Quiltart is now 15 years old and the latest challenge, celebrating 15 years and using a technique learned since joining Quiltart is up here http://www.quiltart.com/15/ . There are 80 quilts to look at.
Wednesday 16 June 2010
Quiltart Quinceanero
Quiltart is a list for contemporary quilters run by Judy Smith. Every so often there are challenges and the results are posted on the web in the form of galleries - the list can be found here http://www.quiltart.com/ Loads to look at, if you like contemporary quilts, and the list itself has members from all over the world discussing just about anything in the fibre art world which makes for interesting reading!
Quiltart is now 15 years old and the latest challenge, celebrating 15 years and using a technique learned since joining Quiltart is up here http://www.quiltart.com/15/ . There are 80 quilts to look at.
I am looking forward to having a look through these over the next few days. This one is by Pamela Allen and is the first in line - why not head over to the gallery and have a look at the rest? There are detail shots and a statement about each quilt as well - should prove interesting reading.
Quiltart is now 15 years old and the latest challenge, celebrating 15 years and using a technique learned since joining Quiltart is up here http://www.quiltart.com/15/ . There are 80 quilts to look at.
Sydney Quilt Show 2010, Australia
Isn't this a terrific quilt? It won best of show in Sydney, Australia. To see this and other winners, please visit http://quiltersguildnsw.com/quiltshow/
Sunday 13 June 2010
Batala Portsmouth
I don't post very often about this aspect of my life and perhaps I should!
Batala Portsmouth is a samba-reggae band playing music originating in South America. It is a unique, exuberant sound played by very friendly people. Batala is a group of bands world-wide which is great because you can travel and fit in wherever there is another band. The drums and costumes are sourced from Brazil; the profits from that go to keep youngsters off the streets and help with various training programmes.
There are various types of drum - no bells and whistles - the fundo 1 (deeper and plays the first bass beat), the fundo 2 (lighter and plays the 2nd), the dobra (lighter and smaller than the 2 and plays the melody and those players have dance routines whilst drumming - very energetic), repiniques which are small drums played with whippy sticks and can be very loud (!!) and caixas which are the snare drums and played with drumsticks. The bigger drums are played with beaters. Most years we have a change of costume - the colours are red, white and black and the designs change also. New tunes emerge every year, written by Giba Goncalves and they have to added to the repertoire.
http://www.batalaportsmouth.com/ more details can be found on our website or facebook http://www.facebook.com/batala.portsmouth and lots of other places. Our website also has links to the other bands in the group. There will hopefully soon be a Batala London, for those who are interested. You don't have to know how to play a drum, to join.
Batala Portsmouth currently meet at the Charter Academy (formerly St Luke's School) in Portsmouth on Thursday evenings - drums on and ready to go at 7pm, though occasionally we practice at the Bandstand in Castle Field, Southsea. We play as many gigs as we can fit in and are always looking for new members. If you want to visit us a pair of earplugs is advisable - we are loud - and if you join us you will need earplugs, knee/shin pads and tape or gloves for your fingers, all cheap and readily available. It is a good way to meet people, hone your performing skills, learn how to play samba, work as a team and there is usually at least one beginners class in the year, and often a dobra school as well, depending on who is available to run them.
We played at Guildford recently - a busk - and received a tremendous welcome there
and again at Fareham - in the rain - where loads of people came to see what was going on and stayed to listen to the exhilarating music. There were so many positive comments, and a lot of interest and it was lovely, thank you Fareham :)
Yesterday Batala Portsmouth played at a wedding reception in the countryside near Steep. We played the most glorious couple up the driveway to the pub. The sun was shining - boy was it hot! - the bride and groom alternately walked and danced their way up the drive and around us when we got to the pub; some guests joined in and that was great to see. Thank you for having us - it was a tremendous experience and I am sure the rest of the day was fantastic. Wishing you a wonderful future, James and Fiona!
We then had to scarper back to Waterlooville in time for our slot at the Waterlooville Music Festival. We only had the one slot this year and several worried people came up and asked if they had missed us (nice to be missed, but they would have heard us LOL). The sun was still out and we played non stop for an hour. Lou was the caller for this one - James called for the wedding - and we played a wide variety of tunes. It was excellent experience for those who hadn't played full tilt for long periods before - as the wedding was good experience for those who were not used to processing - and some of us were pretty tired at the end of it all. A really marvellous day, I think.
Batala Portsmouth is a samba-reggae band playing music originating in South America. It is a unique, exuberant sound played by very friendly people. Batala is a group of bands world-wide which is great because you can travel and fit in wherever there is another band. The drums and costumes are sourced from Brazil; the profits from that go to keep youngsters off the streets and help with various training programmes.
There are various types of drum - no bells and whistles - the fundo 1 (deeper and plays the first bass beat), the fundo 2 (lighter and plays the 2nd), the dobra (lighter and smaller than the 2 and plays the melody and those players have dance routines whilst drumming - very energetic), repiniques which are small drums played with whippy sticks and can be very loud (!!) and caixas which are the snare drums and played with drumsticks. The bigger drums are played with beaters. Most years we have a change of costume - the colours are red, white and black and the designs change also. New tunes emerge every year, written by Giba Goncalves and they have to added to the repertoire.
http://www.batalaportsmouth.com/ more details can be found on our website or facebook http://www.facebook.com/batala.portsmouth and lots of other places. Our website also has links to the other bands in the group. There will hopefully soon be a Batala London, for those who are interested. You don't have to know how to play a drum, to join.
Batala Portsmouth currently meet at the Charter Academy (formerly St Luke's School) in Portsmouth on Thursday evenings - drums on and ready to go at 7pm, though occasionally we practice at the Bandstand in Castle Field, Southsea. We play as many gigs as we can fit in and are always looking for new members. If you want to visit us a pair of earplugs is advisable - we are loud - and if you join us you will need earplugs, knee/shin pads and tape or gloves for your fingers, all cheap and readily available. It is a good way to meet people, hone your performing skills, learn how to play samba, work as a team and there is usually at least one beginners class in the year, and often a dobra school as well, depending on who is available to run them.
We played at Guildford recently - a busk - and received a tremendous welcome there
and again at Fareham - in the rain - where loads of people came to see what was going on and stayed to listen to the exhilarating music. There were so many positive comments, and a lot of interest and it was lovely, thank you Fareham :)
Yesterday Batala Portsmouth played at a wedding reception in the countryside near Steep. We played the most glorious couple up the driveway to the pub. The sun was shining - boy was it hot! - the bride and groom alternately walked and danced their way up the drive and around us when we got to the pub; some guests joined in and that was great to see. Thank you for having us - it was a tremendous experience and I am sure the rest of the day was fantastic. Wishing you a wonderful future, James and Fiona!
We then had to scarper back to Waterlooville in time for our slot at the Waterlooville Music Festival. We only had the one slot this year and several worried people came up and asked if they had missed us (nice to be missed, but they would have heard us LOL). The sun was still out and we played non stop for an hour. Lou was the caller for this one - James called for the wedding - and we played a wide variety of tunes. It was excellent experience for those who hadn't played full tilt for long periods before - as the wedding was good experience for those who were not used to processing - and some of us were pretty tired at the end of it all. A really marvellous day, I think.
Sunday 6 June 2010
Breakaways 2nd June
Several people were away but we had a couple of visitors, Sarah and Steph, which was nice for us. They each brought something to show and work on. Should they decide to stay with us, we'll get some pics LOL. Anyway -
Sheila has pinned her quilt and is hand quilting it. Looking good.....
Linda has quite a lot of her quilting done
She's getting good at this......
Kim sorted out her Sues.....
tried out her sashing and cornerstones.....
...and put them all together. Looks great, doesnt it?
Linda has quite a lot of her quilting done
She's getting good at this......
Kim sorted out her Sues.....
tried out her sashing and cornerstones.....
...and put them all together. Looks great, doesnt it?
A visit to the V&A
The V&A being the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. I haven't been for a very long time for various reasons and found the place seemed to be less cluttered than in the past. I don't know whether it is, or it's just my perception.
ChrisJ and I went on a coach trip with the ScrapHappy Quilters, to see the exhibition 'Quilts 1700-2010'. I have no idea what the actual ticket cost was as all was taken care of by the admirable Judith Wharton but whatever it was, it was worth every penny as the two of us were in there for a little over 3 hours. It is possible to rent an Ipod which has extra information on some of the quilts - pity it didn't cover them all, or go into more depth but I suppose we would have been there for the week otherwise. This audio idea made a huge difference, giving added dimension and well worth the extra.
Anyway - quilts. Beginning with clamshell bed curtains on a 4 poster and ending with another 4 poster installation by Tracey Emin. And an awful lot to see inbetween. Light levels are low which can make your eyes tired and also play havoc with colours but shows up quilting lines beautifully. Some were arranged on 'beds' and some hung on walls - applique, piecing, inlay, crazy, military quilts, traditional and modern quilts, some prints and small bits and pieces such as pincushions, etuis etc, some video installation, some soundtrack - ghostly voices, to me, anyway. They weren't so far out of reach that one couldn't lean in for a closer look. Tiny stitches, expert repairs, bigger stitches, wonky patches. Just enough history to whet your appetite (so I shall be buying the book eventually) and here is the blog which has a few pics on as well (no pics allowed in the exhibition) http://www.vam.ac.uk/things-to-do/blogs/quilts-hidden-histories-untold-stories.
Interesting that herringbone stitch was used on applique on many older quilts - particularly noticeable on the Rajah quilt where it all but obliterated some of the tiny applique pieces down at the bottom. I am wondering when that fell out of favour. And when buttonhole stitch came in. No comment about waddings, either - there was a very puffy little quilt at the beginning; actually it looked quite solid and I assumed it was stuffed with wool, but there was no mention.
The uniformed gents who were stewarding, if that's the correct word, were lovely people but did not seem to have much idea about what they were looking after, nor the scope of quilting beyond those walls. (But of course the exhibition was not particularly aimed at quilters - the focus would have been different. And I wonder if that was the reason that the Quilters' Guild of the British Isles was neither involved nor mentioned. I was sorry about that.) And one of the lovely gents (South African?) had noticed that the vast majority of visitors were not young, which he found interesting. He also kindly explained why Tracey Emin's bed was set at the angle it was.
Liberty had commissioned some quilts which caused rather a lot of comment in the quilting world which I wont go into here and the inclusion of Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry also caused a lot of comment. I felt that both had a place in this exhibition - exquisitely made but carrying unpleasant messages and a reflection of our times.
It was good that so many non-quilters were seeing quilts as art, and as historical record and hopefully it has opened many eyes and given new appreciation of this form of expression.
The cafe does good coffee and tea, which was welcome after such a long stint and we then had a quick walk around Fashion, which merited a closer look but we were running out of time. Grace Kelly was sold out but we wouldn't have had time to do it justice anyway, and the Architects exhibition - small pieces? wasn't up which I was sorry about as I quite fancied that. The bookshop - well I would have loved to go back and have a good look as I only managed to whisk down one side of it and there were some books I didn't know of but will try and get from the library first. Liberty fabric on sale in the shop was left on the shelf by both of us. I was sorely tempted by some of the designs but I just don't need it and my money needs to stay in my pocket. A decision I will probably regret, but there you go. In the main shop the merchandise was less specific to Quilts, though some of Jo Budd's pieces were in a case, framed. I didn't feel that the framing did them justice and that was a pity. But it would be good if they sell. There were several little jackets on stands and I loved those, particularly a panelled, raw edged jacket - wish I had asked about who had made that one. A lady looked at it while I was admiring it and she wondered if it was unfinished and a work in progress; she sounded a little indignant. We were looking at it with different eyes......
A very good day out and please do try and see this exhibition while it's still on.
ChrisJ and I went on a coach trip with the ScrapHappy Quilters, to see the exhibition 'Quilts 1700-2010'. I have no idea what the actual ticket cost was as all was taken care of by the admirable Judith Wharton but whatever it was, it was worth every penny as the two of us were in there for a little over 3 hours. It is possible to rent an Ipod which has extra information on some of the quilts - pity it didn't cover them all, or go into more depth but I suppose we would have been there for the week otherwise. This audio idea made a huge difference, giving added dimension and well worth the extra.
Anyway - quilts. Beginning with clamshell bed curtains on a 4 poster and ending with another 4 poster installation by Tracey Emin. And an awful lot to see inbetween. Light levels are low which can make your eyes tired and also play havoc with colours but shows up quilting lines beautifully. Some were arranged on 'beds' and some hung on walls - applique, piecing, inlay, crazy, military quilts, traditional and modern quilts, some prints and small bits and pieces such as pincushions, etuis etc, some video installation, some soundtrack - ghostly voices, to me, anyway. They weren't so far out of reach that one couldn't lean in for a closer look. Tiny stitches, expert repairs, bigger stitches, wonky patches. Just enough history to whet your appetite (so I shall be buying the book eventually) and here is the blog which has a few pics on as well (no pics allowed in the exhibition) http://www.vam.ac.uk/things-to-do/blogs/quilts-hidden-histories-untold-stories.
Interesting that herringbone stitch was used on applique on many older quilts - particularly noticeable on the Rajah quilt where it all but obliterated some of the tiny applique pieces down at the bottom. I am wondering when that fell out of favour. And when buttonhole stitch came in. No comment about waddings, either - there was a very puffy little quilt at the beginning; actually it looked quite solid and I assumed it was stuffed with wool, but there was no mention.
The uniformed gents who were stewarding, if that's the correct word, were lovely people but did not seem to have much idea about what they were looking after, nor the scope of quilting beyond those walls. (But of course the exhibition was not particularly aimed at quilters - the focus would have been different. And I wonder if that was the reason that the Quilters' Guild of the British Isles was neither involved nor mentioned. I was sorry about that.) And one of the lovely gents (South African?) had noticed that the vast majority of visitors were not young, which he found interesting. He also kindly explained why Tracey Emin's bed was set at the angle it was.
Liberty had commissioned some quilts which caused rather a lot of comment in the quilting world which I wont go into here and the inclusion of Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry also caused a lot of comment. I felt that both had a place in this exhibition - exquisitely made but carrying unpleasant messages and a reflection of our times.
It was good that so many non-quilters were seeing quilts as art, and as historical record and hopefully it has opened many eyes and given new appreciation of this form of expression.
The cafe does good coffee and tea, which was welcome after such a long stint and we then had a quick walk around Fashion, which merited a closer look but we were running out of time. Grace Kelly was sold out but we wouldn't have had time to do it justice anyway, and the Architects exhibition - small pieces? wasn't up which I was sorry about as I quite fancied that. The bookshop - well I would have loved to go back and have a good look as I only managed to whisk down one side of it and there were some books I didn't know of but will try and get from the library first. Liberty fabric on sale in the shop was left on the shelf by both of us. I was sorely tempted by some of the designs but I just don't need it and my money needs to stay in my pocket. A decision I will probably regret, but there you go. In the main shop the merchandise was less specific to Quilts, though some of Jo Budd's pieces were in a case, framed. I didn't feel that the framing did them justice and that was a pity. But it would be good if they sell. There were several little jackets on stands and I loved those, particularly a panelled, raw edged jacket - wish I had asked about who had made that one. A lady looked at it while I was admiring it and she wondered if it was unfinished and a work in progress; she sounded a little indignant. We were looking at it with different eyes......
A very good day out and please do try and see this exhibition while it's still on.
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