Student Work from Workshops

Anneke's quilt
Nikki Perryman asked me about tifaifai awhile ago. Firstly I have written a book about the technique, the image of the cover appears below. I have to say the publisher chose my least favourite quilt I made for the cover- she had specifically requested something pink and green ( and yes I can hear all my friends guffawing in the background...) and then she put it on the cover. However tifaifai is a Polynesian word which means to patch repeatedly, although usually when you think of tifaifai you would think of a appliqued top. Tifaifai is the Tahitian version, and the Cook Islands produce Tivaevae. The tifaifai are culturally significant to the Polynesian people and designs are passed from mother to daughter and carefully kept within families. I create my own designs- the only thing I have adapted is the technique of cutting the tifaifai.Hawaiian is in a similar vein but the designs are created on an eightfold thereby creating a more symmetric design. Polynesian designs are done on a fourfold thereby creating a loser symmetry- which I like, although the eye always wants to make it symmetric.
I have included some photos of work done by students in my workshops over the last two weeks. there were some really fun works created- I encourage students to draw their own designs rather than use my patterns.