Studio

Anonymous Was Who?

| ellenanneeddy
Beachcombers
Beachcombers

For heaven’s sake, sign your work!

I’ve told this story before. I worked with a gallery who thought it was to their interest to remove the labels from the backs of my quilts so no one would be able to contact me except through them. They did not tell me that.

What happened next they really couldn’t have predicted. Someone stole 7 of those quilts. It was ugly. I know who. And I was that willing to never see that person again, that I have resigned myself to never seeing them again.

Even if the thief dumped those quilts in a place where someone could find them, they’re like children traveling on a bus without a note pinned to their collar. Someone might recognize them. In the same way that we may have snow in July. Not likely. I’m resigned that these quilts are gone for good. They were my teachers, as all good quilts are. At some point, I’ve learned to let go of pieces and hold on to what I’ve learned.

Breaking the Ice
Breaking the Ice

Recently I was on facebook where someone posted about how they hate to sign their work.

My hackles raised. I climbed on that hobby horse and here I am! Sign your work!

Why?

Because your work is a measure of your life! It deserves documentation. It is a document in itself. Someone, your children if not your critics, will look at it and know you better. And find joy, and knowledge and power in what you did.

There is a book called Anonymous Was A Woman. This book, with all respect to the author, makes me furious.

It’s a lovely book and a real situation. Most women at some time have been only known as anonymous. It makes my blood boil. It’s a self inflicted nastiness. You can choose to be anonymous.

But why would you? Why would you silence your own voice? Why would you hide who you are? Who is served? Who is honored in that?

We are not anonymous. We are women making statements in our art and our lives that need to be heard, even if our statements are private and stay close to home. Not signing your work is an anonymous ransom note to the universe.

I now label all my quilts. And I sign and date them in the stippling. Someone will want to know. And I want them to know all about you and me and the things we made. And who we were. Sign your work.

Stippled signature
Damask Rose 911-20
Available on Etsy for Sale

It may be subtle, but the signature is in there, and they have to harm the quilt to remove it.

I also do an iron on label, computer printed from June Tabor’s Iron on Printer Fabric

This label has my name, the studio name, address and web site and phone number. The quilt number is the actual number of the quilt with the year it was made afterwards. There’s a space for me to sign the label when the quilt is sold.

Of course that can go wrong too.

Nothing is correct on this label at this time except the name of the quilt. Since the quilt itself is a document, I tend to leave them as they originally were made unless an owner asks for a label with their information on it.

Should you have a quilt of mine you want an updated label on, contact me and we will of course make one for it. Safety first.

The Dance of Dye: Seeing Your Fabric Born

| ellenanneeddy

You’ll need to forgive the way I look. There’s nothing glamorous about dye day. Or really dye week. Prepping fabric, dyeing fabric, washing up, washing out and ironing are all really blue collar fun. You sweat and get messy. Never mind that I’ve missed my last three hair cuts.

My friend Lauren Strach used to come to visit, partially for dye day, but mostly for the day I ironed. Because that was the day the fabric came out of the mangle.

Hand dyed fabric is pretty. But like all of us, it likes to dress up. It’s nice hanging out to dry. But you really get to see it when it comes through the mangle, pressed, starched and pretty. It rolls out like a beautiful woman floating down a staircase.

Three pieces


Of course the real moment is when you get to see it with hand-dyed thread

Lauren is a fabulous fiber artist, who explores a number of styles, in amazing ways. You’ll find her work on Instagram.

I’ve been privileged to watch her work grow. And she would come and drool with me over the freshly ironed new hand dye. She lives in Oregon now, and I in Galesburg, IL and all of that would take a lot of arranging to do again. But I treasure the memory of watching her face as the fabric would roll out, pressed and precious. And the things she would do with it.

You’ll want to see more of Lauren’s work. It’s a journey in color, texture and joy.

You might ask why I was mangling in the garage instead of the new glorious studio! We had misbehaving mangles. Don found me a lovely mangle that lasted just long enough to blow black smoke and powder on the floor immediately after it was plugged in. We took it out and found that new amazing IronRight. It stopped opening and closing about five minutes in.

I had a long cry, and we waited a day to plug in my old mangle from Porter and she worked like a charm. You bet I sang to her!

This is Don companionably sitting on his mower in the garage while I ironed my fabric. He had to sit somewhere. Did I mention I really like being married?

I do dye fabric for others as well as myself. This was a good dye run, and People regularly ask me to dye what they want for a particular project. But I do have some fabric from the last dye run I would be willing to sell if there’s an interest. Contact me and I’ll set up a video phone conference if you wish to pick some out for yourself.

You can see the flower already started here.
ellenanneeddy@gmail.com
219-617-2021
1055 N. Farnham Street
true
Galesburg, IL 61401
USA

Everything Old Is New Again: Hunting Aging Appliances

| ellenanneeddy

The appliances that worked for Gramma still make a dyer’s life so much easier!

My new old mangle

I’ve been dyeing fabric since I was ten. I’m about to be 67. With all of that you’d imagine something must be learned.

What I’ve come to understand is that natural fiber was the default in the fifties. There really wasn’t much else. That being said, the appliances that worked then are perfect for people working with natural fibers now. The irons, washing machines and clothes lines of that time are set at the correct defaults for people working with cotton, flax, wool, bamboo and rayon.

A mangle is a rotary iron with a heat shoe. I can iron fifty yards of fabric in two hours on a good mangle. It leaves fabric perfectly pressed without needing to use the dryer.

Ironrite Mangle #85

I love my mangles, even though they’re fragile. At 50 years plus everyone’s wiring frays a little bit. Here’s a video of me singing to my mangle

I had one in the studio in Porter. We’d worried about it being in cold storage. It seems to have held up, but we found one that had been safely stored in some nice lady’s basement. Unfortunately when we got home and plugged it in on Wednesday, it made a satisfying “pmoof” noise and blasted black power on the floor. Exit mangle two.

I went home with Don, devastated. Three hours later he plopped a picture for another mangle, on ebay. It came home yesterday and worked promptly and properly. I am thrilled!

After a while you start paying attention to the old companies. Whirlpool was also Kenmore. I had two Thor Gladirons (talk about Vikings). The new one is an Ironrite.

Is there a difference?

Turns out there really is. I have a link to their add video. It features a terrifying view of women and men of the 50s. But it may be the most goof proof mangle I’ve ever seen. The shoe is in a safer place and divided in the center. They showed a woman working on blindfolded. I think it might maybe be safe with this machine

Ironrite video

Where do you find a mangle? There is a new version from Miele that is astonishing in every way. Price too, but I suspect it’s very nice.

Miele Ironing system.

At current prices, I’ll probably never know. But the old ones exist, saved from attics and basements and estate sales. Make friends with the old appliance people. People downsizing their homes. Ask around. If you are dyeing fabric you need one of these. I certainly do.

I’m hoping on exercising this new beast after doing my first dye day at the studio. Do you need some hand dyed fabric for your inspiration. Call me (219-617- 2021) or email me and we can set up hand dyed fabric just for you, mangled to perfection!

Which of these things aren’t like the others

| ellenanneeddy

Sorting a studio. Sorting a life.

Ellenism’s roll

There’s nothing like moving to clear our your life. And give you clarity. I’ve been preparing and sorting my studio for a move to the new studio building, my husband’s old home in Galesburg. It’s a delightful small house and every day is a new exploration into old stuff. His. Mine. But mostly studio stuff. Fabric I’ve kept. Threads. Books. Endless interfacing. And odd bits of stuff that mark a period of time in my career. The trick seems to be in sorting things in like bundles and then figuring out what to do with them and what to put them in.

But some things just don’t fit in. I found this in a bin of rayon threads. It’s a needle case someone suggested I make as one of several salable things I took to class. They were way too time consuming to consider. But they were fun.

  • inside pockets
    Inside needle case
  • More sayings
  • Lefty loosey. Righty tighty
  • Needle chart

The thing I find most interesting is that I chose to use my Ellenism’s, When I was teaching, there were things I said always in a particular way so they would stick. If you’ve ever read The Tipping Point, it has a discussion of how to make ideas sticky, available for people to hold onto like an internal post it note. They were a huge part of what I wanted students to take away with in their class, whether they could find their notes or not.

Some of my favorite Ellenism’s

  • Lefty losey. Righty tighty
  • (how to adjust a bobbin case or turn a screw)
  • New day, new needle. New project, new needle.
  • Everything worth doing, is worth doing badly
  • Stop for bad noises
  • Perfect this time if only different next time
  • Thick thread, straight stitch.

The Point

The point to all of this was that it was for teaching. So much of my time was in classroom, that I’d stylized how to capsulize information into phrases they’d repeat and remember. I think they thought I was being silly. That too. It doesn’t matter. They could remember it.

This new studio is not for me to teach in. it’s a space to go back to my work. So perhaps someone will come visit and I’ll dust this off, so they can remember the things I thought were important for students to learn. If nothing else, it reminded me.

The Tipping Point is available on Amazon. I recommend it to anyone working on communication skills. It’s brilliant.

New Year Directions: Sometimes God Just Kicks Your But. Punchline: I’ve Just Been Given A Studio

| ellenanneeddy

719 Lady Mantis

You haven’t heard much from me as a  quilter lately. I really try to subscribe to a no whine policy online. Everyone has their hard days, their dry times, their desert experiences. I’m not sure it’s better to be public about it.  Misery is not lighter for sharing it. It’s more like  lightly smearing a huge spill with a paper towel so it covers a larger space.Over the last four years, my major occupations have been negotiating two knee surgeries and figuring out dinner for two.

The surgeries are over. My rehab continues, but that’s life long. I would say I was on my knees grateful, but I can’t get on my knees. So I’m standing grateful and that’s a lot.

Collage gone amuck.

I’ve been wondering where my art has gone in that time. We never stop being artists. It’s a birthright in our genome, not a gift. But it is a practiced and oiled skill. I’ve worked on digital collage,  bizarre crochet, tatting and book design. All things that don’t require walking.  But would I go back to quilting? I wasn’t sure. I’ve moved a 2 car 2 level studio into 1 room and found I couldn’t find my own ass, never mind the thread and fabric I bought yesterday.

 

 

So I was blasted out of my chair when Don asked me if I would like a studio? Would I like a studio? Do I need to breathe? Still trying to figure out how to do that after he offered me his old house, a perfect small house, for studio space.

Now if God picks you up and puts you in a new work space, what do you say? What can you say other than to mutter “Thank you” over and over and over until you fall over. And then start to pack. God kicked my but. All of my buts are irrelevant.

The new studio is in Galesburg on Seminary Street. We’re shoveling it out as we speak.

Of course I’m going to need some help. Not just moving but sorting and organizing and packing and unpacking. So for anyone who lives near by, or who fancies a visit and would like to run their hands through a lot of fabric, I NEED SOME HELP! I can’t pay back in money, but I will offer studio privilege and private study for anyone willing to help me. I’ll match you time for time for your assistance. If you can offer a teenager who can lift and carry, I’ll feed them pizza till their eyes bug out and offer you studio privilege and private study, your choice.  I’ll also offer some stash raiding (and I have a wild stash).

I don’t intend to teach in the studio in general. Or set up a store in any way. I will be dyeing fabric and I will sell it, but not in a venued way. What I hope for is a space for my work that I can share with people at will.

Current studio. One room is not enough.

I’m going back down the rabbit hole and stuff things in boxes. If you can come visit, or lend support call me at 219-617-2021.  Or email me at ellenanneeddy@gmail.com. I’ll be somewhere under the table but I can still find the phone.

 

 

Transformation in Process: Verbal Expression vs. Visual

| ellenanneeddy

MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA
Floral Arrangement 26

Many of you have followed me as an artist and teacher for the 35 years of my career. I thank you for that. I’ve so enjoyed the ebb and flow of teaching and learning that the quilting community has given me. I’ve loved exploring my art as I’ve had the opportunity of offering you all kinds of new techniques to explore in your own.

But nothing is forever. The world changes and we change in response.

Several years ago, the teaching positions began to dry up.  I really can’t pin precisely when this happened. It was in response to everyone’s tightened monetary conditions. Guilds felt they couldn’t afford a teacher every month. Or a national teacher more than once a year. The gigs trickled down from twelve gigs per year to two or three. It was no one’s fault. The profession I’d followed for thirty-five years was over. I was unable to make the switch that would have perhaps helped me continue. I needed to acknowledge that in a world where I was my own employer, I’d lost my job.

the-problem-with-princes
Problem with Princes

My art started years ago as an obsessive hobby and then became a career. But a career wound down does not return to an obsessive hobby. It flows into something else that fits better with the changes of the time. For one thing, I don’t have the strength I used to have at the machine. Or the need to create in the same way. The need for creation never goes away. But it does shift in focus and in substance.

So I found myself writing. I’ve always been a story teller. It’s a family legacy, that run’s through my mother’s side all the way back to Ireland. We tell stories.

Now before that, the bulk of my creativity has gone into visual expression. I’ve spoken in color and creatures, telling human stories in visual ways. Right brain stuff.

In my teaching, I got very familiar with identifying right brain people from left brain people. They needed different things. Right brain people needed stimulation and permission. Left brained people needed a formula they could follow. I worked hard at providing both because I’ve always believed a good teacher teaches everyone, not just the students like herself.

So it’s been a total journey to finally just express things in words. My left brain is pretty lame. But I’ve forced it around the track enough to try to master stories strictly in words.

My family has never been known for written stories. That has been the puzzle I’ve been unlocking for the last three years. How to tell a story that makes someone howl with laughter or shiver with fear. Or simply feel the connection of how we all react to the crazy bits of our worlds.

In my irresponsible tweens I spent time in Boston telling fortunes as a tea leaf reader in a tea room. It was a crazy time full of impossibly odd people and weird stories. It was completely formative. I learned things I’ll never do again. But in the way of all story tellers, I feel a need to share the stories just for the wacky reality of it.

I have not written a memoir. These are fantasized and sanitized for everyone’s protection. But it was not a safe journey or a time of stability. It was a wild unbalanced experience of people who were truly different and also in chaos. At the time, I felt that my reading helped them. Now I know better. But it is the journeys that build us, not by coming to a destination, but by enduring the stress of the journey itself.

So forty-nine stories later I have three books ready to publish. They are the loosely told story of my youth, going into a place of possibly and danger possibly to help those around me, but mostly to find out who I really was. I could not have become either the artist I was or the teacher I was without this journey. They both were formed in the steps towards the world of the psychics and the pathway away from that later.
gifted wSince these stories are all about tea leaf reading, I’ve included a tea cup with each of them. It’s not necessarily what someone would see reading, but just to give you an idea of how it feels.

So, will you join me in my remembrance of this journey?

Sight Unseen what the parrot saidwys My first story What the Parrot Said is available on Amazon for .99. There are other stories ready for you to read on my website, Sightunseen2016.wordpress.com.

 

 

tea room tales wI hope to have the first book, Tea Room Tales, available on Amazon very soon.

If you are kind enough to read my stories, please tell me what you think. A review is always welcome and the stories are in the long run, there for you. So I need to know how you feel about them.

It’s my transformation, from visual to verbal, from art to stories. Will you come along for the ride?

 

New Site, New Sights!

| ellenanneeddy

Fran Riley at Ellen's Thread Magic Studio in Galesburg
Fran Riley at Ellen’s Thread Magic Studio in Galesburg

 

I’m delighted to announce that my new web page is up at ellenanneeddy.wordpress.com! I have quilts for you to see and pieces available for sale that haven’t been up for some while.  Check them out and see if there’s something that needs to be under your tree at Christmas. Contact me if you need to discuss pricing or want to buy more than one piece.

I’m also celebrating my new studio being up and running. This is Fran Riley from KWQC who did a great  video spot on my studio and my work. Watch it here!

 
new-blue-fishHere are some of the things I’ve been working on. I’ve been in a fishy state of mind.

 

But I’ve also got dragonflies on my mind.

 

 

new-dragonfly

 

 

 

All in all it feels good to be back sewing again and to be back in my studio at work.

 

ellen

http://kwqc.com/2016/11/04/thread-magic/