I have been doing lots of  finishing off over the past month or so and have found it very satisfying to  not have so many unfinished bits and pieces hanging about my studio. Bringing projects to a close has meant I have had time to think about how to make my classes work online and the first two zoom classes I taught last month went well. The lovely people who joined me as I dipped my toes into teaching via zoom were very kind and supportive and the sunflower bowls they made were as beautiful as ever. I am pleased to say that several of them encouraged me to run another class, so I have been making plans and converting my Star Sign Mosaics class into an online format.  This is what the small finished quilts look like

The fabric mosaics are fun to make - and are certainly very bright and cheerful, something I think we all appreciate now the days are getting shorter and as we spend more and more time in our homes. The technique shares some similarities with collage and there is plenty of scope for creativity and you can make whichever of the star signs you wish. Personally I find making them very relaxing as I sit and snip, making patterns with the brightly coloured little pieces.

I have set up 4 separate dates which will run in the next few weeks. I am again limiting the numbers in each class to 8 to make sure everyone has the chance to enjoy a  relaxed class which is more like an in-person experience where everyone can  ask whatever they like, whenever they like (no hands up or waiting forever for your 'turn') Although technically we could have up to 100 (!) people per class, that would just be horrible as it would be impossible for everyone to ask questions, make observations, converse and interact with myself and each other.  During the previous classes we were able to chat freely as if we were in the same room together, and it worked really well.   

The dates of the classes are:
Wednesday 28th October                               Sunday 1st November
Wednesday 4th November                             Sunday 8th November

The classes start at 10am and run until around noon, during which time I demonstrate live  the techniques I use to create the mosaics. This interactive session will be recorded and will be available for 4 weeks after the class. (I have also made additional videos which show the process should they be needed).
We then break until 4pm (time for you to start your mosaic if you wish!) when I run a second session for more questions  sharing of ideas and work in progress. 

As preciously, booking the class via the Misomer Quilting website, link below:
https://midsomerq.com/collections/workshops/products/star-sign-mosaics-zoom-workshop-with-claire-passmore-sewing-machine-required-1?variant=32899204939799

Kits are also available from Midsomer Quilting but are not a reuirement so you can use your own fabrics if you have them. (link below)
https://midsomerq.com/products/star-sign-mosaics-kit-for-workshop-with-claire-passmore?variant=32899293315095

If this sounds interesting to you there is more information on my website, or feel free to get in touch. 
www.clairepassmore.com/online-star-sign-mosaics.html

Thanks for reading!
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For the past few weeks I have been working on a small piece for an online group I belong to called 12 by the Dozen. Every three months we challenge each other to make a small stitched piece from a nominated theme; currently we are thinking about architecture, and more specifically a man named Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. He was commonly referred to as Mies, and along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright, he is regarded as one of the pioneers of modernist architecture and is remembered as the last director of the Bauhaus. 
​Find out more abut him and his work: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Mies_van_der_Rohe

 
Finding out more about Mies, his life and work has been very interesting and led me to try something new. The buildings he designed were quite extrordinary at the time and had a huge influence on the architecture we see today. Some of his most famous buildings are: Barcelona Pavilion, Crown Hall, Farnsworth House, Highfield House, 860–880 Lake Shore Drive, One Charles Center, Seagram Building, New National Gallery, Toronto-Dominion Centre, Tugendhat House, Westmount Square. (Clicking on the names will take you to images of the buildings)

The members of the group 12 by the Dozen. interpreted his work in so many different ways, which is also fascinating. The 12 by the Dozen blog (https://12bythedozen.blogspot.com) you will see all the different quilts made. For my piece I decided to try the beautiful Korean art form of patchwork known as Pojagi, also called Bojagi or Jogakbo.

My choice was influenced by Mies's use of light and open space in the design of his buildings, which I also see in the beautiful pojagi wrapping cloths. Instead of using the traditional silk or ramie I decided to try sing the cotton organdie fabric that is my current favourite. It worked really nicely, but wasn't the easiest to stitch!
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For my piece I chose to add a little colour.  Taking the colour palette from the beautiful marble walls in the Barcelona Pavilion I screen printed some white cotton organdie with a breakdown screen. It yielded the beautiful fabric above. In keeping with traditional pojagi I improvised the cutting and stitching and used a flat felled seam. It proved too difficult to stitch neatly by hand, so I stitched by machine. I don't think it is as attractive as a hand stitched seam, but it does, at least,  add another linear element to the overall design.

The rest of the piecing was more planed as I wanted to reference the order and symmetry that was part of Mies van der Rohe's design philosophy, which is easy to see in the building below

As traditional pojagi is a single layer of fabric I decided to add a second layer to hang behind. I stitched Mies van der Rohe, sitting on one of his iconic chairs (also designed by him).  

This is the finished quilt- it looks best when back lit. I quite like the garden in the background too!

Thanks for reading

Whilst Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on our lives in so many ways, one of the unexpected consequences of having us all confined has been the huge increase in the use of the internet to allow us to communicate and share our work. Previously classes, meetings, lectures were seldom available unless you physically attended. Now, if I want to listen to a lecture hosted by someone in say, Pennsylvania (as I did the other day) all I had to do was figure out the time difference.  The lecture in question was given by the superb fibre artist Sue Hotchkis (https://www.suehotchkis.com/) to the Fibre Arts Guild of Pittsburgh and was excellent. Hearing Sue talk and seeing her exquisite work was just fantastic. 

This week I am going to be part of an event called 'Conversations with the artists' about an exhibition that is currently waiting to go on show in Australia (it should already have started, but for obvious reasons that is now delayed). The exhibition in called 'Opposites Attract' and has been organised by Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). 
​View a video of all the art quilts selected for this exhibition on Vimeo https://vimeo.com/405918936.

4 artists have been invited to talk about their work in this exhibition:  

Maria Shell, Maggie Vanderweit, and Libby Williamson and myself
​
We will be talking about our artwork, inspiration, and process. We will be sharing our recent artwork,  sharing a  peek into our studios and will also be answering any questions asked during the talk.

This talk is part of the 'Textile Talks' series, this one presented by SAQA. As with all the other Textile Talks, it is free to everyone, all you need to do is register to receive the link to join. Here is the link
​https://www.saqa.com/events/textile-talks-conversations-artists-opposites-attract-presented-saqa

My piece in the exhibition is called 'Round Hole +Square Peg = Space to Grow'  and is from my 'Fold:Unfold' series. See more on my website ​https://www.clairepassmore.com/fold--unfold.html
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​​If you are free on September 2nd at 7pm Uk time please do join us for another great Textile Talk. Recording will be available after the event on the SAQA you tube channel: 
​ https://www.youtube.com/c/SAQAArtquilt/videos