Back From Sicily

A few weeks ago I had an authentic experience in Sicily with my friends from Verona.

Town of Gangi, Sicily.

One of the ladies has a house in Gangi. She organized a trip for 12 of us.

Gangi

You can imagine the chatter and the laughs we all had together...and the FOOD.

We visited Palermo and Monreale, Castelbuono and Cefalu'.

Cefalu'

We had a wonderful evening teaching English paper piecing to the local residents of Gangi of all ages. They loved making hexagons.

Room where we shared our passion for patchwork!

It was interesting for me as a trip organizer to be on the 'client' side. I confirmed that travellers like to integrate in the place they visit. I am on the right track with the Verona trip and the Umbria trip!

Patchwork in Chicago

I recently visited the University of Illinois in Chicago.

The Pliable Plane
on from March 3 to May 9, 2016
at UIC, architecture department

The architecture department had a patchwork installation in their hallway.

The makers are Jennifer Meakins, Nicholas Rummler, Antonio Torres, Aura Venckunaite. The students helped install it.

I had a fun weekend. The city is fabulous.

As I looked around I felt sad that Toronto didn't look as great. In my opinion, Toronto was developed with a poor vision.

The Toronto waterfront is an issue and it seems to me the high-rises that are built are just that- super tall buildings. Many of the ones I saw in Chicago were conceptual and had links to the city.

Quilting in Rossano, Calabria, Italy

I had a lovely few days in Rossano, Calabria, together with friends at the end of July.

The town of Rossano tucked into the mountain and was built
hidden from the sea as protection from invasions of the Saracens.

The Ionian Sea is just over this mountain.

The main reason to get together was patchwork but we did way more than sew!

Chatting with the priest at his Abbey in the mountains
where the main activities were held.

There was a quilt exhibit- La Più Bella (The Most Beautiful) showing works from the south of Italy and the north, traditional and contemporary.

Location of the exhibit in the historical centre of Rossano.

A priest came to talk to us about what "The Most Beautiful" means. Very philosophical.

Exhibit Hall
Two visitors admire my work! I went over to talk to them. He is an art student.
His mother does patchwork.

More traditional works were on one side of the room.

We had a morning of exchanges. People taught for half an hour. They taught things they wanted to share.

Bread making.

Expert applique-er  and author, Maria Rosaria Nola,
 uses "Manitoba" flour to make her bread!

Sewing "Gems".

This will be my next "portable" hand project. It is a step-up from hexagons.
 I think it could be fun working out the secondary designs made by the fabrics
when the six 'petals' are sewn together.

Knitting tricks and much more.

We ate well (as always).

We toured a few places like the liquorice factory, Amarelli, run by the original family line, 11th generation!! Founded in 1731....

liquorice roots

... the beach on the Ionian Sea,

....the historical town,

... and when we got back to the province of Basilicata we heard the news of their devastating floods.

Rossano suffered heavy rains that
caused mud slides.
Pictured above is the beach front
and the newer part of the city.
(These two photographs were sent to me
by some friends.
Not sure who to credit)

Patchwork in a Patchwork

Talk about patchwork! There is an entire quilt top in this patchwork! Maybe more than one!

Dover Street Market Ginza, Tokyo
photo credit :Sophia Reford

Verona Tessile (May 19-24) will have quilts made by Japanese artists and quilters. Keiko Goke will be giving a workshop. Mid-week the Italian, the Japanese and the Canadian quilters will have a special dinner together and a fabric exchange!

A Thought

Once in a while I wonder if it is worth blogging.

Is there anyone out there??

I check my stats regularly and there are hundreds of views worldwide per week so someone out there is enjoying my photos and my thoughts.

Someone out there is being inspired.

Once in a while I get a comment that encourages me to continue, like Martha's which she just posted even though it was a past post. Thanks Martha!!

I do too much talking to the walls as a mom so it's nice to know someone is listening on-line.

Keep commenting!

(my photos from the airplane flying over South Africa, October 2013)

Metal Patchwork

Closest

Closer

Close

Far from home.

I am in Paris for a few days.

Stitch and Miss

Patchwork in clothes is sometimes stunning ...

Top Canadian designer, Joseph Helmer, made a patchwork maxidress of linen (2008)
photo in Elle Magazine (Canada) March 2008
photo credit: Leda & St. Jacques

...and sometimes not.

Patchwork skirt, Oscar de la Renta
photo credit: oscar PR girl's instagram

Sorry Oscar.

Preparation

Sunday in Verona means church,

Floor at San Giorgio church in Verona

Detail of the floor in San Giorgio 

a big family lunch and free time to prepare for the upcoming Verona Tessile exhibits.

We cut threads for hanging Amanda McCavour's work. 

We prepared threads for hanging 50 circles.

Only several hundred to go!

Blue Star Quilt

detail of the blue-star quilt

detail of the blue-star quilt

Machine pieced, hand and machine quilted, blue cotton scraps, 2005

I used all my blue scraps to make 12 floating stars and 6 connector blocks. It is approximately a single bed size.

This quilt was bought by a Polish-Canadian who sent the quilt to Poland as a gift for a new baby. I am sorry I did not photograph it entirely before it went off to make someone happy. It was really beautiful and interesting with all the variety of blues.

When I first started getting my work "out there", an established artist advised me to get all my work professionally photographed. I didn't take her advise and really do regret it now.

Magazine Coverage

I just received a copy of Burda Patchwork in the mail.

winter 2012, issue No. 36

Astrid Franchet wrote a wonderful article about Tradition in Transition as part of her coverage of the 18th Carrefour Européen du Patchwork. She sent me the french version but said they also printed a german one. So if you get this issue in your country, go out and buy it!

works seen from top to bottom
1st row:Valerie Collins, Quilter's Courtyard, detail
 Meredith Annett, And So It Goes
2nd row: Gordana Brelih, Strong and Beautiful, full and detail
Chung-Im Kim, Dawn
3rd row: Judith Martin, Twenty Four Hour Care
(this work was also printed on a banner hung outside our exhibition space)

Laurentian Hills, 20 person collective: R. Crown, J. Popiel, B. Garner, 

 C. Breedyk-Law, M. Pal,  L. Morin, C. Moore, D. Bates, 

M. Zohar, S. Garner, R. Field, M.Dunsmore, M. Morris, M. Cope,
 M. Filshie, J. Gerster,  C. McNair, E. Quehl, S. White, M. Hannigan

,

I am so glad the exhibit, Tradition in Transition, got so much attention. It was good for the artists and also for me both as curator and participating artist.

Patchwork from Grade 8 students

When I look at the works from the Grade 8 art class at Branksome Hall, the quilts from Gees Bend come to mind.

this is CONTRAST

I see a modern art aspect, like from the 60's, with some of the combinations.

This is PATTERN
photo by T. Butler

The wonkiness of some blocks is primitive yet so charming.

detail, MOVEMENT

The girls made 6 quilts using different art concepts- Contrast, Unity, Movement, Pattern, Balance and
Emphasis.

The students designed and sewed their own blocks. They tied their quilts with embroidery floss and the teacher put the binding on.

They will be displayed at the school before they are donated.

this is a detail from BALANCE

I wasn't involved in this class but I did watch them work once. It was nice to see them problem solving with measurements and placement of their chosen fabrics.

this is EMPHASIS

 Because quilting has been such a positive thing in my life, I was glad to see a new generation introduced to it.

School Project

The culminating works from the grade 10 art class are hanging in the hallway at Branksome Hall. It was exciting for me to see how the students combined the sewing techniques I taught them with the other techniques they learned during the year with their art teachers.

detail,
free motion stitching on painted canvas and gel transfer

detail,
hand stitching, machine stitching, painted melted tyvek on canvas

detail, "Batophobia",
 hand stitching and free motion machine stitching
 were used on a photo transfer by this
 grade 10 student.

The students were very keen to use the product Sulky "Solvy", which is a soluble film that is dissolved in water after it is stitched and the maker is left only with the stitching. The cuff shown below is a good example. It was stitched free form.

The artist of the following piece, "Media Destruction", also used the same product but achieved a different effect.

One can also draw with thread when using the darning foot attachment on a sewing machine.

detail, Almost Free
 the car and the text were drawn free hand with thread. 

The art staff wants to have me back again next year but earlier in the year so the students will have more time to experiment and develop the sewing techniques.

detail, Around the World
I did help this student sew like a "real" quilter.
 Look at her matching corners! Impressive!!