Sisters In Cloth Extravaganza! 2010

Sisters in Cloth annually hosts what we have named Extravaganza. Every year Sister extraordinaire Yvette Howard hosts the event which includes vendors, lunch, demonstrations, show and tell and lots and lots of fun.

This year Betty Warner (bettywarnerquilts.com) offered to lead demonstrations on several surface design techniques. You had to be there to believe how hard it was for this seasoned teacher to keep us all in line...it was hysterical! At least she was laughing as

much as we were. She's pictured here with Class Angel Vivika DeNegre (vdenegrequilts.blogspot.com) at the left.

We had a wonderful day browsing the vendors, eating lunch, Betty's demo and an incredible Show and Tell. This is one of the many pieces guest Judy Ross brought that showed off her wonderful free-motion quilting.

I've just finished the post on the Sisters blog (www.sistersincloth.blogspot.com). I urge you to go there...it's much more complete with all the vendors names and websites. As a tease I'll tell you that Laura Wasilowski always sends the BEST hand dyed fabrics (artfabrik.com).

I Mighta Over-thunk This

Fiberactions May Challenge: Convergence

I've titled my contribution "Gondwana Revisited".

This challenge required long contemplation on my part. I thought of and discarded several ideas. Finally, reaching back to the dark recesses I landed on "convergence boundaries". As I recall this describes the actions of the earth's tectonic plates in moving and shaping the earth.

Gondwana was a proto-continent that ultimately became Africa, South America, and Australia (and North America, Antarctica, Arabia and part of India). It's the first three that interest me as these all have indigenous ratites: ostriches, rheas and emus.

This piece began life as individual blocks of African, Australian (with emus), New Zealand (with kiwi) and South American textiles. They were cut apart several times with insertions of thin bars of color, ultimately separated by the oceans.

This is such a convoluted, complicated artist statement about such a little piece...it's not "Guernica" after all. But by the time that occurred to me I was too far down the pike to abandon it and produce a substitute for today's deadline. That's the problem with long contemplations.

How happy am I?!!

This is my self portrait and the image I usually use when I post on blog-o-sphere.

Then there's an earlier iteration.

Now that I have the opportunity to serve as the SAQA/CT Co-Representative (with our fearless leader Kate Themal http://www.katethemel.com), I'm told that a real portrait is appropriate. I'd estimate that 75% of our CT membership would know me on sight. Just in case there is someone out there who would like to put a face with a name, here's the real deal.

I'm delighted to be in the position to work with Kate to promote art quilting in general and SAQA specifically in our little but, oh, so productive state. I look forward to meeting all of the CT members. You can always contact me via email, dwrite@mac.com.

Looking forward to our next Regional Meeting!

Thread City, (CT) USA

Willimantic's name apparently comes from an Algonquin word for swift running water. That swift running water ran cotton thread mills from the 1800's until 1985 when the American Thread Company picked up and shifted to North Carolina. This frog atop a spool is one of a pair at the entrance of the bridge over the river, greeting visitors to the town.

The town is also home of Eastern CT State University, where Ruth Anne Olson (www.fiberartbyruthanne.blogspot.com) and I went to view the current exhibit at its Akus Gallery, Chahar Ghesmat: Iranian Women Create. It was thought provoking work from four Iranian women curated by Elizabeth Peterson, Director of the gallery.

Whilst on campus Elizabeth recommended we visit the library where a huge weaving of Helena Hernmarck is hanging. "Open Door Open Book" was a public commission installed in 1998 and is, indeed, imposing!

Finding out that in a previous life I had given presentations on Australian Aboriginal Art, Elizabeth suggested we walk over to the Student Center too. There we were surprised to see an enormous contemporary art painting by Salt Water Murris. "Quandamooka Dreaming" is a celebration of life in the Moreton Bay area.

The day was full of unexpected, wonderful art. Serendipity, indeed!

Photo Challenge Detail

Happily I'm back in my studio with many projects on the cutting table and design wall. Just the way one likes to be stimulated.

April 12, I posted my interpretation of Rose Alpert's (www.rdalpertphoto.com) "Lily Pads" photograph. Besides rendering a piece 18"x 24", each member of my art quilt group is also to make an 8" square detail. This is mine.

I enjoy free-motion quilting but not the marking. Usually I try to figure out a way to get the look I want without marking at all. This time, however, I traced a koi onto paper. Then, with Saral Transfer Paper (saralpaper.com) between my drawing and the fabric I traced over my lines. While I don't often use it, I do recommend Saral. It's wax free, will not set with a hot iron, comes in various colors, washes or erases out and can be used over and over. Real pluses in my book.

I'm B A A A C K!

This beautiful child was showing her grandparents the flower they had just purchased for her from a vendor at the Summer Palace in Beijing.

Our trip included The Great Wall, The Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium, The Forbidden Palace, Tiananmen Square, The Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace there, our first stop on our China journey.


This photo was quickly snapped from our vehicle. We didn't just do a drive-by...we climbed and walked the wall and enjoyed the views of the city. It's the South Gate of the ancient city wall in Xian where we stayed for our visit to the Terra Cotta Army. A truly wonderful place...it was good to see what had been unearthed since my last visit.

The following photos are from our ride on one of the canals in Suzhou, a magical place I hadn't seen in 25 years...still magical. It's a city often referred to as "the Venice of China" and about an hour (without traffic) from Shanghai where we stayed for a few days. We took thousands of photographs, literally, but I'll spare you. These are some of my favorites.

This barely scratches the surface of the things we did and saw...it was an amazing trip! Happy Anniversary, David!

I'm going to China! Tomorrow!

I've been to China several times before. Once to study art and history with a group from Smithsonian in the mid-1980's and twice I accompanied my daughter as her sherpa-Grammy when she adopted her two daughters.

My husband has also been to China several times...always on business to military and/or industrial sites.

We have never been together AND he has never seen the amazing things I have. Now is our chance. We leave tomorrow for Beijing. Our itinerary includes the expected Great Wall, The Terra Cotta Army in X'ian and Shanghai. And my favorite city Souzhou. Now that the I.M.Pei designed museum is open in his old home town I'm anxious to go there again. While my recent trips to China have included Beijing, X'ian and Shanghai, it's been almost thirty years since I've been to Souzhou.

This red cotton print was collected in a market in Guangzhou eight years ago. At the time it was a challenge to find cotton that reminded me of China...lots of silk but not much cotton. I'm curious as to what I'll find this time. And I can hardly wait for the yummy meals we will be having! That's been consistent over the years: Great food!