Participating in Hope and Survival, the Scroll of Remembrance

Yesterday was a great mail day! I received the envelope Laurie Swim sent me with everything I will need to be a part of her latest project, The Halifax Explosion Memorial Project entitled, "Hope and Survival”.

By sewing the beads on these pre-printed fabric sheets, I will contributing to the completion of the Scroll of Remembrance, a documentation of all those who passed away in the explosion. The beads are the Braille dots which accompany the written names, in itself an intricate part of the design as many were left sightless after the Explosion. I am thrilled to be participating in this wonderful piece of art which will honor and memorialize a very vital part of our Atlantic history.

If you are interested, check out Laurie’s directions here.

I am excited to start and excited to be included! 

SAQA 2104 Anniversary Trunk Show piece

Getting projects completed makes anybody feel good. I love seeing a project through to completion and when I get another one checked off my list, well, yahoo for me!

I am working very diligently at revamping my approach to shows and exhibitions. My new attitude is basically, why not? I have no burning desire to compete, but I am also feeling it is okay to be included. So, when the call came out for the SAQA 2104 Anniversary Trunk Show and our Regional Rep reminded us that we should all be involved, I made a concerted effort to get a piece done. Besides, the piece is only 7 x 10; I could fit that into an already overfull schedule. Why not?

So, I created my little art quilt using another little sketch I had waiting for the time I needed to get it onto fabric. It is painted, fused and beaded following the same procedure I outlined in my last post. A recent purchase of a WHOLE ROLL of Mistyfuse..be still my heart!...is going to make working on pieces such as this an absolute dream. New beading needles and thread are also going to help. 

I mailed my piece off and as I did, I got thinking about how maybe I did need a new word or phrase as guidance for my year. Maybe I do need a controlling factor to my days. So, I think I have found it...why not? Why not indeed!

I'll let you know how it goes..

My piece for the SAQA Atlantic Trunk Show

The SAQA Atlantic group has a travelling trunk show and each member is invited to include a piece representative of their work for inclusion. Completing a piece has been on my to do list for far too long and last week I set out to finally get mine done! I had a little sketch from way, way back in mind to use, and to be honest, it was an absolute pleasure to finally see my idea "materialize".

I like to use fabrics I create myself in my personal pieces. Using a combination of Seta opaque and transparent paints as well as Jacquard metallics, I happily painted white cotton yardage, creating a palette of fabrics to work with. Sparkle was added to the snow, water and sky pieces with some brush strokes of glitter fabric paint.

When I build a piece like this, I use a fusible webbing ironed to the back of the fabrics. Then I cut each piece, adhere them to a base and press them with a hot iron. Straight stitching further secures the layers together. Any time I can add embellishments is a plus in my books and this piece has some beads. The edges are left unfinished because it will be mounted between two layers of mat board and slipped into a clear plastic sleeve. Finished measurements are 8 x 8 inches.

The scene I have created is one my family and some close friends will recognize as Cook’s Cove, PEI. The land there is ever changing and I have taken some liberties in my interpretation, but to me it is a view forever on my mind..

SAQA Atlantic - Weekend Retreat

This summer I found myself making a very quick decision (especially fast for me - those who know me know I can agonize over decisions..you should see me when I eat in a restaurant!). I decided - and stuck with that choice - to join SAQA one night and then head to Truro the next day to meet the new-to-me members of SAQA Atlantic. That great day eventually led to an entire weekend of even more wonderful moments and new friendships. And all around the love of fibre.

Under the incredible leadership and keen organizational skills of our Regional Rep, Chris, and the amazingly upbeat and talented, Susan, we spent from Friday to Sunday getting to know each other and SAQA Atlantic, and especially, getting to know ourselves. The goal of this retreat was to introduce ourselves and our work to each other, create personal connections and strengthen the group as a whole. Under this guise, we participated in an ice-breaker, small discussion groups, bigger discussion groups, a studio tour, a presentation. We held a business meeting, a visioning session, had wine and cheese, early morning yoga-ish exercises and an awe inspiring Show and Tell! Even with all these wonderful activities, as with many of these events, probably the best moments arose in the evenings at the Lodge once we had all settled down, kicked back, put our feet up, and started talking. Support was lent where needed, ideas were fostered, techniques were applauded! All while wine was drunk, socks were knit, stitches were taken, sketches were drawn, and friendships were fostered.

I like to get involved when I become a member of a group because I feel the more hands and heads helping out, the better the outcome for everyone, and especially for me. In this group I am one of two moderators of the SAQA Atlantic blog. Our goal for the blog is to keep everyone updated with SAQA Atlantic activities, but as well to showcase the amazing talent of our members. 

If you are interested in seeing what is going on with this amazing group of talented Atlantic Fibre Folk, please drop over and have a look. 

Mug rugs

Everyone attending the SAQA Atlantic retreat brought gifts and goodies to give as a thank you gift to our two retreat organizers. There were lots of yummy threads, ice dyed fabrics, hand dyed fabrics, bits and pieces of personalities tied up in luscious yarns and ribbons. 

I couldn’t get the image of a magic carpet out of my head. And a mug of something hot (warm..) is always beside me, so I opted to make each a mug rug in what I perceived to be a flying carpet shape using some of my hand dyed fabrics. I added a mug that could hold a reasonable portion of a soothing beverage and my favorite, a piece of maple cream from our local Farmer’s Market.

I have to be honest so full disclosure here - I didn’t even know what a mug rug was until a few months ago. But, now the idea of a perky little pad to protect my surface from spills and drops and one that is big enough to hold a mug and a snack makes a lot of sense to me. 

Today I am connecting to The Needle and Thread Network.

Weekend away

After a full work week, I packed and headed to the first ever SAQA Atlantic Retreat.

The weekend was an action packed exchange of information and meeting of minds. Things have certainly been altered forever in my little universe.

Messages

Some things that happened today were meant to happen. Or, perhaps they were simply a product of my own willingness to deviate from what I felt I should be doing and instead, doing what I wanted to do. Whatever the reason, the effect was overwhelmingly joyful and I found myself smiling and laughing to myself as I drove back home.

First off, I met up with the lovely Lorette of Spruce it Up Quilting at the Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival. The festival is in its 6th year and transforms the charming town of Amherst, Nova Scotia into a fibre mecca for five days. Sadly, this was the first year I had carved the time to make that 40 minute trek down the highway, but on the bright side, I will make sure to get there another year.

I spent some time wandering through the Zonta Fibre Arts Bazaar and managed to spend time promoting my newest favorite fibre group, SAQA Atlantic. I had chats with a number of vendors including Heidi Wulfraat who has a beautiful array of hand dyed yarns and Felicia Knock with her gorgeous selection of hand dyed wools. I had an interesting conversation with a couple who live on 28 acres; we talked about chickens (love!), bobcats and cougars, minks, pig farming, chopping wood, tatting, and kids! The other booths featured hand made glass buttons, felting, jewellery, hooked work, fabric and so much more!

After leaving the bazaar, I headed down the street to find the First Baptist Church where the Cumberland Quilters were hosting their quilt show. They had decorated the beautiful and historic church with their members’ quilts and rugs while Jackie of The Fabric Cupboard had set up shop within the vestibule. And this is when my day got even more interesting.....

Before I left this exhibit, I asked if there was another quilt show on as I had read in the brochure that there was, but I hadn’t been able to locate it. One of the women told me that no, there wasn’t. I was a bit surprised, but assumed that one had been cancelled, or the date changed. Off I went. 

As I headed down the sidewalk, I saw a woman struggling with a sign. She hesitated and looked back at me. She made a comment I didn’t really understand, something about moving the sign for Alan. I asked if the sign had blown over. No, it hadn’t, but it was too heavy for Alan, the church custodian. I smiled and started to move on. Then she asked me if I had been to their quilt show. Ah, noo, I haven't.....Come with me, she said, there is still time.

Slightly bewildered I followed her across the courtyard to Christ Church where a show by Quilt Expressions, an Amherst based quilt group was displayed. Once again the quilters had made use of a lovely, small historic church and had draped the pews with many beautiful quilts, many hand quilted, with extensive quilting, as was pointed out to me. 

The conversations I had during this next half hour were just such a re-inforcement that the world is indeed a small place and that there are connections everywhere. Walking through the doorway, I met up with an old quilting acquaintance and learned her two granddaughters are currently studying at two of the universities my children graduated from - STFX and McGill - so we chuckled over that coincidence. A woman standing beside her had just moved back to this area after living in a community near my parents home on PEI and her son was best friends with a cousin of mine. Then she mentioned a name I knew well; a friend of my family’s, but mainly of my Mom’s, who had just been there to pick up an item to take back to my parents home church. Then the woman from the sidewalk and I talked some more and discovered we shared the same married name, with different spellings.....Hmmm. 

Lately I have been struggling with finding, no, taking the time to create. There always seems to be something else that takes me away from working on my fibre projects and artistic pursuits. I keep saying, well, if I can just get through this week, there will be more time to focus on that. And then the next week seems fuller than the last. 

I am aware that today event’s might seem of no interest or value to some, but I know that these are messages meant for me. And I am going to take some time to interpret them and see where it takes me next in this journey of mine. And I know my Mom is with me every step of the way.

SAQA Atlantic welcomes you!

This week I took a foray back. Back to my roots, as I gradually realized.

SAQA. As I said to my Dad, I may never pronounce that acronym correctly. When first seeing it in print or hearing it spoken, to me it brings images of possible drum circles and ceremonial dances. Hmmm. Well, maybe I am not too far off the mark. After spending the better part of a day with members of the Atlantic Canadian division of this international group, I could really feel  - dare I call it - the spirituality and that type of bonding that comes from like minded people connecting as only they can. I can accept drumming - my heart was pounding as I realized these women spoke a language I readily understood. Dancing? Indeed. That was my creative spirit exalting in finding a new dance hall!

SAQA is loosely described as a non-profit organization which recognizes quilters.  A very loose definition indeed. Further digging on their website finds you this:


Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, documentation, and publications.
Founded in 1989 by an initial group of 50 artists, SAQA now boasts over 2,900 members: artists, teachers, collectors, gallery owners, museum curators and corporate sponsors.

SAQA defines an art quilt as "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure.”

What I found in a little recreational hall in Truro, Nova Scotia was a diverse group of art fibre and textural artists who welcomed me with open arms. We were minutes late arriving - I am no navigator! Plus we had to make an all important bathroom break at Masstown Market where a breakfast cone beckoned us! My feeling? Everyone girl needs a Louise to their Thelma to make maple walnut breakfast ice cream a reality! Even late as we were, within minutes of settling into our seats, I knew the decision to come and join SAQA had been one of my smarter of late.

It was amazingly wonderful to listen to the discussions on group dynamics, building a community, expanding into the mainstream, acceptance on a more national scale, time for creativity! It was equally as wonderful beginning to put faces to art; work I had seen and admired, techniques and pieces I recognized were finding ownership within my mind.

Connections. So many artists work in isolation. Working with fibres is without question a solitary occupation. So whether you work in a remotely geographically area, or whether you don’t, much of your time creating is done alone. Time is valuable and most of us have to use ours very wisely to create because many of our methods are labor and time intensive. If you teach, you can often gain extraordinary inspiration from your students. But, it isn’t the same; the playing field is a little different because you are the one teaching these people this new language and trying to convince them to travel outside their comfort zones. Sometimes it is just really, really nice to have people accept where you are coming from creatively without having to explain yourself.

Except for the extraordinary sense of belonging I experience within my very creatively diverse family, I realized I had not experienced this feeling of community in a very, very long time. I felt it when I was a sign painting student and then working in the family sign business. I felt it when I was a student at the Holland College School of Visual Design and when I was weaving full time with my sister, Joanne. I even felt it briefly when I took my first quilting class, but that sense of belonging soon dissipated when I noticed I was the only one who used a glue gun on her quilts.

In the first 30 minutes I manage to volunteer for something. Try as I might, I cannot change the person I am. If I am investing my time, I am investing myself. Jump in with both feet, hold your breath till you bob back to the top and give it what you got. 

I know there are more potential members in our region. I know the more diversity there is in a group, the better it is for everyone. I know now that there is an amazing group of fibre folk in Atlantic Canada looking to broaden their circle and ready to welcome you as they welcomed me. SAQA Atlantic wants to be more active, more publicly evident. Yesterday we heard plans begin for a show, a retreat, an exciting travelling trunk show that could come to your area! (ask me how! I now those people now!)

Reach out and ask me if you want to know more. I will find the answer and share it with you. That way we will all benefit.

SAQA Atlantic. You excite me.