A couple of days ago I read a post by Anna Wharton who posts as White Ink on Substack about how life had got in the way so she couldn't write her weekly newsletter. It feels a little bit like that for me right now, except that I can't say what the reasons were for never completing and posting the two starts for posts that were waiting in my 'blogger stash'. I did get started, then something called me away, I never returned, time passed, I did keep telling myself 'you must put this into the post'... And here we are, again it has been too long, really, since my last post.
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| On Tuesday I spent an involuntary hour at Hamburg main station because of a canceled train. I tried to make the best of it by taking pictures, 'training' my eye. I posted more of those on my instagram account, @justquiltsjustcolors. |
A lot has happened, even some things in my art-part of life, and it won't be possible to now catch you up on everything. But I am still at the beginning of almost 4 weeks off work - 2 weeks for my 'off-time' and another 2 weeks vacation - so I may actually be able to sew and write again? We'll see.
During our 20 Perspectives bi-weekly zoom-meeting two weeks ago we talked at length about the exhibitions that our various collections have been traveling with, and I realized that I had no real understanding where my quilts were going or had been. And will be going. We do have a spreadsheet for the group that lists exhibition dates and venues, but I admit, once a quilt is on its way to somewhere I don't check that spreadsheet. But we had a lot of exhibitions, and after I finish writing this post I will try to post two videos on Instagram that members of the group sent of our exhibitions, so you can get an impression of what's going on with 20 Perspectives. (Keep your fingers crossed that this works! That's another something going on ... me and digital stuff ... no further comment!) During the discussion it became clear that the recent developments of world situation, shipping restrictions, uncertainties, tariffs etc. have made it decidedly more difficult to transfer quilts to and from wherever they are. The group is a web of clandestine quilt movements, and I am certain none of us could easily recollect who is taking whose quilt to where to be handed over when and to whom.
Just how precarious shipping has become I have experienced during the past three weeks. I was informed that three boxes of EQA-quilts of the challenge "Contrast" had been shipped to me from Finland. Two arrived rather quickly. The third one was missing.
Tracking information told me it had never left Finland. The Finnish IR called the post office. She called again. Tracking information was removed from the app because of time lapse. No news from the search in Finland... I was getting nervous. I had only told the Finnish IR, who did the searching on her end, and our new EQA Chair because I did not want to scare anybody else. But it seemed like it was getting tight because my husband and I are leaving next week and if nobody is here to receive the package... Tuesday afternoon I suddenly received an email that the next day the box would be delivered - and it was. What a relief. Now there are three boxes, and the exhibition at Patchworktage in Suhl in May can go ahead as planned. And I will suggest to EQA that we start shipping those collections with air tags!
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| When walking to the hairdresser yesterday I passed the local pond and liked the light condition. And the fact that spring is slowly beginning to put green on the trees. |
I recently returned to my husband's place and immediately started working on my piece for EQA's challenge 'Insects', which will premiere at Carrefour in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines in September. Fortunately, I am the person who is in charge of delivery of German entries and have a lot of time left, because I don't have to send it anywhere in advance. But I would like to get it done soon, quickly, to be able to continue with other things. It was a messy situation yesterday, because I had put markings onto the piece by sewing over paper and that had to be removed. Not a favorite activity of mine...
For this piece I let myself be inspired by the so-called Picasso-Bug, using a selection from the markings on its back and changing coloring a bit. It will be called "Picasso Bug in Yellow". Here is a first glimpse.
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| Probably the orientation is going to change in the final state, but that needs to be decided. |
Also further planning for my next "Femina"-piece for 20 Perspectives. Need to order some custom printed fabric for that!
