Debra Svitil

Jambo!

2010-01-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

Just returned from Tanzania. It was so beautiful. I will only be able to express how moved I was in a new series of quilts that are inspired by the local wildlife and a fabulous piece of kuba cloth I purchased while there.

In the meantime, I will not be teaching this Winter and plan to focus on my art.

I have a few quilting commissions (yea!!!) and am hoping to make more t-shirt quilts for folks. Remember, high school graduation will be here sooner than you think. Time to put those shirts to good use. A quilt your student can take with them to college in the Fall.

Here's a recently completed piece for a college grad.

Contact me for details and pricing!!

Welcome Bert!

2009-03-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of blogging going on here.

In November I took the plunge and purchased a Gammill Long Arm machine. It's still hand driven, so it's taking some getting used to. I explain it to non-quilters in this way. When I free-motion quilt on my home machine, it's like moving the paper and holding the pencil still to draw. With the long arm, the quilt/paper remains still while the machine moves over it.

Keep me in mind when it comes time to have those old t-shirts made into quilts!

I am working on t-shirt quilt designs and memory quilts from baby clothes. The items we can't part with but are just taking up space in the drawer. Seriously, you are never going to fit into that Central High T-shirt again, really.

Studio Redo

2008-09-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Once again, my Pfaff and I have been at odds with each other.

I took the break from sewing and quilting to work on fixing up my studio. With the help of my DH, Ed we hung a peg board on the wall behind my sewing table. I now have all of my tools in one spot and can locate them quickly instead of rummaging around in the closet or under piles of fabric. All of my threads are up and no longer rolling across the floor.

My absolute favorite storage solution is my collection of 2 gallon Rubbermaids. A size I can only find at WalMart (go figure). They fit perfectly on my shelving unit and are the right size for projects in progress. I've designated some for fabric collections (ie Asian fabrics, batiks, etc), some for projects and some for yarn and other fibery-thingies.

My design wall (also with the help of DH in Lowes) is a 4x8 insulation board covered with felt and velcroed to the wall.

I have a light box table and (again with the help of my DH) I have fitted a board over the glass so the table can double as a rotary cutting station or ironing area.

Now, the machine has been fixed (we hope) and it's back to work/play.

More Quilts

2008-06-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a collection of quilts I have worked on over the past couple of years. All (but one, and I'm getting to that) are original designs. Most are experiments.

Dreams Come True is a queensize quilt for my daughter (the fairy on the right)

Micronesian Memories is a t-shirt quilt that also incorporates many themed fabrics (on the back is a painting of Two Lovers Leap, a Guam Landmark).

Leaving Winter Behind is my first homage to Gustav Klimt and was done for a quilt challenge. The rules included the use of circles in nature and three specific fabrics (which I sprayed with gold fabric paint and embellished with beads).

Hwy 249 Chaos! uses a cyanotype print as it's focal point. The car appears to be breaking through the borders. I wanted to add some mud spatters to make it more dynamic. In Fact, I painted the spare tire from the car and rolled it across the front and back. Then I quilted around the tread marks.

Wheels of Wonder was inspired by the book 'Quilter's Playtime' and was made to use up some fabrics I'd been holding onto for about 5 years. This was my first attempt at making templates. I've never been good at following directions. This piece made it into the AJCs story on the Bulloch Hall Quilt Show in March 2008.

The House is raw edge applique of a small stone house at Macchu Piccu

My Card

2008-06-10T14:21:00.001-07:00

Mwanamwali

2008-06-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

40"x40" Hand-painted, free-motion quilted and emblished with beads, coins and found objects. This piece was completed in 2005 and has been exhibited in IQA's Chicago and Houston Shows, AQS Paducah Show and the Bulloch Hall Quilt Show. It was also featured in an article in the Altanta Journal Constitution and Bonnie McCaffrey's IQA Houston Blog.

It's Spring!

2008-06-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

36" x 40". Hand-painted and free-motion quilted. This quilt is a personal favorite of mine. Unfortunately, I trimmed it down to improve the layout and it became 4" shy of being eligible for either of the International Shows I had hoped to submit it to. Alas, measure twice, cut once and read the entry form 3 times!

Laura Bush Receives Art Quilt

2008-06-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

Title: A Love of Learning
Size: Approx. 78” x 87”
Date: March 2008

I was honored to be chosen to create this portrait quilt of First Lady Laura Bush. It was presented to Mrs. Bush on the occasion of the Congressional Club’s 100th Anniversary First Lady’s Luncheon and commissioned by Alfredia Scott, wife of Congressman David Scott of Georgia and the chairperson of the event in Washington DC on April 17, 2008.

I was privileged to be there and to meet Mrs. Bush. She is very gracious and embodies the qualities we expect of the First Lady of the United States. It was a thrill to have been included in this historic event and to see my work admired by Mrs. Bush and the many dignitaries in attendance.

I knew that I wanted to create a piece that would honor Laura Bush, the individual. I was familiar with her dedication to furthering education and specifically her ideas on children’s reading being a gateway to greater things. I found the perfect quote from Mrs Bush that embodied this ideology and I built my concept around that quote.

I began by painting the portrait with fabric inks and paints. I then quilted Mrs. Bush’s head and shoulders using more than 30 different colors of thread.

Mrs. Bush’s love of country is reflected in the overall background motif - a stylized stars and stripes from the American flag. Incorporating symbols of the state of Texas became an integral design element for the quilt backdrop. The stripes are made primarily of bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas. These were all ‘drawn’ free-hand, using the sewing machine as my brush. Woven among the bluebonnets are other symbols of Texas; Monarch butterflies, pecans, an armadillo and even a long horn!

My Bio

2008-06-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Athens GA, I graduated high school and went on to study fine art at the University of Georgia. I later transferred to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, graduating with a degree in Advertising and Design.
I worked for over ten years in advertising as an art and creative director. My work experience spanned the globe from New York City, Dusseldorf Germany, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Oman.
My family resettled back in the US in Houston, where our daughter was born. Houston is the home of the International Quilt Festival, the largest quilt market and exhibition in the world. I attended classes with several inspirational instructors and embarked on my own quilting career.
Now residing in Alpharetta, Georgia I teach art part time to elementary school children. I have a quilting and art studio in my home and have been fortunate to have my work shown in several local venues and in international shows, including an invitation to show work in the Houston Quilt Show that started it all. Most recently, I was commissioned to quilt a portrait of First Lady Laura Bush. I was invited to be present for its presentation to her in Washington DC on April 17, 2008.

Honors

2008 Congressional Club Commission Quilt for First Lady Laura Bush
2008 Bulloch Hall Quilt Show - Roswell GA
2007 Arts Clayton Gallery, Group Show – Jonesborough, GA
2007 Quilt Featured in Atlanta Journal Constitution
2007 Bulloch Hall Quilt Show – Challenge Quilt Second Prize

2006 International Quilt Association Show by invitation - Houston TX

2006 Quilting Arts Magazine 2007 Calendar Challenge - Semifinalist
2006 International Quilt Association Juried Show, Finalist - Chicago IL
2006 American Quilter’s Society Juried Show - Paducah KY
2006 Bulloch Hall Quilt Show - Roswell GA
2005 American Quilter’s Society Juried Show - Paducah KY
2005 Spruill Gallery Refusing to Dance Backwards Emerging Female Artists in Atlanta, Group Show - Dunwoody GA

Associations International Quilt Association

American Quilter’s Society
Bulloch Hall Quilt Guild
Young Rembrandts Drawing Program - Instructor