Oh my, oh my.

I’ve had a wonderful day. I’ve spent the evening chatting with a friend, which was fun in itself. I inspired her to start knitting again, which is even better, and it means I have another crafty person to come and keep my company while I work. She was very impressed with my socks, and the potential for tiger socks. I should point out I am not a great knitter, this is a very simple pattern, and the wool does the pattern for you. It is magical knitting these. I love it.

When she left (on a mission to find knitting needles) I checked my email. I had one titled Celebrate Spring Notification. My first thought, was why couldn’t that have arrived earlier, if I had known it was rejected I could have put it into Quilts in the Garden. The I noticed my heart rate, hmm bit quick, got to love that sick feeling too. So I read my email. I got in! In full bloom is one of 46 finalists selected! I am so excited. You can tell. I don’t normally use that many exclamation points. Normally I am hopeful I might have got into a show, this time it really didn’t occur to me I might have. What a confidence boost, and just when I needed it.

Power of Positive Thought

Wow you guys are amazing. All your positive thoughts have hit today. Thank you so much. I’ve had a steady stream of customers today. I have also been enjoying creating today. I have bits of quilt everywhere. It’s been a really good day, and I am sure all the support I get here helps. So thank you.

I’ve also found time to do a batch of quilt show entries today. So I have now entered 5 quilts into shows this year. Most of them are juried so I don’t know how many quilts will actually get in but I have tried, which is all my goal says. I figure I can’t really do much to ensure the quilts get in but I can make sure I enter.

Now I think it is time to make my scarf. Oh yes, I finished my socks. I will try and take a picture later and show you. I hadn’t had time to work on them since Christmas, but at the weekend I bought some silk yarn that I will use for socks. How decadent? I also have some tiger wool, so I need to get another pair under way sooner rather than later. I can’t believe how excited I am by knitting socks.

Recent Work

I took some pictures of the scarf I was talking about. I really like it and I have mine ready to sew. Hopefully I will get to it tomorrow evening. The scarf is made of lengths of Sirdar Organza and Sirdar Boa. They are cut to about 80″ then layered between soluble interfacing and quilted. I am surprised by how solid it seems, but I am very pleased with it. I left the ends unsewn to be a fringe. It is a very quick way to make a scarf, and I do think this will be next years present of choice. I can even say that, as I am sure people (possibly including me) will forget by then.

I’ve had a go at the textured sculpting of fabric today and I have completed my first sample. I am interested in working on a torso, so the biggest problem is how to release fabric to form the breasts. This sort of works but isn’t quite what I was after. I have a couple more ideas to try as soon as I have time. I am also considering fabrics to try. I want to be able to make this self supporting. I don’t really want to stitch it to an internal structure, so I have to consider how thick it will be and what fabric I can use. I am wondering about canvas. It will be hard to work with but the end result might be very satisfying. It may also bulge better with less folds. Lots to play with.

I finally got my new to me sewing machine open. I thought I now had the key but it turns out not to be. Fortunately the advice I got from a member of the quiltart list got me into the machine. It is from 1925, and a model 99a. It is a three quarters scale machine and seems to have been very well cared for. It moves so smoothly. It also has lots of feet with it, including a tucking foot. I’ve never seen one before and can’t wait to give it a spin. The only part of the machine that seems to have any issue is the lock. It is very stiff so I have given it an oil and will see how it gets on. I am very pleased with the machine and hope to put it to work.

What I was working on

We were asked to bring inspiration to the class this weekend, it had to be an organic structure. The requirements suggested shells, seeds, pods and rocks. Ideally these would be objects rather than pictures but I drew a complete blank on inspiring objects, but I did find some pictures I liked. This one became my favourite after we had write about the objects.

In another setting I think this could be the source for several quilt projects. I has so much potential. I love the twist to it. I love the fact that it has five sides, curves and points. It’s a really fun object. I do have to admit I don’t even know what it is it is an image I found on the net and fell in love with.First thing on the second day we were asked to start drawing the objects (making marks). We were to focus on the aspects of it that fitted our words. In my case organic (by which I mean it looks like it grew), curvaceous and concealing (see I was trying to sound arty ). So I tried drawing. This is what I came up with.
Apparently this is a very poor start. The main complaint was that I had drawn the joint between the faces as smooth, not knobbly. I hope you can see in the picture I was working on that. I tried saying that, but no, I don’t really look and I hadn’t seen that the joint was rough and textured (I described it as scab like) so I needed to start again. Here is take two.
I tried to make the texture more obvious and quicker,. I have to get it on the paper before she gets back round to me. You may recall I have no confidence in my drawing skill, but I think this is pretty good. In fact I think both pages have many of the most important features of the object as I see it. So she comes back round to me, and again I’ve got it all wrong. This isn’t capturing the object, I am not seeing the details, I am not looking.

She explains what I should be doing. I need to use the ink and a brush. Keep the brush fairly dry and use it to paint sets of lines in one go. OK, dry brushing I can do. The palest lines below were the first ones I did.
Oh yes this is much better, you see how this is capturing the details now? Erm , no. Not at all. This doesn’t look anything like what I am looking at, but glad you like it. Next I am to do the same again but twist the brush as I draw the curve to represent the twist in the object (can’t I just draw the twist?). So I tried to turn the page. NO! just put them over the top of the other ones. OK, so I did. Next lap she is even more pleased with me. Oh yes I’ve got it now, aren’t these so good. I am really getting the details now. Pardon? I see a mess (at least with her wanting it all on one page I have only wasted one sheet of paper.). So now I have to wet one of the lines and just touch more ink to it. Shrug, I can follow simple instructions, but I still don’t understand why this is essential to making fabric sculpture. Asking why doesn’t help either. This exercise is making me look at the object (the one I gave up looking at when I realised that wasn’t getting her what she wanted). So now I have made amazing progress I was ready to move on.

She carefully explained to me that pencils can make different marks. WOW! If you push harder it gets darker, (yes really try it if you don’t believe me) and if you lighten up it makes lighter marks. Oh my isn’t this thrilling. So I had to draw a wiggly line with light and dark bits in the same line (that’s the tricky bit) and the apply a dilute ink wash to one side of it. In case it doesn’t come across, yes this is dripping with sarcasm.
There you go, the pinnacle of my design career. Isn’t is amazing. Doesn’t it do a great job of capturing my object. Can you just feel the design? Yes? If so it is yours. My tutor was thrilled with this, darned if I know why. It’s nice to know I can follow her instructions and make her happy but…

I meant to dump this stuff in the bin before I left, but I just bailed in too much of a hurry. Still it has been interesting to be able to show it to other people. So far I haven’t found a good explanation of why this is good. I am sure it makes me very stupid but I really don’t see the amazing improvement in my work through the day. I see quite the opposite. I also don’t see anything that would help me in using this shape in a piece of work. It is just crazy. I am sure there is a good artistic reason to do this, but I don’t get it. If someone can explain it to me please do, it would be good to understand what I should have learned.

Game Over

So that didn’t go quite according to plan. I have a quote i refer to a lot, “If you wanna live life on your own terms, You gotta be willing to crash and burn”. As such I feel i have to accept this as part of the price for pushing the limits and trying to make a living from my art. I would have rather had i nice relaxing weekend away but well no one died.
I do still need to produce something from this course for show and tell. I gave it a lot of thought on the way home. I will spend tomorrow playing with fabric manipulation techniques. I have some ideas for samples i need to try and for a few pieces. Depending on how the samples go i may try to make a whole thing as well. I also want to make myself a t-shirt with my quote on it

Wow I really wasn’t making much sense, sorry folks. I quit the course. I just couldn’t take another day of it. I hate struggling without the right tools and materials, especially when I have them at home. I couldn’t see how anything we were doing related to what the course was about. I positively hate the thing that had been my inspiration. Note to self, never take something that really inspires you as design inspiration. The daft things you have to do really demotivate me and I never want to work with it again. I hope one day I will love my tools again, they were the subject of City anf Guilds.

Still I am home, I have gone and visited a friend who isn’t feeling at all well, and I managed to take in a skirt for her to wear and a fancy dinner next week. It was fun and it made her happy, far more productive than sticking with the course.

I will work hard tomorrow though and try and get something to show for it. If nothing else I have some stunning pictures of the grounds that will provide inspiration for several projects.

Session 2

This morning we have been making marks. Some of you may be aware I tried to do my City and Guilds a while ago and couldn’t understand it then. I still don’t. I can’t see what I am supposed to get out of this but I seem to have made the tutor happy so that is OK. I think I will have really gone off my inspiration by the end of the day, but I have another plan. One which I don’t intend to share with the tutor. I think I can See a way to sculpt a female torso. Even better I can make a very youthful shape with a lot of wrinkles, which I think is an interesting juxtaposition. Yes OK and arty word, but you should hear the class. Is art speak really essential? Or indeed useful most of the time.

I have come to the conclusion that I am not an artist and neither are any of the people I know. I don’t know what we are, but I am quite sure we don’t fit the ‘proper’ definition. SO if anyone has a suggestion for what we could call ourselves (that is polite) do let me know.

Anyway I have a precious half hour to do some sewing in and I can’t waste it on the computer.

On retreat

Well I made it here OK. I now have a far better understanding of why things are difficult here. The abbey is now a conference center, and only offers adult education because it was in the terms of the sale. So they don’t really cater for us, they are more focused on the business customers during the week. Who can blame them, I suspect that us filling the pace doesn’t bring in as much money as any one of the weekday courses. It does explain why a lot of the staff here have no idea what is going on with the courses too. They work for an entirely different company.

So, the room is small but directly opposite the studio we are being taught in. I couldn’t have asked for a more convenient room. I have been given the key so I can make use of the tables to work on out of hours. This is really good news as I have a few things I want to get on with while I am here.

Our first session was about what inspires us and why. It turns out that all the objects that inspire me are very sensual. I suppose I should have seen that coming, but I didn’t. Apparently it was really obvious to everyone else. It now has me wondering whether I can use these sculptural process to make body parts. Maybe a torso? I think that may be tomorrow nights project.

Yes I will post some pictures of the scarf, I was too excited to take pictures last night I wanted to get started on my scarf. I will try and do it Monday. Anyway I have things I want to work on before tomorrow, and I want a shower so I had better get a move on.

Embroiders Guild

They are top. I am having problems with my requirements list for the course I am on this weekend. I called the Abbey (I don’t have any contact details for the tutor) and asked for advice. Sadly I don’t think I am going to be able to get a removals van at this short notice, so take everything isn’t an option. I’ve searched the web for any way to contact my tutor, or maybe find a better requirements list online. Nothing. I’ve tried my trusty quilt shop, but unsurprisingly this isn’t a tutor they have used.

The only lead left was the Embroiders Guild. They do book this person to teach. So I tried them. They were amazing, and are still trying to locate contact details for me. There is nothing in it for them, yet they are putting in more effort than the place I have paid to take the course. Guess what, next time I want to do a course, if the Embroiders offer it I will do it with them. I don;t like giving money to unhelpful organizations, I would much rather support the good ones. So Twig, we just got value for your membership.

On the other hand I still don’t know what to do about this course I feel so vindicated for always including my contact details on my requirement lists.

New fun project

I’ve just made my first stitched scarf. You lay the yarns for the scarf on water soluble stabilizer and then put another sheet of the wash away stabilizer on top and quilt it. When you wash it you have a lacy scarf. It’s really fun. I made mine on the long arm but I am sure you could do it just as easily on the domestic machine. I enjoyed it so much I am already preparing my second one. The first I will lend to Patchwork Corner as a sample, the second one is for me.

I found some amazing yarn at Rainbow Silks in Great Missenden, but I am finding it very hard to use. It is in skeins and I need to wind it off. The first one was fine for about three quarters of it then knotted up horribly. The second has knotted almost at once. It is going to take quite a while to untangle I was hoping to have it finished before the course starts tomorrow, but I don’t think I will manage it.

Either way it is a lot quicker than knitting and I think I will be making quite a few more. I love it.