City and Guilds Module 2

On Monday evening I submitted my portfolio for my second module.

This time I investigate shape and worked within the theme of Industrial.

At first I was bit daunted by the prospect of the theme. Industrial conjures images of grey, black, lifeless structures... a bit daunting for a person so obsessed with colour!

I started to think of all the places nearby I could visit that would fit the theme and the railway museum in Swindon sprung to mind. STEAM is a wonderful collection engines and information about the Great Western Railway works that once stood on the site. I had a discovered a place that fitted the theme but was full of colour - yay!

After a morning drawing engines. the Caerphilly Castle in particular, I knew I would be fine!

Here are some of the results of 9 weeks of work:

Primary Source Drawing

Primary Source Drawing

This front wheel of the train became to the focus of my design developments. It amazes me that it is relatively small but worked so hard!

Developing design ideas

Working with hand stitching to create the the idea of turning motion.

I became intrigued by the turning motion of the wheel and the pattern the centre detail of the wheel makes. It's like watching a hub cap turning when you are driving! So I wandered off into an investigation of mark making with swirls.....

More design developments!

One of my favourite pieces in the design development!

Cable Stitch

I am learning to just then the colours I use come to me as a comfortable feeling. In this design  development it was blues, purples and greys. Out came the dyes and these gorgeous purples were created!

Couching Stitch

I also have to produce larger resolved pieces that use different materials:

The wheel centre with writing.

The final resolved piece that became my experimental piece.

During each module you pull together 5 samples of the embroidery stitches being taught during that module and then a larger experimental piece. For this I wanted to depict the things the Caerphilly Castle would have carried on it's 1 million mile journey in service.

Experimental piece.

It was an interesting journey investigating different recycled materials, painting embroidery canvas with dyes and dyeing other elements of the piece. Using Feather stitch to sew the coins in place was a fun experience!

What do you think?

It such a fun journey to be on, but as a person with a mathematical mind I do find it hard to not have a definite answer! It is now time to wait for an answer from my tutor as to whether the process and final design are good enough!

Taking the Plunge...

So today I made a decision that I have been playing for over a year...

It was a nerve wracking decision because it involves investing a lot of money in me...

I finally signed up for my City and Guilds Level 3 in Machine Embroidery!

I decided on Machine Embroidery because I have fallen in love with texture and the correspondence between the texture you see and what you feel...

Love adding texture through quilting

Not sure that makes sense, but that is my reason for picking that over patchwork and quilting.

Why now?

Well, I teach classes all over, but I want to be able to work in a more conventional setting like a school or college once mini has grown a bit more. To do that I need a qualification - a degree in Astrophysics doesn't count when you want to be a textiles artist/teacher!

So a new journey will be begin in the next week or so when I get the first 3 modules through. It is a long journey of 3 years, but I am so looking forward to it!

Now to fit it in with teaching, scouting and 3 boys.....

And deal with the slight anxiety that I don't have the right skills....

The New Guard

On Sunday I managed a few precious moment whilst the boys were playing to watch some of the Quilt Con talks on Craftsy.

I watched Mary Fons talking about the legacy of quilting and the gaps between the old school and the modern movement that is sweeping through the quilting community. She was a very dynamic speaker with oodles of energy!

She raised so many interesting points. There is a divide between the 2 communities, that comes partly from the age differences involved. When I started quilting 17 years ago I would attend fairs and shows only to be looked on as an oddity. I was repeatedly told that if I worked hard enough I would have a stash/get my point perfect/be as good as them. They were all comments from well meaning members of the 'old guard' of quilting (Marys words).

But those well meaning comments were made without ASKING me what I had actually achieved to date. Without even stopping and thinking that maybe I have a stash or that despite my age I may be able get perfect points.... It was a ageism in reverse! At 20 I was too young to possibly know what I was doing...

I was at the start of my journey, but I had been patchworking for 2 years by then and had taught myself through books as the classes were full of the 'old guard' who were nice, but overwhelming with patronising comments.

When I started there were rumblings of the hobby dying a death due to the 'old guard' getting older and no-one coming into the hobby who was young. It was a very real fear, but I always despaired that the very people concerned with young not coming into quilting, were the ones who put us off!

I was a rare young quilter, a complete oddity among family and friends - until they wanted a quilt. I knew no other quilters as young as me. I felt isolated and on a limb in a world before blogs and reliable internet (I know, there was such a time!).

Now I am part of an online community that embraces quilters young and old. The 'new guard' is full of possibilities and there are no anxieties about perfect points - we are making quilts for the joy of making quilts! We are making them for love, comfort and joy. There are numerous designs and scope for exploration without the constraints of perfection - but we mustn't throw out the old...

From the long tradition of quilting - which is hundreds of years old - there is a history of technique and knowledge that must be acknowledged and preserved. We will lose so much if we don't keep one foot in the history of community's heritage, I just hope that as the 'new guard' we are able to accept new ideas and new quilters with open arms and oodles of enthusiasm!

After all, as Mary Fon's said, one day the 'new guard' will become the 'old guard'. I hope we continue to have a wonderful community to be the 'old guard' to!

Mary shared her photo of her modern quilters work space... here is mine, complete with sewing machine, computer, iPad and fabric!