Alicia Merrett - Through Our Hands

Transcription

THROUGH OUR HANDS
the Magazine
Alicia Merrett:
Art Quilts in Sitges
Jeanne Williamson:
under colour
Annabel Rainbow:
tacking foot texture
Issue 1
May 2014
Cover: come join us’, Mirjam Pet-Jacobs, h137cm x w133cm
Issue 1
Published by Through Our Hands, May 2014
Through Our Hands ‘the magazine’
Established 2014.
Editors: Laura Kemshall, Annabel Rainbow
Submissions and advertising enquiries:
[email protected]
1 - toh May 2014
© Through Our Hands, 2014. All content copyright.
No part of this publication to be copied or reproduced
in any form without prior written permission from the
copyright holder(s).
www.throughourhands.co.uk
11 Knightcote Drive, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
[email protected]
07877 402455
4
Welcome
in this issue...
5
Meet the Artists
9
Alicia Merrett:
33
Annabel Rainbow:
tacking foot texture
35
15
Bobby Britnell:
women and craft
Alicia Merrett:
perfect finish
19
Mirjam Pet-Jacobs:
GEA Miniartextil 2014 and more
37
Margaret Cooter:
at the edge of the quilt
21
Through Our Hands:
videos
41
Starving Artist:
easy bread
23
Jeanne Williamson:
under colour
f
Sara Impey:
things we do in bed
27
Helen Cobby:
freedom in collage and colour
47
What’s On:
exhibitions and events
31
Sue Benner:
quilts: the new geometry
45
49
Desert Island Designs:
elizabeth barton
TOH May 2014 - 2
annabel rainbow
Hello I’m Annabel, I make
quilts with naked women
on but am surprisingly
reserved when it comes to
streaking at sports events.
You’ll generally find me
by the biscuit tin, where
you’re very welcome to
have a chat about my
painted quilts, the price
of jaffa cakes or whether
Man-U were right to sack
Moyes. I hope you enjoy
the magazine and I’d be
delighted to receive your
feedback.
And I’m Laura. I love art,
making things and can’t
resist a crazy challenge,
such as designing and
editing a brand new online
magazine, ahem!
You can tell that while we’re
both very serious, if not
obsessively passionate
about our work and what we
do, we promise never to be
solemn.
Our mission for Through
Our Hands is to gather
together a wonderful,
inspiring and brilliant
collection of artists and art
and to share that with you.
We hope you enjoy it and
thank you for your support.
and more...
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIel3pccql6pOSj2Y9eq74g
[email protected]
facebook.com/throughourhands.co.uk
@throughourhands
3 - toh May 2014
laura kemshall
Welcome
Welcome to the brand new quarterly magazine
from Through Our Hands!
Every issue features new and exciting
information about your favourite artists. This
month there is a snapshot of a quilter in Spain,
as Alicia Merrett has a hugely successful
exhibition in Sitges. We catch up with Jeanne
Williamson, who is one of the most recent
artists to join Through Our Hands, and who is
enjoying a residency in Boston. Linda Barlow
is exhibiting a bit nearer home at the Ruthin
Craft Centre, Denbighshire, you’ll also find
information about exhibitions and competitions
that might interest you.
We have some useful tips and even have a
recipe to keep you from starving whilst you’re
working hard in your garret. Margaret Cooter is
writing a regular column for us “At The Edge of
the Quilt” In this edition we look at the quilts of
Joe Cunningham. Finally we find out behind the
scenes truths about Elizabeth Barton in a new
series called Desert Island Designs.
Yellow wall, detail, jette clover
TOH May 2014 - 4
Meet the artists:
Alicia Merrett
aliciamerrett.co.uk
clare smith
claresmith.blogspot.co.nz
Annabel rainbow
annabelrainbow.co.uk
deidre adams
deidreadams.com
bethan ash
bethanash.co.uk
dijanne cevaal
origidij.blogspot.com
bobby britnell
bobbybritnell.co.uk
elizabeth barton
ebarton.myweb.uga.edu
Bente vold klausen
bentevoldklausen.com
els van baarle
elsvanbaarle.com
5 - toh May 2014
eszter bornemizsa
bornemizsa.com
linda kemshall
lindakemshall.com
jeanne williamson
jeannewilliamson.com
michala gyetvai
michalagyetvai.co.uk
jette clover
jetteclover.com
mirjam pet-jacobs
mirjampetjacobs.nl
laura kemshall
laurakemshall.com
olga prins lukowski
olga-prins-lukowski.nl
linda barlow
lindabarlow.co.uk
sandra meech
sandrameech.com
linda colsh
lindacolsh.com
sara impey
quiltart.eu/saraimpey
TOH May 2014 - 6
construct
eight textile artists explore identity
Linda Barlow / Caren Garfen / Janet Haigh / Nigel Hurlstone
Val Jackson / Deirdre Nelson / Naomi Ryder / Lynn Setterington
ruthincraftcentre.org.uk
7 - toh May 2014
12 April – 20 July 2014
Gallery 1
Who are we? What makes
us who we are? In this
exhibition, curated by
Melanie Miller and June Hill,
eight artists explore the
subject of identity from
a range of perspectives:
personal, public, historic
and geographic.
The exhibition features
work in a variety of formats
including installation,
domestic objects, military
clothing, signature quilts,
digital prints and embroidered
stop motion animation.
Dr Melanie Miller is a lecturer,
maker, writer and curator.
Caren Garfen
Walk and Talk:
FREE
Curator Melanie Miller
and Caren Garfen
Saturday 12 April, 11.00am
FREE no need to book
Melanie and Caren will discuss
Caren’s research and making
processes, and they will also be
happy to respond to questions
from the audience.
Walk and Talk:
FREE
Artist Val Jackson
and Curator Melanie Miller
Sunday 11 May, 2.00pm
FREE please call to book a place
Melanie and Val will discuss
Val’s research and making
processes, and they will also be
happy to respond to questions
from the audience.
Talks, Events & Workshops
To book call 01824 704774.
For the latest listings visit
www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk
right: Naomi Ryder. images are courtesy of the artists.
Adult Workshops:
Naomi Ryder – 2 day workshop
Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 June,
10.30am – 4.30pm
£130 includes light lunch
Suitable for all abilities
Janet Haigh – 1 day workshop
Wednesday 9 July,
10.30am – 4.30pm
Intermediate to advanced
hand stitching skills required
Naomi Ryder is an artist
who draws with stitch to create
delicate pieces of contemporary
art reflecting our everyday life.
During this course you will be
shown suitable handstitch and
applique techniques for drawing
with stitch.
Learn how to transfer and
embroider a range of letter forms
and numerals using traditional
needle work techniques; how
to transfer letters using a variety
of methods, stitching outlines,
padding (tramme), and then
embroidering an initial or
numeral in satin stitch.
Janet Haigh – 1 day workshop
Tuesday 8 July,
10.30am – 4.30pm
Suitable for all abilities
Learn to embroider simple
messages, names and dates
using your own hand writing,
from signatures through to
messages plus an introduction
to traditional cross-stitched
dedications.
For further information
please visit our website.
Construct
A beautifully presented 32 page
book accompanies the exhibition.
ISBN 978-1-905865-65-9
Call to reserve your copy.
Tel: +44 (0)1824 704774
2/3
TOH May 2014 - 8
Alicia Merrett:
Alicia Merrett is well known here at TOH as an
intrepid traveller! She’s always off around the
world teaching and exhibiting, and during March
she went to Sitges in Spain, for the annual Quilt
Festival of the Spanish Patchwork Association.
She had a wonderful exhibition space and
also taught a few classes as well. Sitges is a
very beautiful beach resort about half an hour
south of Barcelona. She says the people were
wonderful, the weather sunny and warm, and
the food superb; what more can a quilter want?
For those of us who couldn’t get to Spain
to see the exhibition, here are a couple of
photos showing Alicia’s work in situ and the
appreciative crowds of visitors.
9 - toh May 2014
About alicia
I have been involved with textiles and crafts
since I was a child, but only discovered quilting
in the early nineties. In the intervening time,
I studied Sociology and Anthropology, moved
from Argentina to England, worked, had a family,
studied photography – which still influences
my way of seeing - and eventually became a
dollmaker and toymaker for 15 years.
Quilting became an obsession when I
discovered art quilting, via an exhibition of
Contemporary American Quilting at the Crafts
Council in London, in 1993. It took me a few
years to make the transition from toymaker
teacher and author to art quilter, but by 1999 it
was complete.
TOH May 2014 - 2
My first love was working with strong colour
and abstract design. That still persists, but
my work has evolved more towards ideas and
concepts. I worked on series based on music,
on Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, and on
the simplicity of Gee’s Bend designs - plus a few
‘onesies’.
A few years ago I discovered the potential of
maps and aerial views as sources for textile
work, and since then I have been concentrating
on interpreting those. I believe maps are an
ancient and important part of mankind’s need
11 - toh May 2014
to interpret and understand the world. I do
however work on other subjects as well, albeit in
a smaller scale at the moment: text and ancient
scripts; line and colour; digital printing on fabric.
I exhibit widely in the UK and abroad, teach
workshops, and belong to a number of
wonderfully supportive art quilting groups.
www.aliciamerrett.co.uk
aliciamerrett-colourandlight.blogspot.co.uk
facebook.com/alicia.merrett1
[email protected]
twitter.com/finelinemagic
TOH May 2014 - 12
The Festival
of Quilts
2014
7th–10th August
Halls 7, 8 & 9.
NEC, Birmingham, England
www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk
A celebration of quilting with over 300 exhibitors offering essential supplies,
extraordinary galleries from international artists and over 1,000 competition quilts.
For more information call: +44 (0) 844 848 0132
1 - toh May 2014
UPPER
STREET
EVENTS
Image by Christine Restall, Rainbow Deconstructed. Photography by Mike Watson.
Europe’s leading patchwork
and quilting show
Through Our Hands Artists:
at festival of quilts 2014
Exhibition: Eszter Bornemisza, Urban Solitude
Inspiration: Old and new city plans and road maps has been one of my sources of inspiration for
a long time. This time I adjusted a modern city grid into a distorted human figure. The desert-like
background of diverse surfaces with another urban grid is underpinning the idea of lonesome
feelings.
exhibition: Alicia Merret,: Mapping the Imagination
Alicia’s work is driven by her deep-seated love of colour and in recent years inspired by maps which she believes fulfil a primordial need in mankind as a way of interpreting the world and our
place within it. Themes related to climate change and the need to protect the Earth for future
generations are also reflected in her exhibition.
Alicia’s also leading a number of workshops - check out the FOQ programme for full details.
Lecture: Laura Kemshall, The Digital Quilt
Join Laura to discover how digital techniques for print and stitch have influenced and inspired her
recent quilts. From fabric printing on a large scale, using photography and scanning, to digital
collage, technology is having an increasing influence on quiltmaking. Going digital isn’t just limited
to printing methods, enlist the power of your sewing machine and quilt digitally too! Whether you’re
a tech fan or a complete novice, find out how you too can create exciting and unique quilts and
discover a whole new way of working.
Entry to exhibitions is included in the Festival of quilts ticket price. Workshops and lectures
vary and are best booked in advance. All the details are on the Festival of quilts website and
you can book online or by phone.
www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk
TOH May 2014 - 14
15 - toh May 2014
Hands Up for Uganda:
kisaabwa women and craft
Through Our Hands
artist Bobby Britnell and
her husband Martin
have been involved
with Uganda for some
years, and during this
time they have formed
a firm partnership with
their Ugandan Project
Manager, Fred Ssetyaba,
a young local man from
Kisaabwa. Fred is the
driving force behind
their charity Hands Up
for Uganda and has
extensive community
insight, knowledge
and commitment to the
project.
In the UK they are
supported by a dedicated
UK committee, and many
kind volunteers, and
the charity Hands Up
for Uganda was formed
in January 2012 with
the overriding aim of
empowering the people of
Kisaabwa, by giving them
hope of a self-supporting
and sustainable future.
Martin and Bobby work
closely with the people
at grass roots level
and travel over there at
least twice a year. By
overseeing each project
they can ensure that every penny is spent as
intended. They have developed an extraordinary
trust with their Project Manager, and this strong
relationship and mutual respect has now filtered
through to a community, who are committed to
strengthening and improving their lives.
TOH May 2014 - 16
Omweso’I, Bobby britnell
Omweso’II, Bobby britnell
Omweso’III, Bobby britnell
17 - toh May 2014
About bobby
One of the current projects which Bobby is
working on focuses on empowering the women
and girls through the development of their
traditional crafts and materials. The women in
particular are able and willing to contribute to
the economic development of their community
through the development of their crafts and just
need a kick start and a little financial support to
initiate such a venture. The idea of setting up a
micro-finance scheme was put forward a year
ago during a discussion with several women.
Since then they have expressed a desire to
establish a viable scheme to assist them in
developing the production and marketing of their
crafts. They have the skills in traditional crafts
but need the initial capital to purchase materials
and a suitable well equipped workspace to
advance these traditional skills and crafts.
These will give them the incentive to produce
marketable goods which can be sold both locally
and further afield thus beginning the building of
a successful and lucrative business. The overall
aim is to empower the women and create a self
sustaining project.
Bobby is a textile artist who has been involved
with textiles for 45 years. She initially worked
in theatre making costumes for shows such as
‘The Black and White Minstrel Show’ and ‘Talk
of the Town’ and then trained as a tailoress for
Sir Bernard Weatherill, before qualifying as a
secondary school teacher. She describes her
working life as being rich and varied.
She has her own working studio where she
teaches and works as well as bringing in the
very best of UK teachers to deliver courses.
Bobby teaches in schools, for community
groups and guilds and was a tutor on the
Stitched Textiles Degree programme for the
Julia Caprara School of Stitched Textiles.
Her work takes her all over the country and
abroad. She is an active member of the ‘Textile
Study Group’ and of course, ‘Through Our
Hands’.
If anyone would like to learn more about the
Kisaabwa Project or be on Bobby’s mailings list
for workshops, please do get in touch with her.
www.handsupforuganda.org
www.bobbybritnell.co.uk
handsupforuganda.org/blog.html
facebook.com/barkcloth2artcloth
[email protected]
TOH May 2014 - 18
19 - toh May 2014
Mirjam Pet-Jacobs:
GEA Miniartextil 2014 and more
Mirjam’s work has been selected for GEA Miniartextil 2014 in Como, Italy.
5th April - 2nd June 2014
miniartextil.it
She will also exhibit approximately ten works as
part of a group exhibition during Pentecost at
Galerie De Kluiw, Heeze, Netherlands.
6th-9th June 2014
dekliuw.nl/kunst/index.php
mirjampetjacobs.nl
youtube.com/user/mirpetjac
mirjampetjacobs.nl/Contact/contact_form.html
Serendipty, Mirjam Pet-jacobs, w18cm x h16cm, d3cm, Myrica Gale twig and golden thread
TOH May 2014 - 20
Through Our Hands:
videos
We have gathered together several fabulous
new videos on the Through Our Hands website,
with lots of helpful demonstrations and tips,
beautiful quilts to see, and interviews with
the artists. So why not grab a coffee, and a
jaffa cake, and head to the website at www.
throughourhands.co.uk
Here’s what you’ll find available at the momeht:
Mirjam Pet-Jacobs – talking about her work
Mirjam Pet-Jacobs – a tour of her exhibition
Jeanne Williamson – detailed video building a
piece for her Fractured Fence series
Jeanne Williamson – a speedy trip through
Fractured Fencing!
A tour of Through Our Hands at Festival of
Quilts 2013 with Annabel and Laura, courtesy of
DMTV
Exploring Monoprint with Laura and Linda
Kemshall courtesy of DMTV
Waxing Papers with Laura and Linda Kemshall
courtesy of DMTV
Annabel Rainbow interviewed by Bonny
McCaffery - Festival of Quilts 2013, Part One
Annabel Rainbow interviewed by Bonny
McCaffery – Festival of Quilts 2013, Part Two
Alicia Merrett: Contemporary Art Quilt
Demonstrations. (3 Videos)
21 - toh May 2014
TOH May 2014 - 22
Jeanne Williamson:
under colour
The Kniznick Gallery
WSRC, Epstein Building
515 South Street, Waltham
(across from Brandeis/Roberts
commuter rail station), Near Boston, USA
Jeanne Williamson, one of the new artists on the
TOH website, worked on site to create a series
of Jewish wedding canopies, or chuppot. Using
common construction fencing as her template,
Jeanne draws inspiration from this material and
its grid-like patterns. Her process incorporates
painting, simple printmaking techniques and
stitching to achieve vivid colour and texture.
Visually and conceptually linking the “protected
area” of an urban building site with the symbolic
protection of the wedding canopy, the chuppot;
a new interpretation of our relationship to our
surroundings and the ritual of marriage.
Residency @ The Kniznick Gallery
The gallery was used as the artist’s
studio as Williamson worked to create
pieces for the exhibition. Visitors were
welcome and encouraged to interact
with the artist to learn more about her
process and methods.
23 - toh May 2014
jeannewilliamson.com
jeannewilliamson.blogspot.com
facebook.com/JeanneWilliamson.Art
[email protected]
twitter.com/bleujeanne
TOH May 2014 - 24
Stroud International Textiles presents
Select Festival 2014
Innovation in exhibitions, talks, symposia
Encouraging debate and discussion
sitselect.org
25 - toh May 2014
Select 2014 opens on 4th April this year and runs to 31st May
Exhibitions, talks, workshops and a major focus on the intriguing subject of Designing Craft Crafting
Design with a one day symposia on May 17th that has top speakers, films, interviews with top
designers and style gurus (Wayne Hemingway, Ella Doran & Ian Rush among them) (see separate
press) Come and share your thoughts on ‘Designing Craft’ in our Vox Pop booth.
Friday 4 April – 31 May
Linked to the Symposium on 17th May is Crafting Design Making for Pleasure – an exhibition in the
new Arts & Crafts Collection rooms at The Wilson Museum in Cheltenham with Michael Eden, Cleo
Mussi, Philippa Brock, Peter Layton, Pinch Twig furniture, Tom Raffield among the 10 iconic
designer makers exhibiting. To accompany the exhibition is a day of talks on 5th May. Be inspired
by Freddie Robbins and Peter Ting in conversation; textile artist Ptolemy Mann and Carmel Allen,
Brand Champion of Heal's, discuss the role commerce plays in fostering innovative craft and
design practice. Join the debate.
Sunday 27 April – 26 May
Enjoy work by Elizabeth Turrell (enamel), Linda Brassington (burnished textiles); Hilary Bower
(textiles); Peter Archer (turned wood); Keith Varney (porcelain), Jilly Morris, in Shadow & Line at
Museum in the Park Stroud.
Wednesday 23 April – Sunday 8 June
Selected at Newark Park
Newark Park, Ozleworth, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, GL12 7PZ
30 talented and extraordinary artists exhibit their work in the stunning setting of Newark Park, a
National Trust property. Newark Park was once a Tudor Hunting Lodge and the breathtaking
valley is still unspoilt. Close your eyes and you can hear the hounds baying in the valley.
The work from leading national makers as well as regional emerging makers who, will be exhibited
throughout this delightful property and includes textiles, etched glass, ceramics, willow, paper,
paintings and prints. 6 artists are creating site responsive work inspired by the history of house and
surrounding landscape.
Katharine Morling; Matthew Harris, Caren Garfen; Eleanor Glover; Ruth Dresman, Sasha Wardell,
Malcolm Martin & Gaynor Dowling are among the 30 designer makers taking part.
This is a just a flavour of what is on offer in this annual festival that profiles contemporary applied
arts, inspiring debate and conversation and bringing pleasure to all who visit, bringing the
Cotswolds alive and lifting our spirits encouraging all who come to see contemporary craft with a
fresh eye.
end
see editor notes
TOH May 2014 - 26
Helen Cobby:
Freedom in Collage and Colour
Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs at
Tate Modern
This exhibition, originally proposed for 2009
and so long
awaited by those
in London and
far beyond, is
more beautiful
and uplifting
than could be
imagined. It
has been such
a momentous
project that the
Tate joined forces
with MoMA,
Two dancers, 1937-38
where the show will eventually tour. From
America to France, a multitude of countries are
Page from the book ‘jazz’
27 - toh May 2014
venice - the studio, Rm 5
involved in marking out this exhibition. Indeed,
many cut-outs have been lent from France
such as from the Matisse Museum in Nice and
the Pompidou Centre in Paris. This worldwide
collaboration and support has paid off; the
curators described the press view alone as a
“monumental day”.
Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs is a must-see for
so many different reasons. The Tate director
Nicholas Serota claims
it is “the most evocative
and compelling show that
London has ever seen”. A
main attraction is that this
is the first time many of the
works, of which there are
about 130, have been seen
together and displayed in
the UK. Just think of the four
The Blue Nudes, 1952. Their
forms seductively follow you
round the room, enchantingly
entwining electric blue hues
with negative spaces in a
repetitive, meditative dance
before our eyes. The life and
vigour in this series, and in
all of the collages, never fails
blue nude iv, 1952
to surprise. This is especially so considering that
these cut-outs were created in the last years of
Matisse’s life, from 1937 to 1954.
The exhibition is largely
chronological, which allows us to experience
the cut-out’s dramatic increase in scale
TOH May 2014 - 28
and exuberant joy. It is clear that Matisse
increasingly relished the challenge to
experiment, and used his declining physical
strength as an opportunity to explore new forms
of art that were less vigorous than painting. One
of his most famous phrases is significantly apt in
light of this: “An artist should never be a prisoner
of himself, [...] Art is always about freedom”.
The chronological layout also clearly
emphasises that the cut-outs become works of
art in their own right, rather than being for purely
compositional purposes. One of Matisse’s
famous phrases, “cutting into colour”, conveys
large decoration with masks, 1953
this conflation of painting, line and colour
that came to characterise his work.
The Blue Nudes are undoubtedly a striking
series and certainly exemplify the technique
of “cutting into colour” because they are
ivy in flower and the snail
blue nude i, 1952
29 - toh May 2014
mostly made up of whole blocks of single
shades with clear outlines. However, the
first in the series has been composed from
several blue hues. This is one of the delights
of the exhibition - being able to see the cutouts up close and realise how much more
detailed they are than any reproduction could
ever make out. Viewing the work close-hand
also means you can spot pinholes and marks
made when Matisse was arranging his work
on the studio walls. We get a greater sense of
the finished pieces and insight into the radical
working methods of this elderly artist.
maquette for nuit de noel and nuit de noel
All the walls of the artist’s studio were filled
with his cut-outs, he literally lived among them.
Thus, the studio was not only a place for
artistic production, or where an old man was
battling out his final illness, but a work of art
in itself. These different identities, and central
importance, of the studio is something the
exhibition constantly returns to.
Lastly, the Tate’s exhibition demonstrates
that Matisse not only consolidated his cutting
technique and collage as an art form through its
kinship to painting, but also that he broke free
from the constraints of painting, and as Nicholas
Serota states, “opened up space in a different
way”. These radical techniques and illuminating
effects will always delight, surprise and
energise. Matisse knew he was onto something
and constantly looked to a new freedom and
future of art, stating, “by creating these coloured
paper cut-outs, it seems to me that I am happily
anticipating things to come”.
These final, great works of the artist could not
be displayed with more care or thought as they
are at Tate Modern’s Henri Matisse: The CutOuts.
NB. A longer, original article was published in
Trebuchet Magazine
nuit de noel, detail
helencobby.wordpress.com
TOH May 2014 - 30
31 - toh May 2014
Sue Benner:
Quilts: the new geometry
Geometric MADI
The Museum of Geometric and MADI Art
3109 Carlisle Street
Dallas, TX 75204-1194, USA
April 4th - July 6th 2014
Currently on display ‘Quilts: The New Geometry’
curated by Sue. The show also features two of
her pieces Wearing Plaid 2 and Watchful Eye
XII (illustrated) together with the work of nine
other quilt artists.
geometricmadimuseum.org
suebenner.com
[email protected]
TOH May 2014 - 32
Annabel Rainbow:
get those feet moving
Have a look through those forgotten machine
feet, and you might come up with one of these!
This is a universally fitting tailor tacking foot. You
can get lovely textural effects with it by using
the zig zag setting on your machine. Simply
set a wide stitch (on my Pfaff I can go to 5.5)
but close together (length .5 or as dense as
you wish), and sew away. By adjusting the top
tension, and using a different colour thread in
33 - toh May 2014
the bobbin, you can get some lovely effects.
I used it in combination with more conventional
quilting in my quilt ‘Harmony’, 135cms x 97cms,
a colourwashed, applique/collage piece with
machine stitch embellishments.
TOH May 2014 - 34
Alicia Merrett:
perfect f inish
5 steps for getting a pieced quilt flat
1 Stretch (or block) the completed top: iron it
with lots of steam, and pin it on your design
wall or on the carpet. Keep stretching it in all
directions, and putting pins to hold it, until the
top is taut and the pins are about 1” from each
other.
2 Leave it overnight or even 24 hours. Then
remove pins, and fix anything that needs fixing –
the stretching will show it up, if any. Steam iron
thoroughly again.
3 Layer the top, and quilt it as normal. Repeat
the stretching operation as above, on the quilted
piece, before completing the edges.
4 To do the binding, measure the centre of the
quilt from top to bottom and from side to side,
and use those exact measurements, plus a
couple of inches for folding back at the ends,
to cut your binding strips, from selvedge to
selvedge of the fabric.
5 Pin the binding to the edges so that the
measurements hold true; any extra length on
the sides of the quilt (and they do tend to stretch
and flare), should be eased in. Let the binding
strips stretch further as you stitch, they will hold
the easing better. Finish the binding as normal.
35 - toh May 2014
TOH May 2014 - 36
Margaret Cooter - At the Edge of the Quilt:
’ quilts
joe cunningham’s
To choose some favourites I watched the
slideshow several times. The quilts seem to
have such stories in them, or behind them. I
see them as “places” where various journeys
cross: as anthropologist Tim Ingold says, “every
place, as a gathering of things, is a knot of
stories.” Part of the craft (or art) of the storyteller
is knowing what to leave out, and these quilts
embody that - leaving in just what is necessary
to give the viewer enough “information” for
speculation, drawing their own conclusions,
and perhaps coming back to rethink their
interpretation.
Eye catching! “Patchwork Quilt w188cm x h188cm”, 2012
The work of Joe
Cunningham came to
my notice through SAQA
Art Quilt News, a free
e-newsletter which appears
on Fridays. I was struck by
the exuberant confidence of
this quilt - using colours and
combinations of patterns I’d
never dreamt of combining,
myself - it not only opened
my eyes but sent me
scurrying round the internet
to find out more.
On his website (joethequilter.
com) Joe has a slide show
and gallery of his quilts, of
which these are a few (See them all, and see them
larger, at joethequilter.com)
37 - toh May 2014
String Theory, quilt,
w175cm x h172cm,
2009
This quilt reminds me of
the travel lines I’ve used
in my own work.
Island in Two Parts, quilt,
w183cm x h183cm, 2010
This quilt has the viewer
making up a story about the
islands.
TOH May 2014 - 38
Straw into gold, w183cm x h183cm, 2004
If the title brings to mind the story of Rumpelstiltskin, the viewer’s job is to match up the visual
components with elements of the story.
A professional quilt artist since 1979, Joe is also
a travelling lecturer. His musical presentation,
“Joe, the Quilter,” tells the true story about
English quilter Joe Hedley (1750-1830), the
story that inspired Joe Cunningham to become
a quilter.
Joe lives and works in San Francisco. Last
year he started to use a computerised quilting
machine ... which might require a change to the
wording on his Gallery page: “Most are entirely
39 - toh May 2014
machine-sewn, some are hand sewn. Either
way, I sew every stitch.”
Recent projects include a tribute quilt to Susan
McCord, a 19th-century quilter from Indiana,
and a quilted portrait of an artist friend, in
exchange for a drawn portrait of himself. Joe
blogs at joethequiltercunningham.blogspot.com
– where you can read about this recent work,
which started with a newspaper photograph.
Margaret Cooter.co.uk
margaret-cooter.blogspot.co.uk
TOH May 2014 - 40
Starving Artist:
easy bread
Once you get a taste of homemade bread you’ll
be spoiled forever. ‘Shop’ bread just won’t be good
enough! Here’s my tried and tested recipe.
Linda kemshall
Ingredients:
500g strong
white bread f lour
12g dried instant
yeast
2 teaspoons salt
300g tepid water
40g olive oil
41 - toh May 2014
If I’m in a hurry or feeling lazy I use a stand
mixer but the recipe works just as well by hand.
Put the flour into the mixing bowl and add the
salt to one side and the yeast to the other. When
you are ready to begin, stir the dry ingredients
together and then pour in the liquid. Mix for
a minute with the paddle attachment (or your
hands). The dough will be a sticky mass at this
point but scrape it all off the paddle and attach
the dough hook. Knead for 6 minutes on a low
to medium speed (or until it feels smooth and
elastic in your hands).
After kneading, divide the dough into two on an
oiled surface. (I never flour the worktop because
that alters the balance of the mix and makes
the bread dry). If you have a bread cutter that’s
perfect but otherwise use a sharp knife.
Put the dough balls into clean, lightly oiled bowls
and cover with a smooth cloth or oiled cling film.
Leave to rest in a warm place.
After an hour has passed the dough should
have doubled in size.
Turn the dough onto the oiled worktop and
knock it back gently. Then shape into a ball by
folding the edges of the dough into the middle
rotating the dough ball as you do so. Turn the
ball over and smooth the top by stretching it
gently towards the base of the ball with your
hands. Place the dough onto a baking sheet
with the smooth side up.
If I’m making the bread by hand I like to stretch
it in an arc so that it falls back on itself trapping
air at every stretch. Just lift one end and flip it
back over itself. Although it is quite wet when
you start kneading it will firm up and become
very elastic.
TOH May 2014 - 42
It doesn’t take any longer, so I usually double
the quantities and make four small loaves. Once
baked, cooled and wrapped well the bread
freezes nicely for another day.
Cover the dough with a smooth cloth again and
leave it to prove for about an hour in a warm
room. When it has roughly doubled in size
again I make a slash with a very sharp blade,
paint the tops gently with milk and sprinkle on
some sesame seeds. The trays go into a very
hot oven - Gas Mark 8 or equivalent. As soon
as I close the oven door I turn the heat down
to Gas 7 and set the timer for 25 minutes. After
just 5 minutes in the oven I rotate the trays 180
degrees and switch the one that has been on
the top shelf with the one on the lower shelf.
You may not have to do this but I know my oven
and it’s essential for me to get an even bake! I
will check it again after a few minutes to see if I
need to rotate the trays once more. When ready
the tops should be golden brown and the bread
will sound hollow when tapped on the base.
It seems as though it’s very time consuming and
of course bread making does take time but you
don’t have to be watching it at every step. Make
sure you have a timer with you and you can be
busy about your business most of the time while
the dough does its own thing!
I think I’ve read every book there is on bread
making and my recipe is cannibalised from all
that I’ve read and tried. It works for me and I
hope you’ll enjoy having a go too.
43 - toh May 2014
the recipe and
method work just
as well for a batch
of dinner rolls too
before the second
proving, rather
than make two
loaves, Simply
divide your dough
into 12 (or 24
if you’re doing
double quantities)
Roll and tuck
under just as
with the large
loaves and sapce
evenly apart on
the baking tray to
prove.
TOH May 2014 - 44
Process, Sara Impey, w132cm x h1142cm, quilt, hand dyed cotton, wholecloth, machine quilted.
45 - toh May 2014
Sara Impey:
things we do in bed
We’re delighted to welcome Sara as
one of the newest artists to Through
Our Hands. We’re sure you’ll
recognise her distinctive, graphic
style. Sara’s work is currently on
display as part of ‘Things We Do in
Bed’, curated by the novelist Tracy
Chevalier. Danson House, Bexley
Heath.
Exhibition closes 31st October
2014.
For more details please see the
What’s On page.
dansonhouse.org.uk
Bitter pills, sara impey, w95cm x h147cm, quilt, wholecloth. machine quilted
quiltart.eu/saraimpey.html
[email protected]
TOH May 2014 - 46
What’s On:
exhibitions and events
In Air: Cut Works by Piper
Shepard
6th May - 24th May 2014
Tues-Fri 10am – 5pm Sat 10am – 4pm
Crafts Study Centre
School of Craft & Design, University for the
Creative Arts, Falkner Road, Farnham, Surrey
GU9 7DS
with different themes all exhibiting quilts. Some
traditional historical pieces dating from the 18th
and 19th centuries, alongside contemporary
quilted work from artists, including Grayson
Perry and the Fine Cell Work ‘Sleep’ quilt.
This exceptional opportunity includes either a
morning or afternoon access ticket, entrance
to Danson House, a lecture given by Tracy
Chevalier, private view exhibition access, a slice
of cake and cup of tea and a shuttle bus service.
www.csc.ucreative.ac.uk/index.cfm?articleid=41706
Also with Tracy
For over a decade, Piper Shepard has been
cutting cloth into lace-like filigree patterns.
Sometimes the textiles are very regimented
in their structure; at other times, they are
unstructured and cut like a freehand drawing.
This exhibition will showcase a selection of
works including large-scale installations and
digital compositions
June 12th 2014, 6.15pm for Cava and canapes,
talk begins at 7pm
Merchant Taylors’ Hall, Aldwark, York, YO1 7BX
Parking at the Merchant Taylors’ Hall is for Blue
Badge holders only and must be pre-booked via
The Guild.
Members: £12.50 Non-members: £15.
Tea with Tracy Chevalier

9th May 2014
10:45 -13:45
Danson Park Bexleyheath DA6 8HL
£25.00
The unique opportunity to meet with worldwide
best-selling novelist Tracy Chevalier and listen
to her talk about her latest quilt-themed project,
an exhibition entitled ‘The Things We Do In Bed’
at Danson House on the 9th May. Not only will
you enjoy listening to Tracy’s journey of curating
this thought-provoking exhibition, but you’ll
also hear all about her profound experiences
collaborating with Fine Cell Work prison
quilters. The Fine Cell Work ‘Sleep’ quilt tells a
powerful story of the thoughts that run through
a prisoners mind at night. There are five rooms
47 - toh May 2014
Organiser The Quilters’ Guild
Contact Carol Bowden: admin@quiltersguild.
org.uk
quiltersguild.org.uk/events/view/tea-with-tracychevalier-bexley-heath
Tracy Chevalier will read from her latest novel
‘The Last Runaway’ and give an insight into the
quilts featured in the book in a fundraising talk
for the Quilt Museum and Gallery.
Elizabeth Barton: New Online
Class
I've just written a new online class called
Abstract Art for Quiltmakers - which is running
for the first time ever with a website called:
academyofquilting.com
thr3fold - Unfinished Business
June 1st - July 13th 2014
FibreWorks Studio & Gallery, Madeira Park,
Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada
fibreworksgallery.com
Through Our Hands artists Linda and Laura
Kemshall with Catherine Nicholls. Catherine
will also be teaching extended workshops. For
more information and to book please contact the
gallery direct.
Matisse
Behind the Scenes live film screening of Matisse
Live will be shown in cinemas nationwide on
June 3 and re-screened for some time after.
TOH May 2014 - 48
Desert Island Design:
Elizabeth Barton
1. Tell us the bit of studio kit you couldn't be
without
The windows…I spend a lot of time gazing outside, always have…the view from the window in
any room is always fascinating…I’d better have
a good view behind that window though!! No
brick walls!!
And it would be fun if it changed….
2. Your Art essential?
A pencil…and a piece of paper!! A pair of good
eyes…time and solitude…and a nice cuppa
tea…
3. Studio soundtrack, who's on the iPod?
Love the audiobooks!!!Sometimes – this is weird
though – they get into the quilts..when I look at
the quilts I can see the story…those characters
taking over!
4. if You escaped from a sinking ship of
artists on a life raft built for two - who would
you throw the lifeline to?
Probably Turner – he was so far ahead of his
time – I love the looseness and vision of his
watercolours….in terms of a quilt artist, I think
I might ask Pauline Burbidge and Elizabeth
Brimelow if they would share a rope!!! And I
would tie the rope around the neck of all those
magazine editors who advocate making Quick
Easy Quilts using multiple gadgets and gizmos
and lots of expensive fabric!!!
5. What does your studio look like?
It’s a house….the occasional room is dedicated
to non – art!! I have a library area, storage and
packing, two dye and screen printing areas,
and a command center. There are computers,
design walls and sewing machines everywhere..
books magazines, fabric….alas no elegant
studio that would grace any magazine!
49 - toh May 2014
Our take on the world famous Desert
Island Discs. An artist, eight burning
questions, one luxury item.
6. famous people
throughout history
that you’d like to
invite to a dinner
party
I’d like the ones that
had a lot of wit!! So
Oscar Wilde would
be a must!! Winston Churchill was
pretty good with a
bon mot or two as
well!! Let’s have
Dylan Thomas as
well – I know he’ll
get drunk but before
he passes out we
should hear some
wonderful poetry.
And spike Milligan!!
As you can tell I love
to laugh and listen
to poetry!!!
the best place to think and feel at the same
time…being alone in beautiful natural surroundings is even better – I’m fond of the high moors
with the curlews and larks – on a warm sunny
day of course!!
And of course, your luxury item?
I’m definitely going to have the Internet – I’m
not sure if old Roy (Plumley?) what’s his name
would have allowed it – but then the internet
didn’t exist last time I heard the programme!!
But with the internet you have the whole world
of art at your fingertips and so many museums
now have put high quality photographs of their
best works on line.
7. Which sewing
machine?
the nearest one, I
have 4 old ones all
stationed around
the house - 4 bathrooms (this is America!) and 4 sewing
machines…alas
only one kettle – but
there are usually at
least 4 mugs lined
up by it!!
8. Most inspirational book, place
or person?
Being alone…that’s
TOH May 2014 - 50
Through Our Hands:
spread the word!
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Don’t forget to
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of our amazing
51 - toh May 2014
artists plus latest listings of work available for
purchase including affordable small works.
Thank you for your support!
Want to join in?
contributions
What’s On?
Articles
Let us know what’s happening in your part of
the world! Email us with details of exhibitions
and events that you think will be of interest to
Through Our Hands readers and we’ll do our
best to list them on the What’s On pages of the
Mag, or the website.
We welcome submissions for editorial for future
editions of Through Our Hands Magazine. If
you are interested in writing for us, please get in
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Here’s what we need:
The name of the event, location, brief
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TOH May 2014 - 52
Life 4: Hello Dear, what did you do today?, annabel rainbow
11 Knightcote Drive, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
[email protected]
07877 402455