Ste. Marie-aux-Mines at 30

 

In the middle of September I spent a few days at the Carrefour Européen Patchwork (former “EPM” from European Patchwork Meeting) in Val d’Argent, southeast of Strasbourg. I can’t recall exactly how many times I had been there before, nevertheless it was a ‘first’ for me this time: now that is the place where EQA-meetings take place and the EQA challenge premieres (which used to be in Birmingham at FoQ). The other EQA representatives had already made their first appearance there last year, but I had not been able to go.

It had been difficult for me to arrange for a few days off from work for the festival when talking to the superior in spring. When I had the confirmation that I would be able to go I booked train tickets right away, counting on those days as the maximum, because, well, I had been told I could not be spared at work and really I should be grateful that I was to go at all... That made for a rather tight schedule in terms of how much time I would have to see the exhibitions, which is always a part of my duty as a writer for the German Guild’s magazine – and when the ork wschedule for September was published, I was rather surprised that I had one additional day off before and after what I had asked for. But the tickets couldn’t be changed anymore, and it took me a while to get over being a bit pissed off about that. Had I known, I would of course have booked differently and given me a bit more time and leisure to look in detail, make time to meet and chat with more friends. As it was, I felt a bit rushed all the days I was there.

It also took me a bit of time to get used to the – for me – new situation with accomodation as well, not in the valley, as I had been used to when going there with friends from Patchwork Gilde, but in Sélestat, depending on the shuttle. In the end I adapted and although I may travel differently next year – car? Bring a bike? Stay on the campground? – I had a wonderful few days even though they were packed.

It won’t be possible to give justice to all the wonderful exhibitions on display at this anniversary edition, and I won’t even try. But I loved meeting the Australians.

Short chat with Lorena Uriarte, whose works I have been admiring for a long time.

And a chat with Tara Glastonbury, I love her bold colors and modern designs.

So much fun to re-meet with Helen Beaven from New Zealand, 
I had first met her in Wellington 10 years ago. 

 

Seeing SAQA’s “Color in Context: Blue”. 

A quilt about a child with autism and special needs. 

 

And being involved in EQA’s display of the annual challenge with this year’s topic of “Contrast”. Already hanging it was fun, but stewarding the show was even more satisfying because you could take time to look at the over 400 pieces in more detail. I kept discovering new elements of interest. 

 

We had the annual AGM for EQA and I am now the treasurer for EQA.

Secretary Mary Hunter from Ireland, chair Marleen Verhuisen from Belgium, and me

 

And we decided on the next topic for the 2026 EQA challenge, which gave me a host of ideas as to possibilities for contributing a quilt this time as well, besides doing all the organizational work that comes with my position of International Representative. I didn’t keep track, but I must have come up with at least ten different ideas while we were having our Saturday-evening dinner. However, each participant is allowed only one entry, I will have to make up my mind. And find the time for making it to begin with…

Spiders are not considered part of the group of insects,
but when a spider is wrapping up another insect, that would 
qualify as inspiration, don't you think?

 

 I loved Ulla Hoppe's exhibition of her embroideries, and especially her self-portrait:

 And I finally remembered to take some selfies with friends, but they are not my forte, alas.

 

 Looking forward to coming back next year, hopefully with a little bit more time at my hands.

 

Taking a risk, and it was worth it - so far.

When I decided to enter two quilts into Wide Horizons which had its call open in March I was arguing to myself that it was giving the quilts a doubled chance of being accepted. One, “Seeing Red”, was also registered for the competion in Brno (Cz), and the jurying was scheduled to be done before the exhibition opened in Brno. Nor is there a statement that prohibits quilts from being entered in Wide Horizons which have been shown before. The second quilt I entered was the intended entry for EPMs contest “Ocean”.

My busy life being what it has been in the past few months, however, led to the fact that the Ocean-candidate could still use a bit more adding on when the deadline for Wide Horizons rolled in. I took my own photo – which I usually don’t do, I always take my quilts to be professionally photographed – and figured we would be notified in time that I could add a bit of stitching for an entry in Ocean should it not be chosen for Wide Horizons. Because there is a statement in the rules that the quilt must not be altered after a picture has been entered for competition.

Earlier this week, however, we still had not heard from Wide Horizons, and today was the final day for entering for Ocean. And I did want to get a professional photograph this time… I could have managed that, as I am a regular customer with the photographer, I think I would have been able to talk him into processing the photo so quickly that I could have had the picture taken yesterday and receive the fully edited file today. But no notice, and I found out that we would only be notified today. Too late to wait for confirmation about which, if any, of my two entries would be accepted… So I decided to take the risk, as I really wanted the Ocean-candidate to get a bit more stitching. 

 

I added some more quilting, a few more embellishments, and figured it was worth the risk to maybe have to pull back should it be chosen, or just ask whether I could send in the final version, even if it did not match with the picture entirely. Stitching took place yesterday, but that definitely did not leave enough time for having it photographed professionally. I took photos this morning, hoping that they turned out ‘ok enough’ so it would not be dismissed for reason of insufficient photography.

Got in my entry with EPMbefore midday – couldn’t wait around all day, because there were so many things that needed to be done I just did not want to put it off. And well I did, because it took quite some time to get the application finished, they made me fill in all the relevant information several times. (I am not too plussed with their website: the German translation is rather faulty, I did not check the English version, but finally returned to doing it all in French because I figured I would understand well enough.)

In the afternoon the message arrived… and I was happy to read that Seeing Red had been accepted. 

 

Detail photos of "Seeing Red"

I had hoped that this one would be the one chosen, but you never know. No need to withdraw the Ocean entry. But again there I entered with a non-professional photo…

In any case, “Seeing Red” has been chosen for Wide Horizons and will be shown at EPM in September. I need to wait a few weeks to find out whether a second large quilt of mine will be shown. But definitely a small one will be as well, as I have started on the binding of my bird quilt for the EQA challenge.

More life is happening right now and I am on the train to visit my father in hospital, I fear there may not be as much time for creativity within the next few days as I had hoped to have in my two weeks off work. I brought some knitting, though, to calm my nerves, and am allowing me to cast on a new piece. In yellow.

 

It is an idiosyncratic combination of a knitting pattern I saw and Sarah C Swett's method of  increasing at the beginning of a row. I love what I am seeing and getting - but right now it is a complete pain in the neck to be knitting the pattern because I only brought knitting needles with a rather roundish tip and it is proving rather difficult to get into a swing or flow with the knitting. I am steadfastly resisting the consumerist urge that says 'go get new neeldes!' because I do have well-pointed ones at home and don't quite know why I did not bring those. But they are there and I will wait until I get back home. Until then I can just knit a bit more slowly and meditatively, I do not need to buy any knitting needles.

8, (7,6,5,4) 3…

 

The countdown is on. When I handed in my resignation at the end of August I knew the remaining four months at the practice would seem longish, but I also thought that two periods of vacation and the overall arrangement of working 3 days a week, usually all in a row following each other, would make it relatively feasible. The feisty brat, too, has held back in her unpleasant behavior. Not talking at all except for an occasional ‘hi’ is much preferrable to her usual bitchy tone of voice. Which even – albeit very briefly  ­ let me wonder whether it would have been possible to stay there if she had been behaving like that all the time. But thinking about that is nuisance, as there are indeed several other issues that contributed to the decision to move on. And the new arrangement just seems so much more pleasant now, with the lake looming as a daily possibility. 

 

The only thing is the fact that I am planning to commute by train, and given the current situation of the German Railway system, that may be a training in resilience. We will see.

Had a creative brainstorm meeting with my good friend Barbara on Wednesday last week, we met in Landshut in a café. Barbara gave me one of her quilts that is going to Abilmente with me in February, and we had a wonderful time talking about options, ideas, textile projects. When I returned home I immediately laid out the dimensions needed for the upcoming challenge for Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, and positioned a couple of pieces I had already made in other contexts but want to include in this piece. For example, my one and only piece for this year’s German Guild’s Sew Along “Meer Gilde” (Ocean Guild) will become a part of this piece. 

My island in the Sun....

 

Then Thursday was day 8 before goodbye from the practice, I had been feeling unwell all day but had gone to work nevertheless. When I came home after the early shift I returned my lunch to the sewer and took myself to bed. Friday a trip to the doctor gave me a 6 day-sick call, which cut down the remaining 7 days of work to three. The doctor suggested a corona test, which was negative, as was the second one a couple of days later, but so far I have been taking a very long time in getting better. I was able to do a little bit of stitching on Sunday, in deed working on the new piece for the Ste. Marie-aux-Mines competition with the challenge topic ‘ocean’. It gives me the opportunity to try to put into fabric an idea I have been hovering for a few months now.

Rather more pictorial than I usually work, but why not try something new?

 

But it’s been a roller coaster since, I haven’t been able to do much at all and am simply hanging out in bed, using a lot of tissues  and coughing. I don’t think I have felt as miserable as this since the corona infection in July 2022, but as the tests say negative, and the cough feels very different from the one back then, I hope that it really is just one of the other viral cough infections and this pandemic unpleasantry will pass me by. The remaining three days of work are up after Christmas, I hope to be able to recuperate until then. After all, solstice is over, starting today the days will be getting longer, that must have an influence on my physical well being!

CQC Int. Inc. (or, Clandestine Quilt Carriers on the Move)

Is it because I have been more obsessed with the price of shipping quilts in recent years, or what has changed that I get the feeling I have become a member of a ‘clandestine quilt carriers network’?

One thing is bringing EQA-challenge quilts to Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, to exhibit, or back after they have completed their tour. This has been a common event for all the years that I have been the international representative for the German Patchwork Guild. Another thing is taking a number of quilts from a number of different quilters and all supposed to be going into different exhibitions or locations after having been handed on to somebody else. (Not to mention finally getting back my quilt from the SAQA-tour which customs wouldn’t give me back, which I have written about before.)

In Ste. Marie-aux-Mines I picked up my quilt from the Wide Horizons which finished earlier this year.

 

A Scrap a Day

And received back one quilt from a 20 Perspectives tour after it had been traveling for a year. 

 

Bridging the Cultural Gap (2022) -
note that this one contains pieces from the same vintage kimono
I am using for the piece I am currently working on, see last post.

I also collected quilts from several other 20 Perspectives members to be shown in Brno in April. 

Collecting quilts from 20 Perspectives for Brno in April

But before the event I had also been contacted by Annie Labruyère about five Germany-related quilts from the 70,237-project which were still in her possession from just before the pandemic, would I take them back because she just couldn't store them anymore at her house. Of course I said yes, and I picked them up from the stand of France Patchwork after Annie had to go home earlier than expected.

The bag with 5 quilts in it

 

Quilt no. 521, combining patches from Israel and Germany,
for the 70,237 project

 

Now I am taking these quilts on to Houston, and either I will give them to somebody who will take them to Tennesse to then be picked up to go on to Atlanta.

In Houston, also, I will take over several quilts, again from members of 20 Perspectives, to come to Germany with my and then be shown in Brno. As far as I know right now, I am not taking a quilt of mine to give to anybody there because that will go to France to be taken to Australia… if I remember correctly.

Do you understand why I sometimes don't know where my quilts are?