Don't frack!

Zerbrecht die Erde nicht! Aquarell auf Papier, ca. 30 cm Durchmesser.
Don't break the Earth! Water colors on paper, about 12" diam.

Here's another, it has been sold, but can be reproduced.

Next Steps

 

 The "Flying Geese" border is finished, the first part of the next row is shown at the bottom of pic 1. New African fabrics contribute a lot to the character of this quilt.

My Work Space

On this wooden board, you can see my tools. There are a few stencils I cut out of plastic boxes. The wooden board is important because I push the pins hard through the cloth layers.
There is an Estonian pin cushion, wool embroidery, and the neon green thread which I use for the whole quilt. The red-framed diamond is one of four corner pieces which will be joined into the flying geese rows.

The side rows of flying gees are just being made.

The bottom picture shows the quilt at the present state.
In the lower right corner, you can see part of an older mini quilt.

Some other quilters in a quilt group saw this piece and suggested that also this one should be quilted. This is not the tradition of korak; and although I love quilting and the result and its feel, I will not do it this time. The reason is: The Korak method is based on doubled scraps. A korak naturally becomes more sturdy and stiffer than a conventional quilt top. I quilted the latest one, and it became so stiff that you can form it into sculptures that won't collapse, and it weighs a ton. I'm working on a lighter and more flexible piece this time, hoping it will be more comfy as a sleeping cover.

No System

This is how far I got until now. 3 "layers", a center piece and two streets that wrap around it. The principle I tried to apply is not as striking as I thought it would be -- on the contrary, it is rather invisible. I have an idea how to continue. Starting without a plan is a risk, but making a plan has been the greater risk in my life and art.

Close-Up on Korak

 Building up a block of strips:

 The same part, sewn:  

Diamond close-up

What I find so fascinating about this technique: I can arrange and sew each and every part of the work on the top side.

A Concept Arising

After a phase of mere experiment, a concept is forming: A rather rough diamond shape and blocks which fill the gaps between the diamonds.
The direction of the blocks is given by the central element within the light green border.
I hope to achieve a ray-light effect through the strip blocks.
I work in rows which wrap around the piece, starting in the center. So I don't have to plan the whole quilt in advance.

During my holidays, I did not have much time to quilt. Though I took the piece with me, together with a bundle of scraps and thread/needles, there was not much time to continue. Instead, my husband and I did a few walks, rode by boat, or slept a lot.
Here is a choice of pictures from our journey; see also newer postings!

No Planning -- just Chaos

 No concept, just adding scraps. Maybe some day I will start planning.

I've come to using quilts as my favorite bed cover in hot summer nights and my favourite extra cover in cold winter nights.

 

The quilt I created before this one contains a lot of quilting which makes it very stiff. It can be shaped into a tunnel without collapsing. I started another, using the korak technique, using my husband's discarded shirt as a grid to do the piecing on. Still, everything looks skewed; seems to be a genetic disorder of mine. I will not quilt this one more than necessary, just so much that I can attach the reverse, to get a lighter and more flexible piece this time. But I may as well end up with a crib quilt for my 1-year-old grandnephew.

 

Art in Hannover: A Visit to Sprengel Museum

Although built in the late 1970s, the architecture is exiting

A wonderful space for sculptures...

... and paintings from the Classical Modern period: Kandinsky ...

Jawlensky...

Max Beckmann

Emil Nolde -- the colors are very true to the original painting

... a very charming, small Picasso ...

... an enchanting Paul Klee ...

... a miracle by Max Ernst ...

... and a sensational reproduction of the ...

... famous MERZ-Bau by Kurt Schwitters
who was a citizen of Hannover ...

... Horst Antes, a post-war painter ...

... a big sculpture outdoors ...

... and another ...

... people...

... and a two hours ride home.

News from Afghanistan

"Tshokletdusi" -- "chocolate" embroidery
depicts sweets in general as a subject

Stitching projects from a hurt country

I told you before about the embroidery project by Pascale Goldenberg
(Pictures with kind permission P.Goldenberg)

"Keshide", traditional embroidery

Quilt by Francoise Rouppert

I recommend to view this awesome website with a remarkable attitude towards the stitching women and their personal story. The ladies who support the project by buying the work of the Afghani women and integrate these pieces into their quilts show respect and charity at the same time, enhancing the work of the women in Kabul and other places and letting them shine.

You may have noticed that there haven't been postings on my blog for a long time. The reason was that my other project -- much like the latest one I posted -- occupied me completely and would not allow me to concentrate on other things. Apart from that, I had to undergo an operation of my right leg after a minor accident because the hematoma would not disappear. This operation was done on April 12th and is history by now. I'm not sure what craft project will be next, because my right eye doesn't respond well on work being done closely to my eyes, be it embroidery, quilting, or painting watercolor pictures -- computer work doesn't affect it, surprisingly. Well, when aging, you have to adapt to your limitations.

A Completely Different Kind of Work

 

When Hamburg had been bombed most severely in

1943, the homeless were provided with small houses,
built of cement modules.

Last night, our local government held a memorial hour for the victims of a Hamburg Concentration Camp. It was the prison for women who had been deported from Poland, Czekoslovakia and other occupied countries. I had the honor to provide a picture show of images shown during the speeches and the intermediate music pieces.

Some of these female prisoners had been taken to Hamburg

from Ravensbrueck, Auschwitz and other camps. Very few
survived and were able to tell their story. These women
built the cement houses in heat and cold, with insufficient
equipment -- no gloves to hold the heavy cement panels,
they were beaten, humiliated, and in the end transported
to even worse camps like Bergen-Belsen, where many of
them died even after they were freed.

The prisoners were close to starvation and kept dreaming
of bread, as one of the prisoner remembered after being
liberated. Their memories were read to the audience by
members of the local parlament, "Bezirksversammlung".

The President of the local parlament held a welcoming
speech.

A member of the Neuengamme Memorial held a historical
speech about the camp and the fate of one of the survivers

who was also present.

The music was played by the very young members
of the Felix Mendelssohn Youth Sinfonia Orchestra
(Felix Mendelssohn Jugendsinfonieorchester. I showed
a background picture for every piece of music.

 

Some information about the composer and the piece

Hear the music

The survivor, out guest of honor, spoke a few words to the audience, her host and interpreter (who had also held the historical speech) standing next to her.

This is my place, hidden behind the musicians, where I controlled the running picture show. Everything went as expected.

After the show, we were invited for a snack and wine. My nervosity faded.