First Year Anniversary and Collaboration

We celebrated our 1st year anniversary this past month. It was a great day since we braved the cold to combine our newest Collaborative work for the Relay of Hope Ontario Panel. Canadian Aids Society and Relay of Hope Run

Robynne brought this cause to our attention and we jumped right in designing a piece to represent Ontario for this Canada wide quilt. Our group is good at collaborations. We have completed 2 and have several in mind for entry into upcoming call of entries.

 How do we do it?

First an idea is proposed...

There is a lot of discussion, chatter and free flowing ideas. With each member contributing in their unique way. (Usually controlled chaos)


A bit of sketching... choosing of fabric and then general guidelines of what we would like each member to do before the next meeting.

Then we go our separate ways and create in our own style what we have agreed on. So far this approach has worked in my humble opinion. Our different skills, talents, experiences and skill set seems to bring out the best in us.

This is what our panel for the Relay of Hope Quilt turned out.

Relay of Hope - Ontario Panel. 

Al Cote, Jo Vandermey, Karen Siariani, Robynne Cole

We each had input into the design, fabric choices, techniques used and quilting of this piece. Mind you Al is still the master of long arm quilting but we all did a bit on this quilt.

This is our 2nd collaboration in the past year.

Our first was Metaphysical Collaboration and was juried into Fibre Content 2014.

How we did that will be in an upcoming post.

If you belong to a group try a collaboration. It is a great way to learn via others work process, stretch your skills and have fun!

Jo

To see more detailed pictures go to the Collaborations Page of this Blog. 

Welcome to the Fabrigos!

Welcome to the Fabrigos.

A Short History. (Well not so short after all...)

One year ago 4 individuals came together for their first meeting. I had a desire to meet with a few people who were like minded and wanted to be a process orientated to group to explore fibre art and mixed media. While I have wonderful friends (and they know who they are...) few are interested in quilting and fewer in Fiber Art or Art Quilting.

I met Robynne through the Art Gallery of Burlington Fibre Art group. We became commuter buddies to the meetings and friends thereafter.... Robynne is an inspirational art quilter and has been instrumental in organizing Fibre Content and active with SAQA by assisting Dwayne Warner one of our Canada Central co representatives. She has also been juried into many shows.

I met Karen when sitting next to her at a SAQA Central Canada parlor meeting a year later. We had a good time talking about her work that she had brought. Karen is a wonderful art quilter. Both she and Al have pieces hanging in the Niagara Regional Headquarters in St. Catharines, Ontario Karen also has pieces in varied juried shows.  Karen's blog

I had long heard of Al through his former Quilt Shop in Niagara Falls, Ontario and met him briefly through his visit to my one quilt guild for a trunk show. Al not even knowing me sent an email that he would like to join. Al is a well know longarm quilter, fibre artist and teacher in our area and in Canada.  Al's Website Al Cote's Website

After putting out an invite to those who may live in the Niagara Region at a SAQA meeting I had only 3 Niagara responses. Those were the people listed above and that's how our group was formed. 4 individuals all with various experiences, levels of knowledge and talents.

We settled on a name during one of our fun loving discussions. Four Amigos, Fabric - Fabrigos. It seems to fit our sense of humours.

We have been a group for a year now. These 3 people have become some of my most beloved friends. Brought together through serendipity and meshing through shared interests. We laugh, we create, we critique, we talk (sometimes all at once) and we laugh some more.

What do we do as a group?

We go on road trips to expositions like to the Connections exhibit at the Wellington County Museum last year.

We collaborated on a piece that was juried into Fibre Content 2014 held last September at the Art Gallery of Burlington.

Robynne auditioning pieces onto our Metaphysical Collaboration while in process.

We make challenges to each other like Al's current -make something out of a piece of clothing you buy at a thrift store.  What comes will be interesting!

And we learn new techniques like working with lutradur last year.

Al Cote - experiment of girl printed on lutradur and incorporated into a pillow

Jo's paint and printing on Lutradur and adding coloured texture paste through a stencil. 

Robynne's painted, stitched and heat distressed lutradur piece. 

Karen's piece a old photo printed onto lutradur then stitched and heat distressed. 

and trying our hand at MX dyeing.

I hope you will enjoy our journey of our groups endeavors as we continue to explore, create and fellowship together.

Jo

until next time.... blogging with no pressure..