During Covid I discovered many art and textile workshops that opened a new world of inspiration and possibilities to me. I still participate in several of the annual workshops offered. One of the workshop offerings earlier this year was on Kawandi quilting, Kwandi means quilt and the tradition was brought to India by African slaves. Kawandi are made from pieces of old cloth or worn-out clothing. Quilters cut the cloth pieces into small square or rectangular patches of brightly colored cloth usually placed on top of other, larger patches, creating a series of layers in contrasting colors. When the quilters have enough pieces of cloth to make a quilt, they use an appliqué technique to attach the patchwork to a cotton sari as backing for the quilt. They begin at one corner of the sari, working their way around, attaching the patches in place with lines of running stitch until they’ve covered the entire sari. I’ve improvised the technique and have made a few small bags. I really love spending time stitching and thinking and watching to see what the end result will look like. Do some research and watch some YouTube videos and make your own small quilt. It’s so satisfying!

For the past month or so I’ve been doing daily watercolor paintings. I used to do a lot of it many years ago and somehow it all went by the wayside as other life events took over. I’ve expanded my watercolor painting to include colored pencil and pastels. I’m really enjoying the experimenting and the whole process of just painting. I’m going to expand my subject matter so keep your eyes open for new paintings. In the meantime, why don’t you give it a try. Happy painting!

My start with collage art started during Covid when my artist friends created challenges to keep us all working and sane. It was an inspiration for me. I made a few largish collages but, then, there came the post card challenge. We were to send a card once a month until everyone got a collage from each person on the list. It fed my imagination to come up with a different topic for each card and be creative enough to make it interesting for the person receiving it. You don’t need a challenge , to do this, just make a card and send it to a friend. Everyone likes receiving mail and an art piece is even better and more cherished.

Sometimes , when you pick up a piece of fabric, you just don’t know where it will take you. I was at a loss as to what direction to go in or what the goal would be. I needed to work on something portable. In my search to find inspiration I came upon some of the traditional embroideries of Greece. Right up my alley! I decided to make small motifs of some of those embroideries. It is leading me to all kinds of ideas! This is one piece in a series.

These are sweet sachets that I embroidered and added a hand crocheted border. They make great gifts. Who wouldn’t want one in a drawer of closet?

Collage wasn't an art form I thought much about in my adult life, but, when Covid locked us all down, I became influenced and reintroduced to it through my friends in the Nashville Collage Collective. I’ve been collaging ever since. Speaking of which……back to work! Give it a try, I think you’ll love it too.