Pat Findlay's Studio Time

  Every spare moment is being spent working o the beading on the "Circles" hanging, and I can see progress.   Once that beading is finished I'll be putting the binding on the quilt for Denise's wedding shower--May 5th.  Hard to believe that I have a Grandson getting married, but we're pleased at his choice of a bride.

  The two exhibition pieces I've been struggling with are almost finished. While I haven't given this one a title yet, the machine work, other than the final binding, is finished.  I plan to add some simple bead work, probably in a wonky circle.  Every fourth vertical line of machine quilting has been done with blue thread. Then the blue lines have all been whip stitched by hand with white #12 thread. I decided to forego the beading with this piece. Stylistically it just didn't feel right to me.  Instead I used home-made rubber stamps to make the birds on separate fabric, cutting them out and fusing them to the grey background.  The same grey fabric will be used for a simple binding and backing.

 My "fibre art support group", also known as "The "Fibre Art Divas", or sometimes just "The Divas", have challenged me to enter a piece of work in an out door show venue, later this summer.  While I'm not really committed, I do feel that it's time for new work.  I haven't made anything new since 2019.  In my many purges most of the supplies in my studio have found new homes.  But not my Procion dyes.  That decided what technique would be used--painting with thickened dye.   Ah, but what about the design?  Lately the news has upset me.  More wars. More and more displaced people.  More evidence of man's cruelty to others,  over and over again throughout history. There are books and music pointing out the "circle of life".  I wanted my piece to have circles. I wanted to try to create some transparencies. Here is the result of my painting efforts using red, yellow, and blue. Next step machine and free motion quilting, then han...

  In expectation of selling our house, my fibre art pieces must find new homes. Most of the newer pieces have been disposed of, leaving some older pieces of which I've always been especially fond.  I've prepared a detailed list of these, in no particular order.  Please give me a call if you see any that speak to you.  Prices are always negotiable. 1. "Fantasy Flowers" This is the very first hanging I ever made as a specifically "art quilt".  It is 32" by 29".  All of the flowers and leaves were hand made and appliqued.     Suggested price:  SOLD 2"Blue and Yellow Shibori"  26" by 301/2"   Shibori is a dyeing technique with a lengthy history in Japan.  It's very labour intensive but can produce stunning results.  As the fibre is often tied into bundles before dyeing, the image of the thread used to tie the bundles often becomes part of the pattern. I usually make my  Shibori-dyed fabric into fibre collages t...

As usual the holiday season interferes with opportunity to get involved in creative activities.  Most of my creative time was spent  starting the new EPP piece, but lately I find myself getting anxious to start a new project. Yesterday, while in Osborne Village, I popped into Shakti, on Gertrude, just east of Osborne. Normally I look for beads and jewelry findings there but this time I had time on my hands, looked a little further and found hand carved wooden printing blocks in various of shapes.  I only bought 3.  In the picture I've added a 6" ruler for scale. Now, to find the time to try out these darlings on various surfaces.  I can also see beads coming into use.

  December 28, 2023 I've settled down, and can now think more clearly. Obviously, I can't battle Mother Nature so have to accept whatever the future holds. The usual plan with any sort of change-positive or negative-is acceptance.  Just ask AA. I'm the only one who will have the opportunity to examine the stitching  in my EPP projects so I will just carry-on as best I can.  There is a good chance that I will never again enjoy the privilege of having a dedicated studio space once we move into assisted living.  My studio time is getting less and less with a growing list of home management chores taking more and more of my time with my diminishing physical abilities.  I'm frustrated and unhappy with the time available for my "hobbies" and try to accomplish too much in whatever dedicated time I find.  This is only going to increase.  Acceptance. Yesterday I returned to making donation quilts.  I only had 1 1/2 hours when I started and I knew that...