A dream come true...

The workplace of any creative person is such an integral part of the creative process...    

I always had a room in our homes which was my place where I could make a mess  until we moved back to Port Elizabeth in 1996.    Suddenly there was no extra room for all my sewing stuff and I had to make do with working all over in the house....    It was challenging as my quilting and later painting fat quarters for the brush rags range, took the house over....    It was a constant battle to try and maintain order in the house....    I always looked at the garage with long, droopy eyes, dreaming of converting it into a studio...   It would be perfect as it had a door leading into the house and I would have my own place safely inside our house.....   Then, one day Willem said that he would add on another double garage to the house and I could convert the existing double garage into a studio...    Oh, some dreams do come true....    A whole 33 square metres of my own creative space...

I think the most important thing when planning a studio is to establish your personal creative needs.   I needed ample storage space (cupboards) for all the clutter collected through a long period of time, I needed a zinc with hot and cold water for cleaning paint brushes and tubs after painting brush rags fat quarters, I needed an office with a workstation for the computer, printer and telephone at  hand as I continually found myself involved in Committee work and arranging teaching trips.   I also needed bookshelves, drawers, workstation for the sewing machines and of course a cutting/work table high enough for me to stand and work comfortably.    Enough natural light is important as well as wall space for a design wall, notice board etc.....   The kind of work which one does, also defines the floor covering.     If you convert an existing room in your house, you have to use and plan around what you have....

Planning the studio was such an exciting project for me as I could really do as I pleased!    I measured the inside of the old garage and drew it on a reduced scale and from there I did the layout of my studio.   I used two opposite walls for workstations, one for sewing and the other for an office with bookshelves, ample drawers for storage, computer, printer, telephone and hi-fi!   The zinc had to be on the outside wall close to the bathrooms to link up with drainage, geyser and water supply.   As I would use the studio to paint fat quarters as well, I chose the same quarry tiles for the floor as in the rest of the house.    With 3 walls used and lots of floor space left in the centre of the room, I planned a big cutting table for the centre of the room.    I designed two pedestal units, one with 2 deep drawers on either side and the other with deep storage spaces the depth of the table for rolls of paper, applique paper etc.    The table top would be 150cm x 240cm and would rest on the pedestals with a space in between the two  units.    Big enough overhang on the sides would ensure comfortable space to sit and work.    I also decided one could never have enough plug points, so I have 14!

After all this measuring, planning, adjusting and dreaming, I contacted the draughtsman to do the plans....   Waiting for the construction to start, I was in a fabric shop and saw beautiful curtaining in blue and green, very similar to hand painted fabric....    I rushed home to calculate from the building plans the sizes of the windows and rushed back to buy the fabric as it was exactly the colours which I wanted for the studio..   It was so exciting when the builders arrived and construction started.

Two weeks later, I had my dream studio!    The builder left on the Friday with the studio walls white to return on the Monday to find it painted seagreen!    I used two colours of paint, a teal and a green which I rubbed on with a cloth!    He was gobsmacked and asked me what the hell I did...!     It was the perfect match for all the white cupboards and the walls and curtains were really my creative colours.   It makes me happy when I walk into the studio in the mornings....  

It was such a relief to have a tidy house........!   It was with such a sense of adventure that I started moving into the studio.....

Workstation for sewing machines - worktop is 90cm deep.   Storage space below counter as well as above the sewing machines.



Worktable in centre of room with deep drawers and storages space for rolls of papers etc.   Zinc to the left of the picture with the big cupboard in background for fabric and quilts



Computer workstation (for contact with the outside world) with printer, telephone, hi-fi, drawers, bookshelves for books and files.

Storage space for hoops - on a bracket for gutters!

Some festival souvenirs

A quilted panel for my rosettes and collection of Guild and Festival badges on the side of the fabric cupboard.   Some teaching samples in the background.




The new studio proved rather strange in the beginning as it was so neat and tidy with everything having a place....   I realised after a while that I experienced the same feeling I normally had after finishing a major quilt project - tired after too much excitement!   It was really an anti-climax to have my own creative space again, especially one custom designed around my needs.   I really battled to settle down and be productive, I think I was scared that I would mess it up!    Luckily that feeling disappeared after some time and I have enjoyed many creative times in here.   I spend the biggest portion of my days in the studio doing various things always listening to the radio or some CD's.    I decided not to have a television set in here as it would be distractive - I prefer to listen while I work and only watch some telly in the evenings after supper....



Hope you enjoyed the visit in my studio.   I had to tidy it a bit for your visit - imagine the table strewn with stuff while I work as I am very messy worker.  

This is my last posting for a month as Willem and I are going on a trip to Namibia.....      

Festival 2006

I was so intensely involved with the organising of the 2006 National Quilt Festival in Port Elizabeth which left me with very little time to quilt.   I did however design and oversee the making of a raffle quilt to raise funds for the festival.   As the theme of the festival was "Sands of Time", it lent itself to a traditional type of quilt.   Also, the public who would generally buy raffle tickets, were more likely to buy a raffle ticket for a bed quilt than a piece of wall art.  

I tend to prefer machine stitching to hand sewing, but I do love hand sewn stained glass applique work.    I brainstormed with my friend Joc Honeyborne who again love Celtic work about the feasability of making a stained glass quilt.    As we needed help to make this quilt, we identified quilters who had experience with either stained glass applique or Celtic work.     Fortunately everybody who were approached to help us sew, were very willing to help make this quilt.    The quilt had to be designed in such a way that we could cut and prepare each section and hand out ready for sewing.   We gave a deadline for the work to be completed after which I put all the different sections together.    It was a great sense of relief when all the sections fitted perfectly.   All the joining seams were hidden under the bias strips....     We used a very dark grey fabric for the endless bias strips patiently made by Joc.    I painted fabric for the quilt in pinks and greens, a safe colour choice for the masses.

The quilt was hand quilted by Dorothy Proctor-Golding in record time and eventually raised a substantial amount of money for festival funds.    One of our members bought a ticket on behalf of her daughter who lives in Australia and she was the lucky winner of the quilt.

Floral Window 2006 Raffle Quilt

The success of a festival depends on 3 very important aspects - a stunning display of world class quilts, wonderful and interesting workshops and of course the shopping mall....    Normally all other things take second place...   As in 1998 (when we also hosted the National Festival in Port Elizabeth), we decided to make the teachers small quilts with their names on to hang outside the classrooms on their teaching days.   It was eye catching and created a lovely atmosphere to walk along the corridors past all these little name banners....   I was asked to make the banners for the 3 teachers from overseas and I decided to use a South African theme and embellish it with ethnic beadwork.    As I did not know the teachers personally, it was a bit difficult to decide on colour, but I peeped around on their websites and hoped that I got it right......

The three name banners for Doerte Bach, Jenny Bowker and Pam Holland, the International Teachers at the 2006 Sands of Time National Quilt Festival held in Port Elizabeth

It is always lovely to receive such a personal gift at a Festival....  

Next time I will show you my studio as I have promised some time ago....    I have tidied, took some photographs and since then, created havoc once more....

A Fun Project

In 2005 our Guild launched a fundraising project for CANSA and the project was co-ordinated by Brenda Dickeos.   The members were challenged to make a embellished bra which would be auctioned off at a gala dinner to raise funds for cancer research....    Natal Quilters' Guild heard about our project and asked to join in the fun and eventually lovely entries were received from their Guild.    Some people chose to make their own bras, but I took a shortcut and bought an underwired bra ....    This project had the makings of great fun.  
As the deadline approached, I was getting rather anxious as I had no idea how to embellish my bra entry....     One day as I was pottering around, the idea for a protea bra started stewing in my mind....    The shape of a protea would lend itself to some sculpture moulding around a breast, ideal for a bra!   From there onwards it was rather easy.   The flowers had to be made using 3D machine applique techniques and the centres had to be hand embroidered with silk ribbon to recreate the lustre and texture of the inner flower.       I made each protea in 3 segments, the back (top) section with pointed petals which rested on the breasts which I stitched to the top of the bra, then the hand embroidered sections were inserted and moulded around the breast.    The bottom section of the bra was added last - the flowers fitted perfectly around the bra cup!     I made lots of separate leaves to cover the side and back sections of the bra with beaded ruffled strips to cover the straps.

On 8 October 2005 the bras were modelled and auctioned at a gala dinner at St Georges Cricket Stadium.    Great fun was had by all and entertainment included a bellydancer going through her paces....     As always, I battled to name my project!    As I was working, a title came to me...     In Afrikaans, the old people used to call Proteas suikerkanne and growing up, the youngsters would often call breasts in a crude way, kanne....!    So, my bra entry had a name - SUIKERKANNE!     The MC for the evening, Selwyn Morris from Radio Algoa was in hysterics everytime he had to refer to my bra and the crowd just loved the joke!    Suikerkanne was one of the winners of the evening and was bought by Keith Swan.   The bras were also displayed at the local quilt shop, Pied Piper.

Suikerkanne modelled at the Gala Dinner for CANSA 8 October 2005

This project really caused quite a stir and was repeated by some designers in Port Elizabeth after our Guild effort.   It really was a priviledge and great fun to be part of this project.

New inspiration....

I'm back.....     I am sorry for the long silence, but last time I did mention that I had internet problems which resulted in picking up a foul virus with the result that I could not access this blog...   Well, at least that problem is now solved, but I wish life's obstacles were so relatively easy to get rid of....    I was also very involved in organizing our 40th school reunion which was so very special.

At the moment I am working on various projects which I have to complete and I am also preparing for a long holiday in Namibia with my Willem....   I promised you that I would show & tell my studio, BUT it is such a mess at the moment that I just cannot take photographs to show on this forum.....    I have lots of cupboards and drawers in the studio for storage, but when I am really engrossed in a project, all this stuff seems to land on my worktable, the floor, the couch, ironing board, strewn across the computer station etc....     All the cottons jump out of the containers and clutter the area between the sewing machines...    I somehow don't feel the need to put things away, bobbins, thread, presser feet, unpickers, a variety of scissors, machine needles, pins....   Working in a frenzy.....  And the mystery of it all is that somehow I know exactly where everything is within this chaos...    Yes, I am amazed that some quilt artists have this uncanny ability to work in such perfect tidy conditions.    Not me, the greater the mess, the more inspired I get and the better I perform.     So, I would love to show you my studio, but I don't think today is a good idea....   But I promise, very soon....

I ended the previous blog in 2004 in Durban.    As the 2006 National Quilt Festival was held in Port Elizabeth and presented by my home Guild, I decided that I could not stand for another term of office as SAQG President.     I felt that my loyalties had to be at home as our Guild is relatively small and all help and skills were needed to present a wonderful Festival.    Organizing such an event is very hard work, but such a wonderful opportunity for many reasons....   It builds so  much spirit in the hosting Guild and one always learns so many new skills and meet the most amazing people.      The Festival Chairlady unexpectedly left town and I had to step into her shoes, but with the support of a wonderful Committee, we pulled it off and hosted a wonderful event.     But due to all the Committee obligations, I had no time to finish my quilt entry of historical buildings of Port Elizabeth.   I rolled it up for one day when I wasn't tired anymore...   I did however prepare a new workshop, Sunset over Africa  for the Festival which I taught.  

Sunset over Africa Teaching Sample 2006

After the Festival, I was dog tired and decided that I really needed to do some hand sewing, just to relax...   As I really like hand stitching, I decided to make an embellished cushion which I took to the Guild meetings to keep my hands busy and I just played with threads, beads, shisha mirrors and sequins....    I used variations of chain stitch for the embroidery and as I was stitching at Guild meetings, I had many peeping toms looking at what I was doing and requesting a workshop....    So, I turned this cushion into a workshop and eventually into kits.   Unfortunately this cushion got lost in transit from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth in 2008.  

          

                                                     Fun with Chain Stitch Cushion 2006

                                    made primarily of brush rags hand painted fat quarters.

I actually regard this cushion as the start of an exciting new era in my quilting.    I stitched it for the pure joy of stitching and creating some texture with threads and beads...