tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5769365373172562492024-02-18T21:38:34.880-08:00QUILTED: an international community projectLillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-34768442996503182522010-04-21T06:57:00.001-07:002010-04-21T07:12:41.456-07:00Photos from Day three<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnL9vuCD5EPpYeeKwBJxxMKLSypH0Us84V_gYNBpQIeyvkT9SZrjtd7TXqgnwrOmqYTzK7oBshViK3QHgpEF5SthizoPaC7ChZT3uQyAZxDu6spTA3jyljGJMDiQp6dQ5k-A2niLktukU/s1600/Quilted.day.3.I.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnL9vuCD5EPpYeeKwBJxxMKLSypH0Us84V_gYNBpQIeyvkT9SZrjtd7TXqgnwrOmqYTzK7oBshViK3QHgpEF5SthizoPaC7ChZT3uQyAZxDu6spTA3jyljGJMDiQp6dQ5k-A2niLktukU/s320/Quilted.day.3.I.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462592399862619458" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, serif; ">Iva, Lillis, Sarah, Bieta (Saskia is hidden behind Bieta's head). </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, serif; ">This was the only group shot with Iva!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecYfMIKjGDsICsbjHa7OQzmRiDohgBeuh74FQncxZvQl1C6yVl6acgKrANNqRQp-E1wFQN4KwaN8d8ivjetRA91ADO4Zd7gAqTlCv8JQIbEDm59jE8MLW-NeSTcuGFCNsjZ9epNC5nL0J/s1600/Quilted.day.3.H.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecYfMIKjGDsICsbjHa7OQzmRiDohgBeuh74FQncxZvQl1C6yVl6acgKrANNqRQp-E1wFQN4KwaN8d8ivjetRA91ADO4Zd7gAqTlCv8JQIbEDm59jE8MLW-NeSTcuGFCNsjZ9epNC5nL0J/s320/Quilted.day.3.H.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462592394921442818" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Back row: Pietro and Saskia, front row: Sarah, Lillis and Biet</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">a</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(It was Halloween - I was a pumpkin!)</span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRk1Ar-RjkCJwo2LG-kI4YmVgK_0lx7fhTBy0rboqHSvfIprY1KTpjhDOfA7jKKeYTNzE0aooesFyNbFVhGpzjfYumfGFHs8XJJIinVpfm_spZUGFpdOM7V-gkj2Myafl7QOXbRMdEyWk/s1600/Quilted.day.3.G.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRk1Ar-RjkCJwo2LG-kI4YmVgK_0lx7fhTBy0rboqHSvfIprY1KTpjhDOfA7jKKeYTNzE0aooesFyNbFVhGpzjfYumfGFHs8XJJIinVpfm_spZUGFpdOM7V-gkj2Myafl7QOXbRMdEyWk/s320/Quilted.day.3.G.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462592387315414434" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; "><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Back row: Pietro and Saskia, front row: Sarah, Lillis and Biet</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">a</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOyYgOlRPUXwODUJep3ITGH2hGa3cSWuJeT2AF0WKf9bSUL1Wl3hZIJTXhGNwdCl-SohFFNuC1q5GkvP0GeisuF0Md9YeNax6Gcl3s87KfOUTQ2IAzKgsokimJ9xGXhMV3CfKsCa61X7N/s1600/Quilted.day.3.F.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOyYgOlRPUXwODUJep3ITGH2hGa3cSWuJeT2AF0WKf9bSUL1Wl3hZIJTXhGNwdCl-SohFFNuC1q5GkvP0GeisuF0Md9YeNax6Gcl3s87KfOUTQ2IAzKgsokimJ9xGXhMV3CfKsCa61X7N/s320/Quilted.day.3.F.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462592172438844786" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A beautiful Iva-Saskia moment...Sarah and Bieta listening but working</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaWFkhE-Rq3d8_FH5VV2SCdcClZPKVEzt4wP6PfvjUF3FrAADBff4K7Jtz2fHb1mC8pgRMsHOuOyJOGSpPMJVrl1JncRZ3SAKPVh2zaZ4-Rx1EwbgD8i54JesLWTxKSTOLFkkpFlo57xA/s1600/Quilted.day.3.E.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaWFkhE-Rq3d8_FH5VV2SCdcClZPKVEzt4wP6PfvjUF3FrAADBff4K7Jtz2fHb1mC8pgRMsHOuOyJOGSpPMJVrl1JncRZ3SAKPVh2zaZ4-Rx1EwbgD8i54JesLWTxKSTOLFkkpFlo57xA/s320/Quilted.day.3.E.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462590015000502866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJm1HijMPBCZe83Nu_B-_D6LASiB5RfrA5cVEc1YPxk05mFk6JCtQ3-_5CpPplQLyShTJM_5CZ2uj0KFrWJfxcWVeIJLF-xq__yP0Nh_P44nHpIUgv2NaUzCwENHaGFBUjqoBCKJORWwci/s1600/Quilted.day.3.D.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJm1HijMPBCZe83Nu_B-_D6LASiB5RfrA5cVEc1YPxk05mFk6JCtQ3-_5CpPplQLyShTJM_5CZ2uj0KFrWJfxcWVeIJLF-xq__yP0Nh_P44nHpIUgv2NaUzCwENHaGFBUjqoBCKJORWwci/s320/Quilted.day.3.D.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462590009946264082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFTvEOJJ2h4XkDtK4NFYVKXC3Ese9YJbU1nb1QlLkb7JP5LKx04kC877l31c24tlPUHL6p39Lh0NkNilYp209NlEDyJXB2y9Nm19ReQFMWdWgED5_DusQtSN_5hvNYQbUF7UVnVuzHAWb/s1600/Quilted.day.3.C.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFTvEOJJ2h4XkDtK4NFYVKXC3Ese9YJbU1nb1QlLkb7JP5LKx04kC877l31c24tlPUHL6p39Lh0NkNilYp209NlEDyJXB2y9Nm19ReQFMWdWgED5_DusQtSN_5hvNYQbUF7UVnVuzHAWb/s320/Quilted.day.3.C.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462590009613099298" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Saskia's beautiful bird quilt square</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtXhP7vJI0t-xJhaLkyP_HQBIw1JpxUwhTmkCwTRnsFdZaYIf12vMxiclHPTX6NSGfamDTKTEH658LMBJ1smM-gBM4C49e_Hcqfggd8Vo1-5a_IlEAZ4VDh5Rw-ey5Ayg4IbBx-ai1UWb/s1600/Quilted.day.3.B.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtXhP7vJI0t-xJhaLkyP_HQBIw1JpxUwhTmkCwTRnsFdZaYIf12vMxiclHPTX6NSGfamDTKTEH658LMBJ1smM-gBM4C49e_Hcqfggd8Vo1-5a_IlEAZ4VDh5Rw-ey5Ayg4IbBx-ai1UWb/s320/Quilted.day.3.B.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462590003777863714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSq9pRPKvpgDV8M5jw0w-HqsdWUtCYelegXJJaRx85vHPZ4Cyt83TCd6iT9ewD2SdAgNAry8pqmV-3aJDSgZcIvpRcGpk7UXFtpubZen7VMsyS9s_lNVHIaIF8Wx6fUHia5-3i4giK38b_/s1600/Quilted.day.3.A.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSq9pRPKvpgDV8M5jw0w-HqsdWUtCYelegXJJaRx85vHPZ4Cyt83TCd6iT9ewD2SdAgNAry8pqmV-3aJDSgZcIvpRcGpk7UXFtpubZen7VMsyS9s_lNVHIaIF8Wx6fUHia5-3i4giK38b_/s320/Quilted.day.3.A.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462590000196176866" /></a>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-26047615454637466732010-04-21T06:53:00.000-07:002010-04-21T06:54:46.483-07:00QUILTED: Day two and three<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Days two and three ended up being the last days of QUILTED in Poland. But once I relate the events of those days, there is still an awful lot to tell. QUILTED has continued and just keeps going and going.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">On the morning of Day two, I was very excited. What was I most excited about? My own sewing and continuing it. But I was also really excited to continue getting to know the other women who had started squares. The day would end up being a very quiet one. Jessica and Teresa had ZBF responsibilities that kept them from even stopping by for a moment to visit. Iva and Alicja had volunteering responsibilities that came first, and I completely understood. Anna was participating in another workshop, which was taking place at the same time. All of my original compatriots were already accounted for and no new ones appeared to participate.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">A group of Italians did arrive in search of their accommodations and I invited them to return for the third day of the workshop, but they had to go attend to their rehearsal space. I spent the three hours that morning sewing and drinking tea and reflecting. It was the first time in a long time that I had really taken some time for myself. I enjoyed the quiet and the peace and the "work" of my sewing. The experience of QUILTED in two days had already shown me how important taking such time is for the individual.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Later that day, I met the group that was visiting from Belgium: Pietro, Sarah, and Saskia (I apologize as I know their names are not spelled correctly). Pietro had read about my workshop and wanted to know if he could attend for a moment or two on the last day. While the idea of a male participant or viewer was not originally part of the workshop's intent, I felt that the evolution of the project was more important than attempting to retain the women-only clause so I told Pietro he could come in the last thirty minutes of the workshop.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What surprised me though, was the arrival of Sarah and Saskia at 10am sharp the following morning. Saskia was thrilled to participate and Sarah was a little less so, but seemed to enjoy piecing her square together once she started. Also sewing that morning were the volunteer Iva, and an employee of the Institut, Bieta. She is an older woman and had expressed interest in the workshop to me earlier in the week when the Open Program had been practicing and performing in one of the Institut's off-site venues. On the first morning of the workshop, Bieta came in and shyly told me that she wouldn't be able to stay as she had a lot of work to do. But she asked if she could pick out some fabric in order to start work on a square. Then the members of Open Program told me that she would work on her square while they rehearsed. To them, she seemed happy, at ease and a little calmer while she worked. This didn't surprise me as I had found that sitting down to sew was changing my own mood and place in time as well.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">So Bieta managed to find some time to participate with us that Saturday morning. She was going to sew with us and then continue all of the duties and responsibilities she usually dealt with on her one day off a week.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The Belgians were so much fun and Saskia and Iva began a beautifully rich conversation, switching from English to French in certain moments. Saskia was so excited about the project and jumped right into the creation of her quilt square. Sarah was fascinating to watch. She had some idea, but when we asked her what she was doing, she couldn't really speak about it. She found more excitement in the composing of her square and once she realized she only had an hour left, she wistfully turned to the sewing of her creation. I soon found out why she had been ill at ease about the sewing...she had a very hard time threading her needle and so I spent the last hour helping her do this task several times, as she wanted to change the color of her thread often.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I can still feel the gentleness of this act, even now, five and a half months later. There was such a tender, quiet exchange as I threaded Sarah's needle. It was as if she became a child and I became her elder. I can't think of other times that such a role reversal has ever occurred and I think it is these quiet little moments that I was writing about in my proposal. I had been curious about what kind of exchanges would occur among women in an intimate, multi-generational setting and here was yet another peek into those mysteries. Bieta also asked me to thread her needle once she saw that Sarah was not at all timid about asking me.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">And just when we were into the full swing of our time together - having experienced both moments of complete quiet and concentration as everyone worked at their squares and moments of loud chatter as we drank tea and laughed and joked - Pietro entered the scene. This kind, respectful, thoughtful artist himself entered so quietly that at first we didn't notice him. But he quietly greeted us and Saskia and Sarah showed him what they had been working on. Sarah left her square to be finished by me, since her favorite part had been composing it and not sewing it. Saskia wasn't ready to relinquish her square though. She took it with her and since she was scheduled to leave the following day, I saw her working on it two or three more times throughout the day. She left it wrapped in a note on the pillow of a fellow Festival-goer who gave it to me after she had left.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">While that was supposed to be the last day of the workshop, there ended up being one more worth relating. But first! Photos from Day three!</span></span></div>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-20952614119407956202010-03-09T07:20:00.001-08:002010-03-09T09:07:30.590-08:00Inspiration: Part 3<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Here's an article that ties quilts to the Underground Railroad movement. Enjoy!</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><a href="http://artbistro.monster.com/news/articles/10421-did-quilts-play-part-in-underground-railroad"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">http://artbistro.monster.com/news/articles/10421-did-quilts-play-part-in-underground-railroad</span></span></a></div>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-2062069791603542562010-03-09T06:28:00.001-08:002010-03-09T06:41:42.899-08:00More photos from Day one<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqav5YpMPdjw235du1N1lPKbFy4OZJhAhg3azlhWc6LIlhrbSUJvy-z_Z6eebWf2o-rjKMCR_huc5n9psgCB3hmrQo6DHAYVc3PZYvFbYN7uS6UfqfSEPhuSFwpbzu5Y0IfA2z4viO_CB/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.K.jpg"></a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlA8DmsUqL_EBRbAKHPEw0itIyEZkx6OOUWakMZhQGa2lEgYXPNT0LWx-2cT9tnr_Okkq5t7AGATdRsCAyHCZhv9y29S57d7b9ix3oWcATwyP39dzobOQqs-w1esnButDZd6ZsAYnwr9x/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.F.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlA8DmsUqL_EBRbAKHPEw0itIyEZkx6OOUWakMZhQGa2lEgYXPNT0LWx-2cT9tnr_Okkq5t7AGATdRsCAyHCZhv9y29S57d7b9ix3oWcATwyP39dzobOQqs-w1esnButDZd6ZsAYnwr9x/s320/Quilted.day.1.F.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446641377488924130" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Iva and I are well into the beginning of our squares. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Jessica chooses fabric and Teresa contemplates what her design will be.</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpGUnN6EgFD01qphbSOx77o6t1mzxuOqwjBYuPY2EA2TL3o0qzITo4iMDJ7XpL1_juIE2CM4QJHpFsIdjO6Yog-leO_Y5bC4R3vMlgYF4YqaBp_EUtGY7UP1eQ-Cig8hshzmCMoAJOb3c/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.G.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpGUnN6EgFD01qphbSOx77o6t1mzxuOqwjBYuPY2EA2TL3o0qzITo4iMDJ7XpL1_juIE2CM4QJHpFsIdjO6Yog-leO_Y5bC4R3vMlgYF4YqaBp_EUtGY7UP1eQ-Cig8hshzmCMoAJOb3c/s320/Quilted.day.1.G.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446641368066981154" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Alicja diligently cuts out little whisps of yellow striped fabric. Iva takes a moment to show off a new piece of fabric.</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwljoTQy4k7WCeSSOKuVnfZd1jgdpmEWhV7U__-TM7dGvTEx0S1Ek6UQ2FndUNOrde-BmpE8Rzglm4JNan7J1Vg45G7gO2hJXmksjlFnDz9SqeYoesrKbQR4D60JmFiHnRtu0MqpJicXvs/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.H.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwljoTQy4k7WCeSSOKuVnfZd1jgdpmEWhV7U__-TM7dGvTEx0S1Ek6UQ2FndUNOrde-BmpE8Rzglm4JNan7J1Vg45G7gO2hJXmksjlFnDz9SqeYoesrKbQR4D60JmFiHnRtu0MqpJicXvs/s320/Quilted.day.1.H.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446641365515954498" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Mladdin caught by the camera after discussing the merits (or lack thereof) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">of not allowing men to participate in the workshop.</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_LhT5gSnroVaILLVkUgs0UhWFg0M1mt6Xn6x3fGJks2YnPtsn6J3oKx2SjoL7bbe5LCh6rfYJwlspZoGcwrSjc6-c13XFUEaeHnq-tVwzUG3-5QzxVLQMtO-Q0hH1QrI7nG4bz4EVVPY/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.I.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_LhT5gSnroVaILLVkUgs0UhWFg0M1mt6Xn6x3fGJks2YnPtsn6J3oKx2SjoL7bbe5LCh6rfYJwlspZoGcwrSjc6-c13XFUEaeHnq-tVwzUG3-5QzxVLQMtO-Q0hH1QrI7nG4bz4EVVPY/s320/Quilted.day.1.I.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446641363539834130" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I take a moment at the end of the workshop's first session </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">to record the names and countries of the first day's participants. Tea in hand!</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWu5Z7rYxjT2DogXPbLqt5pOEmSkqWvrqtKEzqGTi-TJaiGxpqLFrY80sz6DZleip13Z_Ns_Ut8E-VZddNMjA2WzgUhCCc5wbTSyZthCxNaasWNJdW7D5PFsiEY01jGbkNQwdVewrDXO7y/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.J.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWu5Z7rYxjT2DogXPbLqt5pOEmSkqWvrqtKEzqGTi-TJaiGxpqLFrY80sz6DZleip13Z_Ns_Ut8E-VZddNMjA2WzgUhCCc5wbTSyZthCxNaasWNJdW7D5PFsiEY01jGbkNQwdVewrDXO7y/s320/Quilted.day.1.J.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446641359118187186" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The work table after the first day of the QUILTED. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqav5YpMPdjw235du1N1lPKbFy4OZJhAhg3azlhWc6LIlhrbSUJvy-z_Z6eebWf2o-rjKMCR_huc5n9psgCB3hmrQo6DHAYVc3PZYvFbYN7uS6UfqfSEPhuSFwpbzu5Y0IfA2z4viO_CB/s320/Quilted.day.1.K.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446643191151284978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Six squares in their beginning stages. </span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Three of these made it into the final ZBF quilt.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You'll have to continue reading to see which ones were completed.</span></div></div></span>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-71364623250091942822010-03-01T07:30:00.000-08:002010-03-09T06:45:55.581-08:00QUILTED: Day one<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hA5VU6iGvlvSvkbiJosrVIwoQoKsSBi6HncvQN0tWBdLYVwRgL7kRjCfjKeZyhWdk0eTjxq4wxz5iQuwAVv-ADA4X5UW5NUhFgd_J3Al6ruwRcNfJD_svQTFaYsB8pktS1m181eGLkNd/s320/Quilted.day.1.A.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446639087520063906" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">QUILTED workshop room - set up and ready for participants!</span></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1EuedG-dXG2rxpjWEcrK7XD5ZXk-3LpiQIDAb0qF3aYdkOm8rgUWl87t8LQ7T8JqClB5ssOQz_TNi6KI8b6zmCicQ6lRrXlXVKJknBg8GwoGRDBiHJ2wvy0XQidQGocfocJYEKVD-UWR/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.E.jpg"></a></span><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_2kYoc3ajYn1PRVlHlcgvCOLl_Dr6sW27DB8lbsVgZZMJ4_nnRePH5yAaJBOd8aFrmqmf5YEIYv7HkkNQoXg7pk-4cv9_f9uLqkKCYZqYwW4e-gaCKC4ZzESCdQIWZvvbDpTm0TgxzIs/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.B.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_2kYoc3ajYn1PRVlHlcgvCOLl_Dr6sW27DB8lbsVgZZMJ4_nnRePH5yAaJBOd8aFrmqmf5YEIYv7HkkNQoXg7pk-4cv9_f9uLqkKCYZqYwW4e-gaCKC4ZzESCdQIWZvvbDpTm0TgxzIs/s320/Quilted.day.1.B.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446639096209185090" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Scissor-wielder (only slightly anxious)</span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRNpCubKX49Xc9yBs2j8cfiGZmi8IIbx6BXjhbLb9uHTKKoFhcCl5odm47RzBcNk19khzutkhh61oLK8tXfodW_HIGS-GvoMcwvSG7Z9LK60sEytPsnKOB0ZoxA6PUN8SuqlFNRMq7rR8/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.C.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRNpCubKX49Xc9yBs2j8cfiGZmi8IIbx6BXjhbLb9uHTKKoFhcCl5odm47RzBcNk19khzutkhh61oLK8tXfodW_HIGS-GvoMcwvSG7Z9LK60sEytPsnKOB0ZoxA6PUN8SuqlFNRMq7rR8/s320/Quilted.day.1.C.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446639099512532258" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1EuedG-dXG2rxpjWEcrK7XD5ZXk-3LpiQIDAb0qF3aYdkOm8rgUWl87t8LQ7T8JqClB5ssOQz_TNi6KI8b6zmCicQ6lRrXlXVKJknBg8GwoGRDBiHJ2wvy0XQidQGocfocJYEKVD-UWR/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.E.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">va gets started.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">It was just the two of us and we had already had a very inspiring talk.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now she was ready for business.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuS7W1JNTbcgwb9OxZ_fBGkhdAzb_PHorNYRbb7ZO7pd8IzY-IjkCCiokXH_E4zbxy-1MNi9fCjBA1kQm-Cg1DLWsqa-vLXt_2mOqegYx4RtF0roS1XdliNTys3cEatTd3bCbxGm50GpcL/s320/Quilted.day.1.D.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446639103897683122" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Jessica and Anna look on as Iva plays the piano for us</span>.</div></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1EuedG-dXG2rxpjWEcrK7XD5ZXk-3LpiQIDAb0qF3aYdkOm8rgUWl87t8LQ7T8JqClB5ssOQz_TNi6KI8b6zmCicQ6lRrXlXVKJknBg8GwoGRDBiHJ2wvy0XQidQGocfocJYEKVD-UWR/s1600-h/Quilted.day.1.E.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1EuedG-dXG2rxpjWEcrK7XD5ZXk-3LpiQIDAb0qF3aYdkOm8rgUWl87t8LQ7T8JqClB5ssOQz_TNi6KI8b6zmCicQ6lRrXlXVKJknBg8GwoGRDBiHJ2wvy0XQidQGocfocJYEKVD-UWR/s320/Quilted.day.1.E.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446639114652430130" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Teresa studies her fabric options and </span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Alicja takes a sip of tea before continuing with her square design</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On the morning of October 29th, I arrived at the institute about an hour before the workshop was set to begin. Jessica and I set up the space: a room used for showing films. The room had a high ceiling and wooden floors. We placed two tables in the center of the room and the fabric and needles and thread on one side with chairs all around. Another smaller table was brought in and I placed a tea kettle, mugs, sugar, cream, tea and treats on this table.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had gone to the grocery store in the Rynek for the sweets and came away with a box of danish-type items with powdered sugar and jam rolled into them. I also purchased a Polish specialty - cookies with crushed nuts baked into them. It being the first day of ZBF, people were running in and out and Jessica was juggling several other responsibilities while helping me set up. She took one small moment to herself when we were ready and looking around said, "I want to participate!" It was very inviting, indeed. And the idea of a morning spent drinking tea, meeting other women and putting needle to thread was very exciting to both of us.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At ten o'clock there was also to be a brief volunteer's meeting at the Institute. A young woman, Iva Popova, arrived for the meeting and asked what we were doing. We told her about the workshop and, her eyes wide and sparkly, she promised to return after the volunteer's meeting. At first, it was just me sewing in the room. I looked over the fabrics and tried to get an idea for my square.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had cut a square that was approximately 10 inches square the night before to use as a measure for all of the squares, in retrospect, it might have been too large. I decided that since I had designed the logo for the festival, it would be appropriate to make a cloth version of the logo for my square. Once I had my idea, I was intent upon starting and quickly forgot that I was alone in the room.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shortly after I started, Iva returned and full of energy, life and words, began to tell me about herself. A very young woman from Bulgaria, she was living in Poland - Wroclaw in particular - in order to participate in a nine month internship involved in urban planning and development. The project she was a part of was dedicated to revitalizing a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. As she told me about her project's scope and as I told her about the intentions behind QUILTED, we started to see some collaboration possibilities. She became very animated especially when telling me of a community center that would be renovated within the month. She felt that a sewing bee would be the perfect way to inaugurate the new center. Iva asked my permission to speak with her program coordinator. I gave her my blessing and promised to participate if the event occurred while I was still in Poland. Unfortunately, a few days later, she wrote to me and told me that her superiors had rejected the idea based on bureaucracy and politics. I was still very proud of her for coming up with the idea and was happy that QUILTED inspired her so.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Iva and I were the only sewers for about thirty minutes. Jessica and Teresa returned suddenly with some thirty minutes or so of free time on their hands. They knew it wasn't enough time to really start a square, but with Iva and I coaxing them to stay, they couldn't resist. Within minutes, another volunteer named Alicja arrived. She was very interested in the workshop and would have participated further, I believe, but had a lot of life stuff going on right at the time of the festival and couldn't commit to so many functions given a very interesting work schedule. She told us that first day that she was having to move out of her apartment immediately and that she worked at a casino as a dealer from approximately 10pm to sunrise.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We were five and then a very good friend of Jessica's arrived. Anna from Slovenia had been a colleague of Jessica's several years ago. She was in Wroclaw for Zero Budget Festival. She was in search of Jessica that morning and since Jessica was with us, Anna decided to stick around. Funny enough, Anna only participated that first morning, but her square is one of the six that was completed for the final ZBF "quilt". She composed a lovely square and so I decided to sew it for her.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For the most part, the three hour work session was full of talking, sewing, composing, talking, drinking tea, laughing, nibbling on sweets, talking and sewing. However, at one point, Iva took a break from her square and ran to the piano in the room and threw open the lid and started playing for us. It reminded me so much of what a traditional sewing bee contains: spontaneity and creative sharing between women. It isn't that men and women cannot have a comfortable exchange of creative energies, but there is something sacred and beautiful about a group of women experiencing some kind of work and expression together. Just as it is sacred when men gather and share what it means to be male in a group. I say "sacred" and maybe it isn't that when you think about it. But next time you find yourself around a group of the opposite sex engaged together, try to tell me there isn't something that draws you to the interaction. And feel free to tell me what it is, because I'm still trying to understand it. But honor it, I do.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This brings me to the other very interesting situation of the three hours. For the most part, the six of us were alone and completely at ease with one another. The workshop had been billed as a "women only" workshop and from the point of submitting the proposal, I had few people challenge this idea. Toward the end of the first meeting however, a male friend of Anna's, a young man named Mladdin, also from Slovenia, appeared. He asked for permission to enter the room, and I was told that he was simply looking for Anna, but once he arrived, he decided to stay. Immediately, he started to ask pointed questions that quickly changed the dynamic of the group. He wasn't cold or even insensitive to what was happening, he simply wanted to know, in a slightly aggressive kind of way why men couldn't participate. It was evident that his challenges were for the most part to be taken tongue-in-cheek, but there was something about his way that silenced the women in the room. It turned out he had spent the entire night before driving and upon arriving in Wroclaw decided to start breakfast with a beer instead of eggs. Later in the festival, he and I spoke and came to understand one another, but in that first instant, it was really wild to see how one male in the room could change the entire fabric of what was being created. It really was fascinating from the perspective of social dynamics.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At noon everyone dropped their sewing and promised to return. It had been a full morning and I was very excited to see how the rest of the workshop would progress. I knew by this point that bringing in Polish seamstresses from an older generation was highly unlikely, but I was still very hopeful that other members of the international group of Zero Budget Festival participants would add a square to the ZBF quilt.</span></span></div></div>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-71190425531002068712010-02-26T16:04:00.000-08:002010-03-07T18:33:56.686-08:00The Indoor Market: Wroclaw's best kept secret for notions and reptiles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino8NQ5U9xhT6AgrN57YtI75avkoFL5QgFaxmREgewD15uYTFpjpsER4HhzNBbEIoFZcJ5DrL6C10LRJpbmNokp81p62hSYbNvsCPcdNMY7fepRfI6apX7Ub_QRxmV-gvwpqzQluzVO-ji/s1600-h/Notions.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino8NQ5U9xhT6AgrN57YtI75avkoFL5QgFaxmREgewD15uYTFpjpsER4HhzNBbEIoFZcJ5DrL6C10LRJpbmNokp81p62hSYbNvsCPcdNMY7fepRfI6apX7Ub_QRxmV-gvwpqzQluzVO-ji/s320/Notions.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446085574194924194" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpMiYVp9V5t336Q2zTK_PaASam_5a_dKZup0ezm8FmebGTEsUVfZQ7SdN4D2_e63JmdyDkpt4LC4s3Bl2BQTu4cjCQLn1W3ZMJhRzjs-GE7yUAv02nHR6azhoeWmCpYl1qzIEXnxrXCJ9/s1600-h/night_before_quilted.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpMiYVp9V5t336Q2zTK_PaASam_5a_dKZup0ezm8FmebGTEsUVfZQ7SdN4D2_e63JmdyDkpt4LC4s3Bl2BQTu4cjCQLn1W3ZMJhRzjs-GE7yUAv02nHR6azhoeWmCpYl1qzIEXnxrXCJ9/s320/night_before_quilted.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443684864384148786" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:verdana, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Although I had already been to the sewing store inside the Rynek, and could have easily returned there to purchase the necessary needles, thread, etc. for the first day of the workshop, I needed to distribute more flyers and I wanted to challenge myself in the indoor market. The sewing store I had originally found was very nice and seemed to attract a certain clientele, where as the indoor market was much rougher around the edges. I figured, if I was going to truly put the idea of QUILTED to the test, the indoor-market was where those flyers needed to be.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Let me give you a quick illustration of the indoor market. This is one of our favorite places in Wroclaw. It sits just outside of the Rynek and right by one of Wroclaw's many city rivers. The market is housed within a huge, ancient brick and stone building with crazy iron rafters on the inside that make determining the original use of the building near impossible. The rafters are so aerodynamic looking that I believe it was a hangar for turn-of-the century dirigibles (19th to 20th not 20th to 21st...). When you enter the building, which only has two small doors for entrance and exit, though they aren't marked and part of the fun is getting trapped by the onslaught of people always going the way you aren't going, you are immediately struck by the synesthesia of the interior. A burst of smell, color, sound and eventually taste (after ordering a criminally cheap bowl of potato soup) explodes upon your every sense so that you're tasting the shouts of vendors and smelling the light filtering in from the ceiling-high windows and seeing the tartness of the fresh pickles and the richness of the freshly ground cinnamon. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Now. What does this have to do with sewing, you ask? Everything. First of all, the people who frequent the indoor market are the kind of salt-of-the-earth people who find grocery stores inconvenient and overly priced and unsociable. These are the kinds of people that I want to know more about. Besides, all along the top floor of the market, which isn't a floor so much as a stroll beside some of the last craftsmen to be found in public, are teeny tiny nooks where cobblers, seamstresses, locksmiths, watch repairmen, etc. can be found working at their craft day in and day out regardless of the Globalization occurring just outside the door. Curiously enough, situated in between these craftspeople, are strange stores that remind one of the sideshows of traveling circuses. There was a reptile store specializing in giant, exotic lizards and insects to feed to lizards. Another store featured baskets. The store smelled like a box that has been traveling on a boat from Asia to San Francisco and got left on deck during a storm. The owner was so doubtful of his own wares that he sat propped in a chair, sound asleep. Somewhere between the reptiles and the baskets, there were two notions stores and one seamstress. I approached the seamstress first.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What do you think of when you hear the word "seamstress"? Whatever you think of, I promise you this woman didn't fit the image in your mind's eye. She was sitting in the hallway, with a great view of the activity on the main floor. Her sewing machine looked old enough to be her great grandmother and she had a tiny radio plugged into the same outlet as the dinosaur. The radio was belching out what I guess I would call "rave" music. And when I approached her to show her my flyer, she actually turned the music up. She was wearing a pantsuit with fatigue print...the arctic fatigues...you know, camouflage in baby blue, white and black? She had a crew cut and looked like she might have come out of the womb smoking a cigarette. I started with a very timid, "Do you speak English?" That was when she turned the music up.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Luckily, my flyer was in Polish as well as English. Slightly daunted, I put the flyer over her sewing machine and pointed to the Polish portion calling for learned sewers to attend the workshop. She shook her head "no". I motioned taping the flyer to a wall nearby her, thinking that people who spoke with her might know how to sew and might be interested in the workshop. She shrugged and went back to the item in the dinosaur's teeth. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'm shy, and I don't like pursuing something once I am given a clear "not interested" indication. However, I was proud of myself for at least taping the flyer to the concrete post relatively nearby the seamstress. So, I suppose I was a little "heady" with my "success". Which explains why the second person I spoke with turned away from me completely and wouldn't even take my flyer. I had gotten too cocky, as it were. She was the proprietor of a notions store that I had seen while walking around the market the first time with Lloyd. I had lusted after her cheap embroidery thread, having spent the previous three months threadless because embroidery thread in Italy costs the equivalent of $3 per loop! I was recently at our mega-chain: HOBBY LOBBY here in Birmingham and was shocked and delighted to see that the same loop costs approximately $0.40 when sold in the US.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Okay, so she was totally disturbed by me and my overly excited request to tape the flyers to her windows, but I felt she didn't even give me a chance. My last hope was a notions store in between the seamstress and the lady with all of the embroidery thread. I had to be careful. I had to be smart. I had to buy needles and thread!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This store was closed and had what I can only imagine was a "be back soon" sign taped to its tiny door. While I waited for the proprietor to return, I scanned the earrings for sale at the booth that was at the top of the stairs leading down to my favorite fresh pickle dealer. What I wouldn't give right this minute for some of his pickles.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I had no intention of buying any earrings, but my position at the booth allowed me to watch for the return of the notions store lady. I saw a tiny older woman walking speedily towards the door and started towards it myself when I saw her thrust a key in and open the door. She ducked into the back and was nowhere to be seen by the time I entered the store. This time I was going to buy something before bringing out the offending flyers. This turned out to be the correct approach all around, although I still think the tiny notions lady at this last store was far friendlier than anyone else I had encountered that day. I purchased several items and then showed her the flyer. She smiled and gave me a thumbs up because she didn't speak English. Then, two young women around my age entered the store and the proprietress showed them the flyer, pointed at me and grinned. They kind of smiled and then went to look at buttons on the opposite end of the store, which was three feet away.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I left the store with more needles than I possibly needed and lots and lots of colorful thread. I walked back down the stairs into the thick of the indoor market, bought a pickle for the walk home and made my way back to the apartment to cut up fabric and organize for the following morning: Oct. 29th - the first day of QUILTED! (The picture at the top of the post is me preparing the fabric)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><br /></span></span>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-21409617756749803652010-02-26T12:30:00.000-08:002010-02-26T16:03:03.171-08:00TKANINY DZIANINY means Fabric Store!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoQU8SmpfMXu_cQ4gI_vxAD6Sxctl4jXrteYkfBJFROVTRop89GMv9PmROK3YPX5A0xOQEXzkd5WP1zKO_RNIcdJbqNNkLDwcuZH2y9U7gTf2tamsxhqkH3giS0Mn72iAUE6yWuRNudsJ/s1600-h/fabric_store_for_blog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoQU8SmpfMXu_cQ4gI_vxAD6Sxctl4jXrteYkfBJFROVTRop89GMv9PmROK3YPX5A0xOQEXzkd5WP1zKO_RNIcdJbqNNkLDwcuZH2y9U7gTf2tamsxhqkH3giS0Mn72iAUE6yWuRNudsJ/s320/fabric_store_for_blog.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442705177534950114" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It is February 26th, 2010. Today is the birthday of two dear friends of mine and as I sit here and think of the passing of time, I realize that it has been four months to the day (almost...three days short) since the first day of QUILTED in Poland. And you don't even know what happened! So here I go, trying to backtrack a bit so as to get it all down. The blog must continue because...there are real chances of continuing QUILTED here in Birmingham, AL, which is where I currently am. I know, I know. There is a LOT to catch you up on. Hold on, here we go...</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">About two days before the first workshop, I went to the fabric store that had been suggested to me by the Institute's secretary. A very hip woman who makes all of her own clothes, I definitely trusted her opinion. Actually, before going to the fabric store by myself, Lloyd and I made the journey ourselves on a Sunday. Along the way, we met a very nice young man who talked to us about music, showed us footage he had taken on his cell phone the night before at an avante garde performance somewhere in Wroclaw and told us he was leaving for a year in India the following week. This young man ended up coming to a couple of the Open Program's performances before embarking on his Indian adventure. Lloyd and I also found a really delicious restaurant nestled under the raised train tracks before finding the fabric store. I can't remember exactly what he got, but I remember there was melted cheese involved and I had serious entree envy.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I digress. We found the fabric store and I made mental map directions so I could come back later in the week with some money in hand to purchase the necessary fabric for QUILTED. When I did return, I noted quickly that the small space was chock-full of beautiful fabric. The more I searched through the bolts, the more lovely things would pop out at me. I remember picking out this print that had a warm brown background. The print was a floral that was very stylized...something in between Hawaiian Sixties floral print for a wicker couch and well, something possibly more modern? Anyway, I thought, "this will be totally rejected, but I'm buying it anyway" - it was half off.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">When I first walked in the store, I approached the nicer-looking of the two female employees and first asked if she spoke English. She sort of grimaced and said, "Yes?" so I kept it very simple. I handed her one of the flyers I had made seeking participants for the workshop and I told her I was going to be buying a lot of fabric. I picked out seven or eight basic solid colors, and though I didn't think about it at the time, I have learned now, just because there is the perfect leaf green, but it is a slippery silk, doesn't mean it's worth it for the color alone. The leaf green silk that I purchased was the most expensive fabric I bought AND the hardest to work with. There were some others that were also perfect color-wise, but have proved very difficult to stitch down with mere needle and thread and very minimal skills/patience!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">After getting a base of solid colors, I had a field day picking out the patterns. The best part? They were marked way WAY down and I was able to buy a lot more fabric than I really needed. This turned out to be a great boon after returning to Italy...but again, I am getting ahead of myself. After an hour and a half in the store, I had spent approximately 50 euros and had a HUGE bag of fabric. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I walked back to the Rynek and met Lloyd at the cozy middle-ages looking cafe/bar that we had enjoyed spiced warm wine at earlier in the week. I was excited by the fabric acquisitions. The next step was NOTIONS (all the tools, materials associated with sewing that ARE'NT the fabric).</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><br /></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-33672440843124166802009-11-13T06:29:00.001-08:002010-02-09T11:35:04.224-08:00Inspiration: Part 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I´m sitting at an Internet Point outside of security at the Munich airport and since I have six more hours before departing for Pisa, I thought I could at least add another bit of inspiration to the blog. I´ve got a lot of catching up to do and no internet time in which to do it, plus visitors arriving tomorrow! But catch up I will...<br /><br />In the meantime, please enjoy this clip of some of the women of Gee´s Bend, Alabama speaking about their lives and their quilting process. I want to write more about these women (I visited them with my father and Lloyd back in 2007), but for now I give you the clip and encourage you to view others on Youtube as well. These women were a significant inspiration for QUILTED and you´ll see why much faster just watching them than reading anything I write about them.<br /><br /></span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLxIGZNLt_Q"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">WOMEN OF GEE´S BEND, ALABAMA</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />(The above is a link...click on it!)</span></span>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-54142789828622707782009-11-11T09:18:00.000-08:002010-02-09T11:35:16.106-08:00Jessica, my French partner-in-quilting-crime<span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This post was begun on October 28th. The next morning, QUILTED began and I didn't have another real chance to post through the days of the festival. This past Friday (Nov. 6th) I came down with some nasty flu-like-bug and only went out and met the world again today. The festival will be over after tomorrow night, and I leave Poland even before the end...at 7pm tomorrow. So, I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog. The good news? QUILTED in its first iteration may be finished, but the project will definitely go on.</span></div></span></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(I will resume the below post in past tense...I apologize for the post-modern journalistic confusion!)<br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am just returning from the Institute, which is where QUILTED will be held. Jessica and I set up the space - she participating with me fully while handling a million other ZBF last-minute tasks. I should introduce you to Jessica. She is also a member of the Workcenter and her group has been handling all aspects of ZBF since The Open Program (Lloyd's group) arrived in Poland. In the evening of my first full day in Wroclaw, Jessica and I went to a cozy little cafe nestled in one of the many courtyards of the Rynek and discussed how to bring QUILTED into being over spiced wine and warm honey beer (The wine was so good that I've been searching it out ever since and try to make a point of experiencing it if I'm out at night).</span></span></span></span><div style="font-family:verdana;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family:verdana;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That evening, Jessica and I brainstormed all of the possibilities for bringing Polish women together under the scope of ZBF...we didn't want to scare women away who might view the Festival as being about theater, but we didn't want to forget the purpose of the project, which draws its basis from the purpose of ZBF. We came up with possibilities and tasks for the both of us (Jessica had been assigned the ZBF Workshops and QUILTED is under this heading in the program) and enjoyed our beverages. By the time we left the cafe, we were rosy with excitement and still trying to think of how to gather women for the project. Just as we turned the corner of the courtyard, walking arm in arm, we looked to the left and saw a sewing shop. It was kismet. As with that first happy </span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">accident, the steps leading up to QUILTED have proved quite easy.<br /></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Now that the project has been going for some days and is, in fact, finished without being "finished", I may be a little less naive in my reporting...)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Okay, so I found the sewing shop. On one of the Open Program's days off, Lloyd and I walked back to the cafe and I stopped into the sewing shop to purchase some needles and to make some inquiries. As I've mentioned before, the woman who waited on me spoke English and she gave me the number of a community of women in Wroclaw who meet to sew together. I next took this number to Urszula, a member of Jessica's group who is from Poland, and she called the women. There was some interest, but the timing seemed to be off. In the meantime, a woman named Bieta who works at the Grotowski Institute informed Jessica that she was interested in participating. Another woman, Bogosha, also showed some interest in participating. Both women were very curt when I approached them, but I was assured that they had mentioned that they wanted to participate. I met with Bogosha one afternoon and she told me about a fabric store about twenty minutes from the Rynek by foot that she highly recommended for cheap, attractive fabric.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The workshop date of Thursday, Oct. 29th was fast approaching (also the first official day of Zero Budget Festival) and I had much preparation still to do. I didn't have any Polish women who were confirmed to come, I had no experience in making a quilt and I had no materials for participants if they actually arrived...to be continued...</span></span></div></div></div>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-70707080805376902342009-10-30T05:17:00.000-07:002010-02-09T11:34:38.978-08:00From the front...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am writing from a cave of an internet cafe that sits in the alley across from the Institute. It is now day two of QUILTED and already many things have occurred and changes are being made in how the project will proceed. Yesterday, there were six participants: myself, Teresa from Chile and the Workcenter, Jessica from France and the Workcenter, Anya from Poland, Alicja (pronounced Alizia) from Poland and Iva from Bulgaria.<br /><br />Today, it was just me sewing, but I have a feeling QUILTED will now continue throughout the festival and there are two possibilities for me to join sewing circles here in the community outside of the festival. This is a terribly short post with little information, but it </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">is</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> an update from the front and I'm late for lunch, which is NOT a good thing. More later...and photos too!</span></span>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-38153524872813188152009-10-27T13:47:00.000-07:002010-02-09T11:34:26.533-08:00It starts with a sewing store<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsndJe02waRJ6kxkjW1_B-XhncUwKbBobjEW87D5dJItJE-clLeBzgrHrzyVASjpIAaAkM-wvqmyyoRCfNvASIRnY57Z8x8Glz5ZMm7OCklpamBxbu4pKaaULpcrQnzrTNWspNYBXUv3Ra/s1600-h/1st+sewing+shop+in+Wroclaw.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsndJe02waRJ6kxkjW1_B-XhncUwKbBobjEW87D5dJItJE-clLeBzgrHrzyVASjpIAaAkM-wvqmyyoRCfNvASIRnY57Z8x8Glz5ZMm7OCklpamBxbu4pKaaULpcrQnzrTNWspNYBXUv3Ra/s320/1st+sewing+shop+in+Wroclaw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397385787178610546" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had high hopes of being able to write almost daily about the progress of QUILTED, but it turns out I'm much too busy here in Wroclaw to find time to sit down and write while also near an internet connection. I've found just such a moment, but must leave very soon to attend a performance of the Open Program (of the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards) at an ancient bar here in town called Kalambur.<br /><br />I've been doing all sorts of small work in preparation for QUILTED, which begins this Thursday morning (I've been thinking it was FRIDAY!) at 10am. The above photo is of the first store I went in to to inquire about sewing communities in the area. The owners are Irish and the woman who spoke with me was very helpful though she said she herself much prefers drinking beer and watching Football to sewing. In any case, she gave me the number of a group of women who get together to sew and crochet. We've since contacted these women (they don't speak English so I've enlisted the help of a Polish friend) and it is possible they will participate.<br /><br />The way in which I found this shop was quite serendipitous but I'll have to save that story for NEXT time. (Fear not, I'm keeping all of this stuff fallow in the mind so that I can complete the story even if it is well after the ending takes place...)</span></span>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-35926398373068299922009-10-20T09:31:00.000-07:002010-02-09T11:34:11.105-08:00Inspiration: Part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjgR_jFgQH-gEYU3Z-ZzdIl2wUHnyUbGHEUamPL2M5wcADHdKWxF4PSwVRF80s3s5BcVAeTehwEkFCI4POYTkDpeOp7c8wuW_E38tG9W4S1WTi0x1VaeemVB10fNhCNHDymPO2RY-cBGW/s1600-h/grandma_moses.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjgR_jFgQH-gEYU3Z-ZzdIl2wUHnyUbGHEUamPL2M5wcADHdKWxF4PSwVRF80s3s5BcVAeTehwEkFCI4POYTkDpeOp7c8wuW_E38tG9W4S1WTi0x1VaeemVB10fNhCNHDymPO2RY-cBGW/s320/grandma_moses.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394722369552323762" border="0" /></a><br /><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you google "quilting bee" you may become as disappointed as I did to learn that there really isn't much accurate historical information on the Internet. I've even gone in search of articles in the UW library's online database and found very little in the way of written accounts of quilting bees. Even more difficult to find are photographs (or drawings, paintings for that matter) of quilting bees in action. So, here is the first installment in a list of inspirational elements: </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Quilting Bee </span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">by Grandma Moses (1950). In tandem with this project, I hope to find more artifacts and historical accounts.</span></span></span></span>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-6073271000486632712009-10-15T12:39:00.000-07:002010-02-09T11:33:55.688-08:00The Proposal<span style="font-size:85%;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I would like to propose a quilting bee for Zero Budget Festival. A quilt is a blanket made up of small fragments of cloth. The fragments are carefully designed and hand-sewn individually. The quilt is then pieced together and hand-sewn by a group of women during a quilting bee. Historically in the United States, women would gather at quilting bees to sew the fragments together, creating patterns and texture through this assembly, with the end result being a functional while wholly unique quilt. Quilting bees originated as a custom to help prepare a young woman prior to her wedding. The older married women of a community would gather to help the young woman build a collection of summer and winter quilts for her marriage. During these bees, younger women would learn a variety of skills from the elder women of the community. The gatherings were also an opportunity for friends that lived far apart to meet, socialize and reconnect. Quilting bees were solely attended by women, and three, four or five generations could be found under one roof. These gatherings were a rite of passage and a way in which a young woman could learn from the elder women of her community, not just her family. But with the advent of technology and the changing state of communities and social networks toward all things modern, quilting bees have ceased to exist. As the first decade of the 21st century comes to a close, it is clear that there is no current equivalent for this kind of multi-generational female community. However, a need certainly persists, and perhaps now something else is possible.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Zero Budget Festival strives to understand art as a way of interacting with others in a world increasingly fragmented and segmented by technologies that speed up the pace of life and place the members of a community at a distance from one another. Quilting bees necessarily move at a slower pace. While women often accomplished much in one day, it was a day spent together, as a group. Today, quilting bees are essentially an historical relic in the United States. The time and effort involved in the hand-sewing of several quilts can be contracted by the purchase of factory-made blankets. Yet while time might be preserved, that which binds the women of a community is lost. The act of community-making is lost. The process of educating the next generation of women is lost.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The Zero Budget Festival quilting bee will be an experiment in creating a temporary international and multi-generational community of women. Can the essence of an older generation’s knowledge of what it means to be a woman be transferred during such a short period of time? If so, how does this transfer occur? The international aspect of the participants immediately discounts language as a primary method of transfer. Within this potential conflict lies the true opportunity of the quilting bee: the transfer not only of skills, but also the essence of something inherent, though gained through time and experience, the passing down of which cannot be done through verbal communication. This experiment redefines the nature of its starting point for it adds a larger scale to the original form of the quilting bee and challenges each participant to work and interact in a different way. And within this challenge lies the true potential of how one might respond to Zero Budget Festival’s questions about community and (inter)action.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Zero Budget Festival seeks new modes for understanding community within the framework of creative interaction. The quilting bee will give its participants a chance to develop a mini-community over two sessions. Older participants, led by an experienced seamstress living near Wroclaw, will have the opportunity to offer guidance. Younger participants will learn how to piece together their individually-created fabric fragments into a larger, unified quilt. The design and theme of the quilt will not be discussed directly. Instead, these aspects will evolve through the shared development of the participants; the skilled and unskilled playing equal parts in this evolution.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Observing and possibly redefining the feminine rite of passage in an international context is primarily the intention of this proposal. Additionally, the fragmentation of society caused by Globalization is a secondary point which can be addressed through the quilting bee. Technology has paved the way for ease of mass production which has practically eliminated the existence of community-oriented trading of skills meant to support and bolster the community as a whole. Community bonds are fragmented. The beauty of the quilting bee is that it instead takes the fragments created and brought together by the individual members and binds them together into a single object with purpose, touched and marked by the community that created it. The irony of Globalization is clearly lost on its greatest advocates: a concept that theoretically brings nations closer together and into working partnerships actually destroys the fabric of communities that truly work together. In global mergers it is only the highest members of government and CEOs of major corporations that are working in a partnership together. The Zero Budget Festival quilting bee can take the word “Globalization” back from those that wish to simplify the world into a mass-production market.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Proposal Details</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">1. The proposed event is a quilting bee, but it must be divided into two sessions. During session one, the members of the bee will meet one another and begin and complete the fabrication of their individual fragments. Participants will each bring a piece of fabric and I will also provide some bits of fabric so that participants can manipulate their individual fragments. Members of the group will be encouraged to share, trade and transform their fragments into something new. The result of session one will be the individual fragments that will later be made into the quilt during session two. Session one should occur within the first few days of the festival and should be two to three hours in duration. Session two should occur toward the end of the festival, yet a few days prior to the completion of the festival so that the quilt can be finished if it remains unfinished at the end of session two.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">2. The number of participants depends. Currently, it is hoped that a master seamstress living near Wroclaw will take the role of director (i.e. will be responsible for showing participants how to sew their individual fragments and will oversee the sewing of the final quilt). A woman has been contacted who is interested and she also has twenty or so women who work with her. Either all or a fraction of these women could comprise the elder participants and members of the Workcenter who might be interested in participating can also join in. If there is a great deal of interest, multiple quilts could be the result of session two. Once the proposal is accepted, the second step would be to contact all women currently participating in the festival to determine a list of participants.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">3. Venue size will depend on the final number of participants. However, the type of venue that would most suit a quilting bee is a large room with lots of seating and tables that can be easily moved. Quilting generally occurs around a table, but sometimes it is easier to work in a circle of seated women without a table in the center. The tables will also be used to display fabric during session one and for laying out food and drink during both sessions. Good lighting is also preferable. Once the participation list is finalized, a better estimation of venue size will be available.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">4. Currently this proposal involves a Plan A and a Plan B. In Plan A, this project is spearheaded and organized by myself, but the actual bee would be directed by a seamstress from Poland. Historically, quilting bees were planned and directed by the oldest women in the family of a young woman about to be married. The peers of these elders would share in the direction and the younger participants watched, listened and learned. Because this is an international and multi-generational experiment, the preferred mode of running the bee would be through the guidance of an elder Polish woman. With the help of Aga from the Downstairs Group of the Workcenter, I am in contact with an elder Polish seamstress who is interested in the project. If for some reason she cannot participate or cannot help us find a peer who can participate, I am willing to lead the project under the guise of Plan B. All aspects and questions would remain the same in this second ideation of the experiment, however certainly new questions and imaginings would arise. Because Plan A is the preferred method, I continue to work to find the women that can help it come about. Should this not be possible, I am committed to seeing Plan B fulfilled with some minor adjustments that will need more consideration.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">5. There is the question of what should be done with the quilts upon completion. I think a showing of the quilts would be suitable as long as the showing is creatively thought out. This might be one of the discussions to be had with the Polish participants. It also might be fruitful to make a gift of the quilts, but this is a question that also needs further consideration. Along these lines, there is the question of the name of this event. Although quilting bee is suitable and to the point, this experiment seeks to see what kind of bee is possible when the element of verbal communication is removed or at least reduced considerably. For this reason, more thought must go in to what this event should (could) be called. For the moment, it is a quilting bee.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Thank you for your time and consideration in advance. If it is a suitable fit, I look forward to bringing this experiment to the Zero Budget Festival.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><br /></span>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576936537317256249.post-89146930864185243882009-10-15T12:35:00.000-07:002010-02-09T11:33:34.940-08:00"Yet another blog?!" you ask...<span style="font-size:85%;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Hello faithful readers (Aunt Louise and Mom)!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">This is a semi-professional (read VERY semi) journal of the days leading up to what will be a very interesting international community project...if I do my homework...which I certainly plan to do.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I am currently in Wroclaw, Poland, where I am helping with a number of various projects and daily tasks (babysitting included) for the next month, but in approximately two weeks, one of the main reasons for my being here will begin: Zero Budget Festival. ZBF is being put on by the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards as well as hosted by the Grotowski Institute. If this is all Polish to you, don't worry...I plan to explain myself in much more detail in the coming days. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">How I got to this point is a long, lovely story (in my mind at least) but all that you truly need to know to understand what this blog will be about is this: I was sent a call for proposals by a member of the Workcenter (also known as Lloyd) and I submitted one and now I find myself working to prepare for QUILTED, which is the name of my project and has a more official subtitle that I cannot at the moment quite remember.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Because I only decided to create a blog about this project an hour ago and because I am using the Internet in my roommate's room, I will leave you for now...but I wanted to post SOMETHING, and here it is. I think I'll go ahead and post the proposal and try to make sense at a later date.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Buona notte! (I need to learn some Polish!)</span></span><br /></span>Lillis Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01081344487228832496noreply@blogger.com0