Stats

Today has been one of those ideal spring days.  I even managed a trip to a garden centre.  For those of you not in Montreal, our annual planting really shouldn't happen before May 21st or so as there may still be frost.  But I will look after my collection and cover them if needs be.  We even dined al fresco (oops, gave that one away:)

I have discovered something new- to me at least, about the blog set up.  If you go into design, then click on stats, then click on more where it says audience you will see more specifically what's happening with views.  I hope I'm not the only one that didn't know this!

Paducah

Greetings to everyone from Paducah - Quilt City, USA. Mick and I drove down from Montreal, passing from winter, through spring, and finally arriving in summer, albeit a very wet summer. We're not far from the tornado area, and the rivers are all flooding. This has caused some problems here as the main Expo site is the other side of the flood barriers in Paducah, so all the venues for the show have had to be moved at the last minute.

We went to the museum on Monday night, and met Bettina Havig and Caryl Bryer Fallert, then the award ceremony on Tuesday where we heard Debby Kemball had got a first for hand quilted large wall quilts. Visited Hancocks on Tuesday as well where the credit card took a bit of a bashing! Showfor both of us on Wednesday, where we (jointly) decided my next sewing machine is going to be the HQ Sweet Sixteen. It's a stationary long arm machine, which is dual voltage and takes up a lot less room than a framed long arm. Just need to order it now! Today is show day for me, and tour of antique tractors for Mick, and at last the sun is shining.

Back in Montreal late Sunday, ready to try and finish quilts for show, exhibition, Fresh (not started yet) and my first four journal quilts (also not started), all in a week. Gulp.

Linda F

Surface Design Workshops

I just got the latest newsletter from Pro Chem and saw the list of workshops they hold - wow!  Have you girls in Montreal ever considered a trip to Massachusetts for one of these:

http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/store/home.php?cat=293

Some top class tutors in the list.

Hilary

PS  I haven't even started my Fresh piece yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!  H

Oh my goodness!

I have just looked at the latest SAQA news email - and our very own Heather has a piece featured - Frost.  Congratulations, Heather!  If anyone would like me to forward the newsletter to them SAQA are OK about forwarding it for publicity - just drop me an email.

Frost by Heather Dubreuil

Hilary

 

Visit to Centre Design et Impression Textile

I visited a show put on by the teachers at a local textile school yesterday. The school is located on the top floor of an old mattress factory on St.-Ambroise Street, and the rest of the building is filled with perhaps sixty artist studios and small design businesses. I love finding these places when we travel. A few of our Text'art members toured this facility a couple of years ago.

One piece struck me because of its very original mounting. (If I had had my camera with me, I would have taken a photo, though I'm not sure that was allowed.) A 3-foot-wide strip of fine plastic screening was wrapped several times around a lucite bar, which was screwed into the wall. The length of the screening then fell to the floor, where the lower end of the screen was wrapped around an identical plastic bar that rested on the floor. The screen cast a shadow on the wall, hanging about an inch off the wall surface. Two interesting pieces of surface-design cloth were pinned unobtrusively to the screen, but only at the top, allowing the fabric to hang freely against the screening. It was a very simple, effective way to display cloth that wasn't backed or stiffened in any way.

I did enjoy the show, which featured some painted/silkscreened fabric panels; a diary made of old teabags that were stamped with paint, stitched, and pinned to the wall to look something like a calendar; an antique mannequin draped with an old silk slip, both painted and positioned facing the wall; and a variety of shoe-like pieces made of material that looked like old leaves. I find that with increased exposure to this kind of non-traditional work in fabric, I become more open to it, better able to appreciate its qualities. There is an ambiguity to it, a story behind it that is only hinted at, leaving the viewer intrigued and engaged. Even my husband is able to appreciate it, bless his heart. I am lucky that he enjoys these little excursions as much as I do.

New Project, Part 3

Well, it's all pieced now. I added some darks to the light areas and some lights to the darks. I also added more red pieces and ... wait for it... some chartreuse as a complement to the red and purple. It measures 5.5 feet high and 7.5 feet wide, and is reasonably flat, after some judicious tucks. There is more light being cast on the left side of the wall than on the right, so the photo is a little misleading in that respect.

I will bring it to our Text'art meeting at Linda's on Monday to get some advice about the layering and quilting. I want it to be reasonably stiff, but not so stiff that it's a problem to get through the sewing machine. As it is not being entered in a quilt show, there is no need to take a conventional approach to this step. Will use a facing to finish off the edges.

When the piece is installed, I will take a final photo of it, just so there's a little closure for those of you have been so helpful with your guidance and support. The building isn't ready yet, but should be within a few weeks. I am a little nervous about how it is going to be received, but there's no turning back now!

Green Graffiti

It seems crazy that I am excited about some graffiti that has popped up on my doorstep but as you can see it is what they call 'green' graffiti.  This is my local bridge about 500m away from me, not a large bridge, so they had limited space to work on.  They call themselves the 'Bob Squad'.  The birds are on one side and the fish & birds on the other. It started in Durban during the build up to the  soccer world cup and a group of designer graduates calling themselves 'Dutch Ink' went around at night sprucing up dirty areas.  There are a number of pics on the website http://www.skyscrapercity.com/.  Their work is brilliant.

Creativity

I just read this blog and felt I wanted to share it as he, Austin Kleon, has some sound advice:

http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/

Elizabeth Barton also talked about the difference between 'borrowing' and 'stealing' ideas.  She equated it to 'stealing a pot of yogurt' which by eating she had changed into something of her own and 'borrowing' the spoon to eat it with which she could return in the same condition.

I also liked Austin's explanation of the difference between a hoarder and a collector.  And the expression garbage in/garbage out.

But the best bit of advice was don't wait until you know who you are before you start making your art together with make things you like!  It has taken me years of trying out all sorts of styles and techniques to accept that I am better and happier at making graphic stuff - I am a phony when I try to be impressionistic.  Of course, that won't stop me from giving it a bash every now and then.

Anyway, I felt better about myself/work and where I am at after reading his blog this morning - thanks, Austin.

Hilary

Hilary

The latest in sewing machine technology

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later - the iPad compatible sewing machine!

Hilary






Happy April Fool's Day!