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This is "Passage 2", a quilt I finished last winter. I haven't done any fabric art since then.
I've been drawing, reading, cooking, gardening,... Of course, I'm still sewing sometimes, but only "useful" stuff like masks (many of them!), and a shirt.

Ok, it looks like blogger is still working... I'm going to sort my photos and see if I have anything worth posting!

A new art quilt, sketching, and Kanazawa

Here are a few pictures of beautiful Kanazawa, almost a year ago...

I finally decided to try and make a new art quilt. Here are two photos I took during the quilting process. The other pictures in the mosaic are from my sketchbooks, and also from a few days at the seaside.

And here's my new quilt almost quilted. Next, I must finish the edges, and also add some embellishments.

I dyed some of the fabric myself. For the largest piece of indigo fabric, I used an old sheet I found at my parents' house. There are even a few holes in it, and I'm very tempted to leave them like that. Or maybe, I could add some stitching to emphasize them.
I also used a few pieces of indigo fabric I bought in Kanazawa last year, at Ai Life Studio, and then a piece of antique Japanese fabric bought a long time ago in Kyoto, at Gallery Kei.

Blue

The weather last weekend was absolutely beautiful and I decided on a whim to try and prepare an indigo vat. First time I did this, but it worked really great.
I dyed cotton thread and fabric. I had tied some of the fabric pieces shibori-style. No stitching as I did not have much time to prepare the fabric. Just folding, crumpling, clamping and so on.

Next are my new blue fabrics and threads.

The vat still looks good a few days after using it. We'll see if I can have one more dyeing session before the weather turns too cold.

Nuages 2

Here's my second Nuages quilt.

It's name is "Eclaircie".
Here are two details.

My sewing machine is having some trouble with quilting again. I begin to wonder if my walking foot isn't worn out, because the machine works perfectly with regular stitching.
I might need to bring it to the doctor again.

It's been really hot here recently. Too hot for sewing, even too hot for drawing, except in the (very) early morning.
Tomorrow should be cooler fortunately.

Nuages 1

My new quilt is finished, I think.

I'm not sure it needs another layer of clouds finally.
I will let it live on the wall while I'm working on the second quilt, and we'll see how they both talk to each other.
Here's a detail...

And another one...

It's title might me "Incertitude", although I'm not sure of it (Ha, ha!)

I also did some fabric printing with a new thermal screen. I'm enjoying using my drawings for making screens.

March

I dyed a few pieces of fabric yesterday.
Some grey, and some black-blue-yellow. The paler greys could be skies.
I also threw in the dye-pot  a couple of small pieces on which I had played with sumi ink a long time ago. I suspect the fabric was not 100% cotton, because the dye didn't take as it should have.  I think I might cut them up and maybe embroider them. Or they might go on the ugly fabric pile! We'll see.
GD has been working again on her quilt, cutting fabric for flowers and a bird. I'm doing the fusing. Next session will be stitching.
The weather is much better today. Still a bit cool, but sunny.

I'm still drawing everyday, but that will be for another post.

December

Here's a quick summary of this month in the studio...

It looks like there was a little bit of everything... drawing, painting, printing, weaving, sewing, studying Japanese, ...
Actually, it was mainly drawing and painting. And also thinking a lot about the work I want to do next year.

Empreintes

Here are my two "Empreinte" quilts.

I haven't given them a proper name yet, so let's call them "Empreinte 1" and "Empreinte 2" for now.

Next are two detail shots...

I made several stencils using prints of my right foot. I mean real prints... You know, like you do with kids' hands. I did the same with my foot. I painted it with watercolour, and then stepped on cartridge paper. That was great!
Some of the background fabrics were printed using a thermal screen inspired by pictures of footpaths I took in Japan. Hence the sakura flower on the second quilt and the ginkgo leaves on the first one.

In other news, I've finally put a new warp on my Louet loom, and then, of course, my GD discovered that she's now big enough to reach the treadles and that it's much more interesting to weave on a big loom than on a kid's one...

Alsace

I only spent one day at the Carrefour Européen du Patchwork this year, but look what I found on the racks of the Kaleidoscope bookstore... :-)

Yes, our book! Isn't it nice, my fellow Twelves?
I also found Deborah's new book, which must have sold really well as I was just able to grab their last copy on the Friday afternoon.
I didn't take many pictures at the show, but I think my absolute favourite was Ann Johnston with her exhibit "Contact: Quilts of the Sierra Nevada". And then Denise Labadie with "Sacred Stonescapes", Lager Malin , the Hungarian Modern Movement and the group QuiltArt.

I took more pictures of nature and architecture...

The next one was taken from the top of the Hahnenberg, above Châtenois...

It was going to be a nice little walk. It was indeed very nice, but we ended up walking more than 13 km, up and down the mountain. A great way to take care of the extra calories from the (too) rich Alsatian cuisine.
Next is a picture of the Tour des Sorcières (Witches Tower) in Châtenois, with a a very photogenic stork nest on top of it...

In the studio, I've been printing more "Empreinte" fabrics.
This the state of my design board today...

On the right, my first top which is almost done. On the left, the second one. I think I can start cutting up the fabrics, although I still want to rearrange some patches.

This week

This is a little mosaic of my week...

Some time in the garden. Not enough. The weather wasn't that great.
A short trip to Brussels, mainly to buy some Japanese groceries.
Lots of time in the studio, experimenting with fabric, paper and paint...

No real plan in the next sample. Simply some layers of fabric, and free stitching. Excellent way to relax...

I also had a nice dyeing session. I needed some backing fabric for my "Orient" quilts.
This one is too good to use as a quilt back.

Next is a lovely drawing my granddaughter did a couple of weeks ago. Isn't it great?
(It's me and my hubby. :-) )

And look at this beautiful family! So cute!

'Desert 2' quilt

Here are some detail shots of my "Desert 2" quilt...

I still need to take a good photo of the full quilt, but today is a very grey and rainy day.
Hopefully, I'll be able to do it during the weekend.

The next theme of the group is "Orient", and each member has to make two quilts on that new theme as well.

Un peu de tout...

I've been enjoying the beautiful autumn colours, although the weather hasn't been that great.
Cooking lovely meals and, yesterday, baking a tarte au fromage blanc following my grand-mother's recipe...
Trying to print and dye cotton fabric with leaves and vegetables. The prints were not successful, but interesting. I overdyed some of the fabric pieces with onion skins and some with a black tea and curcuma mixture... I still have to take pictures.

Quilting my "Desert 2", very slowly...

Also, I started warping my beautiful, and so neglected, Louet David loom. More about this in another post.

Desert 1

This is my first "Desert" quilt. It is inspired by pictures taken in Tunisia about 35 years ago. It is 60 cm high.
Here are a few details...

I am still working on the second "Desert" quilt, also inspired by the same photos.

I am supposed to make only two quilts on that theme. But I feel there should be a third one. We'll see...

A little more

A little glimpse at my first Desert quilt, two inspiration pictures (taken more than 30 years ago in North Africa), some sketching and painting, then the main fabric for the second Desert quilt and finally, another look at my weaving.
I'll post a picture of the quilt at the end of the month after the group meeting.

Kabuki quilts

Here are my two Kabuki quilts...

They are both 60cm high. The theme of the challenge was "Opera". When I started working on this theme, I was actively prepared my trip to Japan. So naturally, I wanted to make quilts related to it, and I started researching on Kabuki.
After reading some books, I decided to focus on scenery and found out that stylized pine trees are often used in the background.
I remembered I had taken some great pictures of pine trees three years ago in Kyoto and I used some of them to design new thermal screens and print my Kabuki fabrics.
Here are two detail shots of the quilts...

The next theme will be "Desert".
I have started selecting the fabrics and researching my photographs folders.

I couldn't find anything really great in my digital pictures, so I went back to my good old paper photo albums and I found something...  Pictures taken about 35 years ago in the Sahara!