Korea: East and West - SDA Journal

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Surface Design Association (SDA)  about renewing my subscription ( I've been a member since 2006).  With regret, I've  come to the decision that  at $75  + $20 postage I no longer afford  it .I'm not making best use of my membership,  and although I've dabbled with other textiles (like the infamous 'Taplow Vase'), art quilts are my primary  interest and membership of SAQA  ( along with CQ) best serves this need.

My main reason for joining was hoping that some day I could attend a conference and learn Pojagi techniques with Chunghie Lee . So it seems fitting that the last issue of their excellent journal I receive has Korean textiles as it's theme and it's an absolute cracker with many innovative works, particularly  the  3D structures such as 'cloudscape' below and the work of  Do Ho Suh 

 Cloudscape -Sojie Feliciano Solomon  

As I've said before, I've long appreciated Pojagi techniques, making this door curtain with machine stitched seams many years ago ( unfortunately it was 'site specific' ,there's no place suitable for it in our current house ) . I really enjoyed the Masterclass  with Chunghie Lee I  participated in at FoQ in 2009 but  although I'm still intrigued by layers of organza (such as recent 'Dislocation' piece) I haven't taken  Pojagi  techniques  further   (unlike Molly Bullick who also attended that class and has used them to fantastic effect).
I'm coming to the conclusion that  this may be because they belong to another culture  and I'm more concerned with exploring techniques and marks personal to me ( not just because  my stitching is getting larger and larger, which wouldn't meet  with approval!) I do however have plans for some of the semi translucent Japanese fabrics I bought with Pojagi in mind following interesting discussions with Ruth Axson at Rydal Hall retreat.

Anyone going to Ecovision?

One of the reasons I joined Surface Design Association (SDA) , apart from their wonderful magazine, was the hope that someday I might get to one of their conferences in the US, their most recent being 'Confluence'. So I was interested to receive an invitation to a European SDA conference entitled 'Ecovision ' in Tilburg, Netherlands in October 2011. I'm very tempted,  but wondering whether anyone else was thinking of going?

Under African Skies at Quilt Museum

Magie sent me a photo of my Tunisian Door quilt on display at the Quilt Museum as part of 'Under African Skies' exhibition. Seems quite appropriate to have windows either side, like a play house ! The other quilts and fabrics on show look great ( Magie has more about them on her website) and I look forward to seeing them on August 23 when I visit en route to my painting holiday at Malham. I'll be picking up some postcards made of my quilt which are on sale in the shop. The journal of SDA had just arrived and appropriately is titled 'African Sampler'!