What Else Have I Been Doing?

In the gaps between shows, and the tired moments sitting in my cosy spot on the couch at the end of the day, I have managed to work on a few smallish projects of my own over the last few weeks. The arrival of Molly Mae Shepherd at the end of April awakened a somewhat dormant desire to knit. And knitting little things is so much more do-able than big people sweaters. Molly's first Gabby-knitted sweater is being blocked as I write, and only needs one button sewn in place before I can present it to her. I've already given Nora her first knitting lesson, as you can see, and she was only too happy to get involved, winding the yarn around herself with great enthusiasm. So I've just started knitting a cardigan for her, to match Molly's.

Meanwhile I'm getting back to an African improvisational piece that's been on the go for some weeks. I've been using African textiles and crafts as my inspiration - making up the design after a few preliminary sketches. The plan is to make six more of these, then to hang them together, joined by brass beads from Ghana. Still a way to go. This project is collaborative. I do the piecing and quilting and then hand it over to my friend Joan Darling, who adds the beading.

And ever since my copy of Quilting Arts arrived on the doorstep about three months ago with a photo of one of Dijanne Cevaal's Travellers Blankets on the front cover, I have been seeing hand stitching everywhere, and am very drawn to it. While in Gibsons I started stitching some African indigo scraps in bright perle cottons. And I can't seem to stop. Someone asked me yesterday what it was going to be when it's finished, and I have no idea. I'm just enjoying the rhythm of sitting down and making up where I put the threads as I go. I put wool on the back of each piece to help keep it firm, and have loved needling through it. Now I wish I'd never taken the old family blankets to the Goodwill! I'll have to keep my eyes open for somebody elses castoffs.

And lastly, I've been doing some more screen-printing. I had some African fabric with guinea fowl on it last year, but ran out. These drawings are my own rendering of that fabric, and intended to be used with fusible web on the back, and then cut out and added as detail to a composition. I think I might try it next time on some brighter gold fabric, but there doesn't seem to be any of that in stock right now. I guess I'll have to put it aside and get to work on my piece for the La Conner show - "Abstracted". It's due at the end of this month, so no more procrastinating! So that's what I'm up to, and I plan to blog about the process for my abstracted piece, so stay tuned. And Happy Quilting until next time!

Nanaimo Quilt Show - and a Few of my Favourites

May is a busy month, by any standards. For the quilt show enthusiast, it is full of so many possibilities that one must pick and choose what events to take in. For me this meant attending the Sunshine Coast Quilt Show and the Nanaimo Quilt Show. And there was so much to see at both - such a variety of quilts - something to please everyone. I've selected photos of just a few of the quilts from Nanaimo - those with an African theme - because I just can't show you everything. The first quilt is Avril Valentine's. It began as a Kitambaa kitted wall-hanging, but wow, what she's done to expand it is fabulous! Avril was so excited to show it to me, as well she should be. The second quilt, made by Bev Cottrell, has a wonderful story to it. She attended my African Collage class just shortly after the death of her husband of 60 years. A friend had persuaded her to go, and she really felt as though she was drowning in class. In fact I think she wanted to crawl into a little hole in the ground when we did the walkabout at the end of the workshop. But she took her beginnings

home and laid all the pieces out on the floor. She rearranged what she had made and she took some bits apart and she made other new elements, the whole design process taking her weeks. But it all came together in the most beautiful way, and when she looked up, and it was done, she had also come through the worst of her grieving for her husband. Thank you, Bev, for sharing your story. You are a strong and courageous woman, and your story is a gift to us. Lillian Charron made the third piece, and I just love the simplicity of it - the implied story and the sense of space and possibility. Kathy Calder's African Collage comes next, and I am wowed by the

 colours and the movement in it, and the balance between all the elements. When Kathy was in class, she kept apologizing for doing something quite different from everyone else. I thought it was terrific at the time, and still do.  And lastly are two pieces from the grannies exhibit in aid of the Stephen Lewis Foundation - the first by Pat Cruzcor and the second by Noreen Duncan. There were many powerful pieces in this exhibit, but these were two of those that touched me most. The entire exhibit is still to be seen at many locations in BC, and you can go online to Royal City Gogos to see where it will be in the future. As for me, I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the quilts on exhibit, but am happy to be home again, getting the website in a bit better shape, and making new work. Thank you to all of you who visited my booth and supported me at both shows, and to the show organizers too, who helped things run as smoothly as possible. By the way, I heard a rumour somewhere that I was going out of business. Well I want to reassure you that it just isn't true! I have narrowed my focus considerably, and am now sticking with all things African and quilt related, at least from the Kitambaa point of view. But I'm still very much alive and well as is Kitambaa. I hope each of you out there in blogland is enjoying your own creative life. Good to catch up with you, and I hope to share more of my journey more regularly with you over the coming months. Until next time, Happy Quilting!

Encouragement for the Kitambaa Sewing Project

This month has been one of encouragement for the Kitambaa Sewing Project and the Bitengye Designers on several fronts. Five new sponsored students have been chosen to attend Alice's Sewing School. Two of the sponsorships were given by the Blue Mountain Quilters' Guild in Port Coquitlam, and also include treadle sewing machines to be donated to these young women upon graduation. Langley Quilters' Guild has undertaken to raise funds for another sewing machine, and just this morning I received a request for the greeting cards we've made up with photos of various aspects of the sewing project, to be used to this end. Donations both large and small are coming in, and will go toward this year's workshop with the women. Our flights are now booked and all being well, we'll depart on October 21st. Back on the home front, I've started to make "Kitambaa Cozies" - bean bags to use heated or iced for comfort of aching shoulders and backs. The pattern was generously shared with me by someone who used to make these as part of the outreach program of the

organization for whom she worked as a counsellor. And several volunteers have come forward to help me with these. Meanwhile a fresh order of newly-made items has just arrived from Uganda and more jackets are on their way (photos of these will be posted as soon as they arrive). What's been most encouraging of all is  that Alice's school is now finished, with the sewing machines moved in and classes being held there regularly. I can't wait to see it in the fall! Lastly, I wanted to show you this photo of an African-inspired quilt made by Joanne Colleaux of Armstrong, BC. She is one of the featured quilt artists at the Shuswap Quilt Guild Show being held on June 7th and 8th at the Salmon Arm Recreation Centre. She'll have this quilt as part of her display, and is using it to raise more funds for the sewing project. I just love it - yet another way to use all these wild and wonderful African fabrics, and benefitting the Bitengye Designers at the same time. Wonderful!

The Importance of a Space of One's Own

Mark Rothko

Jackson Pollock

Lisa Congdon

For the last month I have been doing a fair bit of travelling. I've met old friends and made new ones in Victoria, Langley, Nanaimo and Vancouver. I've visited La Conner Quilt Museum for the first time, where I saw an amazing exhibit of Karen Franzen's, as well as a marvellous collection of antique quilts. And I was treated to a trip to the Schack Gallery in Everett, Washington, where fibre artists from Whidbey Island were exhibiting. While I was away, I have had my studio painted. We live in a 1970's house, and the studio is in the basement. It came complete with wood panelled walls and shag carpet. Now I love wood, but it made it very dark, and painting the walls has made all the difference in the world. Once I saw what a change it made, I was determined that instead of just putting everything back in place where it was, I would go through all my containers and collected papers and artifacts, and only hang onto those things that have significance for me. This process could be called purging, and it feels great. I still have the old carpet, but will get that lifted and replaced with new soon, and then last on the list is hiring an electrician to optimize my lighting. So, long story short, I haven't done a lot of work in the last month, but I am feeling very excited about the possibilities in my new work space. It's important to feel good where you go to create. Rarely will it be perfect, but we are powerfully influenced by our surroundings, so considering what works best for your own creative efforts is huge. I had been mulling over such matters, and then yesterday was introduced to an article that looked at 40 famous people and where they work. Fascinating stuff. Everything from white and pristine to absolute chaos (to me, the viewer, but clearly not to the artist). I've included just a few on this post, but if you're interested in seeing the whole article, this is the link:

David Hockney

Georgia O'Keefe

http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/40-inspiring-workspaces-of-the-famously-creative
I'd be really interested to hear what's important to you in your work space or studio? Happy creating, wherever it is, and whatever you're making!

"It Started With a Stitch"

1600 Inch Jelly Roll Challenge -Nancy McIntyre

I am just home from a weekend in Victoria, where Kitambaa Designs had a booth at the Westshore Quilters Guild. This is a fairly new guild, and their show was admirable, with a nice variety of quilts on display, as well as demos and a Merchant Mall. I was delighted to see all sorts of people I knew - people asking after the Bitengye Designers, people who have been in my classes, and people who are interested in African textiles and quilt designs. It was a terrific experience, and has persuaded me not to give up on going to shows altogether - something I had been contemplating, because the physical demands of a show are so high. What made a terrific difference this time, was that someone helped me load my totes into the van at home, and when I arrived at the show, helpers were ready and willing to help me unload my wares. To anyone helping organize a quilt show, let me tell you that this help earned five gold stars for the Westshore Guild, and I would highly recommend offering the same assistance at any show. It made this vendor very, very happy. I don't have to commend quilt shows to those of you who read this blog, but

Mini Block Sampler - Youngmi Kim

I was reminded again how invigorating it is to see other people's work, and be exposed to their amazing creativity. The quilts I have shown here are just a sampling, but give you an idea of why this show was such a feast for the eyes. I was saw quilts that I wouldn't attempt to make in a hundred years, but loved, and quilts that made me stop and examine why they worked so well, and to think about how I might use that knowledge in one of my own projects. If you're trying to decide what you might like to try next, or if you're trying to narrow down the options a little and decide what might be your own area of expertise, going to a quilt show goes a long way in helping in that process. So a big thank-you to the Westshore Guild for inviting me to this event and being so very helpful, and thank you to all my customers, who gave me the necessary nudge to get busy and create some more Africa-inspired designs. And happy quilting to all of you.

Quantum Shift - Diane Sanci

Coming Home - Linda McDonald

Eileen Neill and Joan Darling

Trees and Working in a Series

Stronger Together

It's been too long since I blogged, but it's all been for a good cause. I have been totally immersed in Lisa Call's online class - "Working in a Series" - for the last 10 weeks, and it was terrific. Each week we had another design challenge, another piece to work on, to post to the group website, and to critique, and then we got feedback from Lisa. Add weekly lectures and thrice weekly emails full of "mindset" information and readings and introducing us to a plethora of artists (mostly unknown to me before the workshop), and it

In the Presence of the Elders

made for a very full and rich 2 1/2 months. I have never worked so consistently on one area of interest before, and found this hugely beneficial. And learning how to self-critique is something I will continue with all my work. So is the practice of keeping a journal full of sketches and ideas, of inspirational photos and writing. The latter is not a pretty thing; not the kind of thing you'd haul out to show friends, but it's a place to capture the journey, to catch fleeting ideas and thoughts for possible new directions. Of the pieces I made, I'm more pleased with some than others. I showed you the first two on my blog back in January, and here are four more. "Stronger Together", an exercise in colour, is about something called mycorrhizal networks - when two organisms, a Douglas fir and mushrooms, in this case - grow in such a way that their roots connect under the ground, so they're able to give one another the nutrients they need to be healthy and withstand things like drought due to climate change. I was thinking about this as a metaphor for community - that we may be very different from one another, but we need one another. I was particularly thinking about

In the North Woods

 people on the fringes of our communities, and the sometimes undervalued ways they contribute to the whole. This piece is probably the most different from all the other pieces, and might even branch off into a series of its own one day. Next is "In the Presence of the Elders", and was a study in value. I wanted to convey the magnificence of the old growth fir trees, thinking of them as the source of wisdom and stories, and of how much they have to tell us about looking after the earth. This is the piece I'm probably most pleased with. Then comes "In the North Woods", which was an exercise in line. Having resolved the problem of conveying depth to the forest in the previous piece, I started this one from that same place, and particularly wanted to find a way to use line for the branches, in an abstract way. The last one is called "Before the Fog Lifts". I was trying for trees that were abstracted even further, while making this piece, which is an exercise in repetition. I wish I'd stuck with the vertical orientation I had in the last piece, but the conditions in which I made were less than supportive, and I think that shows in my work. This workshop was just what I needed to move my own work forward. Where it will go from here and what you will see next is gradually becoming more clear, and I plan to blog about it much more often. But it was worthwhile tucking my head down and plugging away on my own for awhile, just to see what happened. I know that I'll need to do that from time to time, because not being

Before the Fog Lifts

concerned about what others will think of my work, and keeping it close to me, seems to help free me up in some way. At least when I'm trying out something new to me. But I thought you'd like to see what I've been up to while I've been in hibernation, because I know how much I enjoy and learn from other people who share their journey and their process with me. So here it is, and thanks to you who have been interested enough to read about it. Here's to the creative life, whatever shape it takes!

On Trees and Other Growing Things

 I am seeing trees everywhere these days, which is no surprise, when you live on Vancouver Island. But I'm seeing them in a new way. I'm paying attention to them. I'm finding they have things to say to me. So I try to make sure my camera is with me at all times, and I have return visits planned to Cathedral Grove and Tofino, and a first time visit to Heritage Park in Qualicum Beach where a forest of old growth trees has been preserved, and I dream about a summer trip to Carmanah and to Meares Island. In the meantime, I'm trying to travel slowly enough through my life to have time to stop off at places like Goldstream Park, just outside Victoria. That's where I took the first two photos. Lots of inspiration in the first one for my most recent workshop assignment, which challenges me to change my perspective. Although I ended up doing something else entirely, which I'll show you when it's further along. And the mossy green covering the bark in the second photo - how do I convey that in a quilt? The third photo is of a tree Nora showed me at a park near her house

in Victoria. We looked up and up and there its branches were dancing in the cold winter air. But as much as Nora likes trees, and birds too, the part she enjoyed most was playing on the swings and slides. Again and again and again, until we were all a little chilly, and bundled her up in a blanket in her wagon, to take her home again. Lessons learned? 1. Never go anywhere without a camera. 2. Nothing beats travelling on foot, for giving you eyes to see the world around you. 3. Don't be so busy looking at the trees, that you miss the birds. 4. No matter how wonderful this creative journey is, a grandchild is the best growing thing of all.