new vest idea

Silk Vest

I am working on a new idea for the circle vest that I had made in the past out of cotton.  This vest is made out of silk jersey and it is more of an oval than a complete circle.  It still has the large holes for the arms that I like but it drapes a bit better and is less bulky than the cotton.

I'm not the best model but I am just trying to get a sense whether the oval is better than the full circle and that the slightly shorter length in the back is a bit more convenient.
My friend, Kirsten, let me use her serger so I have serged all the edges rather than create a binding which was a great time saver and also reduces the bulk.

I would love your thoughts!
Can't wait to dye it!  The thread I serged it with was also silk.  A bit more expensive but a must if the dying is to be seemless.

SAQA Auction

SAQA on line Auction will be open soon

Benefit Auction

SAQA’s signature fundraising event starts Sept 18!

This is your chance to own beautiful, unique art quilts by some of the world’s finest artists. Plus, your purchases help increase the recognition for art quilts and the artists who make them while supporting SAQA’s exhibitions, publications, and education outreach. Thanks to our donors and bidders in 2014, the Benefit Auction raised over $55,000!

This is my submission for the auction
 

Every piece submitted is only 12" square.  Tiny treasures of fibre art!

Detail

my piece is called "Let's Chat" and is inspired by a photo of two very good friends enjoying the moment.

To find out more about SAQA, who we are, current exhibitions, artists, .... just google WWW.SAQA and review the colourful website!

details of my autobiography

An Autobiography

These are detail shots of my SAQA submission for the Balancing Act show.
The background fabrics are a combination of my hand dyes and commercial fabrics that I curved pieced together.
The balls are Kona Cottons, that I free motion stitched and then appliqued them on to the the background with extra batting behind them so that they could 'pop' forward a bit.  They were applied with a hand sewn blanket stitch.
The figure began with three photos taken of me pretending to balance balls in the air.  I transfered the photos on to the fabric, and then

hand embroidered the                                                                                                                               figure using a chain stitch                                                                                                                    using 3 ply of embroidery thread.The piece was then layered up and then free motion quilted with a red variegated thread in a way to suggest the movement of the balls in the air.

Balancing Act International SAQA Exhibition

MAR

27

SAQA Exhibition "BALANCING ACT" Opening at Houston's International Quilt Festival in October, 2015 includes six SAQA Central Canada Artists' work...

Many congratulations to our six SAQA Artists whose beautiful work has been accepted for inclusion in theBALANCING ACT International Exhibition...

Gunnel Hag

Phillida Hargreaves

Joan Hug-Valeriote

Sheree Rasmussen

Daniela Tiger

Maggie Vanderweit

Exhibition Description:

Throughout history, women have had to balance responsibilities to community, home and family while pursuing other interests, jobs or careers.  From those who helped farm the land to those who worked the factories during wartime, to those who stand shoulder to shoulder with men to pursue careers, and those who serve as caregivers; women have always had to juggle the various aspects of their lives.  This show celebrates women both throughout history and today--and is open to any interpretation each artist feels inspired to depict.  What have we accomplished that we now enjoy as rights and freedoms that our grandmothers and their grandmothers did not?  What obstacles are left to conquer?  We encourage both representational and abstract work.  

Premiere Venues

International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas -- October 2015

International Quilt Festival, Chicago, Illinois -- March 2016

Quilt! Knit! Stitch!  Portland, Oregon -- August 2016



PINK LADY II, Joan Hug-Valeriote

MY DEAR OLD GIRL, Phillida Hargreaves

HANDS OFF, Maggie Vanderweit Meredith



WAKING UP TO MUSIC, Gunnel Hag

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, Daniela Tiger

Again, our congratulations to our Canadian artists selected for the Balancing Act Exhibition.

It is always so exciting to see that our Central Canada Artists are submitting work consistently through the SAQA Exhibitions Calls To Entry. There are a number of Calls posted at the main website that are currently open to ALL SAQA members.

Bethany Garner

Dwayne Wanner

Co-Representatives, SAQA Central Canada

Posted 3 weeks ago by B. Garner

Community Tree

The Healing spirit of Community

 I haven't posted new work in a while because I have been travelling.  Most recently I had an amazing adventure in India thanks to a wonderful yoga teacher, Indian tour guide, and sweet man; Vikram.  He took a few of us through the sights, sounds, and smells of Delhi, Agra, and a gorgeous retreat near Goa called Swaswara.

To Vikram, as a thank you, I gave this piece.  I thought he might appreciate that my intention was that we are all in the good hands of the 'spirits' or 'Gods' or whatever one might believe. And in positive community we can thrive in consort with nature. 

This piece began with white cotton. I dip dyed it after creating the resist design of the tree in wax.  Then dipping it in wax again, crackling it, and dip dyed it in blue, over dying half of it to create the green.

After layering it up the free motion stitchery created the faces and the hands.  I still felt it was a bit too monochromatic when all this was done so I highlighted the faces and hands with fabric paint.

I'll conclude this post with a picture of my friend and I riding an elephant up to the old fort in Jaipur.  (I'm on the left)  We had so much fun!

met once again, for the very first time!

Wedding Canopy 

 


In 2007, a couple decided to wed.  Having lots of friends, and wanting their friends to be involved in the ceremonial aspects of this event; they asked their friends to create something special on a square piece of white cloth.

Many of their friends created wonderful, original thoughts and designs.  I was asked to create something on behalf of some friends who felt daunted by the task.  I was told that this couple enjoyed biking together on a tandem bike and so I created this square of the bride and groom on a tandem bike.

Other than hearing that the bride and groom loved my contribution and gave it great real estate in the center of the patchwork, that was the last I ever heard of the creation.  (The wedding was in 2007)

 So, Imagine my delight when I met the bride and groom today, and they invited me to see the completed project that hangs in a place of honour in their lovely home.

I raced home, not wanting to waste a moment, grabbed my camera and made my way to their home.  How lucky for me to discover that they are practically neighbours!  It was a rare treat to see my work embedded in the creative and loving spirit of so many others'.  Having now finally met the bride and groom I can see why so many were inspired to create such interesting work.  I am so pleased to know that my work shared with others, hangs in such a warm, spiritual, loving home!

Here's a close up of the square as it was in 2007, before it was given to assembler
to join in with the others.  It may have been in more pristine condition then, but,
I love how it has come to be at one with the others through the years of loving attention.

taj pillow

Kate's Birthday Present

This began with a favorite photograph, sized to fit on a sheet of Ricky Tims' Stable Stuff Poly.  This is a product that is a hybrid of paper and fabric and can run through an ordinary printer.  I used the image as one layer, then overlayed with sheer silk organza  with Angelina Fibres  (well I like to call them Angelina Jolie fibres because they make everything more Jolie).  Any other reference would be purely coincidental.
The rest of the fabrics are dupioni silk.
I backed the whole package with another layer of cotton before doing the free motion quilting.

 This beautiful young lady, my son's girlfriend, inspired me to make this work into a pillow.  This was her favorite photo from her travels to India and she loves pillows.

Once I layered up the top, I used sparkly threads to free motion
stitch over the significant features of the architecture so the
building pops.  I used darker thread to sew over the shadow.

When the top was done, I created 2 rectangles out of my hand dyed stash that are each more than half of the whole so they overlap in the middle creating a pocket for the pillow form.