Circles, Spirals and Lines at CQ Summer School

Another very enjoyable CQ Summer School  at Alston Hall - I worked out it was my 6th visit!
This time I was   in class with Isabel Dibden-Wright, looking at  circles, spirals and  lines through a variety of interesting exercises using different drawing media.  Quite a change of scale compared  to the A1 sheets of paper at City Lit   but that had led me to be more adventurous with materials. My favourite from my drawings was the  circle of tiny pencil marks ( above), most unlike my usual style. Don't know quite how I'd interpret that in fabric and stitch!

Isobel was excellent tutor, calm and organised,  with just the right pace. Every so often she's bring  together a selection of different peoples work so we could see the diversity even doing the same exercise.  This was even more marked when we moved to  fabric , (mine's the JQ sized piece below)

 

 

 But it's not just about the tuition ( I've done retreats at Alston too ) but the companionship, the wonderful food ( that cheesecake!!)  and the  lovely setting. I can feel my blood pressure and anxiety drop instantly I see this view. Sue and I just caught the glorious sunset on Friday evening ( with the liquid sound of a curlew - just magic ). I was going to say tranquil but for the noise of the sheep and very loud birds ( even Ian could hear them when I rang  him on my mobile)   including  very plaintive baby owls .

I was up very early on Saturday morning as hadn't slept that well  so went and drew and painted by my favourite gatepost!  We also had an hours  sketching later in the day -looking for those circles, spirals and lines.

 

 

 My other favourite drawing  with a large graphite stick which leaves a lovely sheen- that would be difficult to interpret in fabric too!

Didn't go to my drawing and printmaking class this week- too  weary after my weekend  with sensory overload but I'll be back for the final sessions next week.  

 

Rusty Journal Quilts -real and faux

Rust Shoreline 

Rust Shoreline detail

Rust Ripples 

Rust Ripples detail 

Greenhouse Door Rust
 Rusted silk habotai  couched on digital print of peeling paint of Alston Hall greenhouse door


African Scrap Door 
( no rusted fabrics: Ndobe indigo, African Kola and Indigo, Potassium permanganate, commercial )


The question of what you do with the bits you produce on workshops: use them in Journal Quilts.
 I enjoyed  trying out   rusting on fabrics and papers  using teas with Alice Fox  and produced some lovely marks on  small pieces ( thanks Olga for  highlighting  my  efforts on the Ragged Cloth Café blog) . I made up a small book and  applied the stitched pieces  to pre-machine quilted backgrounds. I love the resulting textures of these  but I don't think I will be pursuing this technique further as  after the initial excitement , I'm struggling  to work out how I incorporate them in my main series.

It's partly a scale issue: I prefer   yardage  such as my indigo shibori to small  pieces, however exquisite, and I'm a quilter not an embroiderer. It's a process issue:Alice does not wash or iron the  the resulting fabrics liking the folds and creases and applies these to felt or other fabrics. That   fits her aims and ethos but not mine.  It's a fabric issue: the  nicest marks were on thin silk habotai  which I can't easily mix  with the cottons I usually use.  Mainly though it's a colour issue: as a painter the marks, colours and especially tones  achieved are just too subtle and unpredictable .

I overheard  several times people stating authoratively that my 'Fleet Mudflats' quilt contained rust marked fabrics. It doesn't - it's a mixture of commercial printed fabrics and African kola and indigo with some digital prints of sand ripples. My African Scrap Door JQ above also contains no rusted fabrics.  

Fleet Mudflats

 

When you learn a technique or process, however much you admire the work and ethos of the tutor, you have to decide whether it fits with your own work. On this occasion I have  no immediate use for it - I'm  happier with faux rust effects.  But having learnt it , it's in my arsenal  for  the future  if appropriate.  

Rust Marks at Alston Hall -CQ Winter School

  It was my 5th time at Alston Hall on Contemporary Quilt Summer/Winter school  and possibly the best yet! I love the  peaceful surroundings looking out over the Ribble valley, the food is delicious ( 6 different  cakes at afternoon tea!)  and the company stimulating as ever.

 I was pleased to see that the  peeling  paint of the glasshouse door as featured in my 2 green door quilts was still intact and even more weathered!

 Last time I had a productive time sewing on a retreat but this time I was doing a workshop with Alice Fox on ' Rust Marks'

 Sue generously  shared part of the 10kg of rusty items she brought in  her rucksack on the train ( considerably lighter on our return as she donated several items )

 Rather than using vinegar  as the acid to create the rust marks on fabric and paper, Alice uses sea water in situ as in  her 'tide mark series' or  tea ( which works because of the tannic acid it contains). Apart from 'builders tea' she had a selection of other brews to try including red wine ( which went down suspiciously quickly)

  Our first exercise was using wire woll as this gives very quick results  and lovely marks.

 Than  we got busy  wrapping our items or placing them on  paper until the hallway looked like the scene of an archaeological dig.  Ideally the marks are better if  items are left wet for a few days and dry out naturally  but  most of us couldn't resits opening our parcels on Sunday morning so see what was happening

To retain moisture, I mostly covered my parcels or items with a piece of silk  chiffon or habatai  which also picked up subtle marks

 The  piece of chiffon placed over a saw blade resulted in this charming 'rapunzels tower'

 So that we could see the effect of a longer contact time, Alice had these wrapped nails which had been marinating for a week and we had the pleasure of opening them!

 Even better, we were each given a piece of the silk and linen to experiment with.

 I decided to make a little book ( as for Dorothy Caldwell's  masterclass and in  Crete ) and created several signatures which I have yet to sew together (still playing with the sequence)

 The   marks of wire wool on paper and a piece of silk organza wrapped around a nail was one of my favourite combinations. The subtle marks  and tones  achieved work well in a  small format and I like the interactions that happen.

   My piece-de-resistance  however was a much larger piece -  a fine silk dupion wrapped around the piece of rusting car I found on Aldeburgh beach that Ian very reluctantly allowed me to bring home.

 

Summer School Retreat

I set  off for  retreat at Alston Hall with several projects - rather ambitious since it was only for the weekend! I've been on  3 CQ Summer Schools there, it's a lovely location overlooking the Ribble Valley, with comfortable accommodation and excellent food.  I brought  back  the piece above started   in a Jae Maries workshop in 2009 and was pleased to see that the rusting, lichen covered gate post that inspired it was still untouched  

Likewise the peeling paint of the glasshouse door ( that featured in my Sketchbook Project Limited Edition 'Distressed Doors')

Not doing a workshop and being responsible  for my own timetable, I was able to spend a peaceful couple of hours painting around the grounds, accompanied only by lots of  birdsong.

Like one of other Margaret's I took advantage of the scraps and trimmings brought by Sally-Ann to compose a small fabric sketch - it felt satisfying  to do something responding to the local  environment .

Mainly though I made good progress on stitching my 'Red Flotsam' piece started at Summer School last year with Jo Budd, encouraged by the positive comments from my companions and a few glasses of red wine. A productive, stimulating weekend.