The Sustainable Quilter Bridget O'Flaherty

Sustainable Textile Art by Bridget O'Flaherty

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What was that judge thinking?

Scoping out how a judge determines the top quilt at a show.

CQA workshop Judging QuiltsWhen we speak of inspiration, we don’t often think of attending lectures and professional development. It really it is so great for getting the creative juices flowing for a business. I decided I would do some direct professional development at the latest Canada Quilter’s Association Conference. I took a workshop called “What was that Judge Thinking?” with Joyce Brown and Judy Villett.  It’s the first of a series for the Quilt Judge Certification Programme.  The program trains judges and jurors in the profession of assessing and critiquing quilts and fibre art within the context of a competition. The instructors have been in the biz for over 30 years and brought with them a wealth of knowledge to impart on an eager group.

After listening, participating and networking, I’m not sure if I will go through the whole program, but it was certainly helpful and food for thought for the future. The whole process of entering, hosting, coordinating and judging a quilt show were covered in the day.

How Hard is it to Judge?

The hardest part of being a judge seems to be taking into account the design elements of a piece as well as the technical details. You really need a solid background in design and and clear understanding of colour theory. Without these basics in understanding design, it doesn’t seem possible to critique a work without bringing in your opinion. The next step is the technical side, pouring over a piece, looking for the workmanship and fine details to set a work apart.  Then you have to take both into account, does one outweigh the other in the submission? Of course you then have to look at them in context of the other top works.

Colour Theory Judge Art Quilts

Colour Theory Samples by Judy Villett

It really opened my eyes to what a judge faces when 150 quilts show up and they are all the cream of the crop. How do you differentiate without bringing your opinion to the table? Looking at a design objectively without know the artist or their intentions.  Really studying it to determine what works, then hearing the artist’s statement.  Then they take the top contenders and zeroing in on a winner, it can’t be easy!

The Best part of Workshops

One of the best parts of the day was meeting some like-minded artists. Community is so important and building relationships in the industry makes all the difference to a successful business in my opinion. I look forward to meeting up with the ladies I met again at future workshops.

If you are interested in the program you can see more details here: judges-certification-program

You can see what workshops are coming up in the 2018 Conference for CQA which takes place in Vancouver here.

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.

Competitions

Are they a good way to kickstart Inspiration?

Difficult Road Image

I’m embarking on a mission to get myself going in the quilt world again. I have had several false starts over the last couple of years and not without good reasons. But I really miss quilting. I miss the hum of the sewing machine, the quiet of the creative moments. I love the colours and the layers of threads that start to make sense after long hours of stitching. I miss it a lot. So I am looking to challenge myself.[hr]

I scanned the internet, found several quilt shows and competitions with deadlines that seem attainable with interesting themes and prestigious prizes. The question I have is;  does it make sense to put that kind of pressure on myself? After all of these years will I still be able to put a quilt together that is competition worthy? Will my work measure up to the current contenders of the quilt world? I have no way of knowing really.I know what I would say to anyone else having the same self-doubt. But it is harder to reflect that advice to myself. I think it is an age-old issue with artists.

After all this time, will they still like my work?

I have seen some amazing work come out of the Quilt National Exhibition and the Grand National Show, as well as even the local guild shows. There are some really talented quilters. The art element of the quilt has moved forward while I have been on my sabbatical. Categories I where I was turned down in 10 years ago are now open to the type of work I do, paths have been forged and acceptance is much more readily available to the contemporary art element of quilting. I know I have nothing to lose by trying and I’m hoping it’s not too much pressure. I’ll let you know in a month if I actually will make it happen!

 

 

Where it All Began

Beginner Sampler by Bridget O'FlahertyMy Very First Quilt; a Sampler.

Even in the beginning back in 1991, I was pushing the boundaries – black with a floral print was looked at with disapproval from the traditional quilters. It didn’t stop me then, and likely won’t stop me now. With no specific direction in mind for my life at that point, I had tried University, was a ski bum and had just met my current partner. I had done one quilt by hand with my mother in a class and was not really interested in the investment of time it took to make quilts. I was sure I was never going to make another sampler quilt.

Then my mother offered to let me work in her quilt store

Being 21, with no direction, I took the job. It was a decision that changed the course of my life and has forever shaped me. I began seeing quilting in a whole new light. Where I had seen little old ladies at the church group before I was now seeing art. New magazines and books with machine work and landscape quilts… THAT was inspiring and that was what I wanted to know how to do. I spent the next few years learning how to work on the machine and mostly did geometric quilts with cutting and strip piecing.

I took courses from pioneers in the art quilt world Jean Boyd, Ann Bird, Joen Wolfrom. They were emerging as quilt artists and their quilts were astounding – cutting edge. I was so excited by it, I wanted to be part of that quilt world and decided to pursue it as a career path.

My First Sale

The first quilt I ever sold was a Double Attic Windows. I was then asked to do an interpretive piece of the 4 seasons…It was the best thing that had ever happened. I was suddenly thinking of myself as a creative person.

Over the years I added a little embroidery here and there, I tried strip piecing landscapes and slowly evolved my embroidery techniques. There were no courses, no books and very few quilters using free-form embroidery in their quilts. I loved the detail I could achieve, I love playing with layers of colour to get the shading just so. I loved sitting at the machine and watching my image come to life.I have been doing my quilts now for over 20 years. The last few years have been slower in production for me as life has a way of dictating how much art one can actually produce. Babies/children, building a house, starting a 2nd and 3rd career to keep it all together has forced me to put my art on the back burner. But the time will be right again…