Road Trip

I am getting ready for a short road trip. I am heading out to Peterborough, about 1.5 hours from Toronto.

I have been invited to speak to the Kawartha Quilters Guild on Wednesday, February 5.

I have packed my quilts and textile work that I will be showing. It's nice to dig those out as most are rolled up and hidden in the top of a cupboard.

Taking each one out brings a smile. I remember making them and remember their travels, either in Europe or here in the house going from room to room.

I am looking forward to meeting this group. They have 180 members! Impressive. Hopefully the weather will be good enough for many of them to drive to the presentation.

If you are in the neighbourhood, please come! Non-members are welcome and it is free. For more info contact the group at juditha26@gmail.com

I am also teaching a 'quilt as you go' workshop on Thursday, February 6, from 9 to 3, which is also open to non-members. Very good price, too!

(detail photographs of some of what I will be showing)

Friends

John Taylor from the band Duran Duran said "Music is a great way to meet people".

John De Simini playing saxophone at The Pilot
 in Toronto a few summers ago.
Check him out. He is an amazing musician
whom I worked with for the SMC musicals

I say textile art and quilting is a great way to meet people! As you know, this art form has brought me to Europe on many occasions and introduced me to international makers who are now life-time friends.

sculpture at University of Toronto,
St Michael's College campus

Last night, I was invited to speak at the Mississauga Quilter's Guild again. I met some great people who are passionate about this medium and had some good conversations about the craft.

Some of the works I brought

I brought 17+ pieces of my work, including some quilts and some textile art work as well as one antique quilt. I integrated those in the talk, Beyond the Hobby Quilter.

My goal was to inspire the members to go out and self promote! I hope I did that.

Speaking at the Mississauga Guild

I absolutely LOVE speaking to groups and sharing my way of working or my ideas on a textile topic. I especially like the comments and the smiles I notice during and after the talk.

There were about 90 people attending the meeting.

I spoke about INSPIRATION; where to find it and how it can be translated into a textile piece. Not every work I brought was recent or "exceptional" but all works related to an inspiration I highlighted.

This is my latest quilt, inspired by the painting
"The Bird Shop" St Lawrence Street 1866
by Maurice Cullen.
It was a Block of the Month idea by Karen Howes.

The paper pieced segments at the back are about
growing up in Montreal.
The beige fabric is printed with snow flakes.

I will be back at the Mississauga Guild in November (next topic is "Going Beyond the Hobby Quilter") and hopefully there will be some quilts for the 'Show and Share' segment of the meeting that will have been inspired by my May talk.

Thanks to a special blog visitor who saw I was scheduled to speak there and came to hear me AND she brought me a present!

She thought I would find the Mandala designs inspirational.

Thanks CF!!

More pictures from the ETQG

A member sent me a few pictures from the talk I gave at the East Toronto Quilter's Guild.

The topic was Beyond the Hobby Quilter and focused on marketing your work.

I showed some quilts related to the points I was making.

Scrap quilt-the only kind I ever make.
These kinds of bar quilts traditionally have an odd number of bars
 (not counting the background bars)
but this one has an even number.

I talked about the way I work. I don't sketch. I make postcards.
Member, Del, liked these cards.

People were interested in my contemporary work.

I showed a piece that is in progress.
It is hand dyed with natural dyes
(pomegranate and turmeric)
and stamped (paint). It will be part
of my "map" series.

And here is Bill holding up a piece I made at the Toronto School of Art.

What is with that piece?? It always gets photographed wrong! LOL
Here we see it upside down.
Click here to see it sideways!

Speaking in East Toronto

I was invited by the East Toronto Quilter's Guild to speak at their monthly meeting. My topic was "Beyond the Hobby Quilter".

I brought 18 pieces related to my topic to show the members.

Blue Depression is one of the pieces I brought. It is still one of my favorites.

Blue Depression, detail
photo by Carolina Dal Dossi

I made it in 2006 for a contest in Italy but it missed the show, BLUE, because it was held at Italian customs for a week.

I ended up submitting it the following year in Trame D'Arte in Verona, Italy, and it was awarded 3rd prize in the contemporary category. I received $800 worth of fabric, which I left in Italy and use when I'm there. I can now say I am an international, award-winning textile artist!

It's got paper and actual (altered) photographs in it and since it has been handled while traveling it's a little tattered in spots.

Blue Depression, 40" x 38.5", 120 cm x 98 cm
photo by Carolina Dal Dossi

Later, it was photographed for an Italian calendar (2008) and was selected for the poster for Festival Internacional de Patchwork and was part of the Italian exhibit at the same event in Sitges, Spain, 2009. 


I am giving the same talk in November at the Mississauga guild. (see speaking engagements)


Everyone is welcome.

Grade 12 art students

My talk at St Joan of Arc secondary school went well...but there is always that one kid that is unappreciative of your experience. He's sitting at the back WAITING for you to finish while he plays on his cell phone.

waiting

I love speaking to groups and explaining what I do. It is something new to many even though the textile art I practice has been around since the 1960's.

I had timed the talk at home with time to spare but oddly enough I had no time left to demo the free motion technique on my machine. I think the students would have liked to see that and maybe try it at home.

Sewing Free Motion in Juliet's (as in Romeo) bedroom in Verona, Italy
March 2011

My next talk is February 23, 2012, at the East Toronto Quilters Guild.

In April, I am going in to speak and work with the grade 9 and 10 art students at Branksome Hall.

Preparing for my Talk

St Joan of Arc secondary school's art department has asked me to come in and speak to their grade 12 class as part of their artist guest speaker series.

I am preparing my works this weekend for next Friday's engagement.

Some of my pieces incorporate paper and since many of them have travelled and have been handled quite a bit I need to make a few minor repairs.

I will also include "pieces in progress" so they can see the stages of a textile work.

I am bringing my post cards which are my version of sketching- an important part in creating my work.

I want to keep the 30 students interested. I have decided to demo the free motion technique on my sewing machine. I use it in all my work.