memories and connections

Several months ago my brother and I were forced to make the decision that our mother could no longer live at home and needed more help with her needs. She is suffering from dementia. Neither of us was prepared for the emotional implications of this decision let alone the practical ones. We were faced with a home crammed with things that represented our lives and those of our parents and grandparents. The home is now just an empty house and we have tried to deal with the contents. I collected up pieces of linen - table mats, hankies, embroidered napkins and tablecloths, gloves and aprons. These had been embroidered, crocheted, stitched, darned and and owned by my grandmothers Maud and Gladys and my Mum, Eileen. What on earth should I do with them.  I do not want to leave my boys with the decision of what to do with my things let alone my grandmother's. I wanted to do something that would connect me to them and also be relevant and even something of use for my children. I bit the bullet and started cutting up the pieces. I am stitching a crazy patchwork quilt in squares made up of pieces belonging to Maud, Gladys and Eileen. I am using old transfers to add my marks to the pieces now. So far I have made 17 squares so a long way to go but all the time I am stitching them ( glass of wine at hand in front of the telly) I think of these women, their lives and how they have made me what I am.

Flying the nest September Journal Quilt

Yesterday I came across the paper collage above which I did 18months ago. My eldest had just left home and was starting a new job and living in Brighton. I was doing a workshop with Sian Martin and had collaged bits of photos, receipts, computer printouts about Brighton and bits of  discarded artwork, then machine stitched pathways over the surface. We were using potassium permanganate and on that cold February day and I found the colour so dreary echoing my state of mind probably. I had a lightbulb moment looking at it again. I scanned and replaced the background colour with a lighter tone which immediately lifted it. I used a portion in large scale as a background then layered up the image again in two sizes. I printed the image on to old cotton sheeting that I had treated with bubble jet set and then machine stitched the background. I particularly like the scanned areas of the original stitching marks which picked up portions of the p.perm. and seeped into the needle holes.

Man Woman August Journal Quilt

This is my August Journal Quilt entitled "Man Woman". It is the third of the quilts which specified text. I have been suffering from empty nest syndrome. It always happens at this time of the year. The youngest (now 21 ) drew this little picture many years ago and I have had it pinned on my wall. The funny expressions always make me smile. I used this as an opportunity to get to grips with a new printer after my old Epson started dumping ink on the surface of my fabric. I defined the pencil marks and then added some more colour to the original drawing then I added a half triangle border to the design together with some repeating figures which I think must have been Ralph. There was a tiny little figure on a distant planet and I'm wondering if that was his brother! The little wholecloth was printed on bubble jet set treated recycled cotton sheeting and then machine stitched and I also put some little french knots where there were pencil dots on the original. It still makes me laugh.
The exhibition in The Guild in Bristol, Cloth, Paper, Stitch, has now finished. Thank you to my friends who supported me and the people who visited and bought my work and cards. There was a lot of interest in the lichen pieces again and I think I shall make another large piece soon.

July Journal Quilt

"Love a wall" This is my July Journal quilt for the contemporary quilt group challenge. I have used the applique stone shapes, but this time have added some hand stitching. The text is from Robert Frost's "Mending Wall" again.

Fabric Paper Stitch, Guild Gallery, Bristol.

Views showing my piece "Listen" and "Moon-made friends" and "Gaps", the little Gaudi inspired pieces, Di Goodison's jackets and bags and Sally Gregg's felt pieces.

Fabric Paper Stitch Exhibition, Bristol.

Spectrum had its preview yesterday in the Guild Gallery at the Bristol Guild in Park Street. We had a lot of visitors and the day was very enjoyable. It ends on October 1st.
You can see some of my lichen pieces on the wall and Joan Bowie's mermaids.

Gaps and Tumbling Stones

The horizontal design above was the original cut out piece which I have added a border to and mounted on linen - called Gaps.
The vertical piece on the left is made from some of the original applique pieces on top of a printed text background using verses from Robert Frost's Mending Wall. I have added borders to this, some builders scrim which I particularly like using at the moment and the whole thing is mounted on a linen background.