Getting ready for an exhibition

29/9/19.
Today was the day for handing in works for The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria's annual members' exhibition.

I am on the exhibition committee so was privileged to be able to see many of the works as they were handed in. One of the huge advantages of this is that you get to hear the stories about the making of the pieces, as well as admire the works, of course.

It is also eye-opening to see the variety of techniques that people use. And the high quality too. It is a little daunting to see how wonderful some of the entries are. But then I think that it is also encouraging for new and prospective members to see the range of designs, techniques and that not all the works are of equal quality  - and no-one cares. It is just a great chance to work to a theme and deadline and to have your work displayed.

The are over 160 entries this year. We are going to spend the rest of the week hanging it, ready for the opening night on Friday.
The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday.

I have said I will be one of the demonstrators on Sunday, I'll have to come up with something to be working on! I have finished my latest ones so I could put them in the exhibition.

Something to think about tomorrow.

Missed the date!

I thought to myself, I must blog today, it is 19/9/19. That was a few days ago and was as far as I got.
But it is not that much later, so I can say I have been working on a piece since that date (I can't remember if that is actually true or not, I just know I have something that I have been working on for a while).

Anyway, here it is:
I had thought to try a teapot based on Clarice Cliffe's images. I have done a couple recently so I thought I could give it another go.

Then I thought about what I wanted to do and why:
The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, is having its annual members exhibition soon and the works are due to be handed in on Sunday. I entered the challenge (you can put in entries before you have made the pieces, something I like because then I have a deadline to work towards - you can also withdraw with no penalty, not even a tsk, tsk). The challenge is called Altered Art and is not allowed to be any larger than 15cm in any dimension. This seemed a bit small for my teapot idea, too fiddly.

I also attended a demonstration at one of our play days in the recent past (that means sometime this year) and we made silk paper - I think that is what we did, or did we just talk about it??
No ... there was a workshop on at the same time as a meeting I was at and they were making and sewing on silk paper!  Anyway, I was inspired to make some silk paper afterwards, with no purpose for it in mind.

This inspired me to make my teapot out of the silk paper - then I realised it would not be particularly strong and I would have trouble putting all the bits together.
I have now come up with the idea of a bowl inspired by Clarice Cliffe.
I found images of bowls and plates that I really liked.
I chose the design from a plate (Windbells) but wanted to make the conical bowl.

I played around with cardboard first, to get the proportions and sketch the design.

After I got the template organised, I looked at the silk paper I had lying around and the image. I realised I had some of the appropriate colours, so decided to lay them on the base too.
As the silk paper isn't very strong, I thought I should put it into a hoop. However, I didn't want to get a mark from the hoop so decided to use soluble fabric to hold it in place. Then I realised that I could lay the other coloured bits of silk paper on the base and the soluble fabric would hold it down.

I did this on both sides and then sewed it. I didn't bother sewing all over the fabrics as I thought the soluble fabric would glue it together and I was right!

I wanted to make the base she had made, which was like a cross but I just couldn't manage it, especially not with flimsy silk paper. So I have ended up with a circular base.

Here it is, drying in a funnel.

It was a bit tricky to sew as the silk paper kept falling into layers.  Then I realised that this bit of silk paper had not had the soluble fabric on it and would be strengthened if I painted some on, after I dissolved it. I painted it after I hand sewed it on. I also layered a few pieces of the coloured silk paper, which I had pulled apart to be a bit more filmy. I caught them with a few stitches but am relying on the soluble fabric glue to hold it on securely. It is currently drying, so I hope it will work.

I might try for a better picture once it is dry and complete - or I might leave that till I have one of it at the exhibition. If it tuns out ok and stands up!

Inspiration

Thanks goodness for interesting dates! Otherwise, I might not post at all.
9/9/19.

So ... what have I been doing?
I have just finished a piece for a group that has the theme Mood. I didn't really know what to do. I had done a piece that was about struggling with life and seeing some way through the difficult times. I called it Light at the End of the Tunnel.

Then I thought I would do a more positive one. I looked up labyrinth image and came across a few that were interesting. I adapted one to use and have made a piece that is quite textured. I like texture - in case you hadn't noticed.

You have to follow the coloured path, not between the pieces, to get in and out. Most labyrinth patterns use the pattern to walk between, as in hedges, but this one you use the textured parts to run your finger over it and that takes you in and out.

Then I found one that I had a really strong reaction to - it was an enclosed maze. It made me feel very stressed!! No way out. Endless circling.

I may use it in a future work, or I may not. I will see how the Mood takes me.

Time for another post on 1/9/19

I was reminded today about the tapestry exhibition that is currently showing at the Handweavers and Spinners Guild rooms in Carlton North.

It is the annual challenge of the online group. The theme was Celebrate. There are approximately 50 pieces on show. It is a bright and cheery theme.

It will be there till mid-September, then move on to its next destination.

The inspiration of the yearly challenge is what I need to make me think, plan and do. I am very grateful to the ladies who arrange this every year.

Our local group also has a few pieces up. Some of our members gave a talk about tapestry weaving to the general meeting of the guild a couple of weeks ago.
I am often surprised that members of the guild do not know what tapestry weaving is - then I realise that I don't really know what inkle weaving is, and I don't know how to spin and dye my own wool (theoretically, I do, practically, I don't).
So it is good to be able to share the different practices of members.

September already!!

Today is 1/9/19. I was reminded that I had to blog because of the interesting numbers. So here I am, blogging.

I was going to put in a picture of the hydrangea sprouting leaves and say something about Christmas coming but every time I think of it, it is dark and I don't have a picture, so I will have to leave that till another day.

I did take some pics of the Silver Princess in our garden. The bees were busily humming (that song about Spring coming, something to do with daffodils - which are not up yet) and I saw some that went RIGHT INTO  the centre of the flowers. You have to look closely.

I have been doing some more bits and pieces for the Farmyard theme. I may be the only person in my group doing it - we had a smaller than usual group today because it was Fathers Day and some members were absent. I think there are a couple of others still doing it but they don't always bring them.

Not to worry, I am being inspired, if that is the correct word.
I recently attended another Kathryn Harmer Fox workshop and have been influenced by her techniques and advice. I did a Pademelon and was advised to let the fabric talk, not to sew it to death (my words, not hers).

I have done a cow, which needed to be knocked back in the body and I used tulle.

The horse didn't need as much stitching as I had planned, I liked how it was turning out so have done minimal stitching. It has lots of small pieces of fabric laid out as a collage. So the fabric speaks a lot in this one.

Now to work out how to mount and, possibly, frame them.

Must be going out time.

I have also been to a couple of other exhibitions lately.
A) I went to the Craft and Quilt Fair last week. It was busy!!
I resisted most stalls but did buy some lovely cottons for machine sewing. Gorgeous colour range.

The quits were amazing, as usual. Some I had seen before, at the AQC but there were new things to see also.

Modern Quilt, Amateur, winner of two ribbons. By Karen McGregor.

This one by Neroli Henderson.

B) I visited a retrospective exhibition of Rosalind Byass' at the Box Hill Town Hall. I had done a design class with Ros, through the Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, a few years ago. It was lovely to see her work. Many of her pieces have won awards at various textile art exhibitions around the state.
It was interesting to be in a class with someone who works so very differently from me. That is one of the benefits of workshops and courses, there are people with varied takes on the same topics and it stretches you greatly.

C) I visited Bundoora Homestead to see the One Step Further exhibition, organised by Quilters Victoria. There was a very interesting floor talk. Some of the quilt were not quilts - that is the idea of One Step Further, I realise. But they were far from being quilt-like. All of the works were wonderful, even the quilty ones!

Unfortunately, I can't remember who did this one!

Elizabeth Dubbeld

Rebecca Wolske

Maybe all these exhibitions are what has inspired me to post again. I hope my enthusiasm remains. I like documenting things here, as I have said before. It really is a good record for me.

Random exhibitions.

Just noticed this in my unposed list!! Need to post it because ... it is September!

 It is August already!! Where does the time go?? I have this theory that when you are 5, a year is a fifth of your life, a long time. When you are 50, it is a fiftieth of your life, not so long. So time is relative!

Anyway ... I have been to a few interesting things lately. I attended a workshop at Threads and Tangles that was taught by Kathryn Harmer Fox. I have done a workshop with her in the past and didn't want to miss out, so booked in February.
It was a three day workshop. I felt exhausted every day on the drive home, thought it must be me. Then, on the last day, people were commenting on how tired they had been each evening, so now I feel better. It was from the great concentration and creativity that we had been doing.

As usual, Kathryn was encouraging while still challenging. There were kits that had been prepared for the participants but I had missed some of the messages so took my own image. It didn't matter much, everyone did their own thing anyway, even if they had a kit! It is always amazing how people can be at the same class, using very similar materials, and come up with entirely different works.

Mine is the Pademelon (looks a bit like a kangaroo)

Each day we had to pin up our works in progress and Kathryn would do a crit for us, all positive but with suggestions to challenge further progress.

After that workshop, I went to the machine embroidery group at the Embroiderers Guild and there was only a small group. Lo and behold, many of our usual members were at a class being held by Kathryn. She was teaching at the guild also. So I got to take pictures of her works displayed around the room.

Then, the same day, the teapot exhibition had its official opening at the Stonehouse Gallery. Seeing it is not that far from home, I attended. It was great to see works by people I know, as well as many whom I don't know. I also caught up with a few friends and acquaintances.  I really admire the judges, the works were sooooo different!
There were functional and non-functional teapots. Ceramic, textile, wooden, felted teapots. Probably some other techniques that I don't remember at present. It was lovely to see so many creative ideas.

My two at the front.

Then, today, I went to the State Library - after walking around the block to find an entrance that was open, there is a lot of renovation and building going on in the city!!!

I saw this amazing tapestry on the wall. I had seen posts about it on the ATW website and had actually seen it being made but hadn't taken much notice of where it as going to be hung. So it was lovely to come across it today, in situ.