THROUGH OUR HANDS
the Magazine
Alicia Merrett:
Art Quilts in Sitges
Jeanne Williamson: under colour
Annabel Rainbow: tacking foot texture
Issue 1 May 2014
Cover: come join us’, Mirjam Pet-Jacobs, h137cm x w133cm
Issue 1 Published by Through Our Hands, May 2014 Through Our Hands ‘the magazine’ Established 2014. Editors: Laura Kemshall, Annabel Rainbow Submissions and advertising enquiries: throughourhands.co.uk@gmail.com
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© Through Our Hands, 2014. All content copyright. No part of this publication to be copied or reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the copyright holder(s).
www.throughourhands.co.uk 11 Knightcote Drive, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire throughourhands.co.uk@gmail.com 07877 402455
4 Welcome
in this issue...
5 Meet the Artists
9 Alicia Merrett: Art Quilts in Sitges
33 Annabel Rainbow: tacking foot texture
35
15 Bobby Britnell: women and craft
Alicia Merrett: perfect finish
19 Mirjam Pet-Jacobs: GEA Miniartextil 2014 and more
37 Margaret Cooter: at the edge of the quilt
21 Through Our Hands: videos
41 Starving Artist: easy bread
23 Jeanne Williamson: under colour
f Sara Impey: things we do in bed
27 Helen Cobby: freedom in collage and colour
47 What’s On: exhibitions and events
31 Sue Benner: quilts: the new geometry
45
49 Desert Island Designs: elizabeth barton TOH May 2014 - 2
annabel rainbow
Hello I’m Annabel, I make quilts with naked women on but am surprisingly reserved when it comes to streaking at sports events. You’ll generally find me by the biscuit tin, where you’re very welcome to have a chat about my painted quilts, the price of jaffa cakes or whether Man-U were right to sack Moyes. I hope you enjoy the magazine and I’d be delighted to receive your feedback.
And I’m Laura. I love art, making things and can’t resist a crazy challenge, such as designing and editing a brand new online magazine, ahem! You can tell that while we’re both very serious, if not obsessively passionate about our work and what we do, we promise never to be solemn. Our mission for Through Our Hands is to gather together a wonderful, inspiring and brilliant collection of artists and art and to share that with you. We hope you enjoy it and thank you for your support.
www.throughourhands.co.uk and more...
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIel3pccql6pOSj2Y9eq74g
throughourhands.co.uk@gmail.com
facebook.com/throughourhands.co.uk
@throughourhands 3 - toh May 2014
laura kemshall
Welcome Welcome to the brand new quarterly magazine from Through Our Hands! Every issue features new and exciting information about your favourite artists. This month there is a snapshot of a quilter in Spain, as Alicia Merrett has a hugely successful exhibition in Sitges. We catch up with Jeanne Williamson, who is one of the most recent artists to join Through Our Hands, and who is enjoying a residency in Boston. Linda Barlow is exhibiting a bit nearer home at the Ruthin Craft Centre, Denbighshire, you’ll also find information about exhibitions and competitions that might interest you. We have some useful tips and even have a recipe to keep you from starving whilst you’re working hard in your garret. Margaret Cooter is writing a regular column for us “At The Edge of the Quilt” In this edition we look at the quilts of Joe Cunningham. Finally we find out behind the scenes truths about Elizabeth Barton in a new series called Desert Island Designs.
Yellow wall, detail, jette clover
TOH May 2014 - 4
Meet the artists:
Alicia Merrett aliciamerrett.co.uk
clare smith claresmith.blogspot.co.nz
Annabel rainbow annabelrainbow.co.uk
deidre adams deidreadams.com
bethan ash bethanash.co.uk
dijanne cevaal origidij.blogspot.com
bobby britnell bobbybritnell.co.uk
elizabeth barton ebarton.myweb.uga.edu
Bente vold klausen bentevoldklausen.com
els van baarle elsvanbaarle.com
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eszter bornemizsa bornemizsa.com
linda kemshall lindakemshall.com
jeanne williamson jeannewilliamson.com
michala gyetvai michalagyetvai.co.uk
jette clover jetteclover.com
mirjam pet-jacobs mirjampetjacobs.nl
laura kemshall laurakemshall.com
olga prins lukowski olga-prins-lukowski.nl
linda barlow lindabarlow.co.uk
sandra meech sandrameech.com
linda colsh lindacolsh.com
sara impey quiltart.eu/saraimpey
TOH May 2014 - 6
construct eight textile artists explore identity Linda Barlow / Caren Garfen / Janet Haigh / Nigel Hurlstone Val Jackson / Deirdre Nelson / Naomi Ryder / Lynn Setterington
ruthincraftcentre.org.uk
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12 April – 20 July 2014 Gallery 1 Who are we? What makes us who we are? In this exhibition, curated by Melanie Miller and June Hill, eight artists explore the subject of identity from a range of perspectives: personal, public, historic and geographic. The exhibition features work in a variety of formats including installation, domestic objects, military clothing, signature quilts, digital prints and embroidered stop motion animation. Dr Melanie Miller is a lecturer, maker, writer and curator. Caren Garfen
Walk and Talk: FREE Curator Melanie Miller and Caren Garfen Saturday 12 April, 11.00am FREE no need to book Melanie and Caren will discuss Caren’s research and making processes, and they will also be happy to respond to questions from the audience. Walk and Talk: FREE Artist Val Jackson and Curator Melanie Miller Sunday 11 May, 2.00pm FREE please call to book a place Melanie and Val will discuss Val’s research and making processes, and they will also be happy to respond to questions from the audience. Talks, Events & Workshops To book call 01824 704774. For the latest listings visit www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk right: Naomi Ryder. images are courtesy of the artists.
Adult Workshops: Naomi Ryder – 2 day workshop Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 June, 10.30am – 4.30pm £130 includes light lunch Suitable for all abilities
Janet Haigh – 1 day workshop Wednesday 9 July, 10.30am – 4.30pm £60 includes light lunch Intermediate to advanced hand stitching skills required
Naomi Ryder is an artist who draws with stitch to create delicate pieces of contemporary art reflecting our everyday life. During this course you will be shown suitable handstitch and applique techniques for drawing with stitch.
Learn how to transfer and embroider a range of letter forms and numerals using traditional needle work techniques; how to transfer letters using a variety of methods, stitching outlines, padding (tramme), and then embroidering an initial or numeral in satin stitch.
Janet Haigh – 1 day workshop Tuesday 8 July, 10.30am – 4.30pm £60 includes light lunch Suitable for all abilities Learn to embroider simple messages, names and dates using your own hand writing, from signatures through to messages plus an introduction to traditional cross-stitched dedications.
For further information please visit our website.
Construct A beautifully presented 32 page book accompanies the exhibition. ISBN 978-1-905865-65-9 Call to reserve your copy. Tel: +44 (0)1824 704774 2/3
TOH May 2014 - 8
Alicia Merrett:
Art Quilts in Sitges Alicia Merrett is well known here at TOH as an intrepid traveller! She’s always off around the world teaching and exhibiting, and during March she went to Sitges in Spain, for the annual Quilt Festival of the Spanish Patchwork Association. She had a wonderful exhibition space and also taught a few classes as well. Sitges is a very beautiful beach resort about half an hour south of Barcelona. She says the people were wonderful, the weather sunny and warm, and the food superb; what more can a quilter want? For those of us who couldn’t get to Spain to see the exhibition, here are a couple of photos showing Alicia’s work in situ and the appreciative crowds of visitors.
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About alicia I have been involved with textiles and crafts since I was a child, but only discovered quilting in the early nineties. In the intervening time, I studied Sociology and Anthropology, moved from Argentina to England, worked, had a family, studied photography – which still influences my way of seeing - and eventually became a dollmaker and toymaker for 15 years. Quilting became an obsession when I discovered art quilting, via an exhibition of Contemporary American Quilting at the Crafts Council in London, in 1993. It took me a few years to make the transition from toymaker teacher and author to art quilter, but by 1999 it was complete.
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My first love was working with strong colour and abstract design. That still persists, but my work has evolved more towards ideas and concepts. I worked on series based on music, on Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, and on the simplicity of Gee’s Bend designs - plus a few ‘onesies’. A few years ago I discovered the potential of maps and aerial views as sources for textile work, and since then I have been concentrating on interpreting those. I believe maps are an ancient and important part of mankind’s need 11 - toh May 2014
to interpret and understand the world. I do however work on other subjects as well, albeit in a smaller scale at the moment: text and ancient scripts; line and colour; digital printing on fabric. I exhibit widely in the UK and abroad, teach workshops, and belong to a number of wonderfully supportive art quilting groups.
www.aliciamerrett.co.uk
aliciamerrett-colourandlight.blogspot.co.uk facebook.com/alicia.merrett1
alicia@aliciamerrett.co.uk
twitter.com/finelinemagic TOH May 2014 - 12
The Festival of Quilts 2014 7th–10th August Halls 7, 8 & 9. NEC, Birmingham, England www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk
A celebration of quilting with over 300 exhibitors offering essential supplies, extraordinary galleries from international artists and over 1,000 competition quilts. For more information call: +44 (0) 844 848 0132
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UPPER STREET EVENTS
Image by Christine Restall, Rainbow Deconstructed. Photography by Mike Watson.
Europe’s leading patchwork and quilting show
Through Our Hands Artists:
at festival of quilts 2014
Exhibition: Eszter Bornemisza, Urban Solitude
Inspiration: Old and new city plans and road maps has been one of my sources of inspiration for a long time. This time I adjusted a modern city grid into a distorted human figure. The desert-like background of diverse surfaces with another urban grid is underpinning the idea of lonesome feelings.
exhibition: Alicia Merret,: Mapping the Imagination
Alicia’s work is driven by her deep-seated love of colour and in recent years inspired by maps which she believes fulfil a primordial need in mankind as a way of interpreting the world and our place within it. Themes related to climate change and the need to protect the Earth for future generations are also reflected in her exhibition. Alicia’s also leading a number of workshops - check out the FOQ programme for full details.
Lecture: Laura Kemshall, The Digital Quilt
Join Laura to discover how digital techniques for print and stitch have influenced and inspired her recent quilts. From fabric printing on a large scale, using photography and scanning, to digital collage, technology is having an increasing influence on quiltmaking. Going digital isn’t just limited to printing methods, enlist the power of your sewing machine and quilt digitally too! Whether you’re a tech fan or a complete novice, find out how you too can create exciting and unique quilts and discover a whole new way of working. Entry to exhibitions is included in the Festival of quilts ticket price. Workshops and lectures vary and are best booked in advance. All the details are on the Festival of quilts website and you can book online or by phone.
www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk TOH May 2014 - 14
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Hands Up for Uganda:
kisaabwa women and craft Through Our Hands artist Bobby Britnell and her husband Martin have been involved with Uganda for some years, and during this time they have formed a firm partnership with their Ugandan Project Manager, Fred Ssetyaba, a young local man from Kisaabwa. Fred is the driving force behind their charity Hands Up for Uganda and has extensive community insight, knowledge and commitment to the project. In the UK they are supported by a dedicated UK committee, and many kind volunteers, and the charity Hands Up for Uganda was formed in January 2012 with the overriding aim of empowering the people of Kisaabwa, by giving them hope of a self-supporting and sustainable future. Martin and Bobby work closely with the people at grass roots level and travel over there at least twice a year. By overseeing each project they can ensure that every penny is spent as intended. They have developed an extraordinary trust with their Project Manager, and this strong
relationship and mutual respect has now filtered through to a community, who are committed to strengthening and improving their lives. TOH May 2014 - 16
Omweso’I, Bobby britnell
Omweso’II, Bobby britnell
Omweso’III, Bobby britnell
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About bobby One of the current projects which Bobby is working on focuses on empowering the women and girls through the development of their traditional crafts and materials. The women in particular are able and willing to contribute to the economic development of their community through the development of their crafts and just need a kick start and a little financial support to initiate such a venture. The idea of setting up a micro-finance scheme was put forward a year ago during a discussion with several women. Since then they have expressed a desire to establish a viable scheme to assist them in developing the production and marketing of their crafts. They have the skills in traditional crafts but need the initial capital to purchase materials and a suitable well equipped workspace to advance these traditional skills and crafts. These will give them the incentive to produce marketable goods which can be sold both locally and further afield thus beginning the building of a successful and lucrative business. The overall aim is to empower the women and create a self sustaining project.
Bobby is a textile artist who has been involved with textiles for 45 years. She initially worked in theatre making costumes for shows such as ‘The Black and White Minstrel Show’ and ‘Talk of the Town’ and then trained as a tailoress for Sir Bernard Weatherill, before qualifying as a secondary school teacher. She describes her working life as being rich and varied. She has her own working studio where she teaches and works as well as bringing in the very best of UK teachers to deliver courses. Bobby teaches in schools, for community groups and guilds and was a tutor on the Stitched Textiles Degree programme for the Julia Caprara School of Stitched Textiles. Her work takes her all over the country and abroad. She is an active member of the ‘Textile Study Group’ and of course, ‘Through Our Hands’.
If anyone would like to learn more about the Kisaabwa Project or be on Bobby’s mailings list for workshops, please do get in touch with her.
www.handsupforuganda.org www.bobbybritnell.co.uk handsupforuganda.org/blog.html facebook.com/barkcloth2artcloth
bobby@bobbybritnell.co.uk TOH May 2014 - 18
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Mirjam Pet-Jacobs:
GEA Miniartextil 2014 and more Mirjam’s work has been selected for GEA Miniartextil 2014 in Como, Italy. 5th April - 2nd June 2014 miniartextil.it
She will also exhibit approximately ten works as part of a group exhibition during Pentecost at Galerie De Kluiw, Heeze, Netherlands. 6th-9th June 2014 dekliuw.nl/kunst/index.php
mirjampetjacobs.nl youtube.com/user/mirpetjac
mirjampetjacobs.nl/Contact/contact_form.html
Serendipty, Mirjam Pet-jacobs, w18cm x h16cm, d3cm, Myrica Gale twig and golden thread TOH May 2014 - 20
Through Our Hands:
videos
We have gathered together several fabulous new videos on the Through Our Hands website, with lots of helpful demonstrations and tips, beautiful quilts to see, and interviews with the artists. So why not grab a coffee, and a jaffa cake, and head to the website at www. throughourhands.co.uk Here’s what you’ll find available at the momeht: Mirjam Pet-Jacobs – talking about her work Mirjam Pet-Jacobs – a tour of her exhibition Jeanne Williamson – detailed video building a piece for her Fractured Fence series Jeanne Williamson – a speedy trip through Fractured Fencing! A tour of Through Our Hands at Festival of Quilts 2013 with Annabel and Laura, courtesy of DMTV Exploring Monoprint with Laura and Linda Kemshall courtesy of DMTV Waxing Papers with Laura and Linda Kemshall courtesy of DMTV Annabel Rainbow interviewed by Bonny McCaffery - Festival of Quilts 2013, Part One Annabel Rainbow interviewed by Bonny McCaffery – Festival of Quilts 2013, Part Two Alicia Merrett: Contemporary Art Quilt Demonstrations. (3 Videos)
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Jeanne Williamson:
under colour
The Kniznick Gallery WSRC, Epstein Building 515 South Street, Waltham (across from Brandeis/Roberts commuter rail station), Near Boston, USA Jeanne Williamson, one of the new artists on the TOH website, worked on site to create a series of Jewish wedding canopies, or chuppot. Using common construction fencing as her template, Jeanne draws inspiration from this material and its grid-like patterns. Her process incorporates painting, simple printmaking techniques and stitching to achieve vivid colour and texture. Visually and conceptually linking the “protected area” of an urban building site with the symbolic protection of the wedding canopy, the chuppot; a new interpretation of our relationship to our surroundings and the ritual of marriage.
Residency @ The Kniznick Gallery The gallery was used as the artist’s studio as Williamson worked to create pieces for the exhibition. Visitors were welcome and encouraged to interact with the artist to learn more about her process and methods.
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jeannewilliamson.com jeannewilliamson.blogspot.com facebook.com/JeanneWilliamson.Art
jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com
twitter.com/bleujeanne TOH May 2014 - 24
Stroud International Textiles presents
Select Festival 2014
Innovation in exhibitions, talks, symposia Encouraging debate and discussion
sitselect.org
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Select 2014 opens on 4th April this year and runs to 31st May Exhibitions, talks, workshops and a major focus on the intriguing subject of Designing Craft Crafting Design with a one day symposia on May 17th that has top speakers, films, interviews with top designers and style gurus (Wayne Hemingway, Ella Doran & Ian Rush among them) (see separate press) Come and share your thoughts on ‘Designing Craft’ in our Vox Pop booth. Friday 4 April – 31 May Linked to the Symposium on 17th May is Crafting Design Making for Pleasure – an exhibition in the new Arts & Crafts Collection rooms at The Wilson Museum in Cheltenham with Michael Eden, Cleo Mussi, Philippa Brock, Peter Layton, Pinch Twig furniture, Tom Raffield among the 10 iconic designer makers exhibiting. To accompany the exhibition is a day of talks on 5th May. Be inspired by Freddie Robbins and Peter Ting in conversation; textile artist Ptolemy Mann and Carmel Allen, Brand Champion of Heal's, discuss the role commerce plays in fostering innovative craft and design practice. Join the debate. Sunday 27 April – 26 May Enjoy work by Elizabeth Turrell (enamel), Linda Brassington (burnished textiles); Hilary Bower (textiles); Peter Archer (turned wood); Keith Varney (porcelain), Jilly Morris, in Shadow & Line at Museum in the Park Stroud. Wednesday 23 April – Sunday 8 June Selected at Newark Park Newark Park, Ozleworth, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, GL12 7PZ 30 talented and extraordinary artists exhibit their work in the stunning setting of Newark Park, a National Trust property. Newark Park was once a Tudor Hunting Lodge and the breathtaking valley is still unspoilt. Close your eyes and you can hear the hounds baying in the valley. The work from leading national makers as well as regional emerging makers who, will be exhibited throughout this delightful property and includes textiles, etched glass, ceramics, willow, paper, paintings and prints. 6 artists are creating site responsive work inspired by the history of house and surrounding landscape. Katharine Morling; Matthew Harris, Caren Garfen; Eleanor Glover; Ruth Dresman, Sasha Wardell, Malcolm Martin & Gaynor Dowling are among the 30 designer makers taking part. This is a just a flavour of what is on offer in this annual festival that profiles contemporary applied arts, inspiring debate and conversation and bringing pleasure to all who visit, bringing the Cotswolds alive and lifting our spirits encouraging all who come to see contemporary craft with a fresh eye. end see editor notes
TOH May 2014 - 26
Helen Cobby:
Freedom in Collage and Colour Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs at Tate Modern This exhibition, originally proposed for 2009 and so long awaited by those in London and far beyond, is more beautiful and uplifting than could be imagined. It has been such a momentous project that the Tate joined forces with MoMA, Two dancers, 1937-38
where the show will eventually tour. From America to France, a multitude of countries are
Page from the book ‘jazz’ 27 - toh May 2014
venice - the studio, Rm 5
involved in marking out this exhibition. Indeed, many cut-outs have been lent from France such as from the Matisse Museum in Nice and the Pompidou Centre in Paris. This worldwide collaboration and support has paid off; the curators described the press view alone as a “monumental day”. Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs is a must-see for so many different reasons. The Tate director Nicholas Serota claims it is “the most evocative and compelling show that London has ever seen”. A main attraction is that this is the first time many of the works, of which there are about 130, have been seen together and displayed in the UK. Just think of the four The Blue Nudes, 1952. Their forms seductively follow you round the room, enchantingly entwining electric blue hues with negative spaces in a repetitive, meditative dance before our eyes. The life and vigour in this series, and in all of the collages, never fails
blue nude iv, 1952
to surprise. This is especially so considering that these cut-outs were created in the last years of Matisse’s life, from 1937 to 1954.
The exhibition is largely chronological, which allows us to experience the cut-out’s dramatic increase in scale TOH May 2014 - 28
and exuberant joy. It is clear that Matisse increasingly relished the challenge to experiment, and used his declining physical strength as an opportunity to explore new forms of art that were less vigorous than painting. One of his most famous phrases is significantly apt in light of this: “An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, [...] Art is always about freedom”. The chronological layout also clearly emphasises that the cut-outs become works of art in their own right, rather than being for purely compositional purposes. One of Matisse’s famous phrases, “cutting into colour”, conveys
large decoration with masks, 1953
this conflation of painting, line and colour that came to characterise his work. The Blue Nudes are undoubtedly a striking series and certainly exemplify the technique of “cutting into colour” because they are
ivy in flower and the snail
blue nude i, 1952 29 - toh May 2014
mostly made up of whole blocks of single shades with clear outlines. However, the first in the series has been composed from several blue hues. This is one of the delights of the exhibition - being able to see the cutouts up close and realise how much more
detailed they are than any reproduction could ever make out. Viewing the work close-hand also means you can spot pinholes and marks made when Matisse was arranging his work on the studio walls. We get a greater sense of the finished pieces and insight into the radical working methods of this elderly artist.
maquette for nuit de noel and nuit de noel
All the walls of the artist’s studio were filled with his cut-outs, he literally lived among them. Thus, the studio was not only a place for artistic production, or where an old man was battling out his final illness, but a work of art in itself. These different identities, and central importance, of the studio is something the exhibition constantly returns to. Lastly, the Tate’s exhibition demonstrates that Matisse not only consolidated his cutting technique and collage as an art form through its kinship to painting, but also that he broke free from the constraints of painting, and as Nicholas Serota states, “opened up space in a different way”. These radical techniques and illuminating effects will always delight, surprise and energise. Matisse knew he was onto something and constantly looked to a new freedom and future of art, stating, “by creating these coloured paper cut-outs, it seems to me that I am happily anticipating things to come”. These final, great works of the artist could not be displayed with more care or thought as they are at Tate Modern’s Henri Matisse: The CutOuts. NB. A longer, original article was published in Trebuchet Magazine
nuit de noel, detail
helencobby.wordpress.com
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Sue Benner:
Quilts: the new geometry Geometric MADI The Museum of Geometric and MADI Art 3109 Carlisle Street Dallas, TX 75204-1194, USA April 4th - July 6th 2014 Currently on display ‘Quilts: The New Geometry’ curated by Sue. The show also features two of her pieces Wearing Plaid 2 and Watchful Eye XII (illustrated) together with the work of nine other quilt artists.
geometricmadimuseum.org suebenner.com
suebenner@aol.com TOH May 2014 - 32
Annabel Rainbow:
get those feet moving Have a look through those forgotten machine feet, and you might come up with one of these! This is a universally fitting tailor tacking foot. You can get lovely textural effects with it by using the zig zag setting on your machine. Simply set a wide stitch (on my Pfaff I can go to 5.5) but close together (length .5 or as dense as you wish), and sew away. By adjusting the top tension, and using a different colour thread in
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the bobbin, you can get some lovely effects. I used it in combination with more conventional quilting in my quilt ‘Harmony’, 135cms x 97cms, a colourwashed, applique/collage piece with machine stitch embellishments.
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Alicia Merrett:
perfect f inish 5 steps for getting a pieced quilt flat 1 Stretch (or block) the completed top: iron it with lots of steam, and pin it on your design wall or on the carpet. Keep stretching it in all directions, and putting pins to hold it, until the top is taut and the pins are about 1� from each other. 2 Leave it overnight or even 24 hours. Then remove pins, and fix anything that needs fixing – the stretching will show it up, if any. Steam iron thoroughly again. 3 Layer the top, and quilt it as normal. Repeat the stretching operation as above, on the quilted piece, before completing the edges. 4 To do the binding, measure the centre of the quilt from top to bottom and from side to side, and use those exact measurements, plus a couple of inches for folding back at the ends, to cut your binding strips, from selvedge to selvedge of the fabric. 5 Pin the binding to the edges so that the measurements hold true; any extra length on the sides of the quilt (and they do tend to stretch and flare), should be eased in. Let the binding strips stretch further as you stitch, they will hold the easing better. Finish the binding as normal.
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Margaret Cooter - At the Edge of the Quilt: ’ quilts joe cunningham’s To choose some favourites I watched the slideshow several times. The quilts seem to have such stories in them, or behind them. I see them as “places” where various journeys cross: as anthropologist Tim Ingold says, “every place, as a gathering of things, is a knot of stories.” Part of the craft (or art) of the storyteller is knowing what to leave out, and these quilts embody that - leaving in just what is necessary to give the viewer enough “information” for speculation, drawing their own conclusions, and perhaps coming back to rethink their interpretation.
Eye catching! “Patchwork Quilt w188cm x h188cm”, 2012
The work of Joe Cunningham came to my notice through SAQA Art Quilt News, a free e-newsletter which appears on Fridays. I was struck by the exuberant confidence of this quilt - using colours and combinations of patterns I’d never dreamt of combining, myself - it not only opened my eyes but sent me scurrying round the internet to find out more. On his website (joethequilter. com) Joe has a slide show and gallery of his quilts, of which these are a few (See them all, and see them larger, at joethequilter.com)
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String Theory, quilt, w175cm x h172cm, 2009
This quilt reminds me of the travel lines I’ve used in my own work.
Island in Two Parts, quilt, w183cm x h183cm, 2010
This quilt has the viewer making up a story about the islands.
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Straw into gold, w183cm x h183cm, 2004
If the title brings to mind the story of Rumpelstiltskin, the viewer’s job is to match up the visual components with elements of the story. A professional quilt artist since 1979, Joe is also a travelling lecturer. His musical presentation, “Joe, the Quilter,” tells the true story about English quilter Joe Hedley (1750-1830), the story that inspired Joe Cunningham to become a quilter. Joe lives and works in San Francisco. Last year he started to use a computerised quilting machine ... which might require a change to the wording on his Gallery page: “Most are entirely 39 - toh May 2014
machine-sewn, some are hand sewn. Either way, I sew every stitch.” Recent projects include a tribute quilt to Susan McCord, a 19th-century quilter from Indiana, and a quilted portrait of an artist friend, in exchange for a drawn portrait of himself. Joe blogs at joethequiltercunningham.blogspot.com – where you can read about this recent work, which started with a newspaper photograph.
Margaret Cooter.co.uk margaret-cooter.blogspot.co.uk
TOH May 2014 - 40
Starving Artist:
easy bread
Once you get a taste of homemade bread you’ll be spoiled forever. ‘Shop’ bread just won’t be good enough! Here’s my tried and tested recipe.
Linda kemshall
Ingredients: 500g strong white bread f lour 12g dried instant yeast 2 teaspoons salt 300g tepid water 40g olive oil 41 - toh May 2014
If I’m in a hurry or feeling lazy I use a stand mixer but the recipe works just as well by hand. Put the flour into the mixing bowl and add the salt to one side and the yeast to the other. When you are ready to begin, stir the dry ingredients together and then pour in the liquid. Mix for a minute with the paddle attachment (or your hands). The dough will be a sticky mass at this point but scrape it all off the paddle and attach the dough hook. Knead for 6 minutes on a low to medium speed (or until it feels smooth and elastic in your hands).
After kneading, divide the dough into two on an oiled surface. (I never flour the worktop because that alters the balance of the mix and makes the bread dry). If you have a bread cutter that’s perfect but otherwise use a sharp knife. Put the dough balls into clean, lightly oiled bowls and cover with a smooth cloth or oiled cling film. Leave to rest in a warm place. After an hour has passed the dough should have doubled in size. Turn the dough onto the oiled worktop and knock it back gently. Then shape into a ball by folding the edges of the dough into the middle rotating the dough ball as you do so. Turn the ball over and smooth the top by stretching it gently towards the base of the ball with your hands. Place the dough onto a baking sheet with the smooth side up.
If I’m making the bread by hand I like to stretch it in an arc so that it falls back on itself trapping air at every stretch. Just lift one end and flip it back over itself. Although it is quite wet when you start kneading it will firm up and become very elastic. TOH May 2014 - 42
It doesn’t take any longer, so I usually double the quantities and make four small loaves. Once baked, cooled and wrapped well the bread freezes nicely for another day.
Cover the dough with a smooth cloth again and leave it to prove for about an hour in a warm room. When it has roughly doubled in size again I make a slash with a very sharp blade, paint the tops gently with milk and sprinkle on some sesame seeds. The trays go into a very hot oven - Gas Mark 8 or equivalent. As soon as I close the oven door I turn the heat down to Gas 7 and set the timer for 25 minutes. After just 5 minutes in the oven I rotate the trays 180 degrees and switch the one that has been on the top shelf with the one on the lower shelf. You may not have to do this but I know my oven and it’s essential for me to get an even bake! I will check it again after a few minutes to see if I need to rotate the trays once more. When ready the tops should be golden brown and the bread will sound hollow when tapped on the base. It seems as though it’s very time consuming and of course bread making does take time but you don’t have to be watching it at every step. Make sure you have a timer with you and you can be busy about your business most of the time while the dough does its own thing! I think I’ve read every book there is on bread making and my recipe is cannibalised from all that I’ve read and tried. It works for me and I hope you’ll enjoy having a go too.
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the recipe and method work just as well for a batch of dinner rolls too before the second proving, rather than make two loaves, Simply divide your dough into 12 (or 24 if you’re doing double quantities) Roll and tuck under just as with the large loaves and sapce evenly apart on the baking tray to prove.
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Process, Sara Impey, w132cm x h1142cm, quilt, hand dyed cotton, wholecloth, machine quilted.
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Sara Impey:
things we do in bed We’re delighted to welcome Sara as one of the newest artists to Through Our Hands. We’re sure you’ll recognise her distinctive, graphic style. Sara’s work is currently on display as part of ‘Things We Do in Bed’, curated by the novelist Tracy Chevalier. Danson House, Bexley Heath. Exhibition closes 31st October 2014. For more details please see the What’s On page.
dansonhouse.org.uk
Bitter pills, sara impey, w95cm x h147cm, quilt, wholecloth. machine quilted
quiltart.eu/saraimpey.html
sara.impey@gmail.com TOH May 2014 - 46
What’s On:
exhibitions and events In Air: Cut Works by Piper Shepard 6th May - 24th May 2014 Tues-Fri 10am – 5pm Sat 10am – 4pm Crafts Study Centre School of Craft & Design, University for the Creative Arts, Falkner Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7DS
with different themes all exhibiting quilts. Some traditional historical pieces dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, alongside contemporary quilted work from artists, including Grayson Perry and the Fine Cell Work ‘Sleep’ quilt. This exceptional opportunity includes either a morning or afternoon access ticket, entrance to Danson House, a lecture given by Tracy Chevalier, private view exhibition access, a slice of cake and cup of tea and a shuttle bus service.
www.csc.ucreative.ac.uk/index.cfm?articleid=41706
Also with Tracy
For over a decade, Piper Shepard has been cutting cloth into lace-like filigree patterns. Sometimes the textiles are very regimented in their structure; at other times, they are unstructured and cut like a freehand drawing. This exhibition will showcase a selection of works including large-scale installations and digital compositions
June 12th 2014, 6.15pm for Cava and canapes, talk begins at 7pm Merchant Taylors’ Hall, Aldwark, York, YO1 7BX Parking at the Merchant Taylors’ Hall is for Blue Badge holders only and must be pre-booked via The Guild. Members: £12.50 Non-members: £15.
Tea with Tracy Chevalier  9th May 2014 10:45 -13:45 Danson Park Bexleyheath DA6 8HL £25.00
The unique opportunity to meet with worldwide best-selling novelist Tracy Chevalier and listen to her talk about her latest quilt-themed project, an exhibition entitled ‘The Things We Do In Bed’ at Danson House on the 9th May. Not only will you enjoy listening to Tracy’s journey of curating this thought-provoking exhibition, but you’ll also hear all about her profound experiences collaborating with Fine Cell Work prison quilters. The Fine Cell Work ‘Sleep’ quilt tells a powerful story of the thoughts that run through a prisoners mind at night. There are five rooms 47 - toh May 2014
Organiser The Quilters’ Guild Contact Carol Bowden: admin@quiltersguild. org.uk quiltersguild.org.uk/events/view/tea-with-tracychevalier-bexley-heath Tracy Chevalier will read from her latest novel ‘The Last Runaway’ and give an insight into the quilts featured in the book in a fundraising talk for the Quilt Museum and Gallery.
Elizabeth Barton: New Online Class I've just written a new online class called Abstract Art for Quiltmakers - which is running for the first time ever with a website called: academyofquilting.com​
thr3fold - Unfinished Business June 1st - July 13th 2014 FibreWorks Studio & Gallery, Madeira Park, Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada fibreworksgallery.com Through Our Hands artists Linda and Laura Kemshall with Catherine Nicholls. Catherine will also be teaching extended workshops. For more information and to book please contact the gallery direct.
Matisse
Behind the Scenes live film screening of Matisse Live will be shown in cinemas nationwide on June 3 and re-screened for some time after.
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Desert Island Design:
Elizabeth Barton
1. Tell us the bit of studio kit you couldn't be without The windows…I spend a lot of time gazing outside, always have…the view from the window in any room is always fascinating…I’d better have a good view behind that window though!! No brick walls!! And it would be fun if it changed…. 2. Your Art essential? A pencil…and a piece of paper!! A pair of good eyes…time and solitude…and a nice cuppa tea… 3. Studio soundtrack, who's on the iPod? Love the audiobooks!!!Sometimes – this is weird though – they get into the quilts..when I look at the quilts I can see the story…those characters taking over! 4. if You escaped from a sinking ship of artists on a life raft built for two - who would you throw the lifeline to? Probably Turner – he was so far ahead of his time – I love the looseness and vision of his watercolours….in terms of a quilt artist, I think I might ask Pauline Burbidge and Elizabeth Brimelow if they would share a rope!!! And I would tie the rope around the neck of all those magazine editors who advocate making Quick Easy Quilts using multiple gadgets and gizmos and lots of expensive fabric!!! 5. What does your studio look like? It’s a house….the occasional room is dedicated to non – art!! I have a library area, storage and packing, two dye and screen printing areas, and a command center. There are computers, design walls and sewing machines everywhere.. books magazines, fabric….alas no elegant studio that would grace any magazine! 49 - toh May 2014
Our take on the world famous Desert Island Discs. An artist, eight burning questions, one luxury item.
6. famous people throughout history that you’d like to invite to a dinner party I’d like the ones that had a lot of wit!! So Oscar Wilde would be a must!! Winston Churchill was pretty good with a bon mot or two as well!! Let’s have Dylan Thomas as well – I know he’ll get drunk but before he passes out we should hear some wonderful poetry. And spike Milligan!! As you can tell I love to laugh and listen to poetry!!!
the best place to think and feel at the same time…being alone in beautiful natural surroundings is even better – I’m fond of the high moors with the curlews and larks – on a warm sunny day of course!! And of course, your luxury item? I’m definitely going to have the Internet – I’m not sure if old Roy (Plumley?) what’s his name would have allowed it – but then the internet didn’t exist last time I heard the programme!! But with the internet you have the whole world of art at your fingertips and so many museums now have put high quality photographs of their best works on line.
7. Which sewing machine? the nearest one, I have 4 old ones all stationed around the house - 4 bathrooms (this is America!) and 4 sewing machines…alas only one kettle – but there are usually at least 4 mugs lined up by it!! 8. Most inspirational book, place or person? Being alone…that’s TOH May 2014 - 50
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artists plus latest listings of work available for purchase including affordable small works. Thank you for your support!
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Life 4: Hello Dear, what did you do today?, annabel rainbow
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