Bags of Fun

With two festivals behind me and a month to recover, I am now feeling sufficiently revitalised to reflect on my July activities. July is always a busy time of the year for those of us involved in the National Arts Festival, but this year, apart from having an exhibition at The Highlander, I also took time out to travel to Port Elizabeth to teach my Bohemian Bag Workshop at the Siyadala- We Create National Quilt Festival, a biennial feast of all things quilt and textile related. It’s been a long time since I last taught at a national quilt festival, but it didn’t take long to get caught up in the excitement of women with a fabric passion (obsession), having fun!

The work on display at the main exhibition was breathtakingly exquisite, revealing hundreds of hours of painstaking work in each of the many creations. Although my textile work tends to break all the rules, I never fail to be impressed by those whose work keeps within the bounds of convention. When I stand in front of a king size bed quilt, frosted over with a million or more tiny, perfectly shaped and spaced stitches, I know that this is something to be impressed by, for it would be completely beyond my capability. If I were to have the pattern in front of me and see the work that lay ahead, I would give up before I even began. This is not to say I am not capable of hard work, it’s just that when I begin one of my large fibre wall hangings, I have no idea of what work lies ahead, which is why I keep on going. Each stitch, colour or seductive piece of cloth, beckons me forward with the potential of what it could become. I have no idea where I am going, but relinquish the need to know and enjoy the process of discovery. By the time the work is finished with me, I have given it hundreds of my hours, along with sweat and blood.

This perhaps is where the two approaches meet, for both types of fibre fanatics have a desire to make something beautiful and a willingness to devote time and hard work to see its completion. It’s how we go about it that makes us different. Generally traditional quilt makers are committed to working by the rules, which is why their work, so exquisite and precise, receives awards for its excellence. In many ways I think it’s more difficult to be rewarded for kicking dust and forging one’s own path. There are many more pitfalls in unchartered territory, so to hit the right balance and produce a work of art when one doesn’t have a rule book, is really quite an achievement. The art quilts on display were an example of this and the award winners deserved the accolades they received.

My workshop was one of those that didn’t have a kit, nor did it abide by any rules, and I was happy that it attracted those who were keen to play and explore new ways to express their personalities. The Bohemian Bag Workshop offers a perfect opportunity for participants to test their creative impulses in a space that is supportive of their efforts. The project is relatively small and manageable, so happily not overwhelming.

The 14 women who attended my class came very well prepared and it wasn’t long before surfaces were strewn with colourful cloth and there was a hum of happy machines. I have selected a few images from the two day workshop to give you a taste of the scene. You will see from the images that I have every reason to be happy with the outcome. It was a fabulous experience to work with this group and the fruits of their labour speak for themselves.

If you are interested in attending my next two-day workshop, to be held in my studio in Grahamstown, the dates for this event are Saturday 9th and 16th September 2017. I’d love to see you there!

Concentrated play

Marie Meyer

Coleen Wiehahn prepares her fabric

There was no stopping Annelize

Sue quietly embroiders her memories of New Mexico

Nancy Tzemis plays with fabric choice

Joan preparing her base fabric

Lil Haigh gets really creative

Claudia Wilson working in layers

Anne Thorburn’s work was immaculate

Anne and Lil having fun

Karin was inspiring with her free use of fabrics and trims

Fabric surface prepared and now for the shaping

Claudia’s bag starts to take shape

Joan and Adrienne

Adrienne Brown – a bag that holds promise

Lorraine Doe hard at work

Karin Huysamer embroiders her heart

Karin’s work was a feast of colour and texture

Nancy assembling her bag

Annelie van Niekerk

Coleen spent most of her time preparing the surface of her bag

Karin shares her unfinished creation

This exquisite little pouch was made by Sue Prins

Sue with her handiwork

Addie gets her bag together

Beautiful faux leather, beaded bag by Addie Liebenberg

Addie models her creation

Marie’s work in progress

Jenny Muller completes a perfect little bag

Nancy’s bag included needlepoint tapestry

Coleen appliques her design

Lorraine Doe, so happy with her almost finished bag

Lorraine Doe’s bag at the end of the workshop. Just needs a strap.

Such style! Annelize with her almost finished bag

Joan Barnes bag – front

Joan Barnes bag – back

Karin Huysamer’s bag from the front

The back view of Karin’s bag

Lorraine’s completed, soft and feminine bag

Marie’s completed masterpiece

The class of Siyadala 2017

The class of Siyadala 2017

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Wild Women at Work

“Wildlife and the wild woman are both endangered species”  Clarissa Pinkola Estes

…which is why I’m playing my part in ensuring that neither become extinct!

Over the past few weeks six women from Grahamstown have tapped into their wild, creative side by attending one of my Red Shoe Workshops. This project began as part of my commitment to the support and upliftment of women. Shoes are a powerful metaphor for the journey we take through life and after making a pair of my own, I saw the healing potential that lies in this creative process. The workshop is fun and deeply therapeutic, with the objective being for participants to leave the workshop with a sense of achievement and a renewed belief in themselves, knowing that their shoes are as unique and beautiful as they are, and a true reflection of their souls.

Meet the participants:

Daksha, learning to do machine embroidery

Virginia

Karen

Bev

Ann

Leela, enjoying having time to focus on her creativity

The three day workshop was spread over two weekends, and the participants quickly overcame their anxieties and launched into the project with gusto. As is often the case with workshops like this, the ladies were not sure what they would end up making or how they would go about it. However, the structure of the workshop is such that the participants moved through each step of the process with ease and by the end were able to look at their achievements with pride, and in some cases, a little amazement! After years of teaching beginners, I have learned to recognize resistance and fear for what it is and guide the participants forward through the process of choice and decision making, encouraging them to make connections and gain insights into why they choose what they do.

Click on the images below to see some more of the action:

Having fun!

Ann trims her pattern to fit

Daksha working at the machine

A few of Karen’s materials

Ann tells her story

Creating soles

Bev cuts her soles

Bev enjoys time to be creative

Virginia plans her shoes

Leela

Leela having fun

Happiness is!

Karen immersed in her work

Working hard

Bev and Virginia absorbed in the creative process

Learning to use the machine

Women at work

Virginia, Ann and Leela

Karen enjoys the sunshine

Bev tries on her shoes

Bev’s beautiful shoes going home in her basket

A good days work. Leela heads home with her shoes

Leela’s gorgeous shoes

Satisfaction! Daksha admires her shoes

And now meet the shoes…

The class of October 2013

When asked what she would say to others who might be considering doing this workshop, Leela said “Do it for the joy of discovering or rediscovering yourself. Laugh and be at peace with the essence of you.”