Earth Sentinelle

Here she is! Earth  Sentinelle in earth colours (the Australian outback is always depicted in reddish colours) sporting  kangaroo paw as her decoration because the shape of the flower is so distinctive and kind of strange and very Australian ( it was discovered by  french Botanist Jacques-Julian Houton de Labillardiere in 1792  in South  Western Australia)

I wasn't expecting to make another sentinelle- but here she is ready to be photographed for the catalogue I am making- she is really the most Australian one together with the ochre one, and I am surprised she just kind of came from nowhere as if to remind me  what it was, I was trying to say when I embarked on this sentinelle journey.I was trying to make sense of the place where I find myself as well as  express my concerns about environment and  the world. Everything just came together as well-I used the last of my gold ink, the last of my iridescent blue ink,  in each case there was not a smidgen left over, the last of  my bobbin fill, the last of the thread for the quilting on the outside which did run out but serendipitously I had another cob of  thread in which one of the variegating colours was the same so you can barely see the difference, my machine behaved beautifully- I often run two machine embroidery threads through the top of my machine and it does create some tension problems- this time I forgot to put my feed dogs down and wonder whether that might be the reason for the better behaviour. I think of her as Lady Serendipity- doing the work and other happy accidents do happen.

Travel,Itinerancy and Sentinelles

First of all some exciting news for my eldest daughter- she has been  studying this year at Brighton Bay School of Art Design and Photography- their presentation night was last Friday and she won an Award for Excellence and the Ceramics Award- I was so proud of Celeste- she has worked very hard- a 2 hour journey every morning and every night with a transport system that has many failings- so four hours of travelling before she even got to school and then a very intense program which has seen her produce some wonderful pieces- it will put a fillip in her step and give her choices which were not possible before she started this course.Simply said, country high schools do not have the means or the access for students to create folios   to compete against more intensely taught students with greater access to short courses, galleries and other fine art options( this is also true for some city students)- so this  year 13 option really creates the opportunity for young people to develop their folios and to find their strengths and weaknesses. Who knew my daughter had "clay hands" as her teacher called it- and yet  her other skills I knew about but the year has helped her fine tune them.

I am trying to work like the fury- have set myself a schedule which part of me keeps saying "you can't do this" but which the other part of me says "It has to be done, you can do it, if you simply work like the fury". So I have been rewriting  my statement regarding the sentinelles ( I did rework it the week before last but as I was working on a school computer I forgot to save it) I have worked on creating and finishing a new ochre one and then a earth coloured one has fallen out of my hands in the past week and then a lace one is being conjured up out of the stencil which has acquired such an interesting patina from all the different printings I have done with it. They must be made and I only have two weeks to go until I go overseas.

My catalogue has to be done this week so I can  get it to the printer in time- which means Thursday is my deadline.I am trying to bridge the gap between mere descriptive material to a more lyrical rendition of what I am trying to do with these sentinelles- it's almost like I need to dream on words every night for new words in  the morning- but the mornings are starting to run out. And sometimes I look at the sentinelles and think do they work- are they really what I wanted to do- but when they hang together they are strong, and they do speak. The doing has been interesting to- how to reinvent a shape that is essentially the same into an individual and distinctive form.

And then I am thinking about the travel- various places in Europe- I do want to make a new travellers blanket for this journey- as it will be in the winter and  the light is so different in the North. The Sentinelles have already done some travel and they are destined for more- in some way they are quite static in appearance but their movement is anything but- they are the caravan for my idea about land and connectedness- about a mystical relationship with the earth- I have a need to always grow something- at the moment it is just herbs and some  tomatoes in pots but I can't imagine not growing something.Lots of food for procrastination but I have to make sense of it all by Thursday!Hmmm more thinking and I have to go-  a bobbin's worth of sewing before I  do anything else. I read this morning Rima's blog Into the Hermitage- as always interesting thought provoking writing- about the Romany/Gypsies and their travelling- well worth visiting- make sure you have a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy.

And as I seem to be on the theme of travelling/travels a collage I made of an old steam tractor that was in the  gardens of the cottages we stayed in in Bright- the weekend before last. I marvelled at how sturdily this machine had been built and even though rust encrusted it's body there it still stands sentinel to a time  gone forever- another connection with the earth.

I will be starting the new Travellers' Blanket  On-Line Class on 19 November. If you are interested there is some information on my previous blog post. I will be starting a new blanket to accompany me on my journey to the North.

Travellers' Blanket On-line Class

I have decided to run another on-line  Travellers' Blanket class over summer/northern winter- as a lot of people like to have something to stitch on over the Christmas period .The cost of the workshop will be $50AUS and will cover a 4 month period with access to a group for discussion and sharing work and stories!

This is the description:This class explores hand stitching and creating fragments of memory. It is inspired by the idea of the silk road and the great travellers ,like Marco Polo who travelled the road in order to source silk, eastern spices and other treasure. If you travelled that road and you could not write but wanted to keep memories of the  fabrics and silks you encountered, and wanted to remember the patterns and stitches and wanted to keep warm at the same time- what better way then to sew fragments onto a blanket- a visual aide de memoire. The texture is created with simple running stitch and the embroidery  on the fragments of fabric likewise employ simple stitches. This piece is about the rhythm of the stitching and to create decorative effects.

The layers have been created using hand dyed muslin and flannel- this gives the piece a lovely drape

We will spend the first session dyeing the muslin and flannel which is utilised in this piece. The muslin has been dyed ,using a shibori  technique in order to create the underlying grid . Then the stitching will begin!All other fabrics are scraps left over from  various projects.

If you are interested please email me.

I have finished another ochre sentinelle- - just need to finish the hand stitching.She replaces the ochre sentinelle I sold back in July in France. The catalogue is coming along, but a word document I worked on last week somehow did not get saved and today i felt so devoid of words that  I just about gave up thinking I can make this catalogue. It is not that it needs lots of words, but I had written some extra explanatory things and can't for the life of  me remember what i wrote- so I will have to try and dream it tonight! And yesterday i printed a terracotta sentinelle- and earth one was needed plus I intend to use the stencil I have been using to create a sort of lace sentinelle and after my last lot of stencilling she was the wrong colour, so the only solution was to print another so that the stencil would  end up the right colour.

I had promised myself to make 12 larger quilts this year ( by larger I mean more than a metre either in width or height)- and look like actually getting to that goal and perhaps one better - i didn't think i would get there since I decided to study this semester. But sometimes you simply just have to do it. The last years I don't seem to have made as much work as I used to- so I feel like I underachieved- so it feels good to have met a target finally.

More Sentinelles

My goodness..... I meant to report in on the 23rd of October - my  seventh anniversary for my blog- but it didn't happen. However i do have a winner for the Teapot and Rosewater Jug give away to celebrate- Chris- Textile Traveller from Tasmania- can you please contact me?

I need to find extra time and energy to finish everything that has to be done- somehow last week disappeared without much getting done although I have started work in earnest on the catalogue- rewriting some of my explanation and rationale and working on the page layouts- I suppose that takes time too.

I did print some more linocut sentienlles.They are for sale for $15AUS inclusive of postage.

Ideas are Jumping

Yesterday we shot photographs of my sentinelle work in a studio- they came out so good..... the only thing lacking is maybe the work itself and the fact that I did not finish the sixth sentinelle in time ( I sold the sixth ochre sentinelle in France earlier this year-I had not intended to sell  part of the series yet as they will be exhibited in Prague and in Beaujolais next year but  as sales have been way down these last two years economic necessity determined otherwise and so I have to make another- different but still referencing the desert). So I am working on a seventh and have to finish the quilting- she will be the lady of the bilbies- creatures who are endangered that live in the desert and are thought to be important in maintaining vegetation in desert regions) So thank you to my teacher Michael Brand for allowing me to shoot the photographs and helping me set it all up- and my other teacher Christine McMahon for letting me loose on InDesign and on making a catalogue! The photos came out  so well that it's got me sparking at all the edges thinking of interesting ways of  using them and then making  the catalogue have an edge of difference!

Then I have to think about how to get money together to get it printed so that it is affordable.

I just wanted to share lady of the Forest again with you- she exudes a sense of mystery to me that obviously derives from the hand dyed fabric:

And this little one is a printed panel that has been hand stitched- I sit and do these at night- the look is so different to the machine stitched pieces- I still have a few colonial knots to go but then she is done!Thank you so much for the feedback on this little panel-  those who have emailed me to buy them ( the printed panels are $15 each) tells me I am on the right track as well as your comments on my previous post.

This  icon/madonna/spirit/sentinelle/mother/earth thing has been floating around in the brain ether for a long time and has in fact made various appearances in journals over the years and even as a small linocut  quite some years ago ( though I can't find the linocut any longer)And when I travel and visit cathedrals I always seem to be drawn to the Magdalene/Madonna churches, but it isn't only about that- it is also the way they look out into the world that draws me and the message they send- and then being able to somehow encapsulate my cultural heritage and express love for the land- i love the spirituality with which many indigenous artists have connected to the land- but theirs is a sacred journey - my european connection is different yet I to feel that  the land is an essential part of my being. I also love how Fred Williams came up with such individual marks for creating his landscapes and his changes of perspective- he found a voice with which to express his connection to the land- it's very intimate and personal and I marvel every time I see his work. These sentinelles are expressing some of this feeling and yet of concern too- that's why i want them in all corners of the world and already they are  finding places in different parts of the world. The stories are important!

Sentinelles- more

I have 34 days until I go to Prague and France and in that time I have set myself a schedule which I probably can't make- I always think I can do more than what I actually get done. It's been a bonus that the course work in part of my course is finished and they are happy for me to make a book/catalogue that I want to get ready before i go. I want it devoted entirely to my sentinelles- the different ones that have emerged and ideas associated with them and how I have made them- I am a bit stumped with number of pages at the moment- I am thinking about 28 or thereabouts.I also get to photograph my sentinelles in a proper studio with lighting as photography is part of my course as well- so I am doing this on  Thursday- so I am trying to get as many done as I can. Below you will see another printed panel- this time red ( the panels are for sale- handprinted on hand dyed cloth $15 per panel)

The bottom sentinelle has been printed onto lutradur and stitched- she is also for sale  but as she has been stitched  she is more expensive . She measures 18 cm x 47 cm and costs $100US inclusive of postage. I photographed her surrounded by some of the indian wood block stamps I have.

Don't forget I am teaching at Sew Bright next weekend 22/23 October- machine quilting in which you will make a machine quilting sampler of lots of different quilting ideas and Linocutting- where you will make your own texture linocut/stamp and one stamp with a design and you will print your own fabric. I will also bring some of my linocuts with which to play. And some of the work of the tutors  will be on display- maybe my  Sentinelles will make their Australian debut!I t will be the last teaching I do in Australia until next year unless you want to come to my house and learn something!

More teapot and Rosewater Jug

Another teapot and rosewater jug- I don't think I have made it in greenish colours before. It's hard to remember though I know I tend to stick to warmer colours.
Thank you for all your comments and feedback on my new sentinelle linocut. Sometimes when you are close to the work  it's hard to know if you have achieved what you set out to do.

Don't forget- leave a comment and you will be in the draw for a teapot and rosewater jug  little panel that will be drawn on 24 October- which is a give away to celebrate 7 years of blogging.

Also there is still time to enrol in the on-line linocutting class but you will need to hurry as it starts this weekend! Email me if you are interested.The cost is $55 US and the lessons take you through many steps  to help you master the tools and various ways of using images for linocutting and various  ways of printing and  colour printing.

Working on More Sentinelles

So much for school holidays- I barely know where the time has gone and I have a commission to do ( a cot quilt) but I like to think about the fabric when I make a quilt and I haven't quite decided what to use yet, though there is a few fabrics auditioning.

But I want to make more Sentinelles for Prague both small and  a few large ones ( for which I will make a new stencil). I had made a linocut previously for small sentinelles but somehow they did not seem quite right, so I cut a new linocut- she is such a mix of influences that she  is quite different to the others- she has a classical Greek feeling about her but I am sure that is only because of the way I made the headress.

Here she is printed on bamboo paper- I know the print is not  quite clean- but I prefer hand printing on paper and  live with the slight mistakes ( though I must admit a press is on the wish list and has been for some time- one day in better times...)

Here is the linocut beside the paper printed sentinelle.

printed on lutradur with  transfer dyes and placed over a aqua coloured piece of fabric.

Printed on cloth with gold ink.

Printed on lutradur with  transfer crayons- a much softer effect and perhaps not sufficient for what i want.Now If you are interested in buying a single sentinelle panel- you can buy one from me.Each panel measure 6 inches x 18 inches (15 cm x 45 cm).The cost is $15 AUS inclusive of postage.

 My aim is to get them to all corners of the earth ( I can't believe that I have visitors from 191 countries visit my blog....) one way or another- they have a message and it's for a better world. I have also written previously about their message and am still working on refining it- it takes time and I am slow- this idea has been with me such a long time when I look back through my journals that i can't rush.

And then after reading Lucallian Delights today ( one of my favourite food blogs and one I have read for many years now- I love the food and the photos) Ilva mentions she has been blogging for 6 years- which made me go check my own archives and blow me down on 23 October I will have been blogging for 7 years- can it be all that time?? You  my readers have been through so much with me- the travelling, the amazing places I have been, my personal up and downs, and my work- always my work ; you have left many comments, encouragements and I have made many friends, so I will have  the following small piece as a gift to thank a lucky reader- simply leave a message in the comments box and I will draw out the winning name  on October 23.( I will be making some more of these in the next few days so you dear  reader( and winner) will be able to choose which they would like)

And don't forget- there will be another on-line linocutting class running from 14 October- just email me if you are interested or want further information.

1061- post 1061 that is.

Somehow that number struck me- not sure why- 1061- 1061 pages, don't know how many photos or how many words and how many comments...it just seems a lot.

Spent the last 4 days at Textile Fibre Forum in Geelong- it was cold, numbers were down, sales were down ( I was selling things for Pukka finds and Desirables) and all in all there were moments- actually hours where the only people around were the other traders. That makes for slow time- so quite some stitching was done on the travellers' blanket . I was next door to  Peter Radford and Barbara Schey who sell paper and Barbara's wonderful shibori  scarves. paper is almost as enticing to me as fabric- as I have a yearning to make books. I have made some in the past but I feel there are some waiting in the wings in the boiler room that is my brain.Peter was giving away strips of hand made paper with every purchase over $20 and if you made something with the strip of paper you were in with a chance for a $20 voucher. That occupied me for a day- and I was the only taker and therefore the winner of some lovely mulberry paper. The strips were very book like- so i made 4 altogether devoted to a couple of different entries in my journal.

Seed pods ( bought by Barbara), icon images, patterns and then my fountain pen ran out, and Jean Cocteau's cat which was bought by Inga Hunter- so that passed the time a little. Working on the strips was kind of fun- a scrolling kind of hierarchy- so they gave me a whole lot more on which to draw. The ink of my fountain pen runs into the paper a little and  though its doesn't quite run it does slightly blodge the line.

And it's official!!!

I shall be leading a tour to France next year in April- we will start with the Quilt Expo in Beaujolais, go onto Lyons, then have a wonderful 6 days in Paris- where I will show you the Paris i love and then onto Giverny and Monet's house, the ruined Abbey at Jumiege, landing beaches, Bayeuax and tapestry, Rouen, Tours and castles. If you are interested please email me and I can send you the full itinerary and costing. We have included plenty of things to interest men as well as women- for example whilst we are in Beaujolais there is also some kind of wine festival event happening

I shall also be teaching another online linocutting class starting 14 October so please email me if you are interested.

And I have not done a lot of hands on teaching in Victoria this year- not sure why, but I am available to teach. However I will be teaching at Bright on the weekend of 22/23 October for the Bright Spring Festival.I will be teaching one day of free machining and one day of linocutting- which will see you make 2 stamps to take home and to hopefully spark you to create your own unique fabrics. I will also bring my own linocuts to print with .

Textile Fibre Forum And Pukka Treasures

I will be attending the Textile Fibre Forum at Geelong the next four days selling  Fiona Wright's Pukka Finds & Stitching Project -clothing and sari silk scraps. Some of the stitched jackets are to die for- luscious colour all stitched and so wonderfully soft. I will share some photos next week!

I have also been working on my travellers' blanket again- I want to get it finished. I am on school holidays at present but  went up to my mothers for the weekend ( hence the flower photos) and by the time I got back and attended to some necessary administrative tasks it's Wednesday already.The cloth that I am working on for the travellers blanket was only partially tie dyed - and the tied areas leant themselves beautifully to being stitched. For the rest of the blanket I am using sari silk scraps and the effect is quite different- though I have been working on  blending them in with the stitched tied areas. See what you think...

I can't wait to see what the whole blanket will look like- there is so much stitching happening on this blanket and I haven't yet decided what I will do for the "quilting" stitching and what colour.

I have also decided to do one more online linocutting class for the year.It will commence on 14 October 2011- so you will be finished before the madness of December. Here is a description:
 The course is  3 lessons ( with various exercises) delivered fortnightly with the  intent of building your skills with the tools as well as your design skills, looking at how to use  your photos,three colour printing and various other things like simple repeats, alphabets etc. The cost of the course is $55US. Lessons are delivered as a pdf file and number approximately 100 or so  pages, with exercises and tips and  inspirations. I also organise a discussion group to troubleshoot problems or discuss discoveries and to share work.
If you are interested in enrolling and learning how to make your own linocut and stamps please contact me.


And last but not least some flowers for you from the garden of my mother:

And of course a great favourite- an uncurling tree fern frond- I am not sure why I love these so much, but  love the idea that the whole fern frond is contained within that spiral- and the shapes.

Poppy Quilt is Finished!

I don't know where the time is flying but I have managed to finish the Poppy Quilt finally- even the bindings are done!Thank you for all the positive comments on my last blog post about how it was looking- I really appreciate your feedback even if I don't get back to you individually. I think I need to make another one as I find the colour combo quite pleasing in the end.

I did toy with hand quilting the sky but decided against it as it did not show enough and I did not want to spend hours and hours making the stitching dense enough- so I opted for machine quilting the sky in skipping meander - sort of. I did however hand stitch/embroider some wheat in between the long stems to add contrast and just a bit of play with the lines. So it's done.You can click on the images to get a larger image.

The next thing I have to make is en elephant cot quilt.I haven't made cot quilts in such a long time and it really does not sit all that well with my other work or the series  which I am working on and developing to get  another kind of sentinelle shape happening- so part of my problem in getting these done is how to make the work mine and not make it look like some premade panel that could have been bought in Spotlight or some other cheap and nasty department store.

I also got the little list books from Margaret Cooter one of her books du jour- I do keep lists of things I have to do but I like the idea that a list book can both record things that need to be done and things that have been achieved without the crossings off. If you email Margaret she can send you a book or a pdf file for the booklet. You will need to scroll down her blog page to find the little books( i couldn't get the post to make a direct link so sorry about that). I will share an image of mine in my next post. I am writing this post before I have to go to school- which is keeping me out of lots of trouble I can tell you!!lol!

I have especially been enjoying the typography part of the course ( and other bits as well)  but typography is so much about pattern and shape that it suits my patterned heart. I love that we are making our own fonts for things and even though mine are far from polished I am enjoying the process immensely and can see all sorts of  uses for it. It has also opened up a whole new world of more books ( as if that was needed) and I could not resist getting Marian Bantjes I Wonder. I set aside a few hours on Sunday afternoon  to just absorb and  read and really study all the patterns and typography she uses. I love the section in her book  Notes on a Life- which were the lists her mother kept all through her life and which recorded the daily chores, interactions and little things of life as well as big ideas- her mother was  a political activist and early recycler- and so amongst lists for shopping or reminders to call friends you will find a note that says the Politics of Altruism. Marian and her siblings called the lists Mum's Brains and they were not allowed to tear a page from it though they inevitably wrote notes to each other on it. It looks scrappy when the rest of the book is so much about pattern but it is all about the pattern of life- the little things that we do every day, and years after her mothers death - she has a immediate link with the everyday of living with her mother- precious really, really precious. The book itself is a study in richness- there is gilt on the cover and the pages are gilt edged- something extremely rare these days but done originally to protect books form dust and moisture.... I am looking forward to next Sunday!

Poppies

One month ago I showed you some fabrics I was preparing for a poppy quilt which is for a little girl with that name. Then I did not get much further than the fabric, partly because I have been busy and partly I  am not sure why. I liked the colours , I knew what to do but  somehow nothing would come out of my hands. Last Sunday I decided enough is enough with all this procrastination- it's not getting the quilt made- it's simple really - "you have to make a poppy quilt". When I started to work I suddenly realised why the ennui- the poppies made me think of France- of missing France- of missing the summer there and the poppy strewn fields- I was feeling homesick for something that is not my home at present- how can you be homesick for not your home?

So the only way is forward with the quilt and  realising the dream- somehow by hook or crook. Maybe my block of land will finally sell so I can move on with my life and start something new!It's too much of a waiting game at the moment- if the block sells I can go do other things and maybe buy a house in france.

So here are some photos of the layers for applique- stitching and quilting has to be added- and I am still contemplating whether it needs a small pieced border or maybe not.Any thoughts?

I dyed the background fabric especially- it looked fabulous out of the dye bath but greened up a lot once it was washed ( sorry i forgot to take photos). I was trying to get the effect of the wheatfields in the background, looking up to the sky , like the photo below- though I did not quite want so much blue stunning though it is.I have a better photo of this but I can't find it at the moment.

I had to piece the transition between the blue of the sky and the blueish green of the dyed fabric as the  top of the fabric was too green and the blue too blue to  make a pleasing transition- eek I have not pieced in a long time!It starts to look better with more stems.

And last- I think that's as much as I am going to do in  layering pieces- I don't want it to be too busy, and more lines can go in with stitching in any case. the piece is finally starting to speak to me- it's calling me to another place.

Time is Flying and How!

My course is keeping me very busy, though I am enjoying it a lot and learning a lot. Last week it seemed like  some of the things had finally sunk in and I feel as if I may be able to get my head around illustrator after all. I am also doing photography as part of my course (will photograph something textile in the studio on Thursday and share it I hope) and am really enjoying that. I have found out things about my camera  that will make life easier photography wise. So I will share two of my "urban" photos we had to shoot this week. When you think of an urban environment  buildings come to mind, but I tried to focus on the multiplicity of signs- so many that it can be confusing as to what you are asked to read. Some businesses have so many signs it's difficult to know what they sell. We had to frame the photos with two frames and convert them to black and white. You can't see the white  frame too well because my blogger background is white.

I was quite pleased with the way these two photographs turned out and it will give you a little urban glimpse of Geelong.

Last Saturday I went to a artist talk by Mario Luccio and his new exhibition called New York Found 2  at Metropolis Gallery in Geelong. I have written about this artist before and found his talk very illuminating about his work- the layers and the metropolis,the pentimento below the surface and the cracks of civilisation.Below is a scan of an invite to an earlier exhibition of Marco's where his concern was the urban landscape and the representation of urban icons .

Today my eldest daughter and I went to see Reflections of the Soul- Contemporary Chinese Inkwash Painting.There was some beautiful work in this- soulful as you would expect and really large. It was well worth the visit!

And watch this space........

Next year in April 2012 I will be conducting a tour to France which will take in The Quilt Expo in Beaujolais, Lyon, Paris and major museums and some quirky and interesting ones that not all the tourists go to, and Giverny and Monet's garden and Normandy and the fabulous Bayeux Tapestry, the Landing beaches, chateaux and Le Mont Saint Michel. We are finalising the itinerary now, so when I have it to hand I will share it. if you think you may be interested or you may know someone who is interested please email me . The tour will include plenty of things to  interest husbands or partners- I can even write postcards for you a la Frances Mayes style ( Under the Tuscan Sun)... nah I just said that but hopefully you will get a wonderful taste of France!

Slowly Getting the Working Cap Back On

Life has been hectic . The course I am doing in Graphic Design and Print is keeping my very busy- have to do lots of homework so i can remember what to do- the young  ones in my class find it all easy, but  I am slowly getting the hang of it. It does not leave much time for other things and i came back from Europe a bit flat in terms of inspiration.

I did do some dyeing on Friday and was very happy with this piece of dyed fabric.I have dyed forest fabric in ages- I really like the blue at the bottom it reminds me of  a pond. Anyway it got me thinking about the fabric i want to make for the poppy quilt I have to make so  after this post I will be trying out my ideas and see if it works and then finally I might get going on  the poppy quilt!

Then yesterday i was guest speaker at Geelong Patchworkers and Quilters Guild at their AGM- somehow I walked out of the meeting as Vice President- with an earmark for President next year. I would really like to see some exciting things happen and enthuse everybody from the traditional patchworker to the  textile artists- got to brainstorm some ideas for being a vibrant  community that others want to be a part of.Alas i won't be at the annual exhibition as I will be heading off to Prague as guest artist at Art Textil

And whilst I have not blogged for a week or two, my article for Quilting Arts in Stitches has been published so that was exciting- my first foray into an American publication. You can see parts of  the magazine by following the link 

And the travellers blanket class has started- already some wonderful ideas being played with and some wonderful stories by people from all over the world.It always amazes me that  you can make so many connections with the internet . I don't think I would be doing what i do without the internet!

And I have the thinking cap on for the next evolution of Sentinelles- I want to make a new  stencil - vary the form and patterning and have them be about ideas- a world of ideas- like the muses. Whilst the internet has opened so many doors we also seem to be losing connections with the past because everything is so fast and without a past it is difficult to connect to the future- or anyway that is one of my thoughts.When I sit and hand stitch on my travellers blanket I have time to sit and think- and I really  am enthused actually passionate about books and ideas. I read an excellent book by Alan Loney entitled The Printing of a Masterpiece last week that has me all fired up about book making again.His book is about the decisions he made in  typesetting the book and its layout- dry subject matter in a sense- but the wow factor came from his passion for what he was creating and his  involvement in the whole process- he was completely immersed in the project and  his passion and the content  informed  his  choices and led to new ideas .It was a wonderful insight into one man thinking about his book which was quotes from Leonardo da Vinci about nothingness that he was making into somethingness.I like the idea of somethingness.....

Ohh and the next photo is simply because I love the shapes of the leaves of the plant.Not the most wonderful photo i know but  this plant is just so well you want to touch it and stroke the leaves.

Tie Dyed and Procrastination

I have tie dyed some of the khadi fabric I have for a customer order- I was really pleased how this piece turned out  and the customer really liked it too!and could see it making a fabulous jacket or quilt. The khadi takes the dye beautifully as well.

                                                         

And I have been in procrastination mode. I need to make a quilt incorporating poppies for a little girl-I have dyed some fabrics to try and get the right colours but am still not sure if they are exactly right.It's been awhile since I have done some dyeing as I have lived in rented houses and I worry about causing stains and until recently the weather has been too horrible to do it outside.

                                           

There will be green going into the mix as well and I am still thinking about what kind of border I will make- it will be a two sided border- will   i make a linocut of poppies or do a gocco print.

I have had more car troubles- this time the clutch, and I was lucky the gear box was not damaged- I can't believe how much this car has cost me in the last month, which means a lot  less money  to put towards the book I intend to write and self publish sigh......

School has been busy- I am learning lots but I am so slow compared to the young ones who just seem to know all this stuff. Still I am learning and it's quite different being with people all the time- working at home is fine but the downside is that you don't have a lot of interaction with other people.

I have also finally  tidied up the sun room ( after lending some furniture to a friend as it would not fit in the house) and I now have a good light workspace ( although it's not well insulated which is a bit of a problem when it's cold and hot)- but as such there is space to do some regular workshops from home. If you are interested in  learning some new things or develop your work or ideas let me know and I will work out a schedule. Cost will be $60 for a day session ( 9.30-4.00pm) which will include lunch and tea/coffee. Groups will be small as I don't have lots of space.I am also thinking that we could work towards an exhibition of sorts.

More Stitching on the Travellers' Blanket

I have been doing some more stitching on the travellers' blanket whilst I ponder a cot quilt I should have made months ago- it needs to include poppies as it's for a little girl called poppy. I have to dye the fabric for it but also have to think about how I will make the quilt as it will be washed and needs to be soft- so not so heavily stitched.

 The travellers' blanket is starting to look like wobbly millefiore- the effect of the circles is so different to the effect with the stitched squares. I only tie dyed the upper third of the blanket so am now appliqueing circles of recycled sari silk to be the centres of the circles. The sari silk is  a bit tricky to sew with as it is very fine and so shreds easily- so the only way to deal with it is to stitch it heavily. Don't forget there is still time to enrol in the Travellers Blanket class which starts on 13 August.  You can chose to do circles or squares or any other shape that appeals to you like tear drops.Details are here if you are interested.

I am so over cars i can barely write the word car- one problem fixed and now another  more expensive problem to be fixed- it's driving me nuts, not only is it consuming precious pennies but also quite a lot of time plus kids need running around and sans car that is proving to be difficult.Does anyone know a good reliable mechanic in Geelong?

No Sewing Done but....

The week has flown and very little sewing has gotten done, in a sense I am treading water- wondering if I should continue with the sentinelle series or developing something new. I thought that perhaps I could make a different stencil and change the next sentinelles in  the way they appear, but haven't decided what changes to make. Making six as I did, really did push me to  think about how to give each an identity.

The week has been marred by more car troubles- cars and I don't seem to have a good interface. I did teach at Portsea on the weekend and that was a lot of fun- it was a retreat so lots of ladies just out for the weekend enjoying themselves with stitching and the odd glass of wine. I couldn't believe my luck when I won first price in the raffle and some paintings by Andrew Page-Roberston- there were two so i decided that someone else should have the opportunity to have one of the paintings and blow me down my name was drawn out again!

The collage is of  natural things encountered last week at Elsternwick whilst waiting for my daughter to do her assessement presentation at Brighton bay College, at Portsea Jetty and the Ian Erskines building in Geelong- it's derelict but heritage listed and does have some lovely features despite the battoned down windows and other dilapidations. There is another image here. I wonder what Grand Designs would do with such a building? In fact there are some quite lovely buildings in Geelong, but they seem to get lost in amongst malls and shopping squares.

Another teapot and Rosewater Jug

I found another  lutradur panel with a teapot and rosewater jug already printed so I have stitched it.I really needed to get some stitching done- my sewing machine has been sitting in  abject silence.

It measures 8 inches square or 20 cms square and is for sale for $45 AUS inclusive of postage. Just email me if you are interested.

And I have enrolled in a  Graphic Design and Printing course at the Gordon Institute. It is a full time course, running for a semester ,but as I want to write more books I really want to work with Illustrator more and short courses are not in depth enough. Today was my first day as student- it feels rather strange being so much older than everyone, though  the young people were quite friendly and one of the guys fell asleep  in the lecture- tomorrow is a free day.

I have also been invited to exhibit in Prague in December- this is very exciting as I have never been to Prague and it is a textile event rather than a quilt event and i shall be the only Australian there.So I have made a commitment to get there by hook or crook and would love to meet some Czechoslovakian textile artists.

Next weekend some of my work will be shown at Chabeuil near Valence in Southern France along with some other terrific artists  at De Fil en Fil

There are still some places left in the Travellers Blanket  on-line class but it is filling so if you want to do it you will need to let me know soon. It starts on August 13 and I have been working on the  blanket itself ( to be able to show participants a different version) and also the notes.

Last week  the latest Magic Patch ( France )arrived with a project I did of the Gypsy Blanket. I love the orange background for the  image of the quilt and the styling of the photograph!

The Faceless One is Finished

I honestly don't know where time gets to sometimes. I set out with good plans and good intentions but nothing comes of it at all. Add to that the need to job hunt  with tweaking resumes and writing covering letters( which take up  quite some time I might add) and the week has gone when it has only just started. Then we have the unemployment figures saying there  was a small increase in jobs this last month- but really when the figures classify employment as including jobs that may only be 3 hours a week- what are we to make of the figures- they really do not reflect the real situation at all.And I think I need to work hard at my art and business because I think it may be the best hope after all.

But I have finished my faceless Sentinel portrait and she now has a face- I think she is  The Sentinel of the Desert and Barren Places, places which seem bare but in all reality hide many treasures and miraculous happenings.The close-up images are closer to the true colour- she is really a deep ochrey orange colour.

A close up of the hand stitched medallion- reflecting ridging in the desert and then the tiny buds of growth after winter rain.The idea of the medallions came from  pilgrim badges  in medieval times- they wore badges to identify the pilgrimage they were on  and to help protect them. They wore them on their clothing or they were sewn to the clothing.Here the badges depict the environment the sentinel is watching.

The photo above is a detail of the face and the stitching in the aura- both by hand and machine and of course the machine stitching was done with  Aurifil threads- 28 weight.

This Sentinel is for sale, because she is a different format than my other sentinels . She measure 32 inches square and she has been hand dyed and hand printed , machine and hand stitched. The price is $600AUD including postage. If you are interested in buying her please contact me.  SOLD to a fellow traveller!