Troubled Waters Quilt

By popular request here is an image of Troubled Waters, the quilt that has been juried into the Made in Europe exhibition organized by SAQA as mentioned on my previous blog post. The quilt had it's starting point last winter, when the rivers, specially the river Tweed here in the Scottish Borders, flooded badly and record water levels were reported all over the country with disastrous effects. Parts of nearby Peebles were very badly effected and the results can still be seen a year later.

It was a good reminder that a scarce resource that is badly needed all over the world (Wateraid is a good charity who tries to put this right) can also be very destructive when there is too much of it.

Water has played a big role in my life, coming as I do from a country dominated by water and parts of which were wrestled from the sea (The Netherlands), spending time on ships (John was in the Merchant Navy), previously living close by the sea on the West Coast of Scotland in Largs,  and having a serious water issue with the house we presently live in here in the Scottish Borders,  back in 2000/2001 (now happily resolved).

This is not by any means my first water quilt.  That honour goes to the very first quilt I ever made back in 1997 called Water Rings. It won the Scottish Quilt Championships in 1998. And there is also Blue Waves, my quilt stolen back in 2006 (see the special page on this blog dedicated to that story, tab above) and I'm sure water will continue to inspire me.

The quilt was raw edge machine appliquéd, hand and machine quilted, machine couched,  hand beaded and embellished.

Blue is the Colour

The Documented Life Project 2016 is continuing with the February theme of: Love without Hesitation - taking the leap, and the art challenge is to use shades of one colour. I must admit to being slightly fed up with all the hearts currently adorning the online world so didn't want to add any to this spread. Instead I went for the Taking the Leap part of the theme and I used the quotation: "Sometimes, if you aren't sure about something, you just have to jump off the bridge and grow your wings on the way down". That led to choosing blue for my monochromatic colour theme as it's also in keeping with the icy conditions outside.

I used a wide variety of blue paints and inks for the background in my 8 x 8" Dylusions journal and them collaged on the various elements. The text was printed out on the computer, cut out, edges coloured with Salty Ocean Distress Ink and glued on. I was so lucky to find the skating figure in my stash of imagery. She seemed made for the page as a bit of leaping action was evident.  She had to have a wing, of course, and I had a black one (Dresden scrap) and jazzed it up with silver from Inkagold. As I was looking through my Dresden scrap collection I also found the blue stars and used them.

On the facing page I collaged with blue images and also dyed fabrics.  The words Blue is the Colour also came from a magazine.

I wanted the bridge element to be present too and I found the Venezuelan postage stamp which was a perfect fit.  I added blue dots (from a Tim Holtz rubber stamp) as well as smaller white ones (the smallest stencil from the October 2014 Stencilgirl Club).

 After yesterday when the snow was sparkling in the sunshine (in sharp contrast to today's icy and windy conditions) I felt an urge to add sparkle to these pages and I did as you can see.

Finally just a word about today, the 16th February 2016. It's exactly 10 years ago that I was notified that my quilt Blue Waves had been stolen Most of you already know the story but if not, you can read all about the sad saga here. It seems quite incredible that so much time has gone by and nothing further has been heard about this affair nor have any of the quilts (4 other quilts made by different quilters were also taken) been seen anywhere. I have accepted long ago that I won't set eyes on this quilt ever again but I remain very curious about what exactly happened and why.

Yes, it tones in well with the journal spread today, and no, that's no accident. I have been thinking about the quilt knowing this anniversary was coming up and the colour slipped onto the art journal pages. Just occasionally I contemplate re-making it better than the original, but in all honesty I have moved on artistically speaking and also simply don't have the will to repeat myself.

Just on the off chance the thief is reading this (and you just never know!) it is not too late to return it to me. You know the address as it's on the label and I will ask no questions!

Blue Waves

If you have been reading this blog for more than a year you might remember that I mentioned Blue Waves exactly a year ago as well. And then the year before that etc. ! It's easier to remember the event this year as it coincided with the Olympic Winter Games and of course they are currently happening in Vancouver, Canada. Mind you, I'm unlikely ever to forget the date!

But 4 years ago the Winter Olympics were being held in Turin, Italy and the exhibition where my quilt Blue Waves was to hang, was due in the town hall of Luserna S. Giovanni (approx. 45 minutes from Turin). The exhibition was there to accompany the Games. Sadly it (that's the exhibition, the Olympic Games carried on regardless!) never took place as not only my quilt but 4 others as well were stolen before the exhibition could be hung. If you are interested in all the gorey details you can read them on my website here.

On the picture above you can see my quilt hanging at the exhibition in Ste Marie-aux-Mines, France, during the 11th European Patchwork Meeting (Sept. 2005) before it started off on its exhibition tour. You can also see a glimpse underneath of the quilt by the French quilter Ghislaine Berlier-Garcia, called Encastrement Musical, which was also stolen.

I'm determined to picture my quilt on this blog every year at least once, in the hope that if it ever turns up it might be recognized by someone but also to maybe appeal to the conscience of the person who stole it. It's never to late to return this quilt. Just contact me by e-mail (see side bar) and I will ask no questions!! I also am making it impossible for this person to ever sell or exhibit my quilt as it is by now much too well known for that!

You can also find Blue Waves on the marvellous website, maintained by Maria Elkins, for Lost Quilts. Occasionally I have a read there as quilts are actually found from time to time which is an uplifting thought. And it also brings home the fact that I'm not the only one this has happened too. Tristan is another quilter who had a quilt stolen, in his case when it was actually hanging in an exhibition at Yale Art Space in 2002. Tristan suggested last year that we should look upon it as an honour! We are the chosen ones!!! I just hope I'll only be chosen for this "honour" once in my lifetime.

My missing quilt

My online friend Tristan Robin Blakeman recently posed a question I get asked very frequently too and to which the answer is: Yes, I still make quilts.

I might be making jewellery, ATCs and other mixed media work but in the background, like a beating heart or a ticking clock my life is punctuated by the quilts I'm working on at any given time. I stitch what is happening in my life at the time, my emotions and yes, I do indeed stitch my soul into my quilts. Which means that it hits me hard when a quilt suddenly disappears as happened exactly 3 years ago today when my Blue Waves quilt was stolen (read all about it here).

When I look at my quilts they instantly transport me back to the time I was creating them and the fact that Blue Waves is no longer there, hurts! In a way my quilts are my life's journal and there is now not just a blank but a black page where Blue Waves used to be.

It would be wonderful if one day I could exhibit the Blue Waves quilt together with its replacement, called Waves of Anger although I tend to refer to it more as Red Waves now. The anger has more or less gone, but sadness remains. If anyone has Blue Waves and wants to send it back to me, my address is on the back and I promise not to ask any awkward questions. I would however be eternally grateful!!

Blue Waves Quilt stolen 2 years ago

Exactly 2 years ago today I heard about the theft of my quilt Blue Waves. Although I don't expect to see it again, I'm determined to keep its memory alive by commemorating this fact every year on this blog. It was actually stolen a few days earlier in Northern Italy near Turin. but the circumstances surrounding this sad event are far from clear, even at the time. I hope that by keeping up the publicity about it, even on this small scale, will mean that should it turn up sometime, somewhere (such as Ebay or other auction sites, or at a quilt exhibition some place), someone will recognize it and hopefully contact me.

If you would like to read the entire story about the theft, you can check it on on my website in the Blue Waves album. Any information will be most gratefully received!