Studio Building 2

How to build a studio floor:

Step One cut a big hole in the ceiling below the loft.

Step two. Get Mick the Muscle up on the porch roof to gently guide half a ton of steel girder through the window.

Step Three: Balance it on its end with the tip though the hole and send The Apprentice up in the loft to receive it.

Step Four: Get Mick the Muscle to give it one almighty heft and Bill the Broken Foot Builder to help out

Step Five: Up, up, up on tippy-toes with half a ton of steel on your fingertips.

Step Six: Make ballerina like poses

Step Seven: repeat four more times.

Then today the timber for the floor struts arrived just before the building inspector who passed the steel girders but insists that we replace every single internal door in the house with thicker fire doors. Hmm. Didn't plan for that.  I guess that's what 'contingency' is for in the budget. And Dad if you are reading this... would you mind painting a few extra doors when you come down?!

Building a Studio 1

I have not blogged much about the house recently and I probably owe you some before and after shots another day but today's news is all about the commencment of studio building.

Well, it turned out an actual building would be too expensive so....

... no, I jest. (I hope). This is the builder bolting pieces of timber to steel with a great big machine in the pouring rain.

Inside the house they have demolished a partition wall which formed three cupboards between two bedrooms.

The side door there is widened and becomes the door to the stairs. The door facing the camera will be the door to the understairs cupboard from our bedroom and a new partition wall will be errected a little nearer the canera than the original was, to finish off the room that will then be Dennis' library. The steel will somehow get inside the house through a window and up through the ceiling here in a way whch actually I think it is best if I do not know. Then the stairs go where the cupboards were and construction of the actual room begins. 

Leaving the Accra Quilt show/ Quilt Judging

Thank you all for your comments on Quilt Judging both on the blog and those who sent private comments. I have been delayed in responding by the need to make the above quilt in about 3 1/2 weeks. It has now been dispatched to the special exhibition of wax print quilts to be shown at the Loch Lomond Quilt Show this coming weekend. I made another with the left overs but I was so tight on time with that one that I forgot to photo it so you will have to wait for that one!

You will note that the pavement for the Leaving the Accra Quilt Show is the same techniques and fabrics as for Mothers of The Orphans. And so when it makes its way to Festival of the Quilts it will similarly get low marks I am sure. If you click on the photo above you should get a zoom view so you can see how many different shapes of eyebrows I invented! And the little laminated copy of the book about wax prints which the show is to publicise. It is 22 x 44 inches.

As for the judging issue, I hope I was very neutral as you my reaction to the comments when I asked for your views. It was interesting to see how much your views then co-incided with mine. I could see entirely why some aspects were satisfactory but the one comment I struggled with, given your reactions to the quilt when I first posted it was the comment that the visual impact was satisfactory. Interestingly I got a private comment from another quilt judge who has seen the quilt in person and who would have given it higher comments throughout. So I know where I can work at technical excellence and I know that the artistic element of judging is entirely subjective and unpredictable.

You may be interested in this video of the same Judge who judged mine explaining her judging at Festival in 2009 and this video of her colleague. Incidentally I was at that show and agreed with their decisions as to the winners, for what my opinion is worth!

Finally, a news report was circulated at work recently showing that Israeli Judges doing criminal cases were more lenient when they had just eaten. At the next show I enter I am going to make a quilt embellished with real food and invite the judge to snack while they comment.

Quilt Judging

You will recall my quilt Mothers of the Orphans.

You can see detailed shots and the previous comments on the quilt at http://downthewell.blogspot.com/2011/04/mothers-of-orphans-into-light.html. (sorry about the non-embedded link but blogger is not embedding tonight!! It was shown at Trentham and I was delighted when one of the traders said it was 'the kind of quilt which they asipre to make.'. What a lovely comment!

It arrived back home tonight with the Judging comments. I am posting them openly because I would be very interested indeed in all your reactions to and comments on the comments - whatever they are. Do you argee/ disagree? Can you add some specificity to them for me? etc etc.I will post my thoughts when I have had chance to consider yours, if I may! I am looking for constructve criticism of my work here and assistance in understanding the results so feel free to say what you will.

The possible marks are Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory or Needs Attention. In the following categories I scored:

Visual impact. Interpretaion of chosen theme: Satisfactory

Originality/ Content: Good

Design, Composition, Colour: Satisfactory

Choice and suitablity of materials and techniques: Good

Surface design and embellishment  not applicable

Quality of piecing Satisfactory

Quality of applique satisfactory

use of chosen materials  Good

Quality of execution of quilting - satisfactory

Edge treatment, finishing, hanging - satisfactory

The only comment in the large box for Judges comments is' A brave try at some very difficult piecing. I like' vibrant'"