Coming Together

I have had a sense of things coming together as I have worked on this piece - two worlds, machine pieced/handstitched, darkness/light, inner/outer, right/left, back/forth - the meeting or merging point which shifts and remains somewhat fluid. Like the tides advance and recede, yet basically cover a certain span of sand. Or like the rocking motion of life offering some order and stability in the fluctuation of change. To ride the tides knowing change keeps happening.

A Few More Lines

I was out to see the Saanich Peninsula Arts and Crafts Society's exhibition and sale today, which included some fibre art, as well as pieces in other mediums. Nice to see some of the fibre pieces were chosen for special recognition! The top photo is of water coloured, textured, silk art wear - 98 percent silk and 2 percent lycra, made by Christine Seigneuret. This wasn't part of the show, and I bought it elsewhere, but considering I couldn't take photos at the show, I'm including it. And my quilting is coming along. I decided to add all the colours of the fabrics and extend the fabric lines with the stitch.

Taking Off

After the quilt top I'm designing morphed several more times, it is finally taking off, like the quail in the top photo did when I startled it on my walk, today! The quilt top has become much smaller and less jumbled and I've started hand quilting it. The bottom photo is one of the versions I made yesterday, thinking I would triple it, but when I explored that, the design didn't hold my interest.

New Moon Musings

A new moon and a new work in progress - this is not the final design but an experiment to use the strip piecing method to see what I learn and to explore further with it. It has already changed many times, just as the moon we see appears to change shape throughout the course of the month, even as the whole of it is always there, and our ability to see is actually what changes. A good mirror of the design process for me - like the final design is there already and waiting for me to see it in its final wholeness, if I persist. I also tried an experiment using crumpled wax paper ironed to paper and then painting dye over that - to see if I could get the crinkled pattern where the ironed on wax acts as a resist. The results were more successful when the paper was still wet. Once dry, the pattern faded substantially. I also tried ironing the wax paper to some interface fabric and not realizing it was the fusible kind, accidentally fused the wax paper to it. I dye painted it, too, and a faint outline appeared where the circle of wax paper was (on the opposite side of the interfacing) so I fused it down over top of the first circle imprint of the waxed paper on paper - it's the small rectangle and I used a purple pencil crayon to outline the small circle further, as well as other colours for the rays. It makes me think of the sun and moon aligning and bringing together masculine and feminine energy. I am also thinking of my work being at the intersection of a heartfelt approach combined with 'just do it' spontaneous energy. Another work in progress... Oh - and I've signed up for an online course about experimental quilt weaving called 'Cloth to Cloth' with Jude Hill, that will start in a month.

Heads or Tails?

My weekend started with a rare opportunity to see a dead grey whale that had washed up on the beach at East Sooke Park and unexpectedly, I also later saw the bones of another grey whale, near the end of the weekend, at Pearson College, while I was out that way to see the 'Consider the Lilies VIII' fibre art show, when I also stopped in at the campus. I felt awed by the size and magnificence of the whales, but I have to say I much prefer when I have encountered them live, rising from the deep to stare at me. It was the second day of the Lilies show and I noticed there seemed to be fewer pieces then other years, but heard that quite a few had sold the first day. There was still plenty to see and be inspired by - art quilts, fibre pieces, journals, calendars, cards, clothing, dolls, bags and jewlery. Ten local artists pooled their talents to produce the beautiful show, which I attend every year and wouldn't miss! I also happened upon a dream garage sale with tables and boxes of every imaginable kind of bead - the photo above shows some cultured pearls and crystals I bought for a pittance, but I found other types, as well, including some hand carved bone horse heads and natural coloured stone geometric shapes that I especially like. Today I reorganized my studio, managing to find space to put away the leftover fabrics from the Nancy Crow workshop by a series of moves - almost like a giant chess board with a win being the resulting clean counter space!

Quilt Tops From Nancy Crow Workshop

These are the two quilt tops I made in the Nancy Crow workshop. All the pieces are cut freehand with a rotary cutter. Everyone's work was very different and so interesting. I'm thinking about how I might use what I've learned - where to go next with it - while completing 'Sea Change'.

Nancy Crow Initiation

I arrived at the locale of the Nancy Crow class in torrenting rain, but we had everything from snow, hail, sun and high winds during the course of the week. Not that I was outside much, since I was too busy working! Yes, it was INTENSE. Initially we worked with black and white fabrics and no rulers, cutting lines and shapes, piecing them together in various ways and then designing three small pieces - which I managed to complete just before midnight of the first day. This is the first and best of the three pieces, as I spent the most time on it. We also worked with neutral coloured fabrics and then opened the door to our full range of colour, sewing many combinations and later designing five quick studies to explore what we wanted to do for a large piece. I ended up making two larger pieces and felt very pleased that I kept up with all the exercises we were given. I will post photos of the two quilt tops in another blog entry.