The West Country Quilt & Textile Show

Last Saturday I spent the day at The West Country Quilt & Textile Show with Traverse who had an exhibition there.  I had a wander around the show and these are the quilts that jumped out at me.  Most of these were in exhibition galleries rather than competition quilts.

Shenge Fish Market by Isabel Hollis

On To Glory by Judy Fairless

Red Sails in the Sunset by Penny Cole

The Sentinels: Silent Witness by Anne Beare

All That Remains by Gillian Cooper

Yellow Starflowers by Elinor Sigler

Birchington Breakwaters by Margaret Ramsey

Haven Brow at Sunset by Amelia Leigh

Processional Way by Judith Barker

And finally part of a beautiful mixed media zigzag book by Hilary Beattie.

I'm almost tempted to make a quilt myself and enter it into next year's show:  August 20th-22nd.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Felting Workshop with Caroline Merrell

Recently Cath & Deb from Traverse and I went on a felting weekend workshop taught by Caroline Merrell.  We had a fabulous time learning all sorts of 3D and sculpting techniques.

On the Saturday we started by making one piece with different types of samples on it - a ball cut in half, braids, and a tube.

Laying out the various samples

By the end of the day I had one rather large piece of felt with various bits added to it.  On Sunday morning I cut it into two pieces: a third and two thirds.  This is the two thirds!

 The craters cut into the felt around the tails.

Further cuts into the felt revealing the felt layers below

I started a second piece.  This is the first layer with bubblewrap resists.


Another layer of felt and more bubblewrap resists.

This was covered with more felt and a top layer of brown which I hoped would make a contrast with the layers underneath.  It didn't really work out how I hoped.

I started another piece with tails in the centre.   The brown felt reminds me of the old brown underfelt that people used under carpets.

I needlefelted some fibres onto the top of this piece.


The final piece I started was using a bubblewrap mask.


I had put a layer of  fibres over the bubblewrap and then I decided to cut rectangles out of a piece of prefelt and put the on the top with a piece of fabric trapped in between.


Then I cut into the felt where the holes in the mask had been.


None of these pieces are finished.  They all need stitching at the very least.   I will write another post about what I have done or will be doing with the felt pieces at a later date.   At least one piece needs to be finished in time for Traverse's exhibition in April.

Just to whet your appetite - here's what I did with Saturday's sample piece on the Monday after the felting weekend.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Oops! I've done it again

You may remember that at the beginning of 2018 I told myself to stop signing up for online classes and only do in person workshops.  And mostly I kept to that!  Although I did do rather a lot of in person workshops despite having to cancel a few because of my hand.

By the end of 2018 I felt that for 2019 I should cut back on in person workshops and concentrate on my own work.

Let's see how that worked out!!!!

January
Cas Holmes: From the Land
A mixed media workshop introducing the student to approaches to using paper, textile, print, dye and stitch to create pieces based on the ‘land’ and landscape or a subject of your choice. A focus will be placed on stitching as an extension of mark making and drawing, and various means of layering. We will use photocopies, and build up images, textures and mix materials. The workshop is experimental and intended to provide students with different ideas for development based on the artist’s own practice.

My work from a previous Cas Holmes workshop

January/February
Unlocking the Mystery of Creative Play
‘How do I make better work?’ We will look at simple language and principles of design found in the physical world. Working from a personal starting point, discover tools to create contrast and harmony using colour, value, size, shape, and texture. Bring your curiosity to discover what you like and how to achieve the elements you need to work with your theme and create effective compositions.

Triptych Wallhanging
Three panels that will be mounted on a canvas that can be attached together or presented adjoining each other. Each panel will be a different felting technique and you will be encouraged to use an array of mixed media, metal, stone, fabric, gold leaf for added interest and surface texture, stenciling paints. Cutting and revealing hidden surfaces to building up 3 dimensional tassels, tubes or multiple level craters

May
Eco Dyeing and Botanical Prints
n this course we will cover;
•fabric preparation with mordants in order to develop the richest colour, an essential foundation
•immerse dyeing to achieve beautiful colours and shades
•modifying and enhancing shades and tones
•botanical print direct leaf contact transferring colour from leaf to cloth
•solar dyeing, an effective way to simply allow colour to transfer to fabric
•happa-zome, a quick and satisfying experience of creating pattern and print

In Detail: Inspiration for stitching from sources hardly noticed
Many wonderful inspirational design opportunities exist around us if we take time to discover them. The aim of this workshop will be to begin with the study of examples of small details from natural objects, leading to the development of different personal ideas for work in stitched textiles. Structured experimental design exercises, investigating the scope offered by changes of scale, tone, texture and colour, together with demonstrations, will encourage students to choose ways to develop their ideas both 2 and 3 dimensionally.  Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on making notes and sampling in fabric and thread in order for work to continue later if wished

June
Tactile Notebooks and the Written Word
This workshop will help you to find your own living language through the creation of a vibrant notebook practice. Motivated by ‘haptic’ considerations we will use the sense of touch to stimulate and awaken perception to guide the making process, and to revive sensitivity to the way we communicate both visually and verbally.

July
Leah Higgins: Breakdown Your Palette
This five-day, focussed, workshop combines an in-depth exploration of breakdown printing and the study of colour to create a palette of beautiful, co-ordinated cloth. Working from your own inspirational images or objects you will extract colours to use as you work with a range of breakdown printing techniques. We will also investigate the use of discharge paste in breakdown and how your printed fabrics can be enhanced by other surface design techniques.

Breakdown printing from a Committed to Cloth workshop

So that's 7 major 2,3 or 5 day workshops booked into the first 6 months of 2019.   Not to mention the on going Art Textile Group at Littleheath Barn,  the exhibitions with Traverse and the Master Practitioner course.

It's just as well I'm retired, have no dependants and never do housework!

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Textile groups update

Traverse
As you know I belong to a mixed media and textile art group called Traverse.  We got together last weekend for our first meeting since we finished our Destinations theme.

Yesterday we revealed our new theme:

Revealed

There are two ways to go with a theme - a technique-based route or a concept-based route.  I really want to go with the concept- based route but unfortunately it's much easier to think of techniques that fit with Revealed or its opposite Concealed.   However I have looked at all that comes to mind with the topic as well as looking for synonyms and antonyms.

I tried firstly to make lists of words.

Then I decided to try my usual method of mind mapping (or whatever it's called these days!).  The problem with any of this is that I've probably got enough ideas here for the rest of my life!  I only need a minimum of 3 pieces of work by March 2019.  Plus I have at least another 4 of these mind maps on other themes.

 

The ideas may be hidden now, but no doubt the right ones will reveal themselves.

I know!! You're allowed to groan.

So on to the next group!

Near & Far
I have joined an online group called Near & Far.  This is a Facebook-based group run by Chris Gray.  She hopes that we will have a gallery exhibition at some point.   The theme for this group is Maps & Journeys.  And guess what I'm doing!

That's right! Venice!

We each have to make a minimum of 3 pieces - one wearable, one useful and one decorative.  I am going to make a Venice-inspired dress, a sketchbook with a Venice-inspired cover and a scroll book as the decorative piece that will be some sort of imagined journey along the Grand Canal.   I have bought several books about secret Venice so watch this space!

And lastly

Art Textile Group
I am also signed up to join a new venture that Liske is setting up at Littleheath Barn Studio.

Liske's description: In the art textiles class we will use the seasons as our inspiration and the plan will be to work on a series of 4 collage style pieces using fabrics created on the course, and adding work from home to suit your skills! Input from the group will help the course evolve and we will have the chance to exhibit at Avoncroft at the end of the final term!

So of course I have to share this:

I think I'm going to be a bit busy for the next few months!

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Traverse at Uttoxeter

Traverse exhibited recently at the British Quilt & Stitch Village at Uttoexeter Racecourse.  You can read about the exhibition on the Traverse website.

Our theme has been Destinations and the work I exhibited at Uttoxeter was the same work shown at the NEC that I wrote about here.

Venice Tiles

The show was much smaller than the NEC but we spoke to far more people and received much more feedback from visitors.

On the last day I was approached by 4 different people who want to book me to teach the technique I used for the Venice tiles.  They all promised to email me so I'll have to wait and see if it happens.  I'm feeling excited, flabbergasted and terrified all at the same time.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Traverse at the NEC

For four days in March, the ladies of Traverse exhibited their work on the theme of Destinations.  Cath has written a brilliant blog post about it.

Here, I'm going to share photos of my work.  This is Pathways.

Venice Hanging

Venice Tiles

The various Venice inspired books

A rare photo of me.  Here I'm demonstrating how to make mixed media books.

And the little zigzag book I made over three days.

On Sunday I began to make a fabric scroll book.

Since the show I have put together this video using photos from different members of the group.  Enjoy!

We have set up our own YouTube channel and hope to put new videos up every now and again.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Exhibition Sneak peeks

Eeek!  After planning and working since last April the first Traverse exhibition is almost upon us.  Set up day is next Wednesday and you can visit us on Stand M11 at the Fashion & Embroidery Show at the NEC from Thursday to Sunday.

Here are some sneak peeks of my work:

Venice Tiles

Venice Hanging

Venice fabric book

Small Venice book - mixed media

It wasn't my intention last April to have the majority of my work based on Venice - but that's how it has turned out.   Actually the first piece of work I did was Pathways which is made up of 12 squares each with a Bible verse about a path on it.

Pathways

I hope you will have the opportunity to come and see my work and the work of the other members of Traverse.  We would love to see you.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Art Cloth update

In November I told you how I had cut up my art cloth and then pieced it back together with some bought fabric.

I took it with me to Littleheath Barn and used a thermofax screen to print over the whole thing to try to blend the bought fabric into the made fabric.

I had enlarged a Michelle Ward stencil on my computer and then traced over the images with unwanted dress pattern tissue.

I laid out the tissue stencils on the art cloth. Sorry about the quality of the photo.  I was standing on a chair using my phone!   Now it's ready to sew.

Here each of the large stencils have been stitched on one of the circles to the cloth.

A closeup of the pattern completely stitched.

And here the stitching with the tissue pattern removed.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice