Fall -- or: Need some Color?

Hard to believe that these colors haven't been electronically enhanced. Maybe it was the dim light of this drizzly day that gave some colors an extra uplift. It was quiet, no wind, and I was in a sleepy mood. My back was aching, but I just couldn't stop taking pictures of the amazing color combos that this fall -- and possibly the choices that the park gardeners had made -- provided to the view of the visitors.

I left the park with the feeling you get when you had some very delicious food. Indeed, color has something nourishing to me. We call them "saturated", for example. There are still blossoms, and combined with red or yellow leaves, the pink of the last roses adds an almost surrealistic or fauve taste that is amazing.

Art is Everywhere

Bring your own plants, there is
not much green stuff growing here

 Last weekend surprised us with warm temperature, almost like summer, possibly the last warm and sunny days of the year. So J and I took a walk around our "docklands", as such a renovated harbour landscape is called in Great Britain.

This is our most expensive building site where nothing really happens, and the delay counts in years. The reason is a quarrel between town administration and the company.

Expensive flats along old quays are popular living quarters now.

Lovers have their names engraved in locks and expose them on bridges. Don't know what this custom means exactly; our relationship works without it.

Flood protection doors are prescribed for some places.

 

 Going back to the old town

Traditional boat equipment shops offer ropes in new colors

 

 

Roadrunner Quilt Continued

This is how far I got with that bird. Looks exited and ready to go. The squares look messy until they will be connected. That's why I removed the rough edges. Awful! For my new visitors (in case there will be some): The central patch is a lino print, in some cases painted with textile paint, and so are about half of the surrounding fabrics.

 Here, we have two connected tiles, the right upper and lower. That's better. But I'll have to wait until the full number of squares is reached, so I can compose them in a suitable way.

 

Just coming back to the six bird tiles, pretty chaotic, aren't they? I used a number of my lino prints, maybe I should put a few solids between them.
What will it be like to sleep under these restless birds? Will my dreams be even more dynamic and speedy? Thanks, I don't need that.

The sewing is a kind of korak technique, slightly altered. I quilted the tiles by hand which is not part of the tradition, and the larger pieces are "false korak", they are not all doubled up, just the material needed for a seam.
I'm hooked to sewing on the visible side, I find it very difficult to work in a different way although recently I started visiting a class for traditional hand sewn quilts.

This posting is linked to an interesting blog, allowing guest links on Friday. Have a look!

A Glimpse into a Very Simple Quilting Method: Korak Tutorial

For all those who might be interested, I made a little tutorial on korak piecing, a method from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Usbekistan. The Turkish word "korak" means "mosaic". Please klick link or see "Pages" index on the right side of this page.

The book by Ruth Tschudy about Korak is no longer available.

That's what I wanted

What a simple solution! I added some black and a bit of green to the dark blue. Now come the yards. False indigo -- but not enough room to play with real dyes.

Trying a Reprint

Almost 40 years ago, my mother gave me two pieces of African print cloth. She did not know they were African, she just loved them. Combs and fruit baskets. I have never found fabrics like this, original indigo prints on a batik background. My print colors (fabric paints by Marabu) are way lighter, they do not reach the intensity of the original.

  

Maybe I'll find a way to intensify my printing ink.

Rhino Mini Quilt Finished

The African Indigo is on the right and left binding now. New prints are on the way.

The Rhino -- Majolika Color Choice

A small lino print, surrounded by other lino stamp prints is a little intermediate project, just for a change before I continue the larger quilt. This one is a mini quilt of about 8x8 in.  I made a tiny mosaic piecing (very irregular!) on head and foot. I'm not sure if I will use this old African indigo as an edge, maybe a lighter edge will be better. In Wolfsburg I saw this 16th century pitcher. This is the palette I'm using with my rhino mini quilt.

A Smashing Exhibition: Frank Stella in Wolfsburg

Wolfsburg, the home of Volkswagen, has a Nazi past and a commercial present. It may also have an artistic future with the overwhelming art museum, showing Frank Stella thru Jan 20, 2013. If you are in Europe, see the show! The exhibition is wonderful. The amazing hall, excellent light, a representative choice of Stella's work. I was even allowed to take photographs, but signed that I would use them absolutely for private purpose and not pass them on. I even got a press card. But I don't think it is an offence to show this view, overlooking the exhibition, because who will be able to use these snippets of Stella's art in a forbidden way?

After walking through the galery, we had a little rest in the Japanese garden which is part of the museum.

Later, I saw this piece of art work in town.

Wolfsburg is a very boring town with absolutely nothing old in it.  Many streets are definitely old workers' homes from the 30ies/40ies.