Happy Holidays!

All the best for the next year - with lots of special effects, not only on photoshop!

On meeting size restrictions and deadlines...

In the summer I became part of an international quilt group with members from five different countries. (We are planning to go public when we have a little bit more to show as a group, right now we are still sort of working undercover.) Assignments for quilts are passed out by the members according to a rota, and the second assignment called for a scale of greys, with a little bit of color.

That immediately gave me an idea for a quilt that would well fit into the “Inspiration Bauhaus” exhibition that I am working on and which will be on display at Fagus Works in October. I have shown a first glimpse of it here.

Sketch/plan for Shapes 10 according to a strict
and perfectly orderly system

Here are a few stages of development of the quilt:

7 shades of grey, numbered (at top) to keep them distinct for the maker...

adding red circles, the 'little bit of color'

adding grey circles according to plan above

the plan kept having to be altered to avoid too many repetitions,
and in the end I did not really  understand my own system
anymore, or if there was any system left at all...

adding the second set of (interior) circles

red rounds around half of the squares

reflector fabric and black-and-white-striped fabrics
for the rounds around the other half of the squares,
and a further round of the original shade of grey

all sewn together

a helper in the sandwiching - well qualified as a supporting quilter!

Now it is in the process of being quilted. I even hope to be able to show it in my exhibition in Freiburg in January already.

However, I had not met the size-restrictions that Ita had given us, and this quilt does not qualify for the assignment which is due by the end of the month. I have a number of left-overs from making this one, however, and ideas, and will be able to make a quilt 40 x 80 cm large. 

Although it probably won’t be exactly on time...

Little escap(ad)e: Rugs from Marocco in Pinakothek der Moderne

After I wrote about the wonderful book on ghelims that I discovered in the Basel museum during my visit in early November, I did go to see the current exhibit on Maroccan Rugs in the Pinakothek der Moderne.

 I had read about it in the paper when it was opened, had heard good things about it from friends, and was determined to go and see it even before I discovered the other book. 

Very impressive, very much worth seeing! Photographs were allowed without flash, so I can show you a few although I haven’t bought a catalogue yet. (I will, though.)

Some of the rugs were purely woven, yet most of them were hooked. Some on both sides.

With some you get the impression that the weaver started off with a pattern in mind and then did not  quite remember later on how s/he wanted to continue. Or maybe just changed mind halfway through. These I found particularly interesting, as the break in pattern appeared so slightly and created a particular kind of suspense.

 With this one it seems the warp ran out before the weaver had finished the intended pattern. But I love the way it leaves things 'open':

Overall, I was very much reminded of the quilts of Gee’s Bend in the liberty and ease with which patterns are handled. And even if you bear in mind that these pieces were made to lie on the floor, not to be presented on walls, they have a strong presence that draw you in. 

Similarly to the exhibition of Amish Quilts that was shown in the exactly same room several years ago, however, it must be said that too much was forced into this rather small space. Too many pieces in too little room, so that it wasn’t always easy to catch a good view of the individual rugs. But the arranger had made the most of it, and walking around the panels that were spaced diagonally all over the room, at least quite a few interesting views occured suddenly and unexpectedly. Luckily there was a second part of the exhibition on the upper floor, and here nothing was left of 'too little space'.

On display until January 5th, 2014.

Found Art

Finally, after weeks in grey, we had two hours of sunshine. As I had been watching the sun's battle against the fog this morning, hoping for success, I was all prepared, and raced outside once it had happened.
Found this wonderful tank.

And it yielded quite a harvest for 'found art'. (Of course, the owner came while I was taking pictures, and looked at me slightly sceptical when he first saw me, but he softenend up when I told him I was looking for art.) Here is a small selection of what I found.

After two hours, the fog won over, and by now it is raining. That's better than fog.

Colour of the day: Bonus

Small business Saturday

For quite a while already have I been following Margaret Cooter’s blog by e-mail notification. Her frequency of posts is intimidating for anybody who is a blogger, because one starts to wonder where she finds the time to write so many posts, and produce her books, sewing kits, drawings, take photos , and read (and share) poetry (and information on the respective poets) as well...

And inbetween she is always good for wonderful and interesting bits and pieces of information. Such as this most delicious recipe for lemon squares which I had printed out in March right away and finally have tried recently and found to be of a highly disappearing nature. If they hadn't disappeared so quickly, I might even have been able to take a picture.

Recently she wrote about the “Small business Saturday” - that is today - in England.

The rules for eligibility (as shamelessly copied from Margaret’s blog) read as follows:

ELIGIBILITY
We founded the Campaign to promote and support small businesses; accordingly, you should only download and use the Marketing Materials if you fall within these criteria:
 Your turnover (for all outlets and other business locations within the UK) for the 2012 calendar year must have been ten million pounds (£10,000,000) or less·
 You must not be:·
o involved as a principal course of business in the manufacture, promotion or sale of pornography, sexual aids, firearms or other weapons
o involved with the promotion or advocacy of any sensitive or controversial topic, or otherwise participate in activities that we determine to be inconsistent with our values.

So here I am – my turnover in 2012 was far below ten million pounds, even if converted into Euros, I am not involved in the manufacture, promotion or sale of pornography or weapons (although I suspect you could use a quilt to suffocate somebody if you tried really hard – but I would plead for ‘misuse of object’ in court in a situation like that), and I try to stay away from controversial topics on the blog (although I sometimes do feel a growing urge to start saying something about politics and humans treat each other and the planet). And in German tax rules I am even registered as a ‘small business’.

I even have several ideas how you could support me. You could either

• buy a quilt (here is the gallery, more pictures on  request) – or
• buy some fabric (by the yard here) – or
• hire me as a workshop instructor – or
• offer me a chance to exhibit my quilts.
• Or subscribe to my fabric club – for which there is a special offer up, starting today, Saturday 7^th, and valid until the Saturday after next, i.e. 21^st, 2013.

This is the offer:

Sign a subscription for my fabric club (conditions for subscription in English can be found here and a printout of the order form is possible here, and after the completion of the first year you will receive the January-2015-shipment either

• for free (if you sign up for Fat Quarters), or
• at half price (if you sign up for half metres or metres),

regardless whether you decide to discontinue the subscription or to keep going.

Are you ready? 

Support this small business, and give yourself a little Christmas treat that will last more than a whole year!

Thread spool storage

Over the last few weeks something has been happening in the back of the sewing room of the community college where I am currently teaching a patchwork class.

At first it looked as if a fakir was going to start using the classroom as well.

Last week, first items started appearing on the nails.

And this past Monday, the board looked almost like a piece of art.

Quite an ingenious way of storing your thread spools - all it is is a board hung on the back of the door.

You don't waste any wall space, you don't run danger of hurting your thread spools, because usually there is enough room between the door and the wall, even when the door is open. The only thing I don’t like about it is the open air storage approach, and thus the high possibility that they will accumulate dust quite quickly – because sewing rooms tend to be on the dusty side, no matter how often you push the vacuum cleaner through!

This doesn't even take a supporting quilter to make, though - anyone can make one herself. (Except that I have my little drawers, which keep out at least some of the dust.)