JOURNAL QUILTS 2008
Theme: For 2008, participating members were asked to create one 12 inch square quilt each month on a theme of their own choosing.
JAN – APRIL 2008
The inspiration for these quilts came from sketching Elizabethan wall and ceiling paintings salvaged from a local house and displayed in Thame Museum.
The inspiration for these quilts came from sketching Elizabethan wall and ceiling paintings salvaged from a local house and displayed in Thame Museum.
JANUARY JQ: DANCING BY FIRE AND CANDLELIGHT
While I was drawing part of the ceiling motif, an elderly gentleman engaged me in conversation telling how he had seen the paintings in their original setting. As a boy he had played at his friend’s house where they explored with torches above a false ceiling where the paintings were hidden. Bringing to light what was hidden is partly what museums do.
Apart from natural light, fire or candlelight would have lit the paintings originally. A section of my sketch had a fluid jaunty air and made me think of the dancing that may have taken place below the motifs.
The motif was painted to a ground using Markal Paintsticks to emulate flickering flames.
Apart from natural light, fire or candlelight would have lit the paintings originally. A section of my sketch had a fluid jaunty air and made me think of the dancing that may have taken place below the motifs.
The motif was painted to a ground using Markal Paintsticks to emulate flickering flames.
Text: Dancing by Fire and Candlelight
FEBRUARY JQ: THE PAST IS A PUZZLE
I used isolated fragments from the ceiling motif, resized in Paintshop Pro. These were laid out in grid format under chiffon, in the style of shadow-work, with darker pieces to the bottom. The text comes from writing about my museum visit with the title being bleached out with Clorox pen.
I liked the way the piece resembled a sliding tile puzzle. In a museum we are able to reassess and reinterpret the past. Here, I have rearranged it to suit myself!
Text: The past is a puzzle; fragmentary handwritten background text
I liked the way the piece resembled a sliding tile puzzle. In a museum we are able to reassess and reinterpret the past. Here, I have rearranged it to suit myself!
Text: The past is a puzzle; fragmentary handwritten background text
MARCH JQ: GOOD WINE NEEDS NO BUSH
There is not enough detail on the simply drawn jug to determine its exact use so I decided it would have held wine during convivial evenings. The appliquéd monoprint is surrounded with Elizabethan wine names. A sample quilted feather was already in place on the ground which reminded me of grapes. I added further quilted motifs and painted these.
The title comes from As You Like It, and refers to the custom of advertising good wine by hanging ivy or vine outside drinking inns: Something for us to reflect on in our commercial age.
Text; Good wine needs no bush; background text various alcoholic drinks
The title comes from As You Like It, and refers to the custom of advertising good wine by hanging ivy or vine outside drinking inns: Something for us to reflect on in our commercial age.
Text; Good wine needs no bush; background text various alcoholic drinks
APRIL JQ: FABRIC OF SOCIETY
The design is from a section of wall painting where a lute is cradled by a woman. Isolated lines appeared sensuous and reminiscent of the body so I focused on elements of Tudor dress.
It is a compositional exercise overlaid with an expression of the rigidity with which Elizabethan society maintained status and position. There were strict rules about who could wear particular styles, colours and materials. Part of the Statutes of Apparel* from 1574 forms the text on a section of the quilt.
A crazy patchwork style keeps each colour, fabric and embellishment in its own place. The fabrics are my interpretation of Elizabethan fashion elements and are not intended to be historically accurate. They relate to sections of society where power was concentrated.
*The rules governing what clothing was acceptable according to social class were the Sumptuary laws first passed in the 14th century and originally covering food, beverages, furniture and jewellery as well as clothing. Statutes of apparel in Elizabethan times were drawn up by city officials for their particular area. Sumptuary laws in England were repealed in the 18th century.
It is a compositional exercise overlaid with an expression of the rigidity with which Elizabethan society maintained status and position. There were strict rules about who could wear particular styles, colours and materials. Part of the Statutes of Apparel* from 1574 forms the text on a section of the quilt.
A crazy patchwork style keeps each colour, fabric and embellishment in its own place. The fabrics are my interpretation of Elizabethan fashion elements and are not intended to be historically accurate. They relate to sections of society where power was concentrated.
*The rules governing what clothing was acceptable according to social class were the Sumptuary laws first passed in the 14th century and originally covering food, beverages, furniture and jewellery as well as clothing. Statutes of apparel in Elizabethan times were drawn up by city officials for their particular area. Sumptuary laws in England were repealed in the 18th century.
MAY - AUGUST 2008
A temporary display in Thame Museum of objects from the 1950s was the starting point for these quilts.
A temporary display in Thame Museum of objects from the 1950s was the starting point for these quilts.
MAY JQ: STOOKS NO MORE
Two vases caught my attention with their stylised wheat motif arousing childhood memories of corn stooks. The 1950s saw rapid change in farming practices. These are alluded to on the organza text. The text fragments include: more mechanisation; higher yields; fewer farm workers; larger farms...
The main motif, manipulated in PaintShop Pro from my own drawings, is printed onto fabric with JetFX transfer paper.
Hand stitched simplified motifs reference the depiction of farming from Neolithic times, the human bond with the land and the need to express it. Also implicit is nostalgia for an idyllic rural past and the loss of my own childhood innocence.
The main motif, manipulated in PaintShop Pro from my own drawings, is printed onto fabric with JetFX transfer paper.
Hand stitched simplified motifs reference the depiction of farming from Neolithic times, the human bond with the land and the need to express it. Also implicit is nostalgia for an idyllic rural past and the loss of my own childhood innocence.
JUNE JQ: PIAZZA WARE
The free form vases, at odds with my own memory of the decade as somewhat rigid and straightlaced, led me to reassess the period. A guide for the 1951 Festival of Britain would suggest the festival brought the work of artists such as Henry Moore to a very wide audience. This probably influenced public taste and resulted in mass produced items such as the pottery on display.
The vases are appliquéd, my sketches of Moore’s Festival Figure are screen printed and the compass, derived from the Festival logo, is painted.
The vases are appliquéd, my sketches of Moore’s Festival Figure are screen printed and the compass, derived from the Festival logo, is painted.
JULY JQ: POLKA DOTS
A pink and white spotted swimming costume triggered memories of primary school where a friend, Eve, turned up in a polka dot circular skirt. It seemed discordant and daring compared to the drab and shabby clothes most of us wore. ‘Common’ was used to denote vulgarity or lower class in a time when class structure was firmly embedded in society. All things to do with sex were not mentioned except in playground smutty talk of which I had little understanding.
The text reads:
Eve wore: POLKA DOTS to school
Her circular skirt flared hit when she skipped
We thought she mlght be COMMON
Coincidentally, the original Eve was the first scarlet woman who dared to do the forbidden. I have hidden her name under translucent cloth but the glimmer of the Glitterati fusible film still comes through.
Various muted spotted fabrics are pieced and overlaid with machine embroidered text on net (a reference to the petticoats commonly used to fluff up circular skirts). A photograph of my sister has been merged with my memory of Eve’s skirt in Paintshop Pro then applied to fabric with Iron-on Transfer Paper.
Three and half years older than me, my sister appeared equally brazen at the time. The image and fonts emulate that of a catalogue of children’s fashion also displayed in the cabinet. My sketch of the costume is used as a quilted motif.
The text reads:
Eve wore: POLKA DOTS to school
Her circular skirt flared hit when she skipped
We thought she mlght be COMMON
Coincidentally, the original Eve was the first scarlet woman who dared to do the forbidden. I have hidden her name under translucent cloth but the glimmer of the Glitterati fusible film still comes through.
Various muted spotted fabrics are pieced and overlaid with machine embroidered text on net (a reference to the petticoats commonly used to fluff up circular skirts). A photograph of my sister has been merged with my memory of Eve’s skirt in Paintshop Pro then applied to fabric with Iron-on Transfer Paper.
Three and half years older than me, my sister appeared equally brazen at the time. The image and fonts emulate that of a catalogue of children’s fashion also displayed in the cabinet. My sketch of the costume is used as a quilted motif.
AUGUST JQ: TABLE MANNERS
Brown and cream Carltonware pottery inspired this quilt. The cruet and jam pot brought back memories of being taught table manners at home and school. It was a time of home cooked family meals round the dining table; meat and two veg, oxtail soup, rice puddings and fish on Fridays.
Table settings are formally laid out on a napkin backing. Organza place mats depict a 1950s TV test card to draw attention to the custom of TV dinners, rare occurrences in the 1950s when few families had television sets. The text is written with permanent marker or free machine stitched. Inktense pencils were used to colour the pottery motifs.
The text fragments read:
No milk bottles on the table
Eat your greens
Don’t play with your food
Waste not want not
Table manners
Elbows off the table
Don’t talk with your mouth full
Clear your plate
Hold your knife and fork properly
Table settings are formally laid out on a napkin backing. Organza place mats depict a 1950s TV test card to draw attention to the custom of TV dinners, rare occurrences in the 1950s when few families had television sets. The text is written with permanent marker or free machine stitched. Inktense pencils were used to colour the pottery motifs.
The text fragments read:
No milk bottles on the table
Eat your greens
Don’t play with your food
Waste not want not
Table manners
Elbows off the table
Don’t talk with your mouth full
Clear your plate
Hold your knife and fork properly
SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2008
The inspiration for these quilts came from World War 1 items in Thame Museum.
The inspiration for these quilts came from World War 1 items in Thame Museum.
SEPTEMBER JQ: FORGET-ME-NOT
One Christmas card from the WW1 shelf and a cabinet of assorted sentimental greetings cards were starting points. I wanted to contrast the harsh realities of war with soft, heartfelt messages. Four main sections are a variation on the traditional log cabin design, symbolic of hearth and home to quilters. Lace, bows and buttons were added to create a homely effect and to suggest time spent on creation and repair instead of destruction.
All text is taken directly from the cards and stitched using an automated embroidery unit. The trio of soldiers is automatically stitched from a digitised drawing of mine. My sketch of the lone soldier is free motion embroidered over polyester organza. The colours were selected to echo the blue of forget-me-not flowers and the yellowing of age.
All text is taken directly from the cards and stitched using an automated embroidery unit. The trio of soldiers is automatically stitched from a digitised drawing of mine. My sketch of the lone soldier is free motion embroidered over polyester organza. The colours were selected to echo the blue of forget-me-not flowers and the yellowing of age.
The texts read:
WHERE HEARTS AGREE NO STRIFE CAN BE
Remembrance and Best Wishes
Merry Christmas from France
Dieu et la Vance vous regardent
FORGET-ME-NOT
OCTOBER JQ: RAGE AND ANGUISH
A pencilled inscription on an off-cut of wood spoke to me emotionally across the years of the anguish of a parent whose sons were fighting a war. I considered others who were affected by WW1 deaths. Museum records show the names of local fatalities and close relatives where possible. I chose to use the identification number of the fallen, as this is often how they were viewed, but record them as son or husband. Wanting to highlight the relatives as real people, I omitted the surnames to make it a more informal statement.
There is also an extract from a letter: “WAR is raging in Flanders.
Four of my sons are fighting.
W W Howland
August 3rd 1917”
The background was a piece already quilted and dyed. Its textures echoed the rough-hewn wood of the inscription and that of battlefields, while its redness referenced blood and poppies. It was stitched to a double layer of fused Lutradur to bring it up to size and, with its ribbon edging, create a black armband effect. Couched threads fan out vertically to create perspective and, scattered with the Evolon printed names, allude to the ranked rows of war graves. Horizontal hand stitched lines are intended to enhance the perspective as well as suggest barbed wire.
There is also an extract from a letter: “WAR is raging in Flanders.
Four of my sons are fighting.
W W Howland
August 3rd 1917”
The background was a piece already quilted and dyed. Its textures echoed the rough-hewn wood of the inscription and that of battlefields, while its redness referenced blood and poppies. It was stitched to a double layer of fused Lutradur to bring it up to size and, with its ribbon edging, create a black armband effect. Couched threads fan out vertically to create perspective and, scattered with the Evolon printed names, allude to the ranked rows of war graves. Horizontal hand stitched lines are intended to enhance the perspective as well as suggest barbed wire.
NOVEMBER JQ: TREE OF LIFE
Influenced by Henry Moore’s powerful tapestry of the 3 Fates, I wanted to depict lives cut short; the thread cut by Atropos once Lachesis had determined its length. My trees are roughly knitted, scanned and printed onto silk organza to become shades, then unravelled to show them not fully grown. The threads become barbed wire then stalks of poppies.
A great uncle killed in 1917 is isolated from a family photograph showing him as a child, innocent of his fate. This image was manipulated in Paint Shop Pro then printed onto fabric using Bubble Jet 2000*.
A landscape is suggested, influenced by the paintings of Paul Nash, where stark trees are as disturbing as corpses. It includes an imitation tree taken from Andre Mares’s sketchbook. These were metal replicas of real trees used to protect lookout soldiers, so trees of life in another sense. Inktense pencils were used to draw the trees. Hand quilting adds texture and suggests marks left by the many.
A great uncle killed in 1917 is isolated from a family photograph showing him as a child, innocent of his fate. This image was manipulated in Paint Shop Pro then printed onto fabric using Bubble Jet 2000*.
A landscape is suggested, influenced by the paintings of Paul Nash, where stark trees are as disturbing as corpses. It includes an imitation tree taken from Andre Mares’s sketchbook. These were metal replicas of real trees used to protect lookout soldiers, so trees of life in another sense. Inktense pencils were used to draw the trees. Hand quilting adds texture and suggests marks left by the many.
DECEMBER JQ: MUSEUM REFLECTIONS
Two vases made from World War 1 shell cases were some of the first items to catch my eye in the museum, making me think of souvenirs and turning swords into ploughshares. The more I looked at them the more aware I became of reflections in the concave hexagonal patterning and convex base. I liked the way images were distorted, because however many artefacts we have we can never experience the past in the same way as those who lived it. Our picture is always incomplete, obscured, indistinct or distorted in some way.
My own photographs of the museum were manipulated in PaintShop Pro then printed onto photo transfer paper. These were stitched to a black ground which was hand quilted to create a contrasting soft texture to offset the hardness of the images and to allude to the domestication of weaponry. Gold thread was machine couched to emphasise the hexagon shapes.
My own photographs of the museum were manipulated in PaintShop Pro then printed onto photo transfer paper. These were stitched to a black ground which was hand quilted to create a contrasting soft texture to offset the hardness of the images and to allude to the domestication of weaponry. Gold thread was machine couched to emphasise the hexagon shapes.
