Thursday 31 July 2008

Starting a Soul Journal/Starting to use a sketchbook

I came across this great blog recently where a great project on making a "Soul Journal" has recently started. To learn more about it visit http://sarahwhitmire.blogspot.com

I thought this could be a great link for people who want to start using sketchbooks and don't know where to start. It Could be used as a follow-on for those who attended the Sandra Meech "Creative Sketchbook" workshop, and for those who missed it!

This is the link to the start of the project:
http://sarahwhitmire.blogspot.com/2008/07/s-journaling.html

Tuesday 1 July 2008

BRANCH EXHBITION "REGENERATION"

BRANCH EXHBITION IN CITY HALL 24-28TH NOVEMBER:

THE THEME OF THE EXHBITION IS "REGENERATION".

So get your thinking caps on and get working on your quilts!!

A Statement of Intent for the exhbition is to be handed in at the September meeting. The form was handed out at the June meeting.

The completed quilts need to be at the November Branch Meeting (Friday 14th).

Late entries will not be accepted.

Sandra Meech Workshop

As well as giving the lecture on the Friday night for the June meeting, Sandra then gave a two-day workshop in Villiers on "Creative Sketchbooks".

There was a good turn-out for this workshop and some people came a long distance for it (i.e. Cork and Dublin).

For this workshop, everyone was working with the idea of using sketchbooks to provides ideas for future quilts etc. Everyone had to prepare some "homework" beforehand on their own theme - which was basically to bring black & white and colour copies of images/personal photos on your own image.

Everyone had different themes that they wanted to work with., they varied from Africa, shoes, The Skellies, France etc.
The start of the workshop was mainly working on painting the blank pages of the sketchbooks and b & w images. It's always a lot easier to work with a sketchbook that has been painted than a blank white page.

Then Sandra worked through a number of exercises with the images based on collage work etc.
At the end of the 2 days it was great to see the variation in everyone's books.

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June Meeting

Sandra Meech was the guest speaker at the June meeting. She gave a fascinating talk on "An Artist's Approach to Stitched Textiles" - which showed how her quilting style has developed from her early traditional quilts, then to City & Guilds work and then her own collage style.

Sandra also showed how working in a series can be very effective and how taking photo's and keeping sketchbooks can provide plenty of ideas for future quilts.
The monthly challenge for June was to make something out of green "robot-themed" fabric that was given out at a previous meeting.

There were only 3 entries on the night, which might have been because people were stumped with how they were going to use the fabric. I know I still have my piece pinned up at home awaiting some inspriation!

Bridget Keane was voted the winner on the night. She made a lovely space-themed wall-hanging, in which she cut out the robot shapes and appliqued them to the fabric. Left-over fabric was then cut into star shapes and appliqued as well.
Phil Dwyer made a very clever pincushion/thread holder. This was English-paper pieced using the robot fabric and complementary colours.
Gillian Sheehan used her sample to make a very practical and unique mouse-mat.

Alison Bingham brought in a quilt top that she is working on for a friend's baby. The colours are lovely and vibrant - just perfect for a baby. Linda Broderick and Meg Kenny brought in their finished wall-hangings from the Joke Buursma workshop.
Ger Larkin was give a surprise presentation of a flower planter to thank her for 2 years of hard work as the Mid-West Branch Chairperson. Gwen Cottiss (pictured in the centre) now takes over the Chair-person.