Helene Knott

I haven’t kept up with this like I promised myself, but better late than never. I’m headed off next week to Newport Oregon where I will present a program and teach a workshop for the Oregon Coastal Quilters Guild.

My program, which is scheduled for Thursday May 14, starts at 1 PM. The topic is on Japanese and Asian textiles, of which I am a passionate collector (at least as much as my budget will allow). The talk will cover methods of dyeing and printing fabrics such as Shibori, Kasuri, Katazome… as well as some of the decorative practical applications like Sashiko and Sakiori. The presentation will include lots of samples to fondle, books to peruse and a trunk show of my own work influenced by Japanese ethos.

The class, offered on Friday May 15, is Animal Totems. These iconic wall hangings combine Seminole or Strip Piecing with reverse applique in the style of a simplified Mola. Many cultures embrace the concept of totems, symbols of a clan or tribe and sometimes an individual will seek out their own personal spirit guide based on the qualities and character aspects that they wish to receive from the animal. The mythology of animals varies from culture to culture but can often follow startling parallels. Dragons are perceived as evil in many Western cultures but are revered as protectors in Eastern lore while foxes, dingos and coyotes are often deemed clever and wily the world over.

By The way, check out the ‘Schedule’ tab; I am FINALLY getting my class schedule posted there. I have only just started but it will be an ongoing process that I will do my best to keep up with.

 

 

I once heard someone say – “Time flies whether you are having fun or not, so you may as well be having fun. This past fall was fun but it was also a brutal schedule. I would be gone on a teaching engagement and return home with just enough time to get a little caught up on other work and prepare for the next trip before I was out the door again. My husband was not a happy camper.

To make things worse, right before my last trip in November, I discovered my camera missing. I looked everywhere I normally keep it in the house and then in odd nonsensical places (in case the cat batted it under the furniture) and still no luck. Though I was distressed over the loss of the camera, the biggest loss in my mind were the pictures I had been too busy to download to my computer – they were irreplaceable.

I finally bit the bullet and bought a new camera about a month ago, one ‘smarter’ that I am and I’m still trying to figure out how to download the software to make it able to transfer pictures wirelessly. Then, of all thing, I found my old camera a few days ago and in a place I swear I’d checked several times. It had slipped into a ziploc bag of embroidery supplies in a canvas project bag. I had removed the various ziploc project bags repeatedly to search the main bag for the camera and never noticed that one was a bit heavier than it ought to be. Oh well, I was thinking of upgrading the camera anyway and at least I got my lost photos back.

So this is what I’ve been up to over the last couple of months: I started in early October with a trip to Pennsylvania to teach at a retreat sponsored by The Quilt Patch Etc. in Mt Pleasant, I taught my Garden Patch Cats & Bloomin’ Dogs class, Thread Painting and Mini Landscapes and have some wonderful photos of student work below.

Following that, I taught at the Ocean Waves Quilt Camp at Rockaway Beach in Oregon sponsored by Jane’s Fabric Patch in Tillamook OR. I taught my regular standby – Machine Quilting and also my new class on Animal Totems.

After that, I headed home for a few days then right back to Tillamook, this time to teach at the Latimer Textile Center where I offered a class on Hand Embroidered Folk Ornaments and then a class on Hand Appliqued Molas. While there, I stayed with my good friend and Starbucks Hot Chocolate Buddy, mystery writer, Arlene Sachitano. It was after this trip that I misplaced my camera so I did not get pictures of my next trip to teach for the West Sound Quilters in Port Orchard WA.

After that, the holidays set in and between preparations for Thanksgiving and Christmas coupled with playing catch-up with patterns and local teaching venues, I haven’t been at all good about keeping up with my blog. Perhaps I should make that my New Year’s resolution.