A pretty well-attended meeting, about a dozen of us. Before the actual sharing began, we sat down to a pot luck lunch, after which, Pat S., our host, invited us to see her quilt making studio. After years of having her studio outside her home, she decided to set it up in her basement. To make the space habitable for the fabric she was going to store there, she had to fix a leak, rip out the old floor tile and scrape the glue off the concrete floor (which, incidentally, left a beautiful pattern that makes it appear that the floor is set with stone), and install some lighting. Everyone was impressed with the size and neatness of the space, and her inventory of fabrics, organized by color.
The theme for the meeting was buttons, specifically old ones. Arnelle D. brought her grandmother's sewing box which she said still smelled like her grandmother. Of course, we all had to sniff the box and we were all reminded of our grandmothers. It smelled of talcum powder with a hint of spice. The buttons were fabulous and ranged from the tiniest, a quarter-inch or less (I didn't measure), to very large. I especially liked the doggie button in the photo below.
A few members shared recent work. Sally M. brought a quilt that had recently been in an exhibit. Pat S. showed her quilt in progress, a patchwork of some of her daughter's favorite t-shirts. The two completed panels will be put together, back to back, to make a completely reversible
Mary B. (below left) donated the lamp she brought to Pat S. for her grandson's school auction. It was made out of paper parasols attached to a lamp shade, and accented with glow-in-the-dark paint. The spokes made a pretty pattern. Margaret R. (below right) brought a mosaic memory jar she made which included buttons.
Arnelle D. told us about two current exhibits we should see that feature textiles, one at Xavier University Art Gallery featuring Kelly Frigard, Feltmaker and Bette Uscott-Woolsey, Mixed-Media Fibers (January 26 – February 16, 2007). There are no images on the Xavier site but you can download a schedule of exhibits. Several upcoming shows feature fiber. The other show to see is at the Contemporary Art Center, New Media/ New Materials: Highlights In Contemporary Art From The Fabric Workshop And Museum (February 02, 2007 - April 15, 2007).
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