How shameful!

I am ashamed at just how long it is since my last post!  I could make all the excuses under the sun but I won't waste my or yours.

Here's a brief update on the last 7/8 months, not necessarily in the right order!

April saw another exhibition by Thread and Shutter, this time at our local Library in Crawley.   The exhibition was a fantastic room with great light and a professional, purpose built gallery hanging system (not without it's problems until we got the hang of it!).   Our work did look great in the location and although we did not have as many visitors (our fault because we did not publicise the exhibition enough) those who did come were very enthusiastic about our work.

Here are a couple of photos  but you can see more on our website - www.threadandshutter.co.uk .

Most of the work on display was from our previous exhibition last November but there were several new pieces as well.

The first two are a continuation on the theme "Rust Meets Water" which was our opportunity to combine my rust work with Jo's water work.

This was based on Rick Timms' convergence quilt method and incorporates some panels printed using a Thermofax screen after combining the panels.

This combines my favourite media - needlefelted fibres and embroidery which was then mounted on a quilted fabric which had been dyed in the theme.  The embroidery extends on to the background.

The next collection was based on a photo of Brian's of the Grand Prismatic Springs in Yellowstone Park, USA.

Brian's photo - with apologies if I've ruined it by changing the resolution!

The first piece uses three pieces of fabric, dyed especially for the work, with added lines of machine quilting and some threads and fibres machined in too.

Yet another piece of embroidered felt, this time a piece made by wet-felting.  This was made when Jo and I had a 'play day' making felt and dying - I will report on this over the next week.

This was strips of sari silk needlefelted to a felt background and then embellished with embroidery stitches and buttons.

This was again sari silk needlefelted to a felt background and then cut up into squares on the cross and reassembled.  Embroidery stitches and gem stones were added to each corner.

In May it was the Ruby Wedding of our closest friends, Tony and Christine.  Using the same method as the last piece above, I created a framed picture for them using red sari silk.  

So you can see I have been busy and creative since my last post!

There is more so hopefully, now I'm back, I will post some more over the next week and then continue to post more regularly in the future.

Journal Quilts Completed

The final Journal Quilts have now been added to the CQGB website.

September - September Ice

This one used some fabric that I dyed using ice cubes - a great method if you ever want to try it and so easy with great strong colours as a result.   I over printed some of the fabric with a Thermofax screen I had from the time I did Creative Sketchbooks a few years ago.  Starting with a stack of three squares of fabric, I made random cuts and then played around with the pieces until I got a pleasing result.  I left the printed panels quilt free and just machine quilted the plain pieces.

For the final four quilts, a button or buttons had to be included.  I decided to buy the buttons first and let them inspire the quilt so a the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally last October I made my purchases.

October - Do you have some picture postcards?

The button has not come out very clearly in this photo as it is glazed ceramic.  It has the words POST CARD and a post office date stamp on it, hence the use of postcards in this quilt.    I scanned the images and printed them on to fabric and then made a college of the images.  The machine quilting was quite simple so the images were kept plain.

November - Grand Prismatic Springs

 The stripy buttons reminded my of one of my friend Brian's photos of Grand Prismatic Springs in Yellowstone Park.   My intention was always to do some pieces using this as inspiration, so this quilt is really a try out for further work.   The fabric was some I dyed myself and the photograph was printed on to hand made paper.   The machine quilting is in various colours taken from the photo. 

December - Riot of Rust

 This beautiful copper heart shaped button was purchased from Dale Rollerson at Thread Studio when she was at the Knitting and Stitching Show last October.  Determined to get at least one more rust piece done, I was inspired by Alisa Burke's book Sew Wild and felt it challenged me to become much freer.   The end result is freer for me but still does not have that totally random, "tatty" look that Alisa's do.  I'll try again though and maybe will get there.

January - Log Cabin was always my favourite block

To be honest, I was at a complete loss as to what to do for this final quilt.  It was more about getting it done and out of the way than being totally creative!  When in doubt, go back to what you love best and in my case it is usually log cabin.   I used some of the ice cube dyed fabric again and over printed some with the flower design to echo the flowers in the button.  I then started with a more random log cabin, cutting each round so it was slightly skewed.  The block then got more traditional.   The reverse of the quilt was also printed with the same flower block, the outlines of which I used to machine quilt a flower design.

I have loved the challenge of making these Journal Quilts and will no doubt be signing up for the coming year.

Exhibition up and running

Lack of any post for the last few months is due to frantic working to get things ready for the exhibition!

I have promised myself in future I will future that I will sleeve/mount/frame and label all piece of work as I go to avoid weeks of boring stuff leading up to an exhibition.

We decided a while ago to go under the name of "Thread and Shutter" as we are two textiles artists and a photographer. We have a logo which incorporates the LX symbol Jo and I were always keen on as this exhibition is part of our 60th birthday celebrations.

We are all very pleased with the look of the displays and all the planning that went into the arrangements definitely paid off as it was all up in just under four hours without too much heart ache. Comments so far have been very good and positive with some people making a return visit. We have a 'private view' on Monday for invited family and friends which was a very enjoyable evening, topped off for me by news that I have sold a hanging and some smaller items. To say I was gob-smacked would be an understatement!

Journal Quilts - June, July and August

Rather late getting these completed but they are now uploaded on the CQGB site.

The first one, for June, is part of a series I've been doing based on Arts and Crafts Movement and in particular the use of tulips. I've done a much larger version that is similar. Most of the fabric I dyed myself. The quilts for June - September must include some text so I simply free machined "Tulips" along the bottom.

The July quilt was inspired by the roadside flowers that have been in abundance this year. I kept wanting to get out of the car and photograph them but there was never a safe place to do so! This was a development of the postcard swap I did earlier in the month and I am much happier with the way this quilt turned out.

I printed the background with the names of various wildflowers and then added some dyed scrim which I loosely needlefelted to the background. Machine stitching was added, some it cable stitched with perle cotton on the bobbin. Hand embroidered stitched were added together with snips of silk, beads and buttons.

Finally the August quilt was inspired by a photograph taken of Hope and Eloise, my grand daughters, playing in the sea during their holiday with us.

I seem to take several photos of them taken from the backview looking out to sea and feel there might be more creations to come based on the same idea.

The sea was strips of organza and net bonded to a blue background and the pebbled beach was printed with bubble wrap. Both were machine quilted before the image was applied, stitching from the reverse and cutting back the fabric to the stitch line. The required text "On the seashore" is free quilted in quilt lines of the sea.

Postcard Swap

One thing I did over the summer was organise a postcard swap with some friends. I was 'volunteered' to do it and chose the theme "A Day Out" which I thought was quite wide and would suit everyone.

I wanted to try out a method Angie Hughes used in her book "Stitch, Cloth, Paper and Paint". It starts with calico soaked in PVA glue and adding lace and paper for further texture. Machine stitches were then added in slanting lines to create the feeling of grasses moving, and finally the whole thing was painted with acrylic.

I have been amazed at the roadside flowers this year - there have been so many you can't fail to have see them and be inspired. I added snippets of lace and fabric as well as hand embroidery before making them into fabric postcards.

I'm not totally happy with the results and as I only posted them yesterday, I haven't had any feedback from the recipients. I think the painting is a bit too heavy and I should have varied the colour a bit .

I've since done a Journal Quilt based on the same idea which I will post when I have had my sort out.

Far too long with no posting

Well the summer seems to be over now. We've just got back from Brighton and it was all we could do to see our way what with the spray from the road and the mist from the hills.

The lack of posts over the last few months doesn't mean I haven't been busy! I spent the weeks leading up to the summer break busy getting stuff ready that I could finish with hand stitching, beading etc. i.e. nothing that needed machine! Well, what I prepared was done in the firs three days of our three week break and I seriously began to consider getting a machine for the caravan. It was only the lack of electric point in the right place and the fear that I would have to tidy up as I went (why do you think this blog is called "Creating chaos"?) that I talked myself out of it. Not one to just sit and do nothing, I resorted to puzzle books to keep my hands and mind busy.

We had a great time away, first week with our two granddaughters and two weeks on our own. Despite what everyone is saying about the weather this year, we didn't seem to suffer too much at Pagham. A few overcast days but plenty of sunshine to keep the girls happy on the beach and for us to get in some walking.

We spent one day with my brother at Fort Nelson, the Royal Armouries museum just outside Portsmouth. Not a place for textiles artists I can hear you saying, but how wrong you are. Here are a few of the many photos I took - I saw patterns and designs all over the place.

Now I have to sort out and organise all the work I have prepared for November's exhibition. Most work is complete and not needs to be labelled or mounted so I will post photos of the pieces I completed over the summer in the coming weeks.

April's Journal Quilt

Looking back I found that I had not posted my April Journal Quilt!

Sticking to my "whatever is around me" theme, I felt the only option had to be based on weddings, after all we'd all gained an extra Bank Holiday so it was worth celebrating just for that!

For some time I have been interested in mixed media work but never had the occasion to actually do it so I thought this could be the occasion. All made from bits and pieces found in and around my workroom, the various layers were put on a base of silk. Different elements include lace, printed tissuetex, odd pieces of lace, netting, printed fabrics, batik, gold 'leather', heart shaped buttons, punched bells and of course a 'wedding ring'.

I really enjoyed creating this and will definitely be having another go at mixed media.