quilters' inspiration

On the SAQA website (http://www.saqa.com/), there was a last minute call for entries for an exhibition of photos taken by quilters for the big quilt show in Houston. As it required no real work and I have lots of photos, I thought I would submit some. These are the images I sent in. It took me ages to select three as I have so many photos taken over the years of things I find interesting. Then there was the small issue of whether I had actually taken the photos as Richard and I share the camera and some of the oldest monster's photos are really good too. In fact, I get really inspired by his use of the camera as he just plays with it and has no inhibitions like the camera should be held still. He does great self portraits too, because what is more fascinating to him than himself. I end up trying to copy some of his techniques to get some interesting effects.

playing with numbers

Maybe it is due to my accountancy background, but I love number sequences. Sad, I know. Even better, the oldest monster is following in my footsteps and really enjoyed learning about binary from his uncle last weekend. He is thrilled to be 111 rather than 7.

So I've been wondering about making a quilt based on the Fibonacci sequence for a while. It does have practical value too as apparently lots of things in nature follow it, like sunflower heads and ammonites (just don't ask me how - I never did practical maths!). Anyway, I'm making this quilt where each square size and number of stripes follow the sequence (1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21 etc - each number is equal to the sum of the previous two).

This is the first sample - I didn't pre-wash the fabric and then washed it after. I liked the shrinkage, but of course, the stripes all frayed in a not good way! The background quilting was wavy lines, but I think it is too distracting, so I won't use it next time. It also made me think of quilted leather handbags, which for some reason I don't like. This bad photo here shows my first attempt of a bigger piece. I've still to quilt it and add the stripes. I'm not sure how it will develop and whether I decide to make it less rectangular.

Festival of Quilts aftermath

I am a bit late writing this post as I intended to write whilst I was at the Festival, enjoying my new technology buy of a dongle (at least I think that is what it is called). As it was, I spent too much time enjoying the quilts to have any time to write and last week has been spent in the normal post Festival of Quilts daze as well as organising my parents' ruby wedding party. This week was spent recovering from the party and having five people to stay, as well as eating all the leftover food. I'm glad we over cooked!

Well, the Festival was great. There were some amazing quilts and exhibitions. I'm always a bit wary of posting images of other people's work without their permission, so the only images are of my samples from Chunghie Lee's workshop.

Her work was great. I loved the thought behind it, about honouring the unknown makers. She also has ideas for a large scale installation, which sound exciting art. I was really pleased to be able to interview her for Popular Patchwork. Her website is worth a visit: www.chunghielee.com

I also got to interview Jenny Bowker, whose work was also fascinating. They were more traditionally quilts in the sense of the three layers, but not traditional in their content. Her pieces were large scale pictorial wall hangings with Middle Eastern subjects. Her website is www.jennybowker.com

The workshop with Chunghie Lee was inspiring. I haven't done so much hand stitching in one day for ages. My stitch size needs some work - they are much too big for a traditional pojagi, but it was really good to learn some new techniques. The concept of wrapping cloths is lovely, so much better than disposable wrapping paper.

So I now have lots of ideas for articles (including some I'm not going to get to write!), and ideas for new work. I've just got to find time to get started.

Festival of Quilts

I'm rapidly trying to get ready for my adventure to the Festival of Quilts - I leave tomorrow and have to get packed and organised and as much work finished as possible before. Today was the first day back at school, which should of helped, except the second monster has an awful cold (not swine flu) and so was off nursery.

So here is my August Journal Quilt, which I finished a week ago, but which I only photographed today. I'm getting a bit behind as I should have September's too, but had to play Scooby Doo games instead of working today.

As well as writing about this year's Festival of Quilts for Popular Patchwork, I'm also taking a one day workshop on Thursday with Chungie Lee, based on Korean pojagi or wrapping cloths. I'm really excited about it as it is a subject that I have been interested in for year's and Chungie's work is fascinating. It is difficult to pack for as taking fabric and threads that interest me could amount to more room that I have in my luggage...

Hanging

Last week was a busy week, setting up for two exhibitions which both opened on Saturday. The oldest monster had fun in the woods on Tuesday whilst I held the bottom of a ladder and let other people do the difficult winding of fabric round the trees. I wish I was better with heights! When we returned on the Wednesday, I was relieved they were still in place despite the never ending wind and rain the previous night. They were then firmly attached with staples, just to make sure. Again I held the bottom of the ladder whilst others did the work. As I had all three children with me, I spent the entire time worrying that one of them would end up in the stream, which was incredibly full for the end of July - it had as much water as in the middle of winter. Normally it would now be rather dry.

Friday was spent at Pittenweem hanging the aquarium pieces. I was really pleased with how they looked in the end, with good lighting and against a white wall. It was the oldest monster's seventh birthday that day and we celebrated with fish and chips for dinner by the harbour in the rain. That weather again! We called it an 'adventure'! But all in all, I think he had a good day, which started with birthday cake for breakfast. During the private view, DH took the monsters round lots of the different venues, whilst I stayed put. It looked a great exhibition from the little I saw. Next year, I want to go back and see more of it. I love the idea of the entire village being taken over by art for a week, with every possible space being used, from gardens, garages to other people's front rooms as well as the more traditional galleries.

Pittenweem Fishes

These are my pieces for the Threads of Gold exhibition, part of the Pittenweem Arts Festival which opens next Saturday. They comprise of two layers: knit on the bottom and silk digital print on top and they are felted. I've mounted them on white canvas to make them easier to hang and I still have to finish sewing them on to it. But, hey, I've still got plenty of time!!! The other thing I have to do is name them. The images all relate to things found in aquariums, but they are deliberately obscured and layered, as is our understanding of the sea and sea creatures if our knowledge just comes from days out at aquariums. I am trying to play on the notion of the visible not being the reality and so I want a good title, not just pond life or fish 1 as I have been referring to them. Got to get thinking so they can have nice labels besides them.

Tree hugging

Funny how some days are productive and others are not. Tuesday felt a slog, partly because I had a cold (not swine flu!) and then not helped that the yarn broke on the knitting machine whilst I nipped out of my studio and it took 40mins to sort it all out.

Today on the other hand, I was on a roll. The knitting machine whirred all day and generally behaved itself, so I was able to do some subbing at the same time and I miraculously tidied up a bit too. I got another piece felted, got some fabric prepared to try bleaching for the latest journal quilt and I even made it up to Aberfoyle to try out the tree wrappings. I'm definitely going to need a ladder to get them at a decent height. Even stretching to my full 5 foot 3 1/2in, they are very low down the tree. I hope someone will be able to help me as my talents lie more with textiles than with heights!

Work in progress

Summer holidays are now in full swing here and so my working time has become rather restricted. However, last week I had a fabulous, almost guilt inducing, four full days in the studio. The oldest monster was away camping with his grandparents and the younger ones went to nursery. So I worked from 8.30 in the morning to 5.30 at night, knitting and stitching away. I was really lucky not to have any real amount of editing to do, so I barely wrote a word either.
So at the end of the productive week, I had knitted three hugely long pieces to be wrapped around trees in Aberfoyle; knitted and felted the final base pieces for the Pittenweem Show and then needle felted my gorgeous organza digital prints on to them; done a reasonable amount of machine quilting of the mystery quilt and even managed to do some drawings.
The digital prints are amazing. I did guess the sizes reasonably well and it was with great trepidation I 'destroyed' them by punching them into the felted background. I think the results are interesting. Now I just need to mount the pieces for the exhibition.
The tree wraps used up all my wool and more arrived on Thursday to do some more. They take a full day each, but it my normal over optimistic way, I am hoping to get another four done in the next ten days (total amount of childcare over those 10 days: 12 hours!).
No photos of this work yet, I was too busy enjoying doing it to take a photography break. When I have a moment this week, I'll post some photos. I'm now back into normal life and have just spent a lot of time this weekend editing. September's Popular Patchwork has some challenging projects to check and then there is a redesign on to create an improved look, which is exciting.

Getting ready

Another day in the studio - bliss. The local sports centre is running fun days for primary school children, so the eldest monster is going there whilst the younger two are at nursery during the holidays. The middle one just can't get the idea of holidays - why is Daddy still working if it's the holidays and more to the point, why am I at nursery?

Without monsters at home, I was able to concentrate on sorting the imagery for my digital prints. They are going to be added to knitted and felted pieces of similar imagery - once the wool has arrived. Apparently there was a number missing from the address so it hasn't arrived yet. Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow as I have run out part way through a piece, so couldn't get on with other knitting stuff today.

Instead I got my images sorted. The base photos are from my aquarium series. I've then projected them onto fabric and manipulated the images. I've also had to guess the final size of the knitted pieces as I've run out of time to wait until they are finished before ordering the prints. I tried scientific calculations and ratios, but really it is a matter of fingers crossed and waiting and seeing. I've just got to remain confident about it working!

The next journal quilt

This week I have been able to spend three days in the studio - a huge treat. I am still pondering how to display my pieces at Aberfoyle, but to make sure I make the deadline, I have started knitting today on the first large piece. However the work is shown, I know they will need to be big to be seen there - the trees are just so tall.

The sun has shone for some of the week too so I was able to make the July Journal Quilt for Popular Patchwork. It required sun printing and it rained all last week, so it is a bit later than I intended. I don't understand how sun printing works as it seems to bleach the colour out of the covered areas, rather than those exposed to the sun - a bit of reverse logic to me. However, I was happy with the results. As the pieces of fabric I created were not fabulous designs, I cut them into strips to create uneven pleats; the idea being it would be like waves in the fish tanks. I am pleased with the fabric and also with the pleats - something to mentally file away in case it could be suitable for a larger piece in the future.