Speaking at Ste-Marie-aux-Mines

I was asked to speak at the Teatre in Ste-Marie-aux-Mines.

Teatre Ste-Marie-aux-Mines

My talk was entitled Canadian Inspiration.

I started with a little history of patchwork in Canada. I spoke about Canadian influences; our landscape, natural and man-made, our seasons with the light, textures and colours that change with them, our environment and how many repurpose materials and ended with our individual cultural heritage which also influences our work, consciously or subconsciously.

Aurifil has a promotion..
if you take a picture in front of this installation
they give you a scratch and win card for thread.
I didn't win anything,
The installation is made of spools of Aurifil thread
by DAMSS from Milano.

It went very well! The theater was half full. At the end, the young male technician came up and complimented me. He said he learned so much.

Another view of Ste-Marie-aux-Mines

Pictures over due!

The little town of Ste-Marie-aux-Mines

The large works resting and waiting to be hung at
L'Eglise de la Madeleine

The three men that hung all the works were so respectful
when handling the works.
This hand-appliqued quilt is by Toronto creator, Deborah Watson.

One of the works from Newfoundland hangs high up.
Summer Crazy Quilt by Iris Newman.

One of the workers takes a break and admires the works!
They were all three very impressed.

The town is full of people!!!!!!
There are line ups for the coffee shops.
For our exhibit, Tradition in Transition, there were
over 1000 visitors the first day!!!

I wish I had Time..

The preparation for the exhibit Tradition in Transition went very very well. Everything is well lit and well hung. There was lots to consider...colours, size, theme...

The three guys that helped hang were amazed at the works!

This morning at 9:30 when we opened the doors there was a huge line up!

What interest!! Everyone is in AWE of the works the Canadian quilters and artists created. (I even saw a lady walking around with her mouth open!)

So much has been happening in these last three days. I wish I could write more but have to run to the exhibit. I have no internet at my little inn so I will try to write more tomorrow!
Check back later for images.

18th Carrefour Européen du Patchwork

I have been posting about this event and all its preparations for some time.

I bought Quiltmania magazine while in France and the back cover is the advertisement for the event.

www.patchwork-europe.com

Canada is the invited country this year.

The textile event is:
4 towns
22 exhibitions sites
38 exhibitions (Tradition in Transition is one of these exhibits)
1000 works on display
150 European and overseas exhibitors
7 lectures (my talk, Canadian Inspiration, is one of these lectures)
7 guided tours of exhibitions
2 sites for designers and craftsmen
Classes, seminar, workshops
Quilting bee, day trips, horse-drawn carriage tours

Be sure to check back soon as I will be hanging the show tomorrow and Wednesday and the opening is Thursday.

French Linens

I'm in France right now and spent the morning at the local outdoor market in a small town on the Atlantic coast.

Of course I gravitated towards the fabrics!

I was tempted to purchase the top sheet...maybe use it on a bed for a bit, then dye it and stitch it as does artist Judy Martin. But it was 80 euro...

I may go back tomorrow as I hid it under other linens and it may still be there.
(photo credit: Sophia Reford)

Church Tiles

Santa Maria Immacolata, a little church in Basilicata, a province in southern Italy, has a gorgeous tile floor.

It bothers me that the design of the center isle is not centered.

Discoveries

Over the summer, I met textile artist Averil Stuart-Head for the first time.

Averil in front of her house in Introdacqua, Abruzzo

She is the director of Abruzzo School of Creative Art and has hired me as one of her teachers for July, 2013.

Click here to view my course outline.

She lives in Introdacqua

I visited the school space.

View from the school grounds.

We will be able to work outside.

outdoor space

After our tour and wonderful lunch, I visited her studio...

Her studio has street access.
It is on the ground floor of her home

...and saw her amazing, colourful works.

Part of her studio with work in progress

Selecting her colour palette using torn fabric strips

Averil talking about her favorite piece

Her work was seen in the Florence Biennale in 2007.

The second part of her studio is
set up more like a gallery of her work.

We ended our afternoon with a yummy gelato in Sulmona! Thanks Averil and Bruce!!

I am looking forward to this new experience in Abruzzo, the birth place of my great-grandmother.

I am busy now tweaking my itineraries for my own textile trips coming up in 2013- Verona in April and Umbria in August. Keeping checking Textile Trips under Pages for updates and to sign up. Hope you can join me for one of these amazing experiences.