Trend-Tex Challenge 2014 - Modern Ways

When I saw these fabrics I knew right away I wanted to make a mid-century modern album cover. My inspiration was Saul Bass, a mid -century graphic artist, who built the bridge from Modern Art to popular culture, his iconic images include movie posters such as Psycho and Vertigo, and logos such as AT&T and United Way. His title sequence for North by Northwest is the main influence for the title sequence of Mad Men.

My quilt is influenced mainly by the poster for the movie, The Man with the Golden Arm but with a touch of “Vertigo”.

Tilting the square gave it a Vertigo feel...

I called it Vertigo: A Tribute to Saul Bass

I used only the fabrics in the challenge for this entry...however I was not done yet. I used a lot of white but not much of the others. I needed to make another.... first I took an old t-shirt of mine

and basically pieced a liberated log cabin...

 This when I thought it needed more black....

and I still needed to add the print... in the challenge you are allowed to add up to 3 additional fabrics, the t-shirt and the black are my add-ons. 

 

I asked my friend Jill Buckley to machine quilt it for me and we entered it as Take Two. Two friends working on the 2nd creation.

They hung side by side at the CQA show at Brock University.

But wait there is more! still had fabric left over!

I call this one Come on, Get Happy! still not quilted but I am finally done with that fabric. I can move on now.

 

Homage to the square

My husband collects vinyl. Records, that is. We have been spend a lot of time at used record shops when we go on vacation. I like to check out fabric and quilt shops and he likes the used record stores. I have found a new way to enjoy my time in the record shop, checking out the album covers! Many of them are quite inspirational from a quilting perspetive! I have come across quite a few artists that I like and want to collect.

It started with Saul Bass:

 He designed everything in the 1960's, really. ok exaggeration! He was a graphic designer famous for such iconic logos as Kleenex, Quaker Oats, United Way,  and Dixie cups. He did title sequences and posters for movies such as North by Northwest, It's a Mad,Mad World, Man with the Golden Arm, and Anatomy of a Murder. I think he is one of the most copied designers ever.

 

This stuff makes me want to run to the sewing machine and make bright bold colourful quilts!

Then I discovered S. Neil Fujita, another designer, best known for the cover to the novel The Godfather.

I soon discovered jazz is where it is at for inspirational album covers!
Jim Flora:

(is it just me or do I see a future Laurel Burch here)


 Then I discovered Command Records and Josef Albers

see previous post, I already made that quilt!

does this not remind you of one of blogger's early templates?

broken nine-patches?!

I am now reading Josef Albers A Retrospective. It turns out he is known for Homage to the Square.

There is nothing more quilty than that!