I am as Free as My Hair When one considers the word, Feminine or Female there are many images that come to mind.  Old fashioned images of sugar and spice or ruffles and lace, other images of women are illustrated in dresses and skirts. Today’s imagery can be represented in a more androgynous form of bodies in trousers. I started to think about how I wanted to create artwork that symbolizes my definition of Feminine.  How do I define what my woman looks like?  Or how I feel ab

Modern Mona by Cindy Brendzel I was inspired by the story behind the Mona Lisa, one of the most famous paintings created during the Italian Renaissance by Leonardo da Vinci. It is believed to be a portrait of Italian noblewoman Lisa del Giocondo and widely considered to depict the epitome of 17 th century feminine expression. Is that why Leonardo kept the painting for himself?  Was he so taken with her that he couldn’t part with the portrait? How would we depict the embodime

by Mary Kay Fosnacht Overland Park, KS, USA Piecefularts.com 20" w x 32" h (51 x 81 cm) Throughout history, the image of Mary has been a source of solace and intercession, especially in moments of profound suffering and uncertainty. Rosa Mystica draws upon this tradition, evoking Mary as the Mystical Rose—an enduring symbol of compassion, healing, and steadfast presence amid human struggle.   The quilt’s central figure, radiant in blue and gold, recalls both icon and appariti

My series of quilts for Femina draws on my family history. They interrogate the lives of my grandmother, my mother and my own by asking what was life like for three generations of 20 year old women? Our family history is, sadly, rather sketchy, so I have been trying to piece it together. Stitching these stories is one way to do it. FEMINA 1 20 in the 1920s My grandmother was born in 1901 and so, her 20s were played out in the 1920s, a time of great change for women in the UK

My roots are deep and have a strong connection to those before me. Strong, resilient, hard working women. This is the first in the Femina series. I am using trees as a metaphor for female. I have used hand dyed and deconstructed dyed fabric. The fabric was twisted together to form the free hanging roots. Turned applique, Machine quilted with hand stitching. Close up

Challenge # 12 Femina - latin for woman is a very broad topic that we will be focusing on for the next three challenges. I have decided to focus on how women throughout history have used textiles and fibre arts to communicate messages, in times of confinement, slavery and resistance.  Documentation throughout history has shown the use of textiles and fibres arts have been used as a method of recording the current events and sending messages to others. For this first piece, I

My idea was to present different women's destinies in parallel.   I drew inspiration from French culture and history. On one side, there is the Moulin Rouge, representing luxury and voluptuousness. On the other side, Marie-Antoinette, thrown onto the cobblestones and quickly forgotten. The show must go on! I'm talking about the human stories, the setting is completely unreal. The Moulin Rouge, large and imposing, as well as the Arc de Triomphe are made of organza, floating in

Crossed Civilizations III - The Vikings In this third volume of Crossed Civilizations, I've imagined Vikings arriving in ancient Japan after a long journey. Let's face it, it's a clash of cultures! Japan, with its sophisticated civilization, receives the onslaught of barbarians! But the Japanese lady looks on the Vikings' arrival with curiosity, and the two cultures mingle with mutual enrichment. The Vikings would go on to found the first samurai schools... To create this mix

As the group was discussing the news challenge topic I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to make a quilt 'exploring what it means to be woman', for me. Perhaps these were not the exact words being used by one of our members, but it felt like that. I have sometimes had a hard time being a woman in today's world, but ever since my childhood, when I was thinking it would be easier to be a boy, that thought hasn't crossed my mind anymore. It may not be easy being a woman, but I wou

Tina! 20" x 32" Tina! is a powerful celebration of an extraordinary entertainer who embodied the very essence of female strength and resilience. Breaking free from an abusive relationship, she rose above her challenges and shared her story of survival and victory with the world, inspiring countless others to find their own courage and persevere against all odds. www.phylliscullenartstudio.com

In these compositions made from repurposed quilts, I explore the complexity of feminine existence—unseen labor, inner rhythms, resilience, and transformation. A quiet but powerful presence, the feminine force often goes unnoticed, yet it shapes and redefines everything around it . The Hands that Shape - 20 x32 in - 2025 Details: This work evokes hands in motion, shaping and building. Fragmented and overlapping forms suggest movement. A subtle lunar presence, half-concealed w

Just as with previous challenges, I spent many hours contemplating what a good and suitable topic could be for me. The options really seemed endless – in fact half of the world would qualify themselves. There came a point of time when all my ideas seemed to gravitate towards body image, body perception, towards women’s eternal quest for beauty. I reckon that has always been here with us, however the desire for perfection is now also served by rapid advances in chemical indust

by Mary Kay Fosnacht 10" L x 5" W x 4" H See more of my work at PiecefulArts.com @mfosnacht

Cindy Brendzel I experimented with column shapes for my 3D piece.  This is 10½ inches high and about 4½ inches wide at the base.  I used...

For this challenge I reached back to a period some ten years ago when I was keen to explore non-fabric materials and use them for 3D...

The idea of making a wall vase came to me as a long-lost memory of one that used to hang in my family home in the north of Argentina,...

Challenge # 11 For my 3D project, I have taken a smock dress that I wore as a child, also worn by my children and grandchildren.  It was...

I have spent many hours a miles walking the beach between San Jacinto and San Clemente in Ecuador. During these walks in 2024, the theme...

This allegorical work represents History as a thread. There were and still are tyrants, dictators who think they can rule history all by...

Serena While working in any textile format is always intreguing, creating specifically something to be three dimensional was a daunting...