One of a Kind for Inspiration

Yesterday, I was in Toronto for a meeting with a group of women I know, and I stopped by the One of a Kind Christmas Craft Show and Sale. I went for a big hit of inspiration in general, and to see the fibre artists specifically. I came away with much more that I anticipated.

I had a nice little chat with Maggie Vanderweit, whose wonderful work you may see here. She works out of a studio in Fergus, and I saw her trunk show at our Guild meeting last March. Her journey and work are amazing. I've seen her and her work around the region, but usually in bits and pieces. Seeing a large number of her pieces yesterday in her booth really gave me a sense of what is possible for a fibre artist.

There were a few other fibre artists as well:

• Diane Stewart glues various bits of fabric onto a background into a landscape. Though she uses no sewing to accomplish her work, it is really something to see.
• Kalyna Pidwerbesky uses felting, beading, handstitching and wonderful colours to create pieces from her heart and soul. Her work is featured on her website here.
• Valerie Page actually had quilts for sale. What a treat. She uses vibrant colours to create warmth under her quilts. And she's designed a tea cozy to keep your pot of tea warm for three hours.
• Noelle Hamlyn does a variety of fibre art, which you may view on her website, along with her very cute pocketbook purses. Very clever.

Several other artists also caught my eye:

• Andrew Collett's landscape photography is very striking and beautiful. Photos of beautiful scenery from all over Canada. Makes me wonder how he gets those shots. His work is right up my alley.
• Stephen Yau paints nature in a slightly dreamy style that I really enjoyed looking at. I was looking closely at his technique to see how I might use it in my own work.
• And finally, Marie-Joel Turgeon, who makes ceramic quilts. See them here. Fantastic artistic interpretation of quilts in a ceramic version. I loved it.

Holy Molas!

Yesterday, I was in Toronto for an appointment, and had a few spare hours. So to fill the time, I went to the Textile Museum of Canada to see about 200 Kuna Yala molas from Central America. WOW. What spectacular needlework / applique work made by the women. I'll upload a couple of photos for you to check out.


Click on photo to enlarge it for a closer look. Check out the detail. Each mola is about 15x10", and they are made in pairs for the front and back of a blouse. The Kuna Yala women wear these all the time, as if to say that the modern world may influence them, but they won't give up their traditions. Yaaay for them. This one's my favourite.



They are not all complex like this, but I greatly admire these for intricate work. Inspiration comes from all around the women, from legends, stories, and ancient beliefs, along with modern images and ideas that come to them from visitors. Medicinal plants are most traditional, but images now include movie themes, helicoptors, and famous people!


These are made using scissors to draw the applique lines, and then reverse appliqued, which is how they get the narrow line effect. Sometimes, regular applique is applied, too. Makers unknown. These items are owned by the TMC, and their use is protected by copyright. Permission is granted to use them here.


Anyway, I'm hugely inspired. So I'll get back to my own applique project.

Road Trip

Two of my sisters were in the area for the weekend, one from Alberta, and one from Ottawa, along with a niece from Korea whose blogs here. So I went to visit with all of them, at the home of another niece in Toronto, along with her very adorable baby. It's great to spend some time with these women in the family.

What a perfect opportunity, I thought, to drive to a quilt store which also happens to be in Toronto. The Sew Sisters started selling fabric online out of their home, and have now moved into a nice retail spot. I've seen them selling their stuff at various quilt shows, and promised myself that I would get to their store when I had a chance. Surprisingly, there aren't a huge number of quilt stores in the big smoke. You're much more likely to run into a quilt store in any number of small towns in Southern Ontario, which is always also good for a road trip.

Of course, I bought some fat quarters, but didn't spend a huge amount of money. I've been collecting pale creamy colours for a project that is still in my imagination. I still need more, and in my typical fashion, I won't start cutting out the quilt until I have 30 or 40 different fabrics. Besides, I'm still in the starting stages of my other quilt, so the last thing I need right now is to start another quilt! When I'm ready, though, at least I'll have all the fabric I need.

And there is a delightful change from my usual raspberries. My friends have been scoping out blueberries for me. They were in the Muskoka area and picked up an 11 quart basket of yum. Not cheap for these wild ones, but they will survive in the freezer and taste delicious in the winter. I might still go picking, but it'll have to be the cultured ones.