Stitched Together Project - FGM repair

In her most recent offering on SBS Viceland, Gloria Steinem says "the greatest indicator of the world's stability, wealth and safety is the status of women" and then, "more than poverty, natural resources, religion, or degree of democracy, violence against females is the most reliable predictor of whether a nation will be violent within itself or will use violence against another country — and gender violence has become so great that for the first time, there are now fewer females on Earth than males."  Personally, I'm not one for international borders. The estimated 2.2 million women each year who experience FGM are my sisters. Our sisters, mothers, grandmothers, daughters and nieces.

Dr Marci Bowers and Dr Harold Henning Jr

My friend Miranda is heading to Africa in May to assist Dr Marci Bowers and her surgical team perform up to 80 FGM repair surgeries. Miranda will join a team supported and sponsored by Clitoraid, a not for profit, supported by Dr Marci Bowers who donates her time and incredible surgical skills.

The surgery restores sexual function, corrects physical damage and appearance, restores nerve sensation, reduces pain when passing urine, menstrual flow and during sex, reduces infection and the risk of maternal and child morbidity and mortality due to obstructed labour. The surgery also reduces fistula occurrences caused by FGM complications. For me, it's about the restoration of a basic human right and dignity.

The majority of women will return to their villages while some may start a new life. Some of these women are hoped to become champions for anti-FGM missions for protecting, empowering and educating our girls and success stories on clitoral reversal surgery.

Costs for each surgery are:

• operating theatre costs $300 USD or $400 AUD  (less $200 covered by various agencies for the May mission)
• FGM repair surgery - no cost
• post operative medical care - no cost
• accommodation, food and beverage costs $40 USD or $50 AUD per day 

That's a shortfall of around $140 USD or $175 AUD for each sister undergoing surgery. It's a prohibitive cost for many of these women.

Postcards from the Shot Quilt Series

The Stitched Together Project is going to help offset those costs. In the next few days a crowd funding event through chuffed.org will launch where you can support these 80 women. The campaign will run for 28 days. In return for your donation you can opt to receive a piece of textile art. The featured piece is a postcard created from my Shot Quilt series - where the purity of white, log cabin blocks was destroyed by a shotgun blast and the injuries were sutured together with red thread. Stitched together seems an apt title for the project. There are other hand made post cards, art quilts and works available in response to your donation. You can help in many ways, including by making a donation direct to Clitoraid or participating in the Stitched Together campaign on chuffed.org. I'll be posting updates on Facebook and provide a link to the chuffed.org campaign.  We can do this. It's important we do this. Thank you for being awesome in your support.

Week 5 - Weekly Art Challenge 2017

Week 5 of the #wac2017 saw a move to printed lines on our hand dyed hand printed fabrics.  I chose fabrics that responded to the colours of Uluru in the light - the strength of oranges and purple infused by sunsets. I used a mix of machine and hand stitching to create the outer cover of a journal. This week my research comprised a lot of video links and different articles that focused on aerial views of Uluru. So the inside of the journal cover comprised free motion quilting techniques that looked like hundred and hundred of Uluru's or bird's eye views of desert rocks. The blended colours where achieved by using two threads (orange and burgundy) through the top needle and an orange yellow in the bobbin. I try to go around each shape 3 times (sometimes two) and find this gives me a really great shape and texture. This combination of techniques is going into my three day workshop for Uluru in 2018 - you can register your interest with Caroline Sharkey so you don't miss out on any of the existing tutor and workshop information. Loving this yearly challenge thanks to Brenda Gael Smith!

WAC#4 - more lines

Week 4 of the challenge for 2017 - and further exploration of the Uluru theme through use of line. This time I use two different threads through the needle and another in the bobbin. This gives a rich textural feel to the work. By building layers and connections through the physical act of free motion work into a soluble base, the act of creating mimics the connections between people and places. I got to thinking about the spaces in between the threads - filled with that which we cannot see but know exists. Dreaming. Stories. As Ankie once taught me, making the invisible visible.

I am using the same bowl as the basis for this series of works - the common thread and using the same hoop as a limiter / constraint for the work. Looking forward to the following weeks.

10 months of Creative Strength Training with Jane Dunnewold

As some of you may know, I joined one of the original Creative Strength Training workshops offered by Jane Dunnewold and Zenna Duke and some of my writing / work is included in the book version published in 2016.  Jane and Zenna are now offering a 10 month extended version of CST and I've decided to revisit the program for a number of reasons. Firstly, I wouldn't lightly offer up the chance to work with Jane and the other CST participants - Jane and Zenna build communities of support and also opportunities for challenge at a personal level. Secondly, joining the 1 March program gives me ten months to explore more deeply the themes from the original CST in an expanded context and will give me a chance to put more concrete strategies in place for my creative future.  I found CST enriched my writing, what I write about and brought me into a more thoughtful and meaningful relationship with my art - as well as the spin offs for other relationships and life more generally. For those considering participation in the 10 month course, consider listening to Jane's recent talk at La Conner, WA (September 2016)  - Reflections on Creative Strength Training- another chance to listen to the quiet wisdom and encouragement of Jane Dunnewold. You can also catch Jane and Zenna talking specifically about the 10 month course and structure here.  I hope to share the next 10 months with you!

WAC #3

Week 3 and line found yet another expression in this small collage (about 8 inches x 8.5 inches) (20cm  x 21 cm). From my colour study used for last week's bowl inspiration, I found lines (strips) of fabric and made a quick collage. Quick - in the sense that I didn't want to fluff about overthinking the project and stall progress which just kills the creative process for me.
Many lines - of fabric and within the patterns of the fabric - organic and structured. The two decorative stitches I used represent flora and fauna - footprints and flowers - and their tracks. The geometric lines that fill some of the available spaces represent an intervention in the environment - structures, buildings, infrastructure that co-exists with dreaming tracks, stories, culture and history. Curved and straight. Soft and rigid - but more than oppositional. The hand stitching brings a more personal touch to the piece in the sense that I really feel present in the work. 

Footprints and florals

 Fabric, printed paper and hand dyed thread

 Collage pieces fused to charcoal interfacing

WAC#2

Second week of line inspired by Uluru as part of Brenda Gael Smith's #weeklyartproject2017.  This week I isolated the colours from an image of this sacred place and used strips of our hand-dyed fabrics to wrap the cord.  Very therapeutic to sit for a few hours and plan out a project. This week the lines flowed and coiled while strips of fabric behaved similarly. Looping the final piece back into the body of the bowl has given it a sense of continuum  - honouring and acknowledging a 40,000 year continuous history of our country's first people.

Weekly Art Challenge - 2017

Lines of thought

This year I'm working on a special, weekly arts project and my theme is Uluru. I am kept accountable by joining Brenda Gael Smith in her weekly art challenge for 2017. Last year I completed a 100 days project, working in my journal every day - and it's time to take the next step - translating journal and diary pages into tangible responses. I've broken the year into four blocks of thirteen weeks, each with a different focus. The first is LINE.

Each week I'll post progress - and if you'd like to join in for all or part of the project, you can! Pick a theme - a word - and somewhere to record further consideration. It might be digital - I prefer the physical act of drawing into a journal or visual diary.  I'll start this week by exploring the word Uluru and learning all I can about it - meaning, location, colour, history, spiritual  and see where these lead. I'll also think about  the subset of LINE and how research makes connections to LINE. Above all, it's about enjoying the year in the studio - with renewed focus, purpose and output!

Back to basics - food and stitch

Time to make cheese and prepare bread for tomorrow. Most of the work involves waiting - a perfectly good reason to create, stitch and sew. To make the cheese take a good quality, clean cloth and place in a bowl. Add 5500g to 1kg (1lb - 2.2lb) of natural, pot-set yoghurt and a little chilli salt. I use mineral rock salt and flakes of chilli made from drying our excess in the wood-fired oven last season. Once dried and crushed the flakes are added to the salt. This time I'm also adding dill (dried, about half a teaspoon). Mix gently then hang the cloth to drain over the bowl for 6-8 hours or overnight. After about 4 hours or so I take the cloth down, cut the cheese mix through the centre to turn the dry sides inwards, and the wetter middle to the outer and re-hang. The whey can be used in cooking or (in my view at least) collected and frozen over several cheese making days then defrosted and used to dip cotton fabric in readiness for eco-dyeing. Simply dip, drain and hang to dry. Back to the cheese ...  it can be used like labna. We roll small balls in chopped herbs, drizzle with olive oil and store in the refrigerator. They are said to last up to two weeks like this ... but I wouldn't know about that.

Creative Strength Training - Summer Camp

In addition to Jane Dunnewold's latest offering - Creative Strength Training - Jane and daughter Zenna are offering a Creative Strength Training Summer Camp - all online through a CST Summer Camp Facebook page. Each week a prompt is set - and participants post (or keep to themselves) a response to the prompt. Week 1 - was sticks; Week 2 - involves some writing and a poem - all offered by Jane. 

Week 2 is a response to words found in a page in a dictionary or newspaper  - from which a poem is written. My words include: portmanteau, facetious, transistor, motel, convenience, compass, isolated and string.

Inspiration at the Tweed Gallery

Visited theTweed Gallery which houses much of  Margaret Olley's home, exactly as it was when she passed her mortal coil. An exercise in creative thinking and developing a response to that environment followed, with 5 hours or so of observation and  discussion. Lots of refreshments at the Gallery Cafe too. I was fascinated by the curtain fabric, the patterns on rugs, cushions and chairs.  At some point the experience became sensory overload - thankfully images provide the opportunity to revisit the space. A wonderful day with my tribe.

Block head

Found myself drawn to The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt series as part of discussions with Rebecca Staunton Coffey about our hand dyed and printed fabrics. Each year I commit to one traditional, pieced quilt. This year, TFWQS 1920 and 1930 versions offered 210 blocks between them. I wanted to use our fabric range in a new way.  I've chosen the first few blocks based on either 4-patch or 9-patch appeal and until I'm warmed up, blocks that can be cut using a rotary cutter and easily pieced on the machine.  Drawing up the template is easy and the endless possibilities for dark /light combinations and pattern orientation are worthy of consideration prior to cutting.

Drafting on paper helps record the various shapes and sizes and work out the best method for construction.  It is also worth considering the fabric design as it presents itself on individual squares and triangles. The small square below needed to be cut into a half square triangle. Before cutting, I looked at  how I could make the most of the existing pattern / marks on the two resultant pieces. Sometimes it makes a difference and others not. In this case, using the opposite diagonals would have resulted in a lot of pattern on one half triangle, with almost nothing to show on the other. Really enjoying this year's challenge.

Taiwan International Quilt Exhibition - one week to go!

Detail of my entry to the Taiwan International Quilt Exhibition as part of the Broadstrokes group of artists. It has been a privilege to be part of this talented group, many of whom are en route to Tainen, Taiwan for the exhibition opening next week. This year's theme required artists to consider loss of species (represented by the log cabin blocks of varying sizes) shot (quite literally) by my neighbour and butcher Kane. You can see the peppering as well as the rather large hole after being blasted by a 12 gauge.  I felt it more than demonstrated the point that the fastest loss of species from the planet is related to the activity of humans. The restorative element of the brief was achieved by suturing the wounds - a healing and hopeful aspect.

Collage workshop fun

A great four days running mini workshops in collage and stitch at the Brisbane Stitches and Craft Show.  Using our hand dyed and printed fabrics as a base, we created cords, motifs, thread skeins and paper prints for exercises in design, colour, contrast and scale - sharing laughter and creative fun!  Thanks everyone!

Lichen dye

Discovered this fungus / lichen at the base of some old stumps we are digging out. Now brewing in a sunny spot of the studio for a few weeks, along with another jar of avocado skins  - for thread dyeing to be used on my soul stitch project. 

Sunday sundye

Glorious sunshine and a perfect day to use sun dyes.  Today is basic - wet cloth, paint like there's no one watching with a foam brush in each hand and musical accompaniment of your choosing. Scatter found objects over the wet surface. Wait until the cloth is dry then remove objects - heat set and wash as per instructions.

Monoprints - wrapped up

Getting into the rythm of printmaking  - a quick exercise is to get out the student acrylics and the gel or glass plate and play on a roll of brown paper. Several metres later and there are heaps of ideas popping around  - crumple and recrumple to change the structure of the paper, fuse to a felt background and stitch, cut out pieces at random and applique or fuse to other pieces, cut into strips then weave before fusing to another background and stitch. Overprint. If you dont like a section - overprint with another design. If nothing else, unique wrapping paper for 2016.

Making cord - a texture treat

Fabric trimmings make great cord - roll one length as tight as possible without it buckling and hand to a trusty assistant to hold while a second piece is similarly rolled. Place the two pieces together,  ends together and without either piece unravelling, before rolling them together in the opposite direction. Roll tightly then let the newly made cord relax.  Knot each end. Uses include: couching and adding texture,  creating shapes such as spirals, use zigzag stitch to couch rows of cord to a background and frame / mount  on a canvas, edge pages of a stitched journal, join to make length suitable for crochet or knotted shapes .... endless possibilities for repurposing what would have otherwise been rubbish. Short pieces?  Tie together to make lengths suitable for rolling. Organic. Simple. Beautiful.

Pat's hexagons

This past few days, perhaps daze, have been spent on retreat with a group of women I can't contemplate  life without.  When the laughter and storytelling alternate with the whir of sewing machines, the rythm of hand stitching, adult beverages interspersed with home cooked delights ... all is righted in my world.  

I'm making progress on the inherited hexagons. Slowly taking shape. The needle dipping and rising while aspects of Pat's life are revealed one backing paper at a time. She was much loved. A wife, mother, aunt, friend  of many. Busy. Thrifty.  Christian. Brave. Held close in the prayers and thoughts of so many.  This past few days have been spent trying to do justice to Pat's final project -   and finding great peace in the rythm of stitch. 

Recycled plastic and journalling

Plastic store bags and wrappings can be reused to add texture and interest to journal pages. Once fused between sheets of non stick baking paper, cut to shape, then stitch using the pogo or darning foot - feed dogs down and zero foot pressure.

Multi purposing at home

Containers with lids and handles make great dye pots, while a large square of  lint free cotton from Hawaii makes a wonderful cheese draining material. The collected whey is protein rich and frozen until a litre or two can be defrosted and used to soak cotton pfd fabrics. They are then dried thoroughly (no rinsing) and stored until an eco dyeing day using materials gathered from around the studio. And the cheese? Enjoyed with an adult beverage and toasted pita bread sometime later this evening.