Snow Dye

Thanks to Dianne for organizing a super fun snow dye experiment at our retreat this past weekend. I have just ironed and photographed my piece, and am delighted with it! I just love the unpredictability of dyeing, and this is especially unpredictable. I can't wait to see the other reveals.

LATEST LOCAL CHALLENGE

This is the result for my local challenge group - theme "Recycle".   I held on to bits and pieces from my son Murray and Jess's  wedding day six years ago with the intention of including them in something textile. Hilary, you will remember me playing around with the one picture a couple of years ago, which has not materialized as you can gather. I had dried the ivy leaves from the table arrangement in some granules a number of years back and they were still good to use.  The pictures are two that Murray (graphic designer) had played around with with the intention of put them on canvas in their home. Instead I have snitched the pictures from his site and using the wonder of wash-away paper transferred them onto calico. The grass and cracks are thermo fax screens which represent the place where they had their photos done ..... a burnt out, overgrown with weeds and graffiteed shell of a house .... something different.  The quilting is three large lilies with a couple of buds which were her bouquet and I have enhanced them with a bronze fabric crayon.  The main quilt is mounted on a artists canvas (16 x 16 inch) and then I made the 'frame' separately which is hand stitched in place. Leaves , hard muslin type bow and cheap pearls where then added to the frame.  Had fun!

Stuctures

I am just finishing off my 'Structures' piece. I based my idea on a product that Dharma Trading featured that I really wanted to try out. Such fun I had!!

Structures: starting points

I haven't started my Structures piece yet, and I am just beginning to mull over some ideas. I think both of your starting points, Linda, would be great options. I've always wanted to do an architectural piece, and I may go in that direction, even if it is "obvious". Some other options I'm considering:

HINT ABOUT MY STRUCTURE

It has nothing to do with construction: it relates to the natural world and is inspired by a beautiful gift from a friend who lives far away... I will be finishing it at our retreat this weekend so Linda, Dianne, Marion and Colleen will have to avert their eyes or else not be surprised at reveal time.

MORE STRUCTURE DILEMMA'S

I am glad to see others are in the same situation as I am.   I was delighted with the theme as it fitted in with my overall 'africa theme' and it was the obvious .. going with a literal structure and a new structure in my home town following the 'soccer world cup'.  It is a magnificent building in itself but having now seen it and many other photos from various angles I am at a loss as to which 'view' I want.  

When we have a gap in our rain I need to visit and photograph the various angles for myself and hopefully I will fall in love with one.

Structure !

I am finding this so difficult - I loved the two pics you put up and would definitely have used one or the other. I have started (on paper) and discarded so many ideas as being too much of one thing or another and have still not settled on anything definite which is frustrating me no end. My machine was packed up and put away in the middle of December as I decided that I needed a break from it. I still have not set it up yet and I am starting to panic as all sorts of other projects, from the various groups I belong to are crowding in now that the new year has started. By now I have usually finished my piece so this is now putting me in a panic ! I know, I know we still have a few weeks - but still !

So .... structure

My first thought was buildings, those that show their construction like this exhibition building at Chatham Historic Dockyard:

I love the interplay of the beams and though I'm sure this will appear in a quilt one day, it seems too obvious for this challenge.  So something a little more obscure perhaps, then I remembered seeing data structure diagrams on our network technicians desk:

This is actually the structure of a website I set up when my daughter got married several years ago. if you want to see the structure of this blog or any other website visit http://www.aharef.info/static/htmlgraph/  

But I've shared these ideas with you so I can't possibly use them as there wouldn't be a surprise! So how do other 'Dozen' members go about selecting an idea?

OWN BLOG!

Oh well, I have joined the masses (something I swore I would not do) and started my own blog - prompted by big sis.  Why .....because my personal challenge this year is to take a picture a day for 365 days. Note... I am not a photographer and have a very simple but small digital camera. Why? Just because! Pictures of what?  Anything and everything. I suppose it is an incite into my daily life which is very strange as I tend to be quite private. I like my 'me' space.  Obviously when away for the day, holidays, I may take more than one picture so will choose one for the blog, hence the one I am sharing with you is not the one on the blog for yesterday.  I noticed this tree on my way out of a fellow quilters garden yesterday. I have never seen the flowers before, am not sure if it is indigenous but will get onto it today.  This is quite a culture challenge for me as I have not been one that carries my camera around with me all the time or have it so accessible at home. Also to mentally remember to catch that moment!  Having great fun ! Hilary has added my link.

An Introduction

Thanks for the welcome comments! I've followed your blog since Hilary first mentioned your group and I'm delighted (And a little scared!) to have been invited to join you.

I've stitched since childhood and have been quilting for fifteen-ish years. I'm a bit of a technique junkie and have lots of different art materials and books around the house. However, last year I came to recognise that what I love most about quilting is piecing, in the sense that I'm making new fabric, which in turn becomes a quilt or, more likely, a wall hanging.

You can see some of my work on my blog - http://bilsblog.blogspot.com/  and also get a feel for some of my other interests. Here are a couple of the Journal Quilts that I made for the Contemporary Quilt group last year:

 

Own computer generated image super-imposed on hand painted background, machine quilted.

 

Mix of commercial and hand-dyed fabrics, machine pieced and quilted.

I'm excited by the 'Structures' theme that has been chosen for 2011 - do you 'tease' with hints of what is to come or is all left until 'The Reveal'?

marbling

January in Montreal is a cold month.  When it's very cold (we're talking -20ºC) it's also very sunny.  I keep hearing on the radio that Monday was supposed to be the most depressing day of the year.  It's probably a good thing that our little Textile Art group didn't know that because we had a great day.  Sun poured in the windows in Helena's lovely old house and she had set up all the things necessary for us to do some marbling on fabric.  She also provided a lovely elegant lunch as well with curried vegetable soup which was just the ticket for a cold day.

And here are my results.  With thanks to Helena.

A new member

I would like to introduce you to a new member, Linda Bilsborrow.  I have known Linda for many years now as we are both members of Contemporary Quilt in the UK.  We have worked together on various projects and I am an admirer of her work.  She has agreed to step in to bring the number back up to 12 as Rosie is stepping back from the group while she has her hands full running the farm. 

Thank you for your contribution up till now, Rosie.  I hope you will join us again sometime in the future when your life allows you a bit more time for quilting - then we will become a baker's dozen!

Meanwhile, welcome Linda.  I am sure you will fit in here just fine.  We're a varied group with open minds who just enjoy challenging ourselves and sharing our quilting journeys.

Hilary

Pictorial Consequences

Well, I've had my head down in front of the sewing machine because I needed to get at least one of the parts ready so that I could write up an instruction sheet and insert photos of the step by step process of adding a sleeve to these pieces.  Contemporary Quilt has a challenge this year for the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK, which is a quilter's version of the children's game of Pictorial Consequences.  This idea came from the Surface Design exhibition of the same name over in Vancouver last year.

The bodies are divided into three 16" squares: head, torso and legs.  It was a bit tricky trying to divide up the body into the number of pieces and sizes that would work hanging on our existing hanging system on walls that are 9' high and potentially behind a table.  Our hanging system has 4" increments so the squares had to be 12", 16" or 20" and the full height not too high or too low for people to appreciate.  The pieces we make will be mixed up and so the resulting creatures/beings will be weird, whacky and wonderfully outlandish.

My little ballerina was fun to make.  Her face is embroidered on my Bernina embroidery unit (much better than me doing it either free hand or drawing it!!!).  I have added the names of ballets and ballet characters into the quilting - just for fun.

Her tutu is 3D and has layers of tulle and organza underneath.  Her tiara is fabric glue with glitter sprinkled on while wet.  Shame about her wrinkly tights but that comes of fusing the fabric down with Bondaweb and then only quilting the background...

As these pieces are sent in this year I will be adding them to our Contemporary Quilt website where you will be able to play with them and create your own combinations (none in yet).

Hilary

WOW!

Great new look. Thought I had clicked on the wrong button. We have just returned from a week at Imfolozi Game Reserve (one of the oldest in SA) staying at Impila Tented Camp which was great. Identified over 70 birds saw all but Leopard of the big five and Wild Dogs of the little five plus this strange creature which was waiting for us on our deck one afternoon. His front right leg appears at a funny angle so not sure if he made it or became part of the food chain. Never seen one before. Aprox 2inches in size.

New Format

Wow!  I like the new format.  Well done Hilary.

More little quilts from around the world

For those of you who would like some eye candy to rest your eyes on and maybe even be inspired, have a look at this group's blog.

Art Quilts around the World

Always lovely to see other people's work especially when they are challenging themselves like us.

Hilary

NEW YEAR GREEETINGS

Wishing you all good health, happiness and great wealth in creativity for 2011.

Hilary, your Xmas Prezzie looks great. Cannot wait to see it later this year.