There has been a famine in this part of my life, too many other things going on. No Blog entries for a couple of years…. But maybe I’ll get back to this in the near future, I have lots of new little bits and pieces. I’ve been doing more drawing, painting, papery things, book making… less of the quilt making, and surprisingly, less textile art. Featured image in my blog post is a photo of the one and only quilt I made in 2023. The rest of the year was – playtime! Travelling, Camping, being retired and lazy!
so here is a wee look at some of the new stuff…. small works in progress – enjoy!
Exploring little paper houses – monoprinting, quick pen drawingsStill Waters - in progress, almost finished, part of a Reddy Arts Textile Group https://reddyarts.wordpress.com/ exhibition that is coming up in 2024. More details in a future post.Exploring mixed media collage: the pardalote didn’t make it into the piece, but another wee bird did… come see the Reddy Arts Textile Group Exhibition in May 2024 to see which one! (Details to come)
My one excuse for not blogging lately, is that I have been SUPER busy… I recently completed a commission, and the idea was that would free my time up somewhat. Here is the completed work, made for the reception area of Kedwell and Co, Accountants in Sandgate, Queensland.
Heartwood, cottons and polyester on canvas, 48″ x 36″ Private Collection
Heartwood, detail
Heartwood, detail
I have been working on some workshop samples for my “Creative Landscapes” Workshop “Life Amongst the Lilies” to be held in October in Redcliffe. Today is the day those were finished, all bar the labels and hanging sleeves. In this 3 day class you will learn to lay down basic backgrounds, and how to pull together a pleasing composition using a variety of techniques to achieve this. Two designs offered with interchangeable elements. To participate, please contact Brenda at 2Sew Textiles.
Life Amongst the Lilies 1
Life Amongst the Lilies 2
Life Amongst the Lilies 3
In the midst of all this, I made a small quilt (below) to enter into “One Red Thread 2018 – “WeatheRed”, at Berry Quilting Retreat which was fun to make and features our local red cliffs and a solitary tree clinging to life as the cliff is weathered away….
Summer Storm – A Ghost Gum clings precariously to the vibrant weathered cliffs on the coast of the Redcliffe Peninsula. Entered in One Red Thread – WeatheRed competition 2018.
My next effort will be a couple of small unicorns, but first I need to make a wedding dress for my younger daughter – that will be fun! If a little daunting, it is some time since I did any dressmaking……
In the meantime, my 100 days project fell by the wayside around Day 60, but I did #62 last night…. I need to try and do some portraits now…. this one done in Procreate on my iPad 9.7 with Apple pencil. I love being able to use the pencil brush and change the colour, size etc. Great practice, although erasing is too easy…..
That excellent satisfaction when a piece of art is almost complete, and all the stitching is done… suddenly there is time and reason to collect all the bits and tidy up, put things away, clear the tables and counters, and breathe! The last few weeks have seen me immersed in an exciting new commission, taking me in a new direction, the art itself directing where it wants to go… we think we’re done, now, though. Just the blocking and stretching to do.
So happy am I to have reached this milestone, I did tidy up, and then gave myself permission to have a wee play with my little Bernina Jubilae 125, which was given to me 50 years ago by my grandmother. Who knew it would be the catalyst for my lifelong love of sewing… and that I am still able to use it all these long years later… and I can do most things I want to with it…
Being a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates, I decided this year I would submit a couple of small pieces for auction, to help in a small way to raise funds for the SAQA exhibition programmes, and I guess it is another platform where people will see my humble work….. These are the two pieces – the first, postcard sized, is an Eastern Yellow Robin for the Spotlight Auction, and the second, Silver Gulls, is for the Benefit Auction. I had fun making them. The postcard is already on it’s way to America, if it hasn’t already arrived, and the other will be soon winging it’s way to Lisa Walton , vice president of SAQA who has kindly offered to take the Oceania Membership Group’s donated quilts to the USA.
Eastern Yellow Robin for SAQA Spotlight Auction
Silver Gulls 12″ x 12″ made for SAQA Benefit Auction 2018 Cotton Raw edge applique, couched velour yarn, machine stitching
The past 10 days have also seen me quilt and bind a charity quilt top – one of the Linus quilts – made by another Queensland Quilters member, so I will be handing that back this coming Tuesday at the QQ Inc March gathering. Just a teeny contribution…. and it keeps my hand in just a bit with the machine quilting…
Then there were a couple of tiny miniature pieces I did for fun, that were not birds for once!!! I have had these tiny frames in my stash for years so with a bit of the old crackle medium and acrylic paint I dressed them up a little and made these wee gifts…. 2″ x 2″ and 2″ x 2.5″ respectively!
Sunflower for Kim (What else?) Inktense on cotton duck, thread sketched
Fish for Brenda (of course!) painted vliesofix on hand dyed fabric, thread sketched with metallic polyester thread.
I have a mind to have a go at the Coastal Threads Art Prize, “Coastal Fringe” if I can get my act together… I have yet to finalise my subject, but with a March 30 deadline I will be on to it this week! Next on the list following that is a commission! Exciting times.
Recently, I was demonstrating some of my textile art practise at the Queensland Quilt Show. I had a great time meeting many lovely and different women, all of whom were very kind and admiring of my work. I was blessed with an amazingly large area in which to display my quilts, and it felt wonderful to be able to work away surrounded by them. The quilted model of our holiday cottage, the bach, featured as well along with the panorama quilts of the view.
Showing the front of the bach
Side view and panorama
The artist!
Works on display
With my QQS show Pictorial Open entry ” Tinchi Tamba/Pine Rivers with it’s 2nd prize ribbon
It was a great deal of fun and I really loved being able to show people how I go about making a small textile artwork. I have continued working on the pieces I was demonstrating, and here are a few of the progress photos, which may interest those of you who attended the Craft and Quilt Fair in Brisbane last week.
laying out the fabric pieces
Pinned
Basic stitching commenced
Lilypads laid on. Note the water has been stitched more heavily
Sewing down the lilypads. The water will be stitched further
Jacana Adult Applique
Jacana thread sketched ready for trapunto
Jacana chick sketched on fabric with inktense pencils and fabric medium
Thread sketching commenced
Thread sketching completed
Showing trapunto by machine
Detail showing birds appliquéd in place.
There is still some detail to add – perhaps to the lilypads, and a few flowers and buds to make and add: the snowflake waterlilies that abound and upon which the Comb Crested Jacanas nest, feed and appear to walk on water! Hence the colloquial name!
Keep an eye on my blog, as I will post photos of the final work once it is completed!
Sue Duffy Designs 