30 years...

This year I'm celebrating my 30 year milestone as a quilter, half of my life so far...   It's been a long time and my love affair with fabric is still ongoing.    When I started quilting, I was instantly hooked.    One project immediately followed the next and I stitched like a woman possessed...     Every book on sale had to be bought regardless the content, magazine cuttings were carefully kept in files, fabric carefully bought and treasured.   I still have scraps of the very first pieces of quilting fabric (I don't throw fabric away), it might just be the little piece needed for another project.  Nowadays we are so spoilt with books on every topic imaginable, beautiful fabric in abundance to suit the likes of everybody, threads galore, gadgets to make life easy etc, etc.    30 years ago it was slightly different...

Nowadays I'm a much more selective shopper and invest in interesting variegated threads, yarns, all sorts of beads, cords and presser feet for my sewing machine.  It is amazing how the appropriate foot for a specific technique can make creative stitching so much easier with wonderful results.    I buy fabric very selectively as I always dip into my brush rags stock, the privilege of my own range of painted fabrics.     My stash is relatively small compared to some serious fabric collectors....!

At our monthly Guild meeting yesterday, prize winners from our Guild at previous National Quilt Festivals were asked to bring their winning quilts along for a special display.   As I unearthed quilts from the cupboard, took others off the walls in our home and brushed the dust from the prized rosettes, I realized once again how blessed I've been (and still am).   I've had this incredible journey as a quilter and the judges have always been very kind to me.   As we  hung some of my quilts yesterday, I deliberately hung them from the oldest to the latest....   Discerning eyes would immediately see the progress in my technical and design skills and I hoped that it would be encouraging to newer quilters.   The oldest one was my first protea quilt, African Heritage (see post 1994 - A Memorable Year) made in 1994, exactly 20 years ago.   It was my first entry into a National Quilt Festival in South Africa and for many years hung in the entrance halls of our homes.   It looks a bit faded and not fresh anymore, but will always be an affirmation to me that anything is possible if one tries hard enough and that one should not be afraid to follow your own path.    In retrospect, sections of that quilt now looks a bit ugly to me, but it remains special.    For me it is a reminder of where I came from in my quilting journey, very unsure in where the journey would take me, but patiently doing battle with my ideas and limited technical skills. I now see the mistakes which taught me to find better ways and do things differently - a constant reminder that it is natural to crawl before you can walk or start running...

I've been toying with the idea of sharing the the story of my first creative wallhanging which I made for Elizabeth's room in 1985, she was 2 1/2 years old at the time - I was so proud of this piece!    Any way, in 1985 we did not have all this lovely quilting products available to make life easier that we have today...    I did not have applique paper (or know about it) to fuse the motifs to the background!    I tacked every motif to the background by hand using little bits of leftover threads to empty the reels in a variety of colours.   I also started the tacking with big, fat knots!!!    It took me days to finish the satin stitching and oh dear, then realized that not all the tacking was covered with the stitching...    I spent many hours with the tweezers pulling all the tacking out, but it was a good lesson learnt!   I also decided that it was not necessary to quilt it -  maybe I was in a hurry to start another project...    But I actually think I did not have the skill to quilt it - at the time I only knew how to quilt in the ditch with crochet thread!   I did not even know quilting thread existed, neither finishing off a quilt with a binding or that a sleeve was needed at the back to hang a quilt from...!

Elizabeth's farm quilt made in 1985

Nowadays quilters see the likes of me and see prize winning quilts and the accolades...     They feel intimidated by the "name" and the standard of the work on display, the same as I felt 20 - 30 years ago in the presence of the top quilters in South Africa ....   My reason for sharing the story of my first wallhanging?    It is a reminder that some time ago, I knew just about nothing about quilting!   This piece was also my tentative baby steps in designing my own quilts.   But with spending many  hours behind my sewing machine, I somehow got better at it...!     

As South Africa's famous golfer Gary Player said:  "the more I practice, the better I get...!"

Time out...

It has been a long time since I've written a post as I took time out to do other stuff...   I was shunted out of my studio as Jopie took it over to complete his architectural studies....  I only had limited time to check emails and important things, no luxury of write blogs...   My supporting role was extremely stressful and exhausting...   He subsequently moved out and it was time for the big clean-up as for the first time since 1982, it is now Willem and me alone at home.    As Willem is retiring at the end of this year, we also decided to do a mini upgrade to our kitchen and also painted tired looking spots all over the house...!     Even the studio worktable top  has been sanded down and resealed, waiting for action!

I realized that I will always find excuses not to do things around the house as I always have urgent quilting matters to attend to.....  I had to be very firm with myself, the house first this time!   Curtains were washed and ironed, broken things turfed out and not used stuff around the kitchen, given away.    So, at last my mind is uncluttered and ready to be creative again.  

While painting Jopie's room from top to bottom, I realized that the bed in "his" room needs a new quilt as the old one is very threadbare.   As Willem is retiring, I'm planning to make a scrappy quilt from his old ties which I have kept for "one day"....   There are still a few beauties in his cupboard, they might disappear...     It will take some time though....   More about that later in the year, I feel such a bed quilt can be a fitting memory of his working years.

In the meantime, Elizabeth has two lovely Spaniels who were rather naughty puppies...   But oh so beautiful, so one could not really be angry at them for too long....   I made two scatter cushions for her some time ago and I really liked it...   So did Abigail and Rebecca, I still don't know which one was the culprit...   The corners of these cushions never looked the same after they got hold of it, maybe the teeth were itchy...   Any way, Elizabeth and I both liked the cushions and I decided to recycle it as it was such a shame to throw it away.   However I don't like to remake projects as the excitement is gone, so it took some time to finish....   Luckily I finished those before the end of last year.  I had to unpick all the hand stitching and re-embroider it, this time on cream fabric instead of the black of the first version.    Every time I visit them, I check the cushions and am happy to report that Abby and Rebecca are now two well behaved dogs...!  

Fused squares stitched with blanket and chain stitch.
Embellished with pieces of leather, clay and wooden beads.  Hand quilted.

Fused squares stitched with blanket and chain stitch.
Embellished with leather, wooden and clay beads.   Hand quilted.

Close up of second cushion.  Some of the black stitching "slipped" a bit ...

Because the covers had inners in when I took the photographs, the designs look slightly distorted...

And the little buggers who made me repeat all the work again.....

Rebecca (left) the smooth hair beauty with curly top Abby (right), the headgirl!

Enough said!    They are gorgeous, well loved and always so excited to see me!

Van Toeka tot Nou...

I was invited to contribute to a new South African book, Laslap en Kwilt - Inspirasie uit die Verlede, translated Patchwork and Quilt - Inspiration from the Past.    The book was published this year (2013) by LAPA Publishers in South Africa but unfortunately it is only available in Afrikaans .   Hopefully it will be translated and available in English soon...      The book was a joint venture of the South African Quilters' Guild and LAPA Publishers.    I obtained permission form the South African Quilters' Guild President, Elsa Brits to write about my contribution as the quilts made by each quilt artist, are now the property of the SAQG and LAPA who holds copyright.

Laslap en Kwilt - Inspirasie uit die Verlede by LAPA Publishers

SAQG President Elsa Brits feels that if you don't know where you are coming from, you'll never know where you're going.     I can endorse that....    The idea for the book was to choose 15 heritage quilts from museums and in private collections around South Africa and to challenge 45 South African quilt artists to produce their interpretation of the specific heritage quilt in their personal brief.   Each of these quilts had to be portrayed in a traditional, innovative and freestyle way.    The finished size of the quilts had to be 30cm x 30cm (12" x 12")...   One always think that it is so easy to make a small scale project, but oh dear, what a challenge...

The heritage quilt - my brief!

Above is the heritage quilt allocated to me, I tried to find more information about the quilt, but at the time I could not get access to the records.  So I actually do not know the history of this quilt...   My brief was to do a freestyle interpretation of this quilt and I focused on the colours, block design and medallion style of this quilt.   

My first impression when I opened the picture, was oh no - not at all exciting....!    Mostly green and yellow which is not my favourite colour combination.   I noticed the dark green velvet (I think) border embellished with embroidered or lace motifs, log cabin blocks, the strippy square within a square (I haven't done traditional patchwork for such a long time and forgive me if I name this block incorrectly) and the diagonal strippy blocks of the centre.   I also noticed the squares on the corners of the border and remembered that I had a similar piece of fabric somewhere in the cupboard....   I decided to work with these elements.   The important thing however was to remember that I had to do a freestyle interpretation....!

As a pattern was also requested in the brief, I drew the block on scale and decided to use the strippy elements of the centre blocks as background, but using it in a horizontal line with colours ranging from yellow to cream  to beige.   I fused the strips to a base fabric, raw edges butted and secured the raw edges along the length of the strips with feather stitch.   I also fused strips which would form borders on the sides and top edge of the quilt around the strippy centre section - a patterned green as inside border surrounded by a wider plain dark green leaving the bottom section without a green border for a freestyle effect.   I used the piece of fabric which I thought similar to the corner blocks of the original quilt, as corner blocks at the top for the quilt.    So far, it seemed rather easy....

I tried various ways of doing the log cabin and square within a square blocks and nothing seemed to work as my interpretations were all too traditional...  The scale of the project was also rather limiting...  In desperation, my eye caught the candle and I decided to seal the edges of strips of taffeta, satin, lining etc by burning it to give it more of a freestyle feel.   This seemed to do the trick!   I chose colours from the quilt for these blocks.    I fused background squares for each block positioning it in a random way to give the idea of the blocks floating on the background.   I handstitched the strips down with big stitches in a log cabin pattern and the square within a square design onto the floating fused squares.

Freestyle interpretation of a Log Cabin Block

As I burnt the edges of the strips for the blocks, I needed to repeat the method in the border - this technique creates texture and it is important to balance it throughout the project.   I burnt the edges of strips of chiffon and tulle and stitched it to the outer border and added a few beads and sequins to make it interesting as it catches some light as the dark green was rather dull and lifeless.   I used a green decorative cord to seal the edges around the border sections and sealed the outer edge with a double row of satin stitch as a  freestyle technique instead of a traditional binding.

Van Toeka tot Nou 2012

This was an amazing project and an honour to be part of the recorded history of quilting in South Africa....   It was such a thrill to receive a complimentary copy of the book from the publishers and find my mug shot on page 99....!

Diversity

We had our annual Spring Show at the Dias Quilters' Guild last week where I also taught a workshop, so life stays busy....

Two years ago, my friend Yolande Bowman of the Pied Piper quilt shop and I sat at the Spring Show and "cooked up" an invitational creative challenge for the 2012 Spring Show.    We identified 12 quilters (including the two of us) to participate and were thrilled that everybody accepted the challenge.   It added a wonderful dimension to our annual quilt exhibition which sparked interest for a similar challenge for this year...

The 2013 challenge was to make a piece in the format of a diptych within prescribed size restrictions.    We received 17 entries which was on display as a satellite exhibition of the 2013 Spring Show.   It really was WOW!

Currently I am intrigued with fusing squares as backgrounds - I find it a wonderful foundation to complement basically any kind of design.    Personally I have rediscovered the beauty and peacefulness of neutral shades, also in my home decor.   Maybe a new phase of inner peace...?    Any way, I bought so much fabric to have a good selection of neutrals when I made the Willa quilt.   I still have quite a stash and at the moment, I just love the effect....!

Having made two major quilts this year already, I did not have lots of time to work on the diptych challenge and it had to wait for after Festival 2013.    I had a completely different idea for this challenge, but when I started work on the other idea, I realized that it will be a major project for which I did not have enough time as Willem and I also had a holiday planned.    So, my original idea was shelved and I had to make another plan.   I offered the piece to my daughter Elizabeth who was excited to get something from her mom!    That made it so much easier for me as she chose the colour scheme, size etc and I could start work, almost the same as being commissioned.

Traditionally a diptych is two panels attached with hinges like a book.   I thought that I would make fabric hinges to hold the two panels together, also to be able to hide a sleeve at the top back to hang the piece from.   I pinned the the two panels to my design wall with an asymmetrical triangle across the top which would be one hinge, but my friend Brenda wanted to know why I would spoil the effect by doing that....?     It made me think!   Somehow Brenda's remark uncluttered my process and put me on the right track.   I drew circles and generally just played a bit with colour adding some silks for that rich lustre.     Every piece of fabric was fused and stitched using the raw edge applique method.   I stitched extra detail onto certain sections and also couched decorative threads at others.    In the end, it took me about a week to make this piece which is quite unusual for me!

Diversity 2013

Some detail of the stitching on one of the circles and background

Diversity - Detail of the 2 hinges

The diptych is attached by the two circular motifs which was made separately and stitched onto the quilt after the two panels were completed.    I satin stitched around the outer edges of these two circles to secure the edges which also gave it a neat finish.   Personally I thought the mood of the quilt is understated and the more I looked at it, I realized that true beauty often lies in the simple things in life...  

I was so pleased with this piece and Elizabeth could not wait for the exhibition to finish so that she could take Diversity home....!    I also had the honour that the Dias Quilters's Guild Committee used this quilt to make a poster advertising the 2013 Quilt Show!