Saturday 25 February 2012

Effie Galletly

Today was the Area day for Region 10 of the Quilters Guild which covers Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland and after an enjoyable morning of catching up with friends, quilters' bingo and a very tasty lunch we were treated to a talk and slideshow by Effie Galletly.

I had seen Effie's work a couple of years ago at Quiltfest in Llangollen so it was good to see her inspirational sources and to hear a little of how she constructs her quilts.  (For my sins, I didn't realise that Effie had been instrumental in setting up the Contemporary Quilt Group of the Quilters Guild).

It was very interesting to see the types of photographs that Effie uses when she is looking to make her quilts and after a short while I began to see the shapes that could be translated into fabric. 




Interestingly some of the skies were formed by long running stitch rather than actual piecing of fabrics but equally some were pieced to express the changes in light and the movement across the sky.  While Effie uses some of her own dyed and painted fabrics she also makes full use of commercial fabrics and batiks if they give her the tones and textures that she wants.

The quilts in this presentation reflected the scenery of the Outer Hebrides and other islands off the west coast of Scotland and as we are going to Arran and Mull later in the year I enjoyed seeing her photos and seeing it through her eyes, especially with the idea of making interpretations in cloth.  I shall be reviewing my photos of landscapes with new eyes.

I have been a fan of Effie's and of Susan Denton who Effie had learnt from previously for some time and just need to find the time, yet again, to explore the avenues their work opens up.  Sadly Susan Denton does not have a strong internet presence so I have not been able to include a link.  I can, however, include a photo or two from the 2010 Festival Of Quilts.



 Susan uses a lot of recycled material in her work and also makes use of surface stitching to add to the texture.  If the chance arose I would love to take a workshop with her.  Talking of workshops, the Festival of Quilts workshop programme is now available if you haven't already heard.  Nip over to the Twisted Thread site and see if you can be tempted.  Bookings for members open at midday on 1 March and for non-members at midday on 8 March.  Decisions, decisions!

11 comments:

ju-north said...

Beautiful quilts! I love those landscapes

Heather said...

What stunning quilts. Effie gets such a sense of distance and space into her landscapes.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful work, I love those landscapes.

Peneller said...

How lucky to get to see Effie Galletly. When we were on Lewis last year we went to a gallery which had a couple of her quilts for sale. I was able to get a really close look and I love her work. The colours she uses are really evocative of the colours in the landscape. Also lucky you going to Aran and Mull! So envious!

Maggi said...

A lovely post Julie. Well done for getting all those photos of Effie's work. I even forgot to take my camera!

Helen said...

Hi Julie, I do like Effie's quilts. Met her when she showed her work on the island... such a nice lady. Thanks for showing!

Angela said...

Sounds like a great day. Effies quilts are fabulous.

pam said...

Oh that sounds like a super day. They all look really lovely.

Emma said...

Lovely landscapes.

I missed your last post as we lost our connection. I love your piece & it's definitely yours! It was your eyes that saw those wonderful colomns, people like us are like that from birth! It's other artists who help us to know how to express ourselves, & most artists can't wait to share a different way of looking. You carry on ;)

electric scooters said...

This images look so creative and wonderful.Guild which covers lincolnshire are really enjoyable.
.

Linda Vincent said...

Maggi told me you'd had a good day :-) Great to see those quilts...and I look forward to seeing what you do after your visit to Scotland Julie.
XX