Making Memory Cloths: July 2014

Thursday, July 24, 2014

From the Circle, July 23

We sat on the sofa in the front room and soaked up the sun (great embroidery light) and caught breezes through the screen door.

Lisa is making a "shirt dress" out of. . .three shirts! Same shirt, different colors and it might be embellished with embroidery and possibly some Bee ribbon. Lisa will wear her new creation to our August 6^th gathering.

She recommends we check out http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome for designs that can be printed on fabric.

Cynthia continues working on her animal war hero logo.

Peggy is finishing her couching/embroidery on handmade paper.

Sherri worked on her "orphan needlework pieces" How wonderful they will find a new home.
Ann continues the "Hankie Buffett" and Joan her "You don't have to tell mother everything.
We all exclaimed about the beauty of the day!
Joan reminded us how hot it was last summer. How hot was it!?! THIS HOT on Joan's porch!

Also…..Sherri wanted to share two stitching opportunities with everyone.

First, Creative Bug is offering the on-line class, Happy Go-Lucky Stitch Along, taught by Amy Powers. It runs August 21 – September 3 and offers daily video tutorials, live chats with the instructor, downloadable pdfs, a private gallery and more all for just $20! . Sherri made the sampler she brought two weeks ago in the 2012 version of this class.

Second is the PeaceFlag Project: Call for Entries. This is an opportunity to make a small art flag (finished piece is 5 x 8) by sewing, painting, printing, stenciling and stitching for peace, love, and compassion. The flags will be shown at the Ohio Craft Museum (scrolled down the page for the peace flag info) but the deadline is just around the corner!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

From the Circle July 16, 2014

Jane Perlmutter, quilter, knitter and knitting pattern designer, attended. She was a guest of Pamela. Jane brought a vintage thimble she found in her sewing stuff: from the campaign of Calvin Coolidge! Jane sells from “Ravelry” a database and storage site. She has strong connections in Scotland and leads tours of librarians to sites in Scotland. Yesterday she was mourning the fire at the Glasgow Art School that destroyed exquisite documents relating to Charles Rennie Macintosh.

Pamela brought a very special embroidered cloth that was given to her by a young Albanian woman she visited when Pamela was a social worker in New York. The young woman did extraordinary embroidery which was displayed around her apartment. No one in the Circle could determine what kind of stitch she used to get this effect, almost like she worked with felted thread.

Cyndi is working on the hanky project. In her research she learned that purple poppies (which are on her hanky) are symbols to honor animals lost in wars. On her hanky she has embroidered “ghost” animals in very pale colors.

Peggy continues to stitch on her handmade paper. She brought and distributed mini-clothespins for us to decorate and use to hang our hanky project.

Bobbi brought her own hanky which she passed around for each of us to sign our first names on her daisies. She will embroider our names on her daisy hanky. Bobbi finished one more joke punch line on her quilt. Six more to go and six more spaces on the quilt. She also brought an amazing and beautiful framed woven piece of her own depicting a white pinafore…woven by artist Deborah Stobbins.

Sherri went to Erin’s beautiful farm last weekend, embroidered and had fun.

She finished the small piece she was working on about how her Mom always made her favorite cherry cheese cake for her birthday.

Margaret used wilted irises to dye on muslin, to beautiful effect. Thinking about how to fix the color and design.

Marilyn brought her eco-prints using leaves, flowers and ferns on watercolor and Arches Text paper.

Laurie working on a piece for her family reunion’s silent auction, which will raise money to repair and care for tombstones in the Boaz Cemetery in Boaz, WI.

Joan still stitching and thinking on the concept of the piece “You don’t have to tell Mom everything.”

Ann brought and distributed copies of “Start and the Art Will Follow.” She continues to embroider pithy, wise words of the Circle on her (Bobbi’s) hanky.

From The Circle July 9, 2014

Bobbie brought a friend, Elaine from Boston
Brenna commented, in introducing her to the group,
"We are like a permeable membrane . . .we open and close as needed."

Bobbie brought the catalog from an exhibit of the Muskegon Museum of Art, now at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport Iowa. "Innovators & Legends Generations in Textiles and Fiber"
Includes Madison artist Mary Bero

and also gasps to the art of Ilze Aviks. . .orange circles

Elaine brought a photo of a Chuppa that she made for her son's wedding (goes over the Jewish wedding canopy) and is now a quilt for their bed. And a beautiful quote which is the verbal wedding vow, instead of "I do". "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."
Bobbie's father would say, "No Chuppie no whoppie"

How to use the rest of the hankies?
Hang them between the flat flags (the ones in between would just be shaken out and hung from their center.)

Brenna suggested everyone find a pocket and then (cut it out from a shirt maybe) bring to afix to a cloth or just hang them on a clothes line with Pocket

This group really resonates with hankies. . .could do another hankie project.
Peggy brought pen and ink line drawings she made at Cy workshop.

Brenna has a picture of all Bobbie's hankies on her blog What is Beautiful Remains.

Sherri brought Brenna Christmas ornaments, lots of beads and sequines. Brenna is Very VERY happy.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

July 2 2014

HANKY EXHIBIT

We will have the Buffet of Hankies show September 2 - (probably) 14th
Reception Weds, September 3 at 4-5:30 pm

Tell your friends

We'll hang the show 10 am Tuesday ( after Labor Day) Sept 2

NEWS

Erin and Sherri will be Making Memory Cloths at Currant Events at Erin's farm July 12
Plus there will be fruit treats! RSVP

Pamela N's niece Laura made this embroidery - she may come visit us soon.

Maureen G is taking a silk scarf to France with Paintstiks to make rubbing souvenirs of her trip.
And the example is by Lois Jarvis, Madison fiber artist.

We talked about Jenny Hart & her Embroidery tutorials
and her Sublime Stitching patterns

& Leslie Riley

& Piper Shepard - who was in the Figge Museum show
( Bobbie recommends it & will bring the catalog next week)

& Louise Saxton
assembling found embroideries

Leslee brought some extra Flo Oy Wong catalogs. She makes room sized embroidered family stories.

& perhaps we could do a BLINK grant on embroidering on a chain link fence

Everyone watch for a fence that needs a temporary enhancement.
& save old fabrics to use to embroider. The grant is due October 1.

Anyone want to take this on? It's $1500 & an easy one to write.