Stitch Meditation – Day 47 and 48

Inspiration / By

Why does time move more quickly as you get older. I find myself running out of time to do the things I really enjoy. But, I am finding time to work on other (unnecessary) projects and daily housework more and more. So, I spend less time on the 100 Day Stitch Meditation Project than I had expected when I first started. It certainly hasn’t become a focus of my down time! Read about the 2 Argentinian artists who have made their entire life about hand embroidery and sharing everything in their lives together. The projects they hand embroider take years to complete!

pink and blue strips of fabric with a blue patch and flap hand stitched on top by doris lovaidna-lee toronto artist

The other article I read from Selvedge Magazine is about an exhibition of work: “of seven pioneering women who went against all established norms to create some of the richest, most diverse and international public collections of textiles in the UK today.” So many beautiful pieces of hand work!

ombre shades of blue strips with hand stitching and one small darker square of silk in top left corner made by doris lovadina-lee canadian textile artist

Stitch Resources

  • Blogpost: Hewitt, Bonnie Burstein. Argentinian Artists Stitch Their World Together at Lux. Encinitas Advocate. 27 Jan. 2020
  • Blogpost: Unbound Visionary Women. Selvedge Magazine. 25 Jan. 2020.

Simply creating – One stitch at a time!

Modern Leaf – a Minimalist Design

Quilting / By

I’ve been experimenting with an insertion technique and have successfully made a number of small pieces. This one was intended for the SAQA Spotlight Auction held during the MoSAiQA Conference. It was to be held here in Toronto March. I was happy with the quilting of it, but it was much larger than it needed to be for the finished size of the auction item.

green art quilt painting with a white frame hanging on wallby toronto artist doris lovadina=lee

I decided to keep it and make another for the auction. To finish it, various sizes and orientations were auditioned by using a mat cut into two pieces. Below are the 3 options.

Option 1
Option 2
Option 3

There are very subtle differences between the 3 options. I was also trying to leave a seam allowance (very slim in some areas) to attach the binding.

white quilt with green borders held with pins

I love the finished piece. But, it is smaller than I originally intended. I also thought I wanted more hand stitching but I am happy with just the two rows of it.

modern minimalist leaf art painting by toronto artist doris lovadina=lee

This technique of inserting a fine strip into another is one that I will experiment more with. It isn’t very apparent in this example. I have an idea of making one larger piece with 3 insertions moving in different directions. The trick will be not to distort the background fabric. My next will be an experiment with 2 insertions. 

Starting Stitch Meditations – Again and Again

Inspiration / By

Traditional meditations are not easy to explain or learn. It’s a process of bringing your mind back to noticing your breath when it wanders. This is one explanation that I can understand. I know my mind wanders – did I lock the door, what should I make for dinner, do I need groceries …. on and on until I’ve planned the entire meal and cleaned up too!

green batik dyed fabric, black and green silk, embroidered for 100 day stitch meditation journey
Repurposed silk, batik dyed cotton, silk and cotton batik, hand dyed perle cotton

So too, I’ve let my time and energy for stitch meditations wander away from me. There are things out of our control that impact our lives. It’s important not to give up though, to stop wandering and settle down – back to noticing each stitch. Again and again!

Snow dyed textiles at SAQA’s 2020 Conference: moSAiQA in Toronto

2 Comments / vending / By

Studio Art Quilt Associates is hosting its first ever conference outside of the USA here in Toronto! I am a new member of this organization and excited to be attending as a member. I am also participating as a vendor of my snow and hand dyed fabrics and scarves at its pop-up on Thursday March 19, 2020 from 10-6.

Skyline of Toronto the host of MoSAiQA Conference 2020

Join me and a select group of vendors on Thursday March 19 from 10-6 for the pop-up in the lobby of the:

Hilton
145 Richmond Street West,
Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2L2, Canada

Please come over and introduce yourself if we are IG friends. I’ll be offering some newly snow dyed scarves and fabrics too!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8RorTKHC4E/

Handwork and the Venetian Mosaic Quilt – coming towards the deadline!

Quilting / By

Most things have taken second place to the finishing of this quilt. I now have a final deadline – March 14th. Although not the actual date of my mom’s birthday, it is the day the entire family is getting together to celebrate. So, all my free time is spent working on this piece.

closeup of quilt block with machine stitching
three large quilt bocks pinned to wall showing the machine quilting
partially finished quilt draped on arm of sofa

I am at a point where handwork means watching Netflix. I love British crime dramas and have watched a few good series. Does anyone have recommendations? But nothing subtitled! I can’t read and handstitch! What do you watch on TV?

See more images of this quilt from the begging stages on Instagram. 

Stitch Meditation – Day 45 and 46

Inspiration / By
blue wool scquare embroidered with running stitches in hand dyed blue and yellow thread by doris lovadinalee canadian quilter
Indigo dyed wool, hand dyed embroidery floss
red, black and yellow fabric embroidered with black and yellow running and cross stitches and red silk ribbon with french knots
Hand dyed red, yellow and black cotton, perle cotton

Stitch Resources

  • Blogpost: Grinnell, Kate. (October 09, 2019) Meditative Stitching and Storytelling Retrieved from Selvedge Magazine.

Quietly sitting and reflecting – One stitch at a time!

Stitch Meditation – Day 43 and 44

Inspiration / By

yellow and green scraps embroidered with running and cross stiches with handdyed perle cotton stitched by doris lovadina lee toronto artist
Repurposed silk, hand dyed canvas, hand dyed perle cotton
red, grey and black fabric held together with red and black embroidery stitches by doris lovadina-lee toronto artist
Hand dyed cotton, commercial cotton and hand dyed perle cotton

Stitch Resources

  • Article: Vercillo, Kathryn. 5 Craft Therapy Books to Learn About Handmade Healing
  • Bibliography: Kathryn Vercillo is a professional writer who also has a Masters in Psychological Studies. Her expertise is writing at the intersection of crafts and mental health. Kathryn is the author of several books on this topic including Crochet Saved My Life.

Creating for health – One stitch at a time!

Venetian mosaic – sashing, borders, bosses, and cornerstones!

Inspiration / By

I am creating the 6 inch squares that will be placed in each corner of the sashing and border of the quilt. This means that I am almost, almost ready to start making a sandwich of each quadrant in preparation of machine quilting.

Next Steps:

  • Cutting sashing and border fabric
  • Stitching the cornerstones or bosses
  • Stitching the border to quadrants
  • Stitching part of the sashing to each quadrant
  • Pressing the backing and top
  • Making a sandwich
  • Machine quilting each quadrant
  • Joining each quadrant to make the finished top
  • More quilting in border and sashing
  • Blocking
  • Binding
  • Label

In the photo below I am still working on the triangle shapes and trying to decide if they need a border. Of course they did! There was more work and stitching ahead!

The photo shows the drafting process to make six inch square mosaic tiles that will be placed at the intersection of border and sashing.

I wasn’t planning on such a large quilt. I guess this is what happens when you design as you go! It has evolved to be what it needs to be.

Stitch Meditation – Day 41 and 42

Inspiration / By

The colours of this stitch meditation are rich and luscious! The hand dyed hot pink varying slightly making it just a little bit more interesting than a flat colour. Layers of black knots tying it in with the darker gray cotton. The piece of repurposed silk sari fabric has a shimmer of pink while also tying into the lighter grey. It is tied together with the hand dyed pink perle cotton. I don’t usually sit back and study the piece I’ve stitched to analyze why it works. Having the time and perspective makes you realize that following your instincts can lead you in the right direction.

shades of grey, hot pink and iridescent blue scraps embroidered by Doris Lovadina lee toronto ontario quilter
Hand dyed cotton, shot cotton, repurposed sari silk, hand dyed perle cotton

I am fortunate that a friend gave me a bag of silk and upholstery fabrics that I have been using in some stitch meditations. They are so gorgeous and often times reversible — the colour varying slightly from front to back. These delicate fabrics are precious snippets

black/grey fabric stitched with hand dyed grey, black and red a 5 inch stitch meditation journey square by Doris lavadina-lee toronto artist
Repurposed silk, hand dyed cotton, shot cotton, perle cotton

Stitch Resources

  • Blogpost: What is Intuition from Psychology today
  • Article: Karen Broude interview: Motivated by Intuition in TextileArtist.org

Don’t second guess yourself, close your eyes and pick a colour – One stitch at a time!

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