Archive for the ‘Italian’ Category

Some new work, photographed

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

I’m so happy to be able to share photos of three of the quilts in my new series, Venetian Lace. These photos were taken by D. James Dee, The Soho Photographer. He’s just wonderful — so careful, so precise.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time in his studio with him and his very sweet assistant, Joy. Here are the photos:

The first is VENETIAN LACE #1. It measures 38″ high x 34″ wide. It was completed in November of 2009.

Here’s the detail photo:

This next photo is of the second quilt in the series, VENETIAN LACE #2. It’s smaller, measuring 31″ high x 15″ wide. There’s no piecing of the background in this quilt. It’s just applique, and applique, and applique…. I just LOVED working on it!!!

And the detail shot:

Finally, the third in the series, VENETIAN LACE #3. It measures 40″ high by 21″ wide. The dark fabric is hand-painted, the gold fabric is a shiny, fancy thing that I had floating around in the stash for WAY too long!

And the detail, which really shows the stitching well, I think:

Whew! I’ve finally finished adding these quilts to the portfolio on my website. The rest of the morning was spent writing an artist statement for the series. I worked so very hard on it. I deleted, I added, then I deleted some more, then I didn’t like it at all. Then I started from scratch again, only to throw up my hands in despair. It’s so hard to write an artist statement and not sound pompous! Writing is such a different skill than quilting — it’s so hard to translate the feelings that come when quilting. At least it is for me!  Finally, I just put the computer aside, went out for a nice long walk with the dog, and began again with a nice cup of tea and a fresh outlook. I wrote from my heart, and I’m really happy with what I ended up with:

Each day, on the small island of Burano, not far from Venice, a group of lacemakers gather in the Lace Museum to create merletto, the famous Italian lace known throughout the world for its intricate beauty. I joined them for a time to learn their art. As we worked, we conversed in my long-idle native language. Among many other topics, we discussed the great joy of creating beauty in the company of friends. This is a series of quilts about the intricacies of lace and friendship. When broken down to their essence, like most things, these concepts become quite simple to understand.

The next time I’m struggling to write, I have to remember to just let it come naturally out of my heart. It hurts so much less that way!  Well, now that all that work is done, I can get back to the studio and do something really FUN, like quilting! Yay!

Posted in Italian, quilt, venetian lace | 9 Comments »

Needlepoint lace

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

A few years ago, I traveled to Venice, Italy to learn to make needlepoint lace the way it is traditionally made on the island of Burano. It was an experience I’ll never forget. I learned a lot about the part of the world my parents came from, I learned a lot about myself, and I learned to make “punto in aria” lace. Much of  what I learned during that visit to my favorite place in the world has been “translated” into my current quilt series.

Today, I ran across a great website with an online tutorial on creating needlepoint lace. Although the technique I learned in Venice is slightly different, the website below covers the basic steps for making lace on a solid paper foundation, using mostly blanket-stitches to create the designs. It’s a wonderful tutorial that’s worth a look. Check it out.

Needlepoint Lace Tutorial « textile dreams – fibery wake up.

Posted in Italian, blogs/websites, inspiration, personal, venetian lace | 1 Comment »

A productive morning

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

I absolutely LOVE the way my newest quilt is turning out. It is such a joy to work on! This morning I drove over to my studio nice and early so I could get right down to work. Here’s a new close-up photo of the “lace” which I created using what I call “free-motion blanket-stitch.” And this one’s NOT blurry! I apologize for that close-up photo at the end of the last post. Oh dear . . . I didn’t realize how out-of-focus it was until I looked at it this morning. I must have been bleary-eyed when I posted it. This one is much better!

As is apparent from the titles of the last couple of blog posts, I am calling this quilt “Venetian Lace.” I’m not quite sure it will be the final name of the piece, but it is the working title, at least.
As I worked on the quilt, I realized that what I am creating is a very stylized version of the Burano lace, or merletto, that I learned to make from Signora Brunello and Signora Emma in Venice a year and a half ago. I can’t imagine ever again making authentic Burano lace as I was taught to do. Though I’m very glad that I had the opportunity to learn from two amazing master lace-makers, and I am profoundly grateful for the experience, I found the lace-making process to be painstakingly, excruciatingly slow. Beautiful as it is, lace-making is not for me. I’m just not equipped with that kind of patience!
But free-motion machine stitching? Ah, yes! That is certainly my thing! So what better way for me to pay homage to the ancient art of lace making than to interpret it using free-motion stitching — a skill I’ve been refining for over twenty years?
Yesterday, I received a question in the comments from Linda, the author of the blog Cloth Creativity. Linda asked: “Free-motion blanket stitching? What kind of machine lets you do that?”
Well, first of all, Linda, thank you for leaving a comment. It’s so good to know that somebody out there is reading this blog! To answer your question — it’s not the machine that does the stitching, it’s the person operating the machine who does it!
What I call “free-motion blanket stitching” is done using a darning (or free-motion) foot, with the feed dogs lowered, in exactly the same way that free-motion quilting is done. The machine is set to do a straight stitch (not a zig-zag, and not a blanket stitch!). The machine is run at a consistent speed — not too fast, and not too slow, while the quilt top (stabilized to prevent unsightly buckling and tunneling) is manipulated beneath the moving needle to form the look of the blanket stitch.
It’s not the easiest thing in the world to explain in words. It’s also not the easiest thing in the world to do! I’ve had lots and lots of practice at it, and still, when I haven’t done it for a while, I find that I need to build my skill back up again. When I demonstrate the technique to my students during a workshop, they always head back to their machines with all the confidence in the world that they’ll be able to do it, too. And, of course they will be able to do it, too … it just takes lots and lots of practice!
Linda, if you want more information, please let me know! I’d be happy to explain further. And thanks for reading!

Posted in Italian, quilt, venetian lace, venice | 12 Comments »

Italian hands

Sunday, April 13th, 2008

In an effort to keep my Italian language skills in decent shape, I’ve been visiting some blogs written in Italian. One of them, maintained by Teodo, is Appunti Patch. One of the things that’s really great about her blog is that she writes in both Italian and English. So, on the days that my mental capacity is not high-functioning, I can still keep up with her life. Recently, she blogged about an interesting project, conceived to help a friend suffering difficulties. The original post was written in French, and those of you who speak that beautiful language can read it here. Its title, in English, is: NEEDING A HAND. I’ve decided to lend an international “hand” of my own . . . perhaps you would like to lend yours, too? Here’s the original post, in English:

Take a piece of fabric, a material or a color that reminds of you. On the back side of the fabric trace the contour of your hand (right or left like you prefer). Then cut leaving from 5 to 8 cm for the arm. Put your hand in an envelope and send it to me, writing separately on a piece of sheet your name or your nickname.

Especially do not lose time writing me by e-mail to tell that you want to participate, or to explain that you could or that you have not been able to. It would be only lost time …. The time, that we need so much! There is no need of inscriptions nor confirmations, and to gain more time I leave my address:

FREDERIQUE BOULOGNE
3 BIS RUE DE LA LIBERTE
67114 ESCHAU (France)

I won’t send e-mail to confirm that I’ve received your hand but everyday in a corner of my blog I’ll update the list of the received hands. My goal is to get as many hands as possible to compose a big fresco for our friend. Do not embroider, do not embellish , do not collect anything, I really insist about this !!!!! In order to get a beautiful fresco I need various fabrics and colors. And so there will be a sort of unit, power and sense of whole coming from this work. Do not try to distinguish with your name, adding beads or anything else, there is no need to line it too, it is really necessary that the hand is in accordance with the other. And above all do it as soon as possible. Somehow the only freedom is the choice of fabric and color. For example for my hand I’ve chosen a fabric of my favorite colors. No matter the quality of the fabric, no matter whether it is new or used, what counts is to understand this project and to participate for the pleasure of doing it. Those who want to show their hands on their blogs, explaining for example their choice of materials and colors, and perhaps this will allow other quilters to add their hands to ours. Come on then, help me to demonstrate that the virtuality of our relations is based on the reality of our friends. I’ll count on you and your friendship. A big thanks in advance!

Posted in Italian, blogs/websites, quilt | No Comments »