Tuesday 25 August 2009

Jan's direction currently


Well it seems like it's taken me awhile to get settled what to do with my hexagons and any other ways that I was going to interpret, in my work, the Deconstruct/Reconstruct theme for 2010 but I'm finally getting something together. I have continued with the hexagons I started in Ballyduggan, with a variation of two fabrics within each hexagon. From this I've decided on two pieces, one a triangle, one a rectangle. The triangle top is complete and looks like this prior to quilting and put against a black wall. As it's a triangle, I am still also turning it on a daily basis to determine which way I like it best. The other piece is still definitely in the early works stage as I'm not sure how many more I will be adding but am thinking it will be a block effect.

The second project I've undertaken is remaking a quilt with the Grandmothers Garden pattern that I had originally started in 1973 but never finished. I am redoing 35 of the original blocks putting a row of calico between. The other fun part of this project is that it's using fabric that I had in 1973 from articles of clothing my 4 sisters and I used growing up to make our own clothes.



Finally, I have decided to do a series which came out of needing a journal size (A4) and trialing with some batik fabrics I got last year. I made one but didn't like the results so added a different block type which I thought I liked better but once I quilted them found I had gone back to the original design as my favorite. I am planning on making at least one more for the series but could see it growing beyond that to 5 or 6 even.

Saturday 22 August 2009

New member: Ester Kiely


I'm delighted to join the Textile Art Forum. The theme 'Deconstruct/Reconstruct' strikes a chord. I recently made a series of silk hangings based on the stone walls that surround me in County Galway (see http://www.esterkiely.blogspot.com/). These simple walls have stood for generations, but they also have a fragility to them. So I'm going back to the drawing board! In the meantime here's one of the photos I took of the stone walls outside my house at sunrise.

Friday 21 August 2009

Welcome

20 August --- The Forum met in Navan for an all day session to share ideas and plan for 2010. We extend a warm welcome to new members Ester Kiely from Galway and Diane Crook of Bailieborough. Lots of great ideas including some decisions about the winter's residential week in Ballyduggan. Looking forward to it all.

Unearthing the Bog

Part of the Textile Forum's 2010 projects on deconstruct/reconstruct, this wall quilt is made from my dyed fabrics mixed in with batiks. Tones for the purple heather are mixed throughout. It is now quilted and I am at a decision point for creating the elements for the bog cotton. I tried using actual bog cotton but it was too silk and did not hold its texture. I was able to find old shirt fabric which has slashes of black across it that are reminiscent of the textures on the cotton. Now I will do some hand stitching in black to enhance the fibre elements.

Winter on the Bog Road


This is the first in the series I am working on that has a focus on the four seasons. The technique is colourwash as initiated by Deirdre Amsden. For the quilting I plan to use a series of winter trees.

Friday 7 August 2009




I spent some time today developing colour samples for my bullrushes theme. This photo shows a series of 10cm square prints on composted cotton using water based inks. I started with black and mixed various shades of brown. Earlier today I thought I had settled on one of the reddish browns from the centre of the sample but now indecision has crept in and it will take a few more samples to know for sure which colour to use.