Korak on the wall

what i've been doing

my korak collection thus far. 

no specific project in mind. 

just the pleasure of playing with a new technique. 

early this morning i pinned each piece to foam core. 

to see what's there   . . . . .

what might be there . . . .

what might emerge . . . .

if anything can be built upon  . . .

 possibilities?

 

wondering. . .

 

wondering?

Korak Under Gold

 hand-printed leaf under gold organza

 

 center medalion for a korak patch

 

a companion

 and another

audition

a bin of fragments

and so I'm thinking and wondering.  a little 'what if' today.  what if I bead the leaf.  or embroider the veins.

My Korak

 still playing with korak-style piecing

for now each square has a secret: 

its own raison d'etre

 

to say this technique fascinates me is to state the obvious:

i should be busily making holiday gifts for family

but here i sit:
bin of fragments

scissor, needle and thread

losing myself in the rhythm

auditioning

selecting

stitching

 

 korak patches

paired with hand-printed leaves

fabric naturally dyed

with color from my herb garden

We woke this morning to the first serious frost.  Fallen leaves are icy white.  Frost on the mums. A crispy early morning.  But we joyously anticipate temps in the mid- to high 50s by mid-day.

Quilts and The Matriach

On the drive back home on Sunday from spending the weekend in Connecticut with my sisters and their husbands, we stopped in Lowell Massachusetts.  Home of the New England Quilt Museum and our favorite Greek restaurant, Athenian Corner.  At the Quilt Museum, it was the last day of the exhibit, "Master Pieces" -- Haberdashery Textiles in Antique Quilts "featuring quilts made from menswear, some of it recycled clothing.

". . . this remarkable exhibition brings together over 40 intriguing graphic works made from simple quilts.......Quilts on exhibit are made from suits and shirts, neckties, pajamas, military uniforms, work clothes, even woolen underwear and socks. Some resulted from the artful salvage of menswear swatch sample books and fabric mill remnants. Among the 40-plus quilts on exhibit are several that are made from military textiles, including both uniforms and medal ribbons. Like the Biblical hammering of swords into ploughshares, these quilts represent a transformation of military equipment to peaceable ends, with striking visual results.....Remarkable tributes to those who served, military quilts combine the material aspects of a serviceman's life with the comforts of home, creating works of beauty that transcend their time and the conflicts that gave rise to them."

 Among the early quilts on exhibit, were those made of shirting fabric from the first quarter of the twentieth century.  My grandmother made such a quilt.  She was a factory girl working in the local shop that made Arrow shirts to be were sold to men of fashion around the world. Her job was sewing pockets to the fronts of these shirts. 

At the end of a work day, factory girls were offered bags of shirting scraps for pennies. These were used for quilt making at home.  My grandmother's sisters turned their scraps into beautiful quilts with intricate designs. Not so my grandmother; she would rather be dancing and she hurried through the task giving short shrift to design and color.   Her quilt was very utilitarian.  She started it, dropped and finally  finished it 1921 when she was pregnant for my father.  It is still in the family and treasured by my youngest sister, guardian of the shirting quilt.

 
So today, I am remembering my paternal grandmother, Madora Bond, born in Massachusetts in September 1896 and who lived most of her life in Leominster, a booming factory town in late 1900s, a prosperous town that lured French Canadian immigrants seeking jobs and a better life for themselves and their families.

More korak, please

still enjoying
just playing

with bits and bobs

of different fabrics from my stash of fragments

sorting through fragments

selecting

auditioning

remembering the original purchase 
what i originally created

remembering the textile designer

 that black and grey

with partial circles showing

is a nancy crow fabric

from the 1990s

she was my favorite textile designer of that period:
it took a long while before i wanted to cut into her fabulous designs

the red with black and gold

is an african import

the large triangle is japanese indigo

A little Korak, please

 

 

 

 These are my first attempts at korak-style piecing.

I'm sewing fabric fragments onto a background fabric by making folds in the cloth and pinning them down. Each new piece is laid over the previous one and pinned and then hand-pieced.

Eva gave me instructions to get me started and I plunged right in.....my usual tempo.  But after a bit, I began to wonder what exactly defines korak piecing. Is it the folded-over- fabrics? Is it the style of the quilt?

Perhaps they typically used folk art as a central motif or design element? What do modern era koraks look like?

Eva, once again helpful, told me about Ruth Tschudy and shared this link with me where I got the following quote and description.

The word «Korak» (meaning «patch») is today’s applied word of an old technique from Central Asia (mainly Turkistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan). Little literature is available on the subject, which is why Ruth Tschudy wrote a book about it, in which she explains the art and how to learn it.

 «Korak» will always be produced and sewed by hand. The most important materials are several and different parts of fabrics and cloths. You then need a pair of scissors, a ruler, an iron, a foxglove, and some pins. First then, you make a drawing and then create accordingly a template of the planned patchwork. According to your puzzle, pieces of cloths will then be cut and pressed on to a basic surface of fabrics. Then, each piece will be sewed together and your art is completed. The book features the variety of patchworks; accompanied by small stories and insights of the artist (this publication is both in German and English).

This is one beautiful example of Ruth's work

And over here you will find excellent antique koraks.  I received this link from Eva today and was thrilled and delighted to view these beautiful koraks online.  Inspiring.

For now, I am playing.  With no clear thought of 'what my korak will be'.  

A little korak? Hmmmmmm

 ..... and with a little luck and some practice .....

with help from Eva in Hamburg whose blog i faithfully read
I am trying my hand at korak style piecing


I like the idea of korak
it seems to be designed
 fabric fragments and scraps

And I have SCRAPS
vintage and contemporary
spanning 20 years of quilting.

Today looks like late autumn

hardly a leaf on the trees

tons fell to earth

but have been raked

bagged and brought into the woods as mulch

It's raining but not cold
temps forecast for the 50s and 60s tomorrow

This is a weekend away for us

an infrequent one

we are meeting two of my sisters

and their husbands

in Connecticut

for dinner

a show

and playing in the casino

Yeah for a weekend to play!

I'll be seeing you.....

July 22, 1945

Germany

Dearest,

I am on my way back to camp. I'm almost there . . . . . I've been in (this) place for two days . . . . getting lots of rest and good food.

How are you, darling . . . . And Patty?

As for me, I am in the best of health.

I haven't heard anything about going home but it won't be too long now, I hope.

Write often, darling.

I love you with all my heart.

And hope to see you soon.

Love and Kisses, Bob

PS.
Give Patty a big kiss for me.

I love you, Dot. 

Below the body of this short letter is the admonition to:

REPLY BY V-MAIL 

They were so young, those WWII warriors.

He was only 24 when he wrote this letter. They were married in 1942 but there wasn't much time for them to be together, to know each other. The war was on; he was married in his uniform.

My father and his two brothers, Norman and Richard, fought the 'good war'. His father, Noe Pierre, was a casualty of WWI and spent most of his adult life in and out of veteran's hospitals suffering the effects of mustard gas. Noe was a staunch advocate for returning soldiers of WWII and worked tirelessly for them when he was able. I have such clear memories of him in the lead automobile heading up the Memorial Day Parade in our Massachusetts town. The military and patriotism were important themes in his household.

During the war years, my mother and I lived with my paternal grandparents. I was the first grandchild and doted on and probably spoiled by my mother, grandparents and youngest uncle, Richard, who was still at home when I was born. I'm told that he would gather me into his arms, take me into his bedroom, prop me on pillows on his bed and tell all about his latest 'girl' and his date for the evening.

I recall a room that functioned as an office for my grandfather with a large desk and world globe.  My mother said that he also had a large map of the world over his desk on which he plotted the advance of the allied forces.

He had a bald, shiny head and I loved the way it smelled.  I have never smelled that fragrance again.

A tribute to veterans

written and previously published

on an older blog

Images for inspiration

 This is not not just any old barn you see

it is an iconic barn

named "Motif #1"

 located on the shore in Rockport

reputed to be one of the scenes most painted by artists

The gate opens

light plays

Cape Porpoise

Open Doors

This weekend is NH Open Doors.  Every where around the state, artists, artisans, small businesses are 'open' and celebrating the diversity of NH.  I was invited to participate in the Open Doors project with my friends Susan and Mary Jo (artstream) at open studios in their gallery in Rochester.  There were about 30 artists including those represented by the gallery and a bevy of invited guests like myself including:

 Miss Hawklette, a spinner/hand-dyer had the most delicious wool and colors. There was a metal smith/fiber artist who created edge-y art jewelry.  A rug hooker who did lovely, fun and wonderful rugs, mats and other decorative items. Several fine artists with sketches and paintings. And the sweetest little potter: 10 years old and learning from a master  --  owns her own kiln and has a studio in her basement.

Megan Bogonovich , NH ceramacist , who is represented by artstream was there . 

Representatives from the NH Poetry Society

were on hand in the afternoon to give poetry readings.

Here's a few images of work that I brought to NH Open Doors
 This is "Kitamba" a small beaded and quilted wallhanging