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..

Margaret’s Quilt Finished!

Another quilt completed! This one belongs to Margaret and she gave me free reign on whatever quilting design I wanted to stitch on her top. I felt her pattern warranted an overall design and since I really like stitching my cabbage roses, off I went! I used black thread on top and bottom and I think the design shows up equally well on both sides.

2013 and Cause for Celebration

I have a number of blogs I am faithful to. And sometimes I tend to wander across the internet, checking ones that are new to me. At this time of year, many bloggers are posting about their New Years resolutions, their “word" for 2014, a visual list of what they accomplished or created in 2013. Not me.

2013 was tough. It was all new territory for me because it was my first year without my beloved Mom. I have to honest, I couldn’t tell you what I did for the first six months. I don’t remember last Christmas, I have no idea when spring arrived. I do remember sewing a lot because I feel close to Mom when I sew; she taught me to sew, she bought me many of my tools and materials, and sewing and quilting were things we discussed all the time. I know I watched the Ellen Degeneres show some days and cried a lot when they gave away gifts and money to deserving folk. Tears are always near the surface.

I am intensely proud of my children. Family is the be all, end all to me and our “little” family as I refer to my husband, myself and our two children, is what I think of first each day and last each night. My children are young adults living and working away on their own and when we get to spend time together, I can’t get much happier. Having occasions to celebrate makes it even better.

2013 did have occasion for celebration. My daughter realized her goal of receiving her MA in Physiotherapy and in October my little family gathered in Halifax to celebrate her success at a dinner and dance awards evening and then  watched her cross the university stage the next day, as she transformed from student to professional. As she received her degree, she gave us all a huge double thumbs up and then literally danced for her professors who sat on the stage.

She told me afterwards that she knew she couldn’t have gotten away with these antics when she received her undergrad at McGill, but Dal was relaxed just enough for her to manage it. Well, I expect nothing less from my Drama daughter as she sealed this momentous time in her life with her own special something.

2014 is a big number. I have hopes for this year, for myself and for my family, little and extended. I should be considering recording my goals, but I am not. I have ideas of what I want to accomplish and places I want to visit, both in the  physical and cognitive sense, and for now that is enough. I did make some plans for myself for this year and soon I will begin to see these through. After that? Well, we will just see what develops, I think. For now, I am okay with that.