new toy .... new exhibition

Ooooh ... it took me a   l o n g   time

but I finally bought 

an embellisher !

It's more than a year ago 

that I visited the workshop with Sara Lechner

She started as a quilter

but switched  to work with the embellisher

You can also use a simple felting needle

(or "Clover" felting tool)

but the embellisher does the job a lot easier !

It looks a lot like the simplest of sewing machines,

though you use no thread,

just wool rooving 

(and all kinds of other materials)

My studio assistant was having fun with the box ...

... and this swimming lady was my third try

(the first and the second ended up in the bin

hmmmm  ... I had forgotten much ...)

The size of this ??? ... very small

I usually photograph all things lying on the floor :

the boards are about 7 cm wide.

Onto the next

( broke the first needle ! there are five in the needle head ....

the needles have to be moving fast before you start moving your work !!! )

"mother and child"

machine or hand stitching is next

*

Tomorrow starts in Veldhoven, near Eindhoven, the show of the 

Open European Quilt Champignonships.

The author of our book "Art quilts in Nederland"

asked some of us to participate in another exhibition during the OEQC show.

The very talented collegue / friend Sary Maas 

brought her own work ánd my "I want to break free" pink torso to Veldhoven.

Man and me go to the show on Sunday 

and afterwards take the work home again.

details

Yesterday I went with my friend W to Gouda

where we were "on duty" at the exhibition.

There were nice people visiting 

and the fun part was talking to them

about all the beautiful Art Quilt pieces

(even talked to some people from the US

and a lady from Belgium)

In between I had the opportunity 

to take some extra pictures of 

details

so many different ways of telling a story

Finally :  "me" hanging in this wonderful spot

in the doorway (so you can see both sides) 

in the stairwell

with the special lighting feature

that changes colour every second 

(If you click with the right mouse button on the photo

and then click on "open in a new window"

you can see the much bigger picture)

the making of

Last Wednesday I went with my dear quilt-friend W

to the symposium (with lectures of several people) 

and the opening of our Art-quilts exhibition

in Arti Legi in Gouda.

The Art Gallery is a fantastic old building 

and it really is a wonderful exhibition !

Go there if you have the opportunity !
 May 1  -  20
(every day  12.00 - 17.00)

It was so much fun to meet the people 

and to see which "face" belonged to 

all the different art-quilts !

(Ha, even met some blogging friends in real life too)
(Yes, I was wearing my Boro jacket and got some lovely compliments)

The work of mine that was selected for the book

was made in 2009 for the art-quilt challenge

"Uit de naad"

("from the seam")

with additional focus on transparency and double sided.

This little sketch was how it all started

(I normally make my grocery list on these tiny pieces of paper)

Here the figure is life-size,

(I was outlined by my dear husband while I was lying on the floor,

ahhh ... making art is a tough job)

For each step in the process I had to invent ways of doing things

in order to carry out my ideas.

Finally, when the main part was machine and hand stitched

I attatched the transparent "body" to the second side

and stencilled the words with acrylic paint

and the help of freezer paper ...

pfffffffffft !

        I want to break free      ( II )

(the other side)

On the exhibition the work has a really beautiful place 

in a (twin doors) doorway 

so you can truely enjoy both sides !

felting-exchange and ... the BOOK

It has been a busy month in certain ways

(not always concerning textiles)

But when you have lots of things you have to give your attention to,

other things remain undone :

like : my felt-exchange piece for this month

(it will be the first thing I do

after my boro jacket is finished)

I, on the other hand, recieved my felted "sunny" piece !

Thank you Jolan !!!

(a very appropriate photo was there to accompany it!)

*

On Friday we brought my quilt to Gouda

(in the rain, so no sight-seeing)

and I could take a look into the new book !

Then the next day a packet came,

there it was :

the BOOK 

 a wonderful cover with work of Willy Doreleijers

(a peek inside  ...  ;-) ...)

Ha, the next "stop" is May 1 in Arti Legi 

(Markt 27,  Gouda)

the most wonderful building 

for all this fine work !

(mmmmmmm, I'm very proud indeed)

boro, nearly there

Stitch by stitch

my Boro jacket is getting to the end,

"the end" that I think is the end

Originally boro is a kind of mending

old valued textile pieces.

To see some real boro, you have to look

at Stephen's blog "Sri "

(he has a gallery in New York, USA, 

were he has lots of antique Japanese textiles)

Of course you've realized by now my Boro isn't about mending

it's more about decoration, embellishment.

A certain kind of applique is used by Nadia 

She is a blogging friend I found (most probably ... I'm not quite sure ...)

through one of Jude Hill's classes.

I asked Nadia if I could try "her" technique 

on my jacket ...

She said I could !

;-)

So here is the result Nadia 

(still busy in the garden in the warm sunshine)

... and done !

Ha, I found another spot, at the bottom of the front 

that I wasn't very happy with :

so there will be a bit more "needle turn applique"

*

The rain on Tuesday gave a wonderful sight in the garden :

thousands of tiny droplets everywhere !

*

On Wednesday night we had a wonderful show in Rotterdam Luxor by 

Karin Bloemen 

O boy, she can sing ! 

... ánd she's funny too !

(it was a special show about the 125 year old theatre Carré in Amsterdam :

lots of famous diva's were impersonated by "La Bloemen" )

*

Late this evening I had to go behind my sewing machine :

I couldn't find the slipcover for the quilt

that is selected for the new book :

Art Quilts in Nederland  by Henk Lijding.

I have to bring the quilt to Gouda tomorrow,

where next Wednesday on May 1 the book is presented

and the exhibition starts !

(I'm thrilled !!!)