CQ Suitcase Collection : Indigo Hill Arches ( Henry Moore)

 The ' Suitcase Collections ' of Contemporary Quilt  are very popular and give the opportunity for all kinds of groups or individuals who borrow them  to see a  diverse selection of work.   I submitted  pieces for 2 previous  collections and  for the latest,  'My Favourite Artist'  I chose  Henry Moore. 
So difficult to choose a favourite artist, I like so many! I had intended to do a piece based on the  paintings of Wilhelmina Barnes- Graham  as I'd done  several exercises inspired by her work as part of online class with Elizabeth Barton on  Abstract Art for Quiltmakers . But with the deadline looming, I decided to  cut-down and re-use a piece I made several years ago based on depicting multiple viewpoints of a sculpture.

The Henry Moore sculpture that inspired me , ‘Hill Arches’ ,was part of an exhibition at Kew Gardens in 2007. At the time I as working there as a botanist and I loved having access to these sculptures over many months, able to view them in different lights and viewpoints.  I made several journal quilts exploring ways of  interpreting  a 3D piece in 2D textiles( see below)  I liked how the sculptures and their environment interacted and the marks on many of the bronzes reminded me of stitches.

Two black and white images  of  'Hill Arches' sculpture by Henry Moore  were combined in  Photoshop. This was inkjet printed using 'poster printing' function to split an image over 4 A4 sheets onto hand dyed indigo cotton and silk treated with 'BubbleJet Set'.  Machine quilted with variegated threads, hand stitched with cotton perle thread  

May Journal Quilt - Travellers Blanket Squares

 My   CQ  Journal Quilt for May is a trial piece for the Travellers Blanket I'm working on as part of Dijanne Cevaal's  online class. I couldn't decide on what shape of patch  to use  so am trialing squares and more organic shapes. These patches are all from my childhood : dresses  I wore or bought for mum's stash at jumble sales ( I had a feel for fabrics at a very early age ).  I've started a notebook to record the stories behind each fabric . The majority of stitching has taken place on train journeys ( journal quilts are an  ideal size for that)   

Beginning a Traveller's Blanket

I've long admired  Dijanne Cevaal's quilts and stitching ,  particularly the  Travellers Blankets ( having had my own travel stitching on the go  for years!). So I've signed up for the Travellers Blanket class, partly to extend my repertoire of embroidery stitches.

I bought this wonderful piece of indigo Khadi cloth  ( below) from her for this project.



Looking through my fabrics to find a suitable  muslin to back it with, I came across a very large  piece of African  tie dye bought over 20 years ago at a market in Morocco  very close to the border with  Mauritania. As it's  thin I've never used it apart from as an impromptu  net curtain  so  using a section of it ( it's joined down the middle) seems appropriate! 





The recommended ' wadding' is curtain interlining ' Bumph' as it's easy to stitch but the material I bought online  seemed too heavy. Again in my stash were some lengths of 1970's cotton and wool 'Viyella' (Mum used to buy 'seconds' in the nearby  factory shop  for winter dresses and nighties )
I  like how the wild patterns  show through the backing!

So already my blanket incorporates fabrics with meaning from my childhood and travels before I even start stitching! I've started  collecting scraps of fabrics  and look forward to sharing  stories with other members of the class.

Handkerchief Memories

On the requirements list for the  CQ Summer School workshop with Isabel Dibden-Wright, besides paper, drawing and sewing materials and black and white fabrics   was a handkerchief ' for artwork' .

I thought it might be used to mount a piece of textile work but its purpose was far more intriguing.

 

On the Friday evening, Isabel showed us a selection of handkerchiefs ( plain, embroidered, vintage, new)  and we had a brief discussion about what they're used for and  memories  associated with them.  Our challenge  was to decorate/ alter  the handkerchief we'd brought with us in any way we chose with a 'grand reveal' on Sunday afternoon 



 

 The  handkerchief I brought was one of those liberated  when I converted Ian to tissues  from revolting  ' Manky Hankies' ( of course the downside is tissue lint  in the washing machine... ).   Apart from  a  dainty small hankie I use with Olbas oil,  my main use of these large mens hankies is for  wiping eyes when I cycle; removing smears and fingerprints  from my glasses;  around my hand when using a trekking pole to absorb sweat and as an impromptu paint rag. So my decoration, continuing the mark-making theme of the class and inspired by my 'Human Marks' workshop with Dorothy Caldwell  involved fingerprints of  ink using a piece of felt and a  photo  printed on fabric  of my inky finger, tacked on with quilting thread.  This photo was a trial run for my  'Inky Digit' quilt - I'd brought it with other black and white fabrics. Ruth had suggested I should do nostril prints but lets not go there....   

 

The  'grand reveal'  was very moving as apart from the ingenuity displayed in  working with the handkerchiefs (3d origami structures, bags, hats, text , stitch), how handkerchiefs are used and who they belonged to had triggered   hidden and powerful  memories and honest sharing  of the difficulties in caring.

 

 At the time, my main memory was as a child   buying  boxes of them for my Dad  as presents  and finding them all  intact  as they were 'too good' to use.  He persisted in continuing to wear  a very tatty jumper and hat in the garden despite new replacements for the same reason.

Then when I got home I remembered  the stories about  Dandy the Delinquent  Dalmation, the dog we had when I was a toddler , who besides chewing up  anything in sight including heirloom silver napkin rings, used to jump up and snatch the hankies from mens jacket pockets and eat them!  

 

Who knew that a small hemmed piece of fabric  could unleash all this - thanks to Isabel for the suggestion, more than just a creative exercise.

Blame the new toy

What with gardening, a visit from Ian's parents, and being busy at work, not much time (or inclination) for creativity. But the main excuse  has been the arrival of my new mobile phone! Rather different from the basic model I've had for 12 years  which was going strong until it developed a crack in the casing, this one not only has a camera and MP3 player but is a touchscreen. Only a basic entry level but I've been enjoying searching for 'apps'. After seeing what 'Purple Podded Peas' achieved with a paint app, I've been having a look at what is available from ovi . You can't save what you produce with 'magic brush' but it's fun. Next step  working out how to upload photos directly onto facebook or blog.

I did  get my sewing machine out long enough to make it a cover (from the offcuts from this door quilt - acrylic paints make a good water resistant fabric! )

Sheila requested a look at my quilts this weekend. Happy to oblige, talking about the processes involved and the different projects on the boil got me inspired to do some more work on the 'childhood memories' challenge, sewing into sample from the back with fluorescent threads. Perhaps not suitable for all over but definitely worth pursuing. Must crack on, deadlines loom.

Trials and Frustration

A very frustrating weekend waiting in for (non) delivery of new mobile phone ( first of all they said that it was awaiting payment and when they changed their story , it was still in the warehouse and they would personally chase it up on Monday (yeh right!) . Then yesterday having tripped once too many times on the lino in the conservatory decided to take everything out (including v heavy washing machine) and reposition it. Now it's worse - can't close the door properly!!!
To make it worse, I had great ideas about having a creative time after being inspired at the Knit and Stitch on Friday which came to zilch. Just as well Sue came round returning some books and computer stuff with some apples - at least I could be semi-creative and make a big dish of comforting apple crumble.

So to return to Knit and Stitch. One of the main reasons for going was to pick up 'Creation Myth'  from Magie ( it had been loaned for photographs to be included in forthcoming book on African Wax prints.)
It has lots of hand quilting - I was finishing it off on the hottest day ever recorded in the UK with a fan a couple of inches away and applications of ice to wrists every few minutes. I rather like the back too!

 Some interesting exhibitions too - especially the 'Global Paper' and the glorious hand-dyed kelims from Turkey that 'Textile Techniques' had put together. I was rather taken with some of the works from group 'Hue' particularly the stitched curved paper of Elisabeth Rutt ('In case I forget' ' below) Reminded me to crack on with rebinding my Moleskine received as as part of the 'Sketchbook Project' I've had a go with putting better paper into another Moleskine journal and it worked pretty well apart from rounding the corners and I've a special punch for that now. I chose 'Inside, Outside' as my theme and had grandiose ideas of cutting doorways  and drawing interiors and exteriors to be viewed through these. Now,  I'm thinking about some of the exercises I did last year in my drawing class building up negative or positive shapes and inspired by tthis image, wondering about doing some of that in stitch. I love the use of variegated thread.

Part of my mission at Knit and Stitch was to test out some of the quilting machines - and I went prepared with samples including some stiff with gesso and acrylic paint to put them through their paces. I was initially disappointed as neither Husqvana or Pfaff had them on their stands (obviously more interested in flogging top of the range computerised models than a basic machine costing around £600) . However on the Juki stand , they were very happy to demonstrate the TL-98P and let me try it out on my paint encrusted pieces which it coped with admirably. I'm in love!! More expensive at £899 so it will mean trading in one of my Berninas - I'm currently looking around to see who supplies them more locally.

 The deadline for SAQA 'Beyond Comfort' having passed with the ideas for it nowhere near gelled, it's time to return to CQ Suitcase Challenge 'Childhood Memories'. I think I'm still going to go with the black and white photo-merge idea but was pondering how I could introduce some colour. Then I remembered all those day-glo fabrics from the 60's/70's and wondered about stitching with fluorescent threads. While the sample above is a charity shop find (thanks Sue!) I did have a dress not so dissimilar. Maybe  I'll use it as backing and stitch round some of those patterns? I feel a test piece coming on