Rudeness

Last evening I attended a meeting of the local quilters' guild.  I stopped attending meetings over a year ago, as I had been very upset at the rigidity with which the Guild, as a group, tended to reject Art quilting. This particular Guild has gained a National reputation for being very, very traditional.  At the same time, they will invite teachers who are more "arty" in their work, and show respect to individual members who do original work. My distress had been a result of quite a number of comments made by several members, to me and within my hearing, disparaging any form of "art' quilting, during the Guild's very large bi-annual show, in April of 2012.

Last evening's Guest speaker was an art quilter, with fairly strong traditional roots, who had been invited to the area to teach free motion machine quilting. She was presenting a trunk show that demonstrated her traditional roots, but showed how both her interests and skills had grown.  She has now exhibited and taught all over the country.  I was appalled at the rudeness demonstrated by many of the guild members, talking loudly enough, during her presentation, to create problems hearing for others.  ( There was also a bit of difficulty with the sound system that aggravated the problem)  Despite complaints about not being able to hear, and even a couple of loud "shssss's",  this irritation continued for most of the presentation. The situation was further aggravated by one member of the audience who took exception to the techniques being described say, quite loudly,  and heard by many, "Those aren't real quilts!"  During a lull in the proceedings I asked her what she meant, and she told me that the quilts didn't have "two layers of fabric around a layer of batting, and they aren't big enough".

Well, while most definitions of quilts require "at least three layers with stitching through the layers", I've never heard of any requirement for "batting".  Nor have I ever heard of any minimum size requirement.  The speaker said more than once, that what she was showing were teaching samples of specific techniques. Small just made sense.

I had a very specific purpose in attending this meeting ( a reconciliation with a good friend), but I have to wonder how I can continue to socialize with a group  that shows so little respect for the work I do, and by extension, so little respect for me.  Again, individual members of the group have proven themselves true friends, and, after my absence, I was well greeted and acknowledged by several of them.  But, when they are together, "group think" seems to take over.  The guest speaker is an acquaintance, and a fellow member of FAN, but I don't know how I can face her after this rude treatment.

A lot has been happening

I have reached a point where I need to develop a working plan for studio activities over the next 5 months.  I have my sale in July, a two-day teaching gig in September, and the gallery show in December.

After a few panicky days, DH and I went through my stock, and took a basic inventory.  Then I went through all of the trunks and chests where the major pieces are stored, and figured out which would be suitable for the gallery show.  I am estimating a minimum of 25 pieces, but some of them can be smaller.  However, a minimum of 12 of them should be wall hanging size.  I found 10 that could be used.  I tried to select pieces that either had never been shown locally, or had been shown, and received major judged awards.  Of the 10 selected, two could be readily replaced, should I be able to produce something of equal size and quality over the next little while.

But in going through my sale stock, we found many smaller pieces that have been shown in previous years, and now need to be marked down and sold quickly.  Basically that includes anything that has been offered for sale more than once.  There isn't much left.  However, I really don't want to be constantly producing for sales.  The stress involved just isn't worth it.  Among the larger hangings that I didn't select for the gallery show, were several that I can offer for sale, and this will be done.  That leaves a need for smaller framed pieces that can be priced at less than $100.  I have a few of those and can produce  more.

So, as of last evening,  the resulting product list was:
5-8 smaller framed pieces for mid-July
at least one larger quilted sampler for the class in mid-September
Two or three larger wall hangings for the gallery show in December
Replacement small framed pieces for any that may sell in July, for the December gallery show

I have already dyed several pieces to be used in the smaller framed pieces and the quilting sampler, and have started gathering additional supplies to be used with those pieces.  I was considering doing another series of mono-prints to use as the substrate for a couple of the framed pieces, but wasn't sure if I really needed to do that.

Best laid plans etc etc.  Today I received a phone call from another local gallery where I have some shoulder bags that are also made from mono-prints. Can I deliver 4 more bags within the next few days?  Well, I.m not going to say "no", especially when I was just finishing some for the sale in July, and could actually make the delivery.  Since these are good sellers, and we are just moving toward the tourist season and then into Christmas, this made the decision for me, and today was spent producing a series of mono-prints, some sized for more bags, (eventually, but not right now), and some sized for the required  framed pieces. Tomorrow I will cull through what I made today, and make decisions about how I'm going to approach the whole assembly line.

One thing I know, for now, is that I have enough time for just about everything, without making myself crazy.  Or maybe I'm living in a fool's paradise. We'll see.

Parfait dyeing

I have just tried parfait dyeing for the first time.  I bought a gallon jar at the thrift store and it is just the right size for a three layer dye pot. I used Procion dyes and followed the instructions from Carol Ludington's article in quilting Arts June/July 2012.  Here are the results.

For the top layer the dyes used were Bright Yellow and Brick.  Nothing else.  I can only believe that the darker areas came from the splitting of the Brick dye.

The middle layer had some Burgundy and Blue  dye, but some of the yellow came through as well.

Here is the bottom layer

This third layer has Fuschia and Medium Blue, with far less of the Yellow coming through.  This is my favourite piece and the first one I plan to use.  I had included a close-up of some of the more interesting areas.

The same day I also did a piece of low water immersion (LWI)dyeing, that I am quite pleased with.  I used Purple and Bright Scarlet dye, and this is what I got. Go figure!  The background doesn't show well but is a pale peach (lovely!)This is absolutely gorgeous fabric and I'm already planning a very special project with it.

These parfait colours are really "in your face", and I find this limits the design possibilities. The results are so "busy" that I'll have to use them in small amounts, or mute  some way.  Having said that, my mind is moving toward three dimensional work.  Maybe an animal like a turtle--with beading, of course.
But, overall, I think that LWI will remain my primary dyeing process.However, I think I would much rather use Parfait dyeing than snow dyeing--far less work!

New work??

I will be having a gallery show for 3 weeks this coming December.  I know this is not the best time to be in a gallery, but, they had a cancellation, and  I take what I can get.  So now I have to start planning what will be shown.  I've pretty well decided to show mainly work that has never before been publicly exhibited.  I may have done a lot, but I certainly aren't well-known enough to have a retrospective show.  It has been suggested that I choose 4-5 larger, focal pieces and then fill in around them with smaller, less price-y art.

For the last two days, DH and I have been sorting through the many boxes, trunks and chest just sorting out in our minds what is actually there.  We also took the opportunity to cull a few things.  I had to sit down with myself and really admit that there are many techniques I can no longer do successfully, and this means that there are supplies that are no longer useful.  The process was heart-wrenching, but we got through a fair bit, and this meant a trip to the local thrift store.  I also have packages to take into local charities where they might be more useful than around here.

As well, I found a few unfinished pieces that might work very well in the show with a bit of finishing and mounting/framing.  I have a couple of ideas for new pieces, and with finishing the UFO's, I should be able to keep myself well busy for the next few months.  Now I just have to find the discipline to get down to it!  LOL

Need a little help from my friends

I have a piece that is causing me some concern.  This was on my design wall for a few weeks, and I gave a fair bit of thought to what I wanted in the finished image, although I never had a clear picture in my mind.  So I 'bit the bullet" and started working. ( I know many people just start and modify and change their ideas as the work progresses, but I've usually had some fairly definite idea before starting, even if I do actually change it a fair bit as I go)  In this case I didn't even use a pattern, but rather just cut "by the seat of my pants."

Whoop!  Bang!  Less than two days, and it was pretty well done.  I may add some tiny silver beads at the tip of the grasses, and it has yet to be bound, but here it is. The background is vertically pieced strips of white, silk, cotton and polyester satin.  It was completely quilted before  it was very lightly painted with grey. Then grasses and the mist were fused in layers, before raw edge machine stitched.

My concern is that it was too easy.  It just came and now sits there. My work is usually far more complex and far more colourful.  This is grey,white and a tiny bit of grey/green in the grasses.  I almost feel that it is a bit of a "sellout", as I feel it is very marketable,but is it really  done from my soul.

Please, please--comments and suggestions.  The most basic question--is this good enough for exhibition?

                                                          Marsh in the Mist

Life's transitions

I have mentioned that my hands will no longer support any degree of hand stitching.  I've been doing less of that for a few years now, and I can see a real deterioration in my skill with a needle.  Needle work has been a major part of my life for almost 60 years, but within the last couple of weeks, I've had to face the end of using a needle in my hand.  This has been coming for over twenty years, but I never thought it would actually arrive.  There have been a couple of times in the past, when I've faced a major transition in  my life.  One that springs to mind is the day I had to surrender my professional license and retire for good, another was the day I found out I was pregnant with my first child.  Not necessarily sad times, but definitely times of change and adaptation.

As I did then, I did today.  A formal ceremony of doing away with the old life and taking a look at the new.  With my retirement, it was a matter of shredding all of my notes and papers ( even the old Roladex) pertaining to my professional life, and taking all of my test books and professional books to a thrift store. ( I did keep a couple of professional journals in which I was cited or published)  Today, I sorted through all of my fibre art related magazines, and literally threw out most of those that related to hand stitching. Embroidery Canada is gone.  Needle Pulling Thread is gone.  My recycle bin is full.  I have empty shelf space to fill with new interests.

As in the past, I find that I'm not sad, but rather relieved, as though a weight has been lifted.  It actually feels good.

what I've really been up to

The past few months I've been talking a bit about the whitework that I've been doing by machine.  I have spent a lot of time looking at the work of Cindy Needham, Diane Gaudynski and Leah Day, and I've been doing a lot of practicing.  For the most part, "whitework" is a bit of a misnomer,as most of my work has been on hand-dyed or coloured fabric.  I've even taught a couple of classes in using the filling stitches,and should soon have another class on focal images such as feathers and paisleys. The following are all my original designs. Please respect that, and don't copy.

The first piece was done on pale green, low water immersion dyed cotton, with #50  cotton thread.  Unfortunately there wasn't as much value contrast as I would have liked, so some areas have been augmented with Lumiere paint.  The interior of the paisleys has been beaded.  It was a friend's comment that the paisleys looked like Carp that lead me to make the School Days piece that has been previously posted.

The next piece is a little harder to see, as it is white on white.  It is about 36 inches square, and I learned many,many things making it. Never use a square-drawn grid design as filler at the edge of the piece. You will never get everything absolutely square-never! And when it is off square, it shows.  Don't make your focal areas, and in this case they are hearts, too complicated or fussy. they will just get lost in the background. Otherwise, I was very pleased with my ability to pull this off,considering that it is the first larger piece I have made in years.  Learned something about quilting larger pieces too. This is done with #60 white cotton thread on cotton muslin.

The next piece is my favourite, and not yet finished.  It is also about 36"by 36", and is done on hand-dyed, and painted cotton Damask with #100 silk thread ( Superior Kimono Silk)  I have posted before about the difficulties quilting on cotton Damask, and this almost drove me crazy. The actual quilting is very hard to see, except where I have traveled on a previously quilted line. In some places I have done it purposely, to show an area better.  I am trying to bead areas of this, and in one picture there is a clear image of how the actual quilting stands out better where some of the beading has been done, and the lower area not yet beaded.  It is my intention to bead the entire area of 3/4" grided quilting, but I find I can only work on it for about 20 minutes before the hands give up. I have mounted the piece in an 18" frame, and then I place this over an open area between the support of two tables.  In this way I can work with two hands, and not worry about trying to hold the weight of both the quilt and the frame.

The final piece is more experimental.  I was trying to create a more formal piece, firstly with the possibility of a show entry,(not going to happen!) and also to experiment with machine trapunto.  The machine trapunto worked very well. I really like the effect, and plan to use it frequently in future.  But when I hung it beside the three previous pieces, it looked too formal.  It had no life--no movement!  Lesson learned--I must remember to invest some emotion into my designs.  This is about 25" square, and worked on cotton with rayon machine embroidery thread for the Feather Tree, and Superior BottomLine for the background.