At the start of all of the lockdowns, I needed mindless stitching. No complex piecing, just pulling scraps from a bag and sewing them together. Mindless meandering quilting, bit of hand applique, Quilt 2 is the result. 70cm x 97cm, not large, probably destined for Project Linus. I also had the perfect piece of fabric for the back, found in a charity shop more years ago than I can remember.
Blogging has taken a back seat in 2019, might it return to the front seat in 2020? Catch up on Nov - Dec activities
Costume exhibition at the National Theatre, free, on until June 2020,
Panto making, production photos here
Birthday flowers
Contemporary drawing at The British Museum, very inspiring, free, finishes on 12 January
Floods in Oxfordshire
Last 4 Brexit journals, painted wadding background, decreasing influence
Repairing the Xmas wreath, from Gina Ferrari, I think
Golden yellow winter jasmine, much needed colour
Starting work on a bookshelf quilt for a baby due in March, some of which had to be sewn on the Singer 201k
Will I take part in the Contemporary Quilt Group challenge for 2020, theme is Fragmentation? One metre by 60cm for 31st May? Gathering ideas
Just for fun, a pen holder, using scraps from the panto costumes, using this tutorial.
Trying to persuade my husband that even if we are trying to reduce, re-use and recycle, that a new nail brush might be needed,
Coming up:
New exhibition at Two Temple Place, “Unbound, Visionary women Collecting Textiles” free, on until 19 April 2020.
Alexander McQueen, “New Roses” how some of those astonishing dresses were made, 27 Old Bond Stree, free, until mid 2020.
This weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop with Emily Jo Gibbs, on using transparent organza to make stitched interpretations of photographs. Emily’s work is exquisite in its simplicity, that also manages to capture the essence of an individual or of an object.
The workshop was held in the beautiful, historic rooms of The ArtWorkers’ Guild in Holborn. The rooms and corridors contain works by previous and current members, inspiration before we even met Emily.
We were asked to bring a basic sewing kit, a variety of threads, scissors for cutting papered cloth and a favourite photograph. Emily provided a pack of different coloured silk organzas and two pieces of white linen for each of us.
The workshop started with an explanation of Emily’s technique, and an opportunity to examine her original stitched portraits of her children. We then created a small abstract collage, A5 size, to practice the techniques that she had demonstrated.
What joy to sit with a group of strangers, who quickly lost their anonymity as we stitched together.
We then started a new piece, based on our photographs.This was much more difficult and a black and white photograph would have made it much more straightforward to discern tone rather than colour. However, by the end of the day, i had this, based on a favourite picture of my elder son when he was 10.
To have got this far, while enjoying the company of others, in a beautiful setting was a gift. Thank you Emily.
If you would like to see Emily’s work in person, she is exhibiting at Mint London from 9th - 12th May.
Quilting to show that black and white arguments are not straightforward
and often contain many shades of grey
Twenty seven different yellow fabrics in fourteen foundation-pieced triangles. Inserted, with curved piecing and appliqué, in to a rather crumpled and tired looking background. Union Jack fabric at the bottom, tea-stained and of nondescript shape, dissolving into tattered threads at the far right. ( This is straight - unlike UK politics, just distorted by the medium - like UK politics).
