I don’t know if you remember, but awhile back I posted on this blog that I was looking for a creative kick-start and going through a creative “shift”.  Well I have new work on the wall and the ideas are swirling again, which is a really good feeling, but I will admit to finding these changes of direction a bit exhausting!

I have been printing up a storm- “eco-printing” or at least a version of eco-printing- my definition of what I’m doing is using plant material to create pattern and colour of fabric. I really feel the need to find a new “name” there are so many versions and variations of printing using plant materials.   Textile artist Anni Hunt and I have a show coming up in April next year called Whisperings. The title is taken from a poem written in 1929 by Emily Carr, a staunch proponent of the forests and all the wonders found in them. 

It’s a wonderful topic to explore for me and has me really excited and bursting with ideas. We spent a day at Anni’s prepping some bundles for the pot.

It’s all very experimental at this point! we are using materials from the garden, the forest  and a few from the florist as well.

I’m being as patient as I can and letting the bundles sit for awhile…..but it’s like waiting to unwrap a present, you really don’t know what’s inside.

I love the colours in this one and have a few ideas of what to do with it- maybe. It’s printed on a silk Charmeuse with a gorgeous sheen, but the shimmer of the fabric only shows a little in the lower portion of the image, sorry about that.

I am pleased with the piece below for its subtle colour and texture (which you can’t see well in this image either). It’s a wool Challis and has the most amazing drape. I found it in a jam-packed shop in Birmingham, UK – on one of the 4 floors!! of fabric.

I’m always on the hunt for more ideas and since the forest is one of Ned and my favourite places to be, it’s a very enjoyable hunt for both of us. We’ve been stomping around camera in hand, well my hands.  I’m quite taken with these… it is Chamerion angustifolium or “fireweed” around these parts. (I understand it’s commonly called rosebay willow-herb in the UK)  I love all phases of this plants life and have strong memories of it from my time in the Yukon, so watch this space – there’s some  ideas brewing,

It finally rained! and boy did it rain….but really, I’m not complaining, honest I’m not.

I’m off to Sorrento Centre in early October, we are going to be Exploring the Natural World…I couldn’t think of a better fit for me right now!

Bye for now, Catherine

I’ve been half way round the world and back home again and haven’t posted here for a while …I did think of all the things I wanted to share but, true confessions, I never quite got round to it. So here’s a quick round-up of where I’ve been and a little bit of what I’ve been doing since my last post.

First up was Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK. This year we went all out on the Mettler stand! I made a banner to go all around the very top of the stand which is  28.5 meters or 93.5 feet for those of you who have feet! These are the pieces all laid out on the carper at Edwina’s, we were planning the colour sequence, or trying to!

We had one hour workshops going on the stand all day and everyone who participated got a goodie bag of threads and other treats, not to mention an hour with one of us. If you look carefully you can see the Lutrador banners Edwina made at the corners and a few extra “Mettler” banner pieces.

Edwina and I had a gallery of our work around the outside of the stand and we showed our pieces from our “unravelled” show. The show is based on our shared experiences and using those experiences as a source if inspiration. It’s so interesting to see how differently we interpret things. Below is “misty matera” my piece inspired by time we enjoyed in Italy and the corner of Edwina’s- not a good photo I know!

Festival is an amazing event, if you haven’t been it’s worth the trip. There is so much to see….

…some very large quilts…

…and some very small!

…and everything in-between. This year that included TV camera’s! yikes. We were both filmed/interviewed over the 4 days of the event. I can’t say I ever got used to it …as you can see it’s a rather intimidating thing. Here’s Edwina holding her own behind a wall of camera’s, recording devices and the men that operate them. I hope I managed as well as she did.

When all that was over we took a day off and went to the Worcester Flower Show, it was a lovely afternoon! I really enjoyed seeing the plates of “matching” vegetables. I’m quite sure that not how they are judged but it was so interesting to see how the growers had arranged and presented their harvest and which ones had taken the medals.

We did manage a little personal creative time and headed out to almost Wales to spend 4 days with Bobby Britnell at Moor Hall. Moor Hall is a 400 year old farmhouse and is an amazing place to spend some time. The area is stunningly beautiful, this is the view from the bathroom window where I was staying just down the road ( Ok, it wasn’t much of a road by North American standards, more of a lane)

And below is my ideas board at the end of day 2, it changed a lot over the course of the 4 days but this is the only image I have. There is a lot of new work in my sketchbook (and buzzing round in my brain) just waiting to come out.

I arrived home just ahead of an amazing storm that caused power outages all over and blew down trees everywhere including our favourite walking trail. The dogs loved the weather, there were all sorts of new smells and a few “changes” on the path that required a little clambering.

I’ve even managed to get a little stitching done! this is the very beginnings of one of my pieces for an upcoming show in April 2016! It’s a really early start for me but there’s going to be lots of hand work and it’s a largish piece…I must be turning over a new leaf, possibly blown in from the storm.

Bye for now, Catherine