Shinkansen (International Quilt Challenge)

 Ever since  my first digital camera , I've been taking photos from trains at speed - I love the blurring. I've made a few journal quilts and one experimental piece  but have always wanted to scale up . The current theme 'Through the Window' of the International Quilt Challenge  gave me an opportunity to start  down that road (or should that be rail?!!!!)

 In 2006 I travelled with Susan Briscoe to Yuza-machi  in Japan   and took lots of photos from the Shinkansen train from Tokyo to Yamagata. The  green of rice paddies, the purplish grey roofs , the mountains and the coast were so different from the train photos I'd taken in the UK

 Techniques and materials used? Photos  were printed on colour catchers treated with 'Ink Aid' . I used Photoshop to increase saturation slightly but that's all -the blurring is as captured by camera. These were applied to a section of lightweight fabric from a secondhand kimono bought for Pojagi in Tokyo.

A silk organza scarf with woven lines was laid over the top and attached with twin needle stitching. Interesting difference  between the raised ridges produced  when stitched through 1 layer of kimono and the flatter ones where stitching through both kimono and colour catcher. I really should have stabilised the kimono fabric first but I actually like the effect!
I'd like to produce an even bigger piece next perhaps  inspired by the paintings of Atsuhide Ito although quite how I'd photograph it and display it....

Progress:ever decreasing circles

This weekend; a haircut (3-monthly mow); purchase of 2 pairs of sandals; a nice meal with friends (seeing that huge moon from the train) and some quality studio time (Ian was cooking for the 'hump' ie freezer) . The extra challenge for the first 4 months of this years journal quilts is to include circles.  My intention was to take the ideas from the first one and both carry over and change them over the subsequent quilts.
After weeks of having 'March' in bits on my table and design wall I got stuck in and  pieced 'April' and 'May' too - they still need quilting

'March '

I took the manipulated images I used for February's 'Anagramma In Vitro' and manipulated them further using 'cutout 'filter. I've been using 'Photoshop' for years (and that particular filter ) but have only just discovered that there are 3 different levels within it that you can adjust!!! Went through all my green stash (which is not small) and selected some Kaffe Fasset print; the reverse of a lurid pink and lime green graduated spot; and a touch of green shibori from Chang's.

'April'

The green shibori was the start of the next one with the addition of  2 African damask shibori fabrics.  I wanted to remind myself how to piece them together using a wavy line - a technique used in my African door quilts and 'Indigo Sea' - as I'm keen to explore this further. I included an offcut from Februarys' printing and then cutting Petri dishes from another piece I hadn't used, decided I liked the holes!

'May'

Then really on a roll, I pieced one of the African Damask fabrics with a print of sections of leaf cells from a scientific publication on Medusagne (Jellyfish Tree from Seychelles). A different scale of circle but still endangered plant related

I'd put the Slough Museum project on hold as there was some uncertainty  whether the exhibition would go ahead as the Museum is sadly closing later in the year. But the dates  having been confirmed, (  18 May to 11 June)  I fished out my samples of organzi books based on the Taplow Vase and pondered how to display them. I got a couple of brass rings from the sales table at last TVCQ meeting and I experimented with wrapping them around the hoops and  suspending them.  Ian suggested the spare airer 'tripod' which is banished to the cellar as it collapses with even 1 coat hanger on. Just the job but not for including in the final display.

Choosing Circle Compositions

  A                              B

C                                 D

The Contemporary Quilt Journal Quilt Challenge this year is for a 10 inch square but there's also a theme for each 4 months: circles, text and buttons (I know I'm going to struggle with that one!) 

For circles I straight away thought of Petri dishes at work - I've taken loads of photos over the years for potential inspiration but not done anything with them apart from small  quilts/cards  for  staff and students leaving the lab. 

I've altered them quite a lot in Photoshop ('find edges' filter) so I could start to see them as shapes and not worry too much if I place a section upside down ( still a bit difficult- I visualise the plants falling out! ) I've printed out 3 images and chopped them up and rearranged them in different combinations.  I could do all 4 and that would be them done but not really in the spirit of experimentation! 

So, which to choose from the above? Or none and start again? Or have some of the curved shapes overlapping  rather than getting cut off at the straight edges - just thought of that -I'll have to go and print out some more!