Preparing for a Talk

I am super excited to be the guest speaker at the Peaceful Nights Quilters Guild on Wednesday.

I've been preparing during the last few days, digging out art work and quilts from the cupboards.

It is nice to go through some of the things I haven't seen in a while. Many of my quilts are packed away. All of my art work is rolled up and sits on top of a cabinet.  I never see it.

So it's been a treat to enjoy those pieces.

I am glad to be sharing some of them with the members of the guild.

The theme of my presentation is Inspiration- where to find it and how to translate it.

My presentation is more like a lesson that a talk about me and my work, although the audience will learn about me and the way I work while I speak about the pieces. I want people to go back to their studios inspired and ready to create THEIR work, to have THEIR ideas brought out in textile, be it traditional or contemporary.

This is open to anyone. If you are interested, come along!

Quilt Exhibit at Black Creek Pioneer Village

If on August 16 and 17 you are in the area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, get yourself down to see the fabulous quilts on display at Black Creek Pioneer Village.

There are antique, traditional and modern ones on display inside the historical buildings and outside on the grounds.

One of my quilts is there. Not sure where they'll put it but here it is below.

About this Quilt 

This quilt is made of scraps, that is to say no new fabric was purchased for the top. What was used were pieces leftover from other projects. Even the whites are not all the same. I used what I had.

The back is a fabulous chartreuse I purchase especially- a colour that brought the whole thing forward into the NOW. The binding is a bright orange and rust coloured fabric bought new. It has a sharp geometric design that is uneven. It looks fabulous and again brings it to the contemporary realm.

Choosing a back fabric for a scrap quilt can
sometimes be a challenge as the fabric
has to compliment so many colours.

Binding of geometric designs adds some interest. The triangles recall
those on the top.

I often add bands of scrap fabrics on the back,
to add interest or to add yardage!

The pattern for this quilt is an old one from Atkinson Designs called Monterrey Medallions.

I signed up to take the quilt workshop ages ago, in 2005. Everyone who knows me well, knows I do not follow quilt patterns. I advocate expressing yourself and feel much pride when students create something that is their own. I don't feel that in this case I did that. I think that is why the top stayed folded on a shelf until last June (2014). Although the fabrics were my choice, the quilt wasn't ME, it wasn't a reflexion of my style. I copied a pattern. No heart in this work!

I took the workshop because I wanted a "day off" from my mom duties and this workshop gave me that. It was a once-a-month class where you'd get together with friends and catch up and praise each other's blocks. The workshop served its purpose. The process is what I wanted not the finished product.

 I do like it much better now that I added the back and binding that are my style. 

The quilt definitely reads well which is why I submitted it. The contrast is very good and it will look great hung outside at The Creek.

Floor Rugs

I love these simple patchwork floor rugs, by designer Serge Lesage, made of bits of cow hide….or as they refer to it, natural materials.

Blue and orange,
great colour combination.

There is a good example of this
one on their web site (see below)
using reds.
 I can see that made up into a quilt.

If you like these, check out their web site by clicking here. Once you're in, you can play with colour by clicking on the Create Your Own section. (it's really fun actually) This exercise could be useful for modern quilt makers when wanting to test colour choices.