Time Flies . . .

What have I been doing lately? Something I've never done before - taking an online class through Quilt University. The class was called Working in a Series, and it was instructed by Elizabeth Barton. What I hadn't reckoned on, was how totally absorbing it would be. I've posted a few photos of the sketches I made in class, which give you a hint of where I'm headed, but are only the beginning. Elizabeth gave us so much material to work with, referred us to many artists (quilt artists and other artists) who work in series, and I haven't quite finished it even now. Life intervened too, of course - visits to Nora and her parents in Victoria, the FAN (Fibre Art Network) retreat in Naramata, BC, teaching on Mayne Island and again in Canmore and Calgary this coming weekend. You know how it happens. I feel I learned so much and am looking forward to working with what I learned for weeks to come. More on that later. I'm also reading a book on creativity that recommended to me - Fearless Creating, by Eric Maisel - and there is lots of meat in this as well. Fall always seem to be a time of re-evaluating for me, this year as much as any. For
those of you who receive Robert Genn's Newsletter, you have already read a profound quote from Steve Jobs of Apple fame. But I think it bears repeating here: "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important." And "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the
noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your own heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

A Visit to Mt. Vernon, Washington

Last weekend saw me in Mt. Vernon, Washington, where I was the guest speaker at a meeting of the Northwest Quilters Connection (NQC). This is a group of quilters from BC and Washington. I was to give them an update on the Bitengye Designers, the group of women I teach sewing and quilting to, in Uganda. My car was full of their samples - everything from jewellery pouches to quilts. Well, sadly it was my turn to get stopped at the border. After more than an hour, I was told that while I was welcome in the US, my samples were not. I phoned Arlene in a panic - she's one of the organizers of the group, on the Canadian side of the border.
Thankfully she had not left home yet, and I was able to drive up to her place, drop off all the Bitengye items, and drive back down to Mt. Vernon with my Powerpoint presentation. I had the great pleasure of staying with Patty and Bill Mitchell in Bellingham, and that's where these photos are from. Patty has ventured into various ways of quilting, and these are just three examples of her work. I am particularly drawn to "The Corn Maidens", the second very graphic quilt made up in the colours of the Southwest. There are elements in this that look almost African. Thanks for letting me post these, Patty, as well as calming me down after my border-encounter. The last photo is of Nora, now two months old. I managed to route my return to Vancouver Island via Victoria, so I could fit in a quick visit to her (and her parents too, of course). She's smiling and starting to coo when you sing to her, and beautifully healthy. (I'm not sure I should be using the blog for family photos, but I heard from a little birdie that there was someone in particular from southern Ontario, who wondered why there hadn't been more pictures of Nora. I'm more than
happy to post them from time to time.)

More From APWQ

Here are a few of the APWQ juried entries that particularly caught my eye. This first one is called Mitchell's Awesome Mexican Adventure, and was made by Faith McLeod from Delta BC. I love the way it captures the sense of the wind, the sun, and the colour of the parrots. It has a lovely border treatment too, as well as being marvellously quilted. Next is Barb Shapel,s heron quilt (I forget the exact title of this, unfortunately). The quilting was exquisite, but the composition itself was so also compelling. Without that red tree in the background, and the vertical shading in the fabric, the quilting itself would not have been so successfully
supported. The applique quilt pictured was in a class
of its own,
and again, I have come away without writing down the name of the maker (can anyone out there help me with this?). It wasn't a prize winner, but was so exhuberant, so representative of the Hawaiian flowers the artist recalled in making it. The final photo is called Natural Wonders, and was made by Kathy McNeil from Tulalip, Washington. The close-up gives you some idea of the attention that has been given to detail included in this work.Everything is so realistic, and her use of value is so masterful, that you almost feel you are there. One of the things that surprised me about many of the entries in the APWQ, was how densely machine quilted many of them were. There were many instances in which this supported the quilt, but sometimes I felt that it was overdone, and overwhelmed the quilting. However even in the traditional category, the extent of the hand quilting blew me away.

APWQ - In Living Colour

Oh my word - how can it possibly be September 6th already? The days have been gloriously sunny of late, but summer was so late coming this year that I'm not quite ready to see it go yet. But the days we're enjoying now are golden, for sure, perhaps because we know they won't last that much longer. So to catch up - what happened to August? What were the highlights? One of them has to be attending the APWQ (Association of Pacific West Quilters) Quilt Show at their new venue in Tacoma, Washington. It was fabulous! The calibre of quilts was unbelievably high, and could be quite daunting. I had entered by quilt, "There's an Elephant in My Garden", and was honoured just to have been juried in, especially when I saw the competition. The quilt photos I'm blogging about today were part of one of APWQ's Special Exhibits - In Living Colour, just one small part of the exhibition. The first piece was made by Cher Cartright from White Rock. I was really drawn to this explosion of colour, radiating out from a circle that appears to be spinning with life. Next is Janet Steadman's piece - recognizable for her piecing in solid colurs - more subtle tones, but
just as dynamic as Cher's piece. Then comes the full-to-overflowing
overflowing entry from Kathryn Botsford from Campbell River. I think I only managed to take in a fragment of the detail in this layered and heavily embellished work. Lisa Jennie's palm leaves were a different interpretation of the theme again - magnificent - such a celebration of the colour green. You could almost hear the breeze chattering overhead, and imagine a sea of blue a few steps from you when you looked at it. The last piece is made by Lorraine Torrence, whose designs I have long admired. The justaposition of the greys and the bright saturated colours is so pleasing. I believe that this collection of quilts is soon to be auctioned as a fund raiser for the APWQ, and I will be sure to let you know when I hear the specifics of that as soon as I hear them. And I'll post more from the quilt show in the days to come. And if you think you will be travelling anywhere near Tacoma/Seattle the 4th weekend in August next year, I would highly recommend you attending this show. It truly showcases the best of the best from Western Canada, and the Western US, now including more states, provinces and territories than ever.

Hornby Island Community Quilt

Every year, the quilters of Hornby Island are asked to make a block for their community quilt. There is an overall theme - this year it was Hornby Island trees - and some of the fabrics are provided, so that it has a cohesive look to it. It hangs outside the co-op under a cedar shelter, and raffle tickets are swift every year. The beneficiaries change each year, but it goes to a Hornby Island recipient. Things like the new medical clinic, and the program to neuter and limit the numbers of feral cats on the island. The blocks are exquisite in their own right, and I felt sure you would enjoy seeing close-ups of some of them. Marg Bennett, Gayle Lobban, and Eleanora Laffin are the creators of three of these gems. The fourth quilter is not known to me. Wouldn't you love to have this hanging on the wall of your home or cabin? Just in case you're wondering why you've been hearing so much about Hornby lately, it's because after five years of owning a small piece of land here, and almost fifteen years of coming here regularly on holidays, we have just built a cabin here, complete with a sewing loft. It is such a gift to come here - so quiet and peaceful and
soul-restoring. And there's a wonderful group of quilters, as well as many other artists on the island, so I feel very much at "home".

More of the Hornby Island Quilt Show

Here are a few more photos from the Hornby Island quilt show. Such delicious quilts - wonderful to see them all hanging around the garden. Made me want to rush home and begin to sew strips together!

Hornby Island Quilt Show

On the August long weekend, I participated in the Hornby Island Quilt Show. Held at the farm of Eleanora and Heinz Laffin, it is a super outdoor event, showcasing the quilts made by members of the Hornby Island quilters since they last had a show (2 years ago, in this case). Quilts were hung on the sides of the farm house, on the walls of the guest cabin, under the apple trees, even on the outhouse. I was invited to bring items made by the Bitengye Designers, and had my own little corner between a double swing and the workshed. As in previous years, the sun chose to shine, and it was well visited by residents of and visitors to Hornby Island. The
day ended with pizza from the Cardboard Bakery for all the quilters and invited guests. I was thrilled when Nora and her parents (and my husband David) arrived just as things were winding up. I'll have more photos from this event and from Hornby on my next post.