The Sustainable Quilter Bridget O'Flaherty

Sustainable Textile Art by Bridget O'Flaherty

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Mindfulness

A Year in the Life of Fibre Artist Bridget O’Flaherty

Living with Family Illness and Coping with Stress

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

A Year in the Life of a Fibre Artist? I’ve been drafting and re-writing this post for a few weeks now. I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to share or what you would want to read. Should I give you another summary of a year’s successes? A list of my wins? My promises for the next year? I decided to share some of my wins, but also some of my challenges. Everyone has disappointments, bumps in the road and challenges and when we just see all the fabulous parts, it can be hard on those that have had tough times.[hr]

The Good

Thread painting kitsTo sum up, the successes I’ve had over the last year have been many! I’ve been creating and designing, planning and networking, building an inventory and exploring new product ideas.

One of the most exciting parts of the year was launching my website and engaging in social media. I have been amazed at the outpouring of support that I have received for my work. Thank you, most sincerely for encouraging me to continue.

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[quote style=”boxed”]I get to wake up every morning with the opportunity to work with fabric, inspiring nature, planning projects, interacting with students, clients, shop owners and other industry professionals. Thank you for that.  I LOVE my job![/quote] [hr]

The Not So Great Parts of my Year

My life as an artist is really no different from anyone else’s. I have a home to maintain, support my kids in their lives, support my ageing parents and my husband. Where it may differ is in the details of those, my husband and partner of 26 years is seriously chronically ill, my mother had Alzheimer’s( she recently passed away, I shared a tribute to her that you can read) and my father is critically ill as well. So I’ve had a full share of trials for the past few years, this last year was particularly tough. But they also lead me to one of my greatest decisions.[hr]

I have a Unique Situation

But not exclusive. I sometimes feel very alone with my situation, but I know there are other people out there with struggles that likely even trump mine. Navigating a serious illness with the notion that every day could have a hospital visit, is exhausting.  My partner, Aaron has had an undiagnosed illness for over 30 years. It has been investigated in every possible way. We’ve even seen specialists at NIH in Maryland with state of the art genetic testing and the Undiagnosed Diseases Program. We have stopped looking. They (and I mean medical community and alternative practitioners) have no clue. Really, they don’t. That’s ok!

Sometimes not having an answer is the best gift. We have learned to live with it and treat every day as a new opportunity to get more out of our lives.  Not knowing what comes next is terrifying sometimes, but it also allows us to assume one day more. We really live one day at a time and it affords us a lot of hope for another one.[hr]

How Does His Illness Affect my Work?

I am lucky in that my partner has good days and bad days, he is not bedridden and he still loves to work at keeping our house going too. He supports me fully in my decision to pursue my art as a business, I couldn’t do it without him. He’s really one of the most inspiring people I know. He experiences daily pain and suffering and yet he literally has a smile on his face every day. [hr]

Crossroads

Difficult Road ImageI reached a point last year where I could no longer manage my own stresses. On top of my partner, my mother had Alzheimer’s and became wheelchair bound early in the year. My father was in the hospital, in and out of ICU for 6 months. That was a year of constant hospital visits. By March I was tapped out. I had reached the “WTF is the point” stage of dealing with illness, death, pain, and suffering.

I realized that any of this could happen to me, anytime. If I didn’t take my opportunity to pursue what I wanted, maybe I would miss my chance. I missed creating, I needed to get back to my art. So after helping my father transition to Long Term Care, I decided to take a break. I took about 3 months to figure myself out and figure out how I could possibly support my family with my art. [hr]

Rejection, Recognition and Resolutions

Disappointment CityThe year had ups and downs with my art as well. I submitted applications to a few shows with some older work and applied to teach as well. They were rejected, I now know I wasn’t ready for that part of the business. I wrote about the benefits of rejection in an earlier post.

That same month, I received notice that I was the recipient of the MERA Award of Excellence for Artists in my community. It was perfect timing and really validated my decision to follow my heart and my art. I also was accepted into a Small Business Program for Start-Ups. I worked with professionals and learned how to approach my art as a business.

This last year has had it’s ups and downs for me. Like everyone else, I have to take the bad with the good. I’ve worked hard this year and I am feeling ultimately very successful. Even with my bumps for the year, I am incredibly grateful that I get to practice my art. I am looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead for the coming year. I’m excited to connect with you, share with you and continue to explore the amazing world of fibre arts. My resolutions are to execute this year, to make my business strong, to stay true to my art by inspiring others to engage and be available to my family.[hr]

 

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De-Stashing the Inherited Fabric – Part 2

I started with the books.

Kathy and Bridget de-stashingPreviously I wrote about my journey  with my mother who has Alzheimer’s and inheriting her large fabric stash. I have spent many months working on a solution for de-stashing and have had lots of great ideas from many of you. Thank you for that, I love hearing your stories and suggestions.

As well as a large amount of fabric, my mother had a huge collection of books. Deciding to part with these was easier for me as my mother and I did very different work so I had little attachment to most of them. I donated 3 large bins to my local quilt guild library. The rest I took to a re-use centre in town. Great! That’s one part of the de-stashing dealt with. But really it was a drop in the bucket.

What did I decide to do with it?

Landing on a bit of selling, keeping and giving away helped to move things along, but I needed to start with seeing what I had. So I decided to dedicate a few hours each week to sorting.  I take out one bin at a time, some of the fabric is marked or faded and cut strangely – what did she do with some of those pieces?! Then I trim and sort into scrap bags for give aways, pressing the larger pieces. (I love ironing, which I realize is controversial but what can I say? We all have our quirks.)

Fabric shelves de-stashing

I was moving along well, but a few weeks ago found myself little stuck again. How can I remember and know what I have?  I needed a way to organize it all so I could see it. Off to Pinterest, Facebook, fellow fabric hoarders and Instagram for inspiration and got lots of really great de-stashing and storage ideas.

I decided to roll my fabric on cardboard. I have lots of boxes in my life, so I started cutting them up 3” x 5” for small pieces, 5” x 7” for less than a meter and 5” x 12” for larger yardage. It’s going to take a while and there will be tears still, but I finally feel ready to take this mountain on.

Taking de-stashing to the next level.

For now my plan is to sell some through classified groups on Facebook and de-stashing sales in my studio or online. I will donate some to a few worthy causes.  I will make a few quilts to practise my long-arm quilting.  These I will likely give to my kids and my mother’s grandchildren, and maybe to a few cousins, too.  As I wade my way through the fabrics and memories, I am feeling better about it all.  It feels like the right time finally to clear the space and let go.

Anyone want some fabric?

If you missed this first blog you can click here to read all about it.

A great Website in support of Alzheimer’s research is Hilarity for Charity click here to find out ways you can help the cause.

Alzheimer’s, Loss, and Inherited Fabric: What do you do with it all? – Part 1

Alzheimer’s sucks, that’s the first thing I need to get off of my chest. I miss my mother.

Bridget's mother Kathleen O'Flaherty 2001

My mother was a huge part of my life. We were best friends (once we got past the stage where I was a 16-year-old jerk who thought she knew better). As a young adult, my mother was one of the most important people in my life. Like so many, I was unsure of what I wanted to do: I had tried university, and college, and working. I had travelled, fell in love and was at a crossroads.

My mother opened a quilt store in the small town where we lived and asked if I wanted to help her until I figured myself out. I had only done one quilt at that point and it was by hand. I hated doing it and it took me 2 years to finish! But I had nothing else going on so – with some indifference – I joined her at the shop.

It opened my eyes to so many things.

It fueled my desire to create, and it introduced me to the world of small business and being an entrepreneur. She opened doors that I didn’t even know existed. She encouraged me to learn, take classes and take risks. Less than one year in, she offered me a class to teach. Seriously, after only a few quilts and a few months she said, “Well why not?” and I didn’t really have an answer. That launched my life as a teacher, lover of fibre and the drive to succeed.

Bridget and her mother 2017

We went through so much together, and always bonded over a cup of tea and quilting. She always had time to dream with me about the next big idea. Then Alzheimer’s creeped in and started to steal moments of our connections from each other. It has been a long illness and watching her deteriorate over the last 10 years has been devastating to say the least.

While she’s still alive – I feel like I’ve already lost her.

I continue to try to stay connected with my mother, supportive and still see her, ignoring the fact that she thought I was stealing from her, or that she didn’t trust me and now doesn’t seem to even know herself, let alone me or anyone else from her life. But that is a hard place to stay. I admire those who can give of themselves selflessly to those suffering with this disease. My weekly visits are usually a short 5 minutes before her agitation sets in and it’s time to go.

And what does this have to do with fabric?

I mentioned she owned a store… and after it closed, so much went into her studio and she created for another 12 years until her disease took that away from her. She kept everything. Now I have all that everything.

 

The dilemma is not in just what to do with it, but in unpacking all of the emotional context of it. There is well over 500 meters of cotton fabric – mostly in small pieces making up about 1,500 pieces of fabric, notions galore, yarn, upholstery fabric, books – so many books – and lots of other fibre/craft related things. Everything has a memory for me: I see a fabric I know she used and it reminds me of her. I see a box she stored buttons in and I remember it in her sewing room when I was young. It is really like taking apart and dismantling someone’s life. How do I discard and give away things that were vital to her existence. Who will know how important she was, what she did with all of these things to make other people happy? I know that I will, and ultimately these questions are asked for all of us. The only thing that remains of us after this life is the affect we had on others.

However, these supplies are things I will not use in my work or in my daily life. They are taking up space for me mentally as well as physically and I have to move forward in my own life and work.

This is the hardest part.

I can’t even use most of it, it is not my aesthetic nor my interest. So what to do? I have had it in my studio for about 3 years, since she went into long-term care. It’s all in bins just waiting to be figured out.

It’s time for me to tackle it.

I’ve looked at many options, I have pulled all of the cotton fabric out several times. I started by just putting it all on the floor and looking at it. There was so much and it was a little overwhelming. So I put it back in the bins. I have to decide what the end goal is, am I giving it away, selling it, using it?

It’s not an easy task, it’s tied to so many emotions. I will work my way through it though. ( I have been for many months and will share some of my solutions in an upcoming blog post)

I’m sure many of you have been through similar stages and dilemmas in life, I’d love to know that I am not alone with this, tell me your stories, what did you do to de-stash and sort?  What worked for you? Do you have any suggestions?

A great site for contributing to the research of Alzheimer’s is Hilarity for Charity 

or the Canadian Alzheimer’s Association

Fibreshed and How to Bring the 100-mile Diet to Fibre Arts

Earlier this month, I learned a new word: fibreshed.

It happened when I took some time for professional development and attended a live webinar on Natural Dyeing in the Fibre Art industry.  It was not a word I was familiar with previously. Now I am fully on board and ready to work for the cause. There was a panel discussion on the state of the industry with experts from around all over North America. This was hosted by Craft Ontario  and the experts have been working in the textile and natural dye industry for many years. So, Fibreshed…it’s essentially sourcing your project or product materials and services from within a geographic region with ecological systems at the core.

It’s kind of like considering the 100-mile diet for fibre.

Raw Wool in bags from fibreshed

The chain of custody of the sweater is a great example. Wool from sheep, spun a local mill, woven, turned into cloth, clothing is made, used and then recycled or composted all within close proximity of each other forming a cradle to cradle system.  The Upper Canada Fibreshed is working towards connecting the sources of the product in this geographic region. Wouldn’t it be great if we could track our origins of all of our needlecrafts?

It is so important to have these discussions, and how the fibre arts world needs to embrace sustainability more. The toxicity of current dye practices and the ecological impact is at the forefront of importance of many textile companies. It really fuelled my passion to pursue this as a core principle in my work.

Sheep in a fibreshed

The ways I integrate eco-art into my work

Every decision I make now in my work is framed around the question ‘can I add a sustainable element to this and what does that look like?’. My goal is to create sustainable fibre art that raises awareness of and evokes an intimate connection to the natural world, using materials from sustainable sources. I want to bring that narrative into all of the work that I do.

I source materials with these criteria in mind:

  • Organic
  • Certified
  • Natural fibre
  • Locally produced
  • Does it have recycled content
  • Location
  • Processing

I’m not always able to find these answers immediately on websites and sometimes have to contact the distributor directly. Sometime they have the answers, sometimes I never hear back.

Dyes and fibres sourced in a fibreshed

Finding notions and supplies is a little more challenging. I have had some luck with an organic cotton thread company from the US Fibreactive Organics. Their pallette is restricted but there are options to dye it yourself. I recently came across a brand of Guttermann Thread that is very exciting and I plan to bring it into my work this year. The Sew-all Thread 100 m rPET  is a 100% recycled content polyester thread. I’ll be writing a blog in the coming months on the testing of this thread. I am very hopeful as it has a range of 52 colours and combined with the organics should offer a good selection for the work I do.

Finally, I’ll be tracking sustainable supplies as I find them and will be updating my Supplier List quarterly. Get this straight to your inbox, join my Fibre Tribe and get the Monthly Thread Talks.

Do you have any recommendations for sustainable fibre suppliers?

Let me know! Send me your connections and links to someone who is already doing sustainable supplies.[button link=”www.threadpaintedart.com/contact” bg_color=”#8c9165″]Contact[/button]

What does it take to Find Inspiration?

Sometimes you just need to get out of your routine.

Finding inspiration can take a bit of work and can come in different forms.  There is the kind of inspiration that feeds your soul, a walk in nature – a trip to a gallery, and there is the kind that excites and feeds your work. This week I concentrated on feeding my soul.

I went to the Art in the Garden festival at Kiwi Gardens near where I live with my son last Sunday. One of the most striking artists was Liz Ciesluk. She does amazing fabric sculpture, it was so intriguing, wild and so different from anything I do! It was a glorious day to be walking in a mature garden. Not to mention with really talented and interesting artwork sprinkled throughout the property and woods nearby. There was great music and good food to complete the day. This was an inspiration session that truly fed my soul.

Wor by Liz Ciesluk

Fibre art by Liz Ciesluk

A memory neither of us will soon forget.

We then went to Purdon Conservation Area near where we live. They have over 16,000 wild orchid blooms. The Showy Ladyslipper is a plant that requires very specific conditions to thrive. Joe Purdon worked hard cultivating and nurturing from 1930 and preserved a place for them. There is the added bonus of the rare and endangered species of the Pitcher Plant. We went on a banner day and the blooms were out in full force. As an added treat for the day? We saw a nesting Woodcock in the grass beside the boardwalk. It was very shy and hard to photograph, we got a good look at her chic once we finally saw it not 2 feet from us!

Showy Lady Slipeer

Making time to expand my knowledge and giving myself permission to explore inspiration is often put aside as I have busy days and work to be done. But I really think it will make for more interesting and compelling work ultimately and keep my adventures in my art interesting!

If you would like to follow my journey sign up to be part of my Fibre Tribe. It’s free and comes right to your inbox monthly.

What do you do for inspiration?  Please post in the comments below, I’d really like to hear from you.

 

Fibre Therapy and Mindfulness

 

Just a few weeks ago,

I had a friend come by my place and ask me to help her make her first quilt. She’s a nurse and has a fairly stressful job at times, so she wanted something that she could do to help her relax on off days.
She was a complete newbie, had never really even looked at quilt books, magazines or stepped foot in a quilt store. It was pretty exciting to help out someone like this, but I also realized that I had to be careful to let her be the one to decide the path she wanted to take.
There are so many options, applique, hand, machine, modern, traditional, etc., not mention the art side of textiles! So we talked about what she liked and what she imagined she would work on. She wanted to use the machine and my first thought was: great a quick quilt. Let’s pick a couple of fabrics from my stash, a pattern and we can crank this sucker out in a day.
But she had a different need in mind. She asked if she could come and look through my stash to find fabrics, and we settled on a fairly simple 25 patch block set with lattice. She wanted blue and white. After spending 3 hours playing with my fabric (I have a large stash of small pieces I inherited from my mother that I will never use – but that’s another story!) she ended up selecting more than 60 fabrics. “I just can’t give any of them up, I have a relationship with all of them now.”[hr]

It made me pause and realize how important this process is

We have tools that make things faster and easier. We even have pre-cut fabric, jellyrolls, and patterns to suit, kits that are ready to assemble and machines that sew without us with the touch of a button.
What is this doing for our connection to the craft? Historically, women have gravitated to textiles for practical reasons, but have also contributed to an art and expression that has been woven deeply into our cultures. I believe it’s why we still reach for needlecrafts and textiles. In quilting, there was often a story to the fabrics used – old clothes, a quilting bee, creating a legacy handed down through generations.
Today we are finding new ways to explore these crafts, but I think we need to pause.

Being Mindful with the Craft

Mindful Fibre Art, Slow Craft, Slow Makers and Slow Textiles: these terms all represent a movement – a cultural narrative that really resonates with me.
This movement gives permission to take the time, celebrate details and revel in techniques that give you the opportunity to focus and relax while connecting your hands and mind to the moment. I have written about the concept of a fibreshed or the 100 Mile Fibre diet in another post.
There is an environmental component, recognition of where the materials come from, what the ecological impact is of these and making conscious choices along the way. There is also a social context, connecting with and creating a community around the traditional crafts. Now don’t get me wrong. I am all for technology, I am, after all a free motion machine embroiderer and quilter.
But it’s about slowing down and enjoying the process, appreciating the steps and having a connection with each and every part of what it takes to make these beautiful works of art. Part of the mindful textile movement is to create space to consider the rhythm of the process, slowing down, making conscious decisions to enjoy each fabric, each colour, each thread, each stitch. I think we can adopt the concept even with machine work, it’s more about being mindful, giving ourselves permission to appreciate the process and honour the tradition of the craft.

It feeds the soul, its fibre therapy and I need it.

Apparently, so did my friend.

Does anyone else need a little fibre therapy? I love to go into a fabric store just to look at the bolts of fabric all lined up in colour gradients, or take out some fabric and iron it – just to smell it…when I’ve had a rough day, it totally takes the edge off.