep inside the complex yet creative mind of M. Yolanda.

Class Salt Creek Quilt Guild

All the members of this Chicago were so lively. I lectured last Thursday night and taught Friday and Saturday. Our Fantasy Floral and Fabulous Face class on Saturday produced some wonderful blocks. Stitching was to be completed at home.