Cook Islands

Back from a holiday in Rarotonga - the largest island in the Cook Islands group. This is a picture taken at the market which is held every Saturday. The lady in the stall makes and sells tivaivais. She also designs and cuts them ready for sewing... I purchased the small tivaivai hanging at the front of her shop - the one with two orange flowers on the right of the booth.

I also came home with some of the fabric that is traditionally used to make tivaivai - it is call Azlan and has a slightly looser weave than homespun.

There is was some pretty amazing fabric works at the market. There were lots of pareu - (like a sarong) Many were commercially printed fabric but there were hand dyed and individually printed ones which I would be inclined to mount or back and hang - glorious colours and bold design

I found a fantastic book called "Tiviavai The Social Fabric of the Cook Islands ' (Susanne Kuchler & Andrea Eimke) It is not a project book but contains a short history of patchwork in the South Pacific, many wonderful photos and interviews.

I was very fortunate to meet Mrs Vereara Mavea (President of the Cook Islands Tivaivai Association) who talked to me about tivaivai and showed me some of her work. If you click here you will find some examples of her work.

on the travials of markets and exploration of tivaivai

Photo from Atui Fibre Arts Studio - Polynesian Patterns

I spent yesterday with a small stall at a local market - not one bite - even though the next day was Mothers' Day. I spoke to other stall holders and they said it was sometimes like that and markets could be capricious. This was the third time I've had a stall with a nil result and I have decided not to lose another Saturday at this at this particular market again and will review my thoughts about another stall closer to Christmas.

In the interim I have been researching tivaivai- quilts made by ladies of the Cook Islands. I came across this site of the studio of contemporary quilt maker and artist Andrea Eimke - I think the work is really interesting and exciting and I appreciated how Andrea shared her thoughts aspects of her life and exploration of her medium - more about Andrea here. I have taken the liberty of posting a photo which is also linked to the studio from the website as well just to tease you a bit. Wish I had had this to share with Stitches Plus when we played with shape last time we met.

an apple a day

party girls

Finally started my canvas piece 'party girls'. Been held up thinking rather than doing and have finally got the background started. My delay has been a fine example of over thinking - I looked back on my blog to see what I had posted when I had the idea - I posted my initial thoughts and had drafted the cartoon of faces to be embroidered in 2009!

When in doubt I have sampled stitches on the work and ripped them if I haven't been happy. Some which looked OK done on the horizontal plane looked so much better when vertical and vice versa.

after Easter

Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen. ~Leonardo da Vinci

Its been a busy time with family and a 21st birthday celebration. I haven't picked up a paint brush for yonks but I have been doing a little stitching . Will be back to both soon. Both stitching and painting are poetry which stirs and soothes my hands, heart and mind all at the same time. Being busy makes me rest. Go figure!

Publish Post

I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else. Pablo Picasso

Still Life with bowl and Fruit
Paris, winter 1912
Charcoal, black chalk, watercolor, oil paint, coarse charcoal or black pigment in binding medium, on newspaper (Le Journal, 6 and 9 December 1912), blue and white laid charcoal papers, supported by thin cardboard
64 x 49.5 cm
Philadelphia Museum of Art

bottle brushes

I remounted these two postcard sized embroideries - they now look more like botanical studies which is rather pleasing. The bottle brushes came about after experimenting with collages of cloth and images and are hand and machine embroidered.