Cork Textiles Network Workshop

Detail of Hand and Machine Embroidered Sample

Just a brief about the Cork Textiles Network Conference Colour and Form in Textiles.

There was talks from 3 very different textile artists, Connections with Colour with Ruth Issett, Process and Form with Angela O'Kelly, and Flights of Discovery with Nicola Henley.




What all three of them had in common, was their unwavering devotion to either one method or one theme. The idea of spending 10 or 20 years working with the same materials or theme, is just unthinkable to me. But I suppose if you want to get known, you become know for one particular material or theme. I call this a potter mentality. You make your pot, and always make the same pot. Oh, it may be different colours, a different shape handle or spout, but it's what you get known for. I suppose it's something all artists and crafts persons have to do really. This is something I have to work out, and work on...

Talking to the amazing gathering of women there, the fibre chat was fantastic. And the first thing everyone asked was, What do you do? You obviously do some kind of textile, but what?
I described myself as a dabbler, mostly working in yarn, so weaving, crochet, etc... This is another thing I have to work on, my spiel...

So, then they asked what workshop are you doing?, and I said, quilting and embroidery!! Just to completely confuse folk. So, I did the Exploring Design Process with Pauline Burbridge, master quilter from England. Her quilts are in museums all over the world, such as the V&A. She was a great teacher, very easy going, and her process was very interesting. I did really enjoy it, having never done any kind of machine embroidery before. Though a few people got a great kick out of my Toyota sewing machine...


But it did give me great insight into what I need to do next. Which is basically knuckle down, sort my work and my spiel out. Get a theme, a method, a technique, and stick with it for some time. See what happens. But in order to do this I need to get stuff out of my head and out of my house. So, I have set up my own personal 10 step Yarnaholics Withdrawal Programme. More on this later....