Isolation

Since the corona virus broke people have been self isolating. I have had many people call or email and 'check' on me and that's nice but I do tell them that my life hasn't really change that much.

I normally work from home, isolated in my studio, alone. That part of my day is the same. I have had no "adjustments" to make. I chose to work this way because for me sewing is meditative. I want to be by myself.

If these restrictions are new to you you are probably saying, "How does she do it??? I am going crazy and it's only been a week!"

The home has many distractions! Beware.

One thing is for sure. I am very disciplined. I wake up at the same time every weekday. I either run on my elliptical or go outside (could be a walk or a viewing of the garden) then I "Go to Work". That idea of "Arriving at the Studio" is a good one. I enter and start working. It helps you feel you are not still at home. I close the door and work. Note: never work in your PJ's :-)

I vary my activities. I work with fabric so I section off time for cutting, time for sewing a particular project for my artwork or my quilts, time for designing. Then I may write up class notes for a new idea. (I have so many ideas!! Too many for my lifetime, I fear!!) I also stand up often and do some stretching or movements so my body doesn't cramp up.

I am a big believer of timers! Especially when I have to do something I don't like. I give myself a time limit and a "prize' after the time is up even if the entire job isn't finished. The prize could be a tea or some knitting time, small stuff like that.

Normally, I squeeze in some teaching and I guess that is my way of connecting with people. I have so much experience and sharing my expertise and empowering people is something I love to do. It's exciting to me to see students, even beginner ones, soar after they have been given an opportunity to create their own quilt design! If you have taken a class from me you know there are no set patterns. You do not need a teacher to read you a pattern! You need a teacher to teach a technique and inspire you to create your own quilt and tell your own story.

The Spring classes I had booked at Artscape Youngplace in Toronto have been postponed. The landlord has given me a credit for the 2 rentals and I hope to reschedule the classes in the late Fall.

I have made so many new friends while teaching all those years.  That's such a nice part of teaching. Some of those friends have accompanied me to Italy and enjoyed a real (authentic) Italian experience, meeting quilters, socializing with my neighbours, having classes taught by Italian artists and immersing themselves in the culture. Those trips have been postponed as well.

DING!! My time to write to you is up. Got to get back to my sewing.

Think positively.

You are in charge of your day. Make it a great one.

Discovery

The nice thing about going through boxes and bags of stuff in my studio is finding things I forgot I had- mostly quilt blocks.

Bear Paw blocks were almost all made up!

As I reorganized shelves, fabric and spools of thread, I did spend some time sewing those blocks together or adding a border on some quilt tops that needed a frame.

Made using 5 inch squares and a few rectangles.
Made using  my fabric scraps of course!
I did buy new fabric for the back.

I sent several quilt tops out to the quilter for layering and quilting.

I love this lime green binding.
I could have gone with dark brown (boring)
or even a blue but the green makes a splash!

The whole process did take away some time from my art work but I feel it was worth it. It is much better to have these quilts done than in a box where no one can enjoy them.

What a treat sewing by the fire on a cold spring day!

I urge you to do the same!

Make it a spring cleaning project!

Studio Make-Over

I had to get out of my studio. It is a giant mess!

I am in the process of redoing it... yes, STILL! I took everything off the shelves, moved a couch and some tables only to realize the way it was set up before was actually the best use of space and light! Bother! I had to put everything back!

I took a bag of stuff to sort by the fireplace. I made a nice fire and turned a boring task into a relaxing enjoyable one.

You can always turn a bad thing into a nice thing! (Good to know)

Now for a cup of tea!

A New Year

The kids have returned to their homes, the house is quiet again. There are still signs around the house of our festivities, like a dining-room table full of dirty crystal glasses waiting to be washed by hand and a fridge full of amazing leftovers, or as I like to call them "highlights of the week".

cluttered design wall!
I have contemporary work up
as well as the traditional 9-patch blocks
for a quilt I am working on.
I should really only have ONE thing up there at a time.

I have decided to redo my studio. A good project to start with. I am no longer inspired when I enter the space. Sometimes I don't even want to go in the room! So it's time.

Where to begin... The important thing is to start, to actually begin.

folded fabrics everywhere!

I am a list maker. I take a job or a goal and break it down into manageable bits. I feel good when I accomplish a task that takes me closer to my goal. The task is sometimes a very small step but nonetheless something that takes me closer to the end.

I will keep my cigar boxes
filled with embroidery floss and threads.

 A make over. The new year is a good time to make such a change.

prize ribbon
for a contemporary work I did in 2009.
I will keep that visible!

May your 2015 be filled with inspiring changes.

Happy New Year.

A Visit

Canadian Quilters' Association board of director member, Laine Canivet, was in Toronto recently.

Old City Hall tower in downtown Toronto

She and I (and Marsha Cleveland, editor of The Canadian Quilter) have been communicating about articles for the magazine since the exhibit Tradition in Transition was invited to France.

summer issue 2013

The Summer Issue 2013 has an article entitled Definitely Canadian which is in large part the presentation I gave at the 18th Carrefour Européen du Patchwork Lecture Series.

starts on page 11

A future issue will feature an article about Verona and their biennial textile festival. I will let you know when that gets published.

To order a copy click here.

Laine and I met on Friday for a coffee at my favourite place, L'espresso. She wanted to see my studio which was full of cardboard boxes and bubble wrap and not much sewing. I plan to set up my sewing machine this week as I slowly send out the Mineral pieces that arrived from Europe last week and make more room in my head for creating!

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.

Discipline

Being an artist is like every other job. You have to go to your "office" every day and work.

Penny Berens stitches 5 hours a day.

Penny's work (detail) is always filled with hand and machine stitching

Judith Martin spends 5 hours stitching, 3 hours in studio designing and 2 hours researching. That's a 10 hour day.

Judy Martin presents her work " Heart to Heart"

Australian artist Dijanne Cevaal dedicates 50 hours per week to her art. That includes blogging, writing articles, teaching, designing, dying and making.

part of Dijanne Cevaal's Sentinelle Series

Before I became a mother and made that my career, I was a student at the National Ballet School and later a ballet dancer in a dance company in Vienna, Austria. I know about self discipline!

Now, I am a textile artist.

I sew every day, even on weekends. I spend on average about 4 hours in my studio creating and doing, depending on my family commitment.

Blogging, taking art classes, teaching, researching other textile artists, curating, writing my book...that is all extra! I fit that in when I can.

Confession: Sometimes I work on quilts unrelated to the quilt book I am writing or projects that have nothing to do with my teaching samples or my art work!! That is the equivalent of playing computer games when your boss isn't around!

wasting time??

I have decided to put aside every Wednesday for painting and preparing fabrics and papers for future works.

My dance training will come in handy.

My New Studio

Watching all those decorating shows while I was sick inspired me to redo some of the rooms in my house.

I moved some bedroom furniture from one room to another one across the hall. That is now the new guest room.

I moved my studio from the sun room to that empty room. It gave me an opportunity to sort out and donate stuff I have not been using.

I love my new space!!

I have room for fabric.

I have room for books.

I have room for projects on the go.

I have room for precut strips.

My system consists of 3 swing lid garbage bins. Each bin holds
pre-cut strips of different sizes. All scrap fabric.
They are close to my cutting table.

I have room for two tables- one for sewing and one for cutting and layering.

I have room for a permanent design wall.

I have room for a couch for friends that visit. (and room to hang some art!)

painting on the window ledge done by my daughter, Isabelle

I have a large north-facing window.

I have room for everything- my quilting stuff and my textile art stuff.

I still do all the messy fabric painting in my unglamourous basement where I have good light and a sink. You don't want to see THAT space! Scary!!

spring

I hear it snowed in Toronto.

view of the snow-capped mountains
from Ponte della Vittoria

In Verona, it was a gorgeous day... sunny and warm and wonderful.

me this morning waiting for a coffee

After a few errands, I met up with my friends at the Ad Maiora studio. I had some time to sew after lunch. I tried out the new quilting technique I saw on one of Jennifer Manefield's quilts. It is just straight sewing but not too straight. In fact, the lines are slightly crooked on purpose. I think it will look great using variegated thread on one of my scrap quilts.

preparing for my class on Friday. 

On Friday morning, I am teaching how to make a zippered pouch. As a sample, I am using the fabric pieces I dyed in Marina Tavella's class (www.windowonweb/marinatavella) while the Canadians were in Verona.

It has been a while since I have been at the sewing machine. It felt really good to sew for an hour while the sun danced on my fabric.

reading the comments

One of the things we did today was to read the visitors' comments written in the books left in the galleries and exhibition spaces.

There were people from Brazil, Mexico, USA, UK, Spain, Belgium, France, Finland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Canada (Ottawa) and us 9 Canadians from Toronto plus Italians from Sardinia and all over mainland Italy that experienced Verona Tessile.

work exhibited in Profumeria Caccia

"It was difficult not to touch the work!" was one of the comments ("e stato difficile non toccare"). I understand that. Textile is meant to be touched. I never put my art work under glass for that exact reason.

part of the afghanistan exhibit. work by Yvette Winand, Belgium
title: Eingeschloben in Kaboul

I got to touch many of the works as I helped to pack up. The packages will be sent back to the artists tomorrow.

leaving town

My studio gets very messy while I work. These two pictures show my cutting table. You see? There is no room for cutting!

I work on many different things at one time which is part of the reason for the chaos.
There are fabric pieces being sewn for quilts for my book. There are pieces of fabric for my art work that are painted and drying. There are samples I work on for the quilt classes I teach. There is stuff for the art exercise I do daily.

When my husband is out of town, the studio grows and bubbles into the adjacent room.

I am leaving in a few hours and have to clean up..but there isn't any time I want to dedicate to it.

Solution:

antique quilt

From the fabric choices, I would say this quilt is from the 1940's. 

I love scrap quilts, a feast of fabric. These are some of my favorite bits.

It was given to me by a student (Thanks Barb!). I use it to cover the mess.

putting everything to bed

My studio looks way better now!

Next time I post, it will be from Verona, Italy.