circle vests redux

Over dyed circle vest:  PFD jersey cotton dyed repeatedly with Procion MX.

You may remember I created these vests out of cotton jersey.  They are a full circle with two oval cut outs, slightly off centre so there is a short side and a longer side.  I began by using a batik method of resist.  Then I dyed them all with Procion MX dyes.  Unfortunately I was disappointed with the results.  They felt too "hippie" for me.  So I have over dyed them and these are the results.  I am much happier with the toned down more uniform look.  You can still see the hand dyed work, but it is more subtle.

One size fits all!

Wearing the same vest but upside down, it becomes shorter with a wide collar.

the wide collar then can become a hoodie.

As you may be able to tell from the pictures I am now at my home in the woods.  Luckily I have a screened in porch where I can play with  my dyes to my heart's content.  I would like to thank my friend Sandra who was here visiting from Edmonton and my sister Vicky who helped me out with modelling the vests in their reincarnation.

log cabins, old traditions with a twist

 This spring I received the very exciting news that there would be some new babies in my world.  I took the opportunity to take a bit of a break from the hard work of design and retreat into the comfy cosy world of log cabins.  I also thought this would be a great way to bust up the growing stash of bits and pieces that I cannot bear to throw away.  This first one was made up entirely of my scraps, (except for the bright striped border)  the logs are one inch wide and I quilted in the ditch using a free-motion foot.

 

Log Cabin Quilt;  31 inches wide by 52.5 inches long.

 

In the details, you can see that I decided to insert a 3 dimensional element between each block, this created some serious complications, but babies love texture, so I thought it would be fun.  I used the border fabric to brighten it up.

 

This is the back of the quilt. I decided, to be true to the original concept, I needed to continue using my scraps, and so began with 2 extra blocks and grew the back from there.  I think it has a bit of a wonky, gees bend feel to it.

Since I had SO much stash, I decided to make a 2nd one.  This time I laid the blocks out slightly differently and so the final size is 36 inches wide by 46.5 inches long. I decided to forgo the flange around each block and so it has a much neater look.  However I couldn't give up on the idea altogether and therefore the navy border is pieced dark blue scraps, 1.5 inches wide, folded and inserted just before the light binding.

 

2nd Log Cabin Quilt , Detail

This is the back of the 2nd log cabin which was also made from scraps, beginning with 2 extra blocks.  This exercise was fun, with lots of sewing, since the logs were so thin. Gave me an opportunity to get into the 'zen' of sewing again.

chinese inspirations

 Two weeks in China

 I was overwhelmed with the amount of ornamentation, colour, and decoration.  Too much is never too much!

Walkway, rich in colour.

Bright silk hangings, all hand embroidered, yards and yards long.

Ceiling paintings imbedded amongst the patterned tiling, each painting was a different animal, based on a Chinese fable.

Children are clearly cherished, and are also very embellished

We saw many babes in arms with bare bums, not clear what the toilet training techniques are in China. Fascinating!

Koi fish tiling embedded in the pathway of a bonzai park

Ornate doesn't begin to describe it

 Silk painting

Jade carving

Silk thread painting

 

Cloisonnee

Our journey to China inspired me to consider new attitudes towards embellishment and ornamentation.  The Chinese craftperson clearly has a tremendous ability to attend to detail and develop technique to a remarkable degree.  But, I do wonder about individuality and personal statements.  It seemed to me that the people we met still worry about what the 'right' thing is to say.  Face saving is very important.  I marvel at my freedom in Canada, to do, say, and create anything that I want.

Israeli Quilt show in Ailsa Craig

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be able to see
the wonderful collection of Israeli quilts that were brought to Ontario, Canada.  I am posting a few that struck me in particular for one reason or another but it was extremely difficult to choose.  I was in awe of all the creative, ingenious, talent.  One artist who had many quilts in the show, and is shown here repeatedly is Linda Bar-On.  I had never seen her work before, and it is well worth noting that all her work is hand done.

The write ups might be a bit difficult to read but are worth squinting for.

I love the abstract quality of the water tower, the composition is lovely.

Great expression in a repeat pattern.

Note that Ita uses both the positive and the negative in her work. Fascinating technique!

Detail of "Riding the Tiger"

Detail of "Five Mothers". The Squares on point are free floating, attached in their corners to the floating thread on one side, the rest of the quilt on the other side and the next two squares top and bottom.

The Musicians won 1st prize in a show in 2005.

Detail of Hamsa

This tryptich really tells a story. I find the composition compelling.

Detail of "Ashera the Hebrew Goddess"