Sewing Lessons in Port Dickson

Whilst living in Port Dickson (early 80's) in Malaysia, I had a few clothes custom made.  This was not unusual as almost everyone did the same.  They would shop for fabrics, of which there was plenty of choice, and then take them to a tailor with photo in hand, to have creations made to fit. 

Globe Silk Store in KL.  Levels of glorious fabrics.

I was fascinated by the process which was quite different to using our “off-the-rack” patterns at home.  Later, I discovered that my neighbourhood tailor also offered pattern making classes, so I jumped at the chance.  She had two other pupils so we had lots of attention and quickly managed to grasp the idea of drafting basic patterns to our own measurements.  The trick came later when we had to learn how to create more complex patterns.  I began to imagine myself costumier for Diaghilev’s Ballet Troupe. (Only dreaming!)

My course did not progress beyond the basics however, but I did have fun.  Many years later, I watched a pattern maker in Kathmandu, Nepal at the famous Mr Om's. He drafted directly onto the fabric with chalk.  Rarely did I ever have to have alterations made to the garments I had sewn up.  Pure magic; always awaited and appreciated! 

Colour on every street corner, Kathmandu

Relocating Egypt

Has Anyone seen Egypt? 

In case you've visited and found the posts on Egypt of interest but can't find them now, they've all safely travelled across the airwaves to a new home on Textile Tourist: The Early Years.  (Now just one blog, Textile Tourist, for sanity's sake. Ed.)

Why?  Well, I've just finished rebuilding my old Vox blog and thought they were better suited living with a pre-2010 travel/textiles blog.  On the Spur can continue to be my album, with added highlights or insights as necessary along that journey. 

Just keeping the troops in order really!  Find the Egypt posts here.

Not that it's ever easy!

Stumbling Fans

Grandmother’s Fan: UFO  (Started: 1983)

Grandmother's Fan in progress...after all these years

That first quilt was certainly a challenge.  Despite having the “fan” pattern and McCalls very clear instructions I could only manage to assemble some strange rectangular shapes. Curves were simply beyond me.  I cut shapes from cardboard and each piece of silk was over-locked to within an inch of its life.  Blocks, as they were machined together, were all backed with light cotton cloth.  This was to support the light weight and seemingly fragile silk.  

My fan project was abandoned and not seen again until the mid 80’s when I finally managed a patchwork class or two.  I sought help full well knowing that my fan did not look anything like the original!  “Go crazy”, Joc said, “add embroidery and beading.”  I think now I was a little timid….one of my many early quilting lessons courtesy of that quilt.  Crazy quilts were in vogue and despite not being particularly enamoured with embroidery I decided to go all out and decorated each fan with modest layers of stitchery.  Then it was all sewn together.  A huge top, reminiscent of a circus tent, was finally pieced!

Thank Heavens for Dorothy Bond's "Crazy Quilt Stitches"

Anyway, it remains as a top today, just waiting to have some more embroidery added and be quilted.  Modern machine quilting may be my salvation and perhaps, just perhaps, this poor quilt will decorate a bed yet.....before it disintegrates.

A romance with textiles continued however in the streets of Saramban and KL’s downtown Chinatown.  Globe Silk Store was a favourite and bargains were always to be had.  Sarongs were plentiful, colourful and cheap.  We managed to track down a Malaysian batik factory on a visit to Penang.  I particularly loved Malaysian outfits – colourful batik shirts for men and sarong kebaya for women.  Even then, fashion designers were pushing traditional shapes to new limits and integrating new and time-honoured fabrics such as songket and ikat.

I returned home to Australia with lots of ideas and many more things to make.  Finish that crazy silk quilt?  No time for that, I’ve just seen the most wonderful fabric...  

Just for the Record:
Quilt Finished Size:
Block Size:
Cut in:  1983 Port Dickson Malaysia
Pieced & Basted:  1983-86
Quilted:
Quilt Type: Group/Workshop/Own Design/Friendship   DIY Quilting
Quilt Finished: Yet to be finished
Exhibited: No
Collection: Home# 001
Pattern Name:  Grandmother’s Fan
Pattern Source:  McCalls 1980*
Fabrics Purchased:  Thailand 1980
Fabric Design:  Jim Thompson & others plain jewel colours
Fabric Style:  Loom Woven Silk
Materials Type:  Silk & cottons
Wadding Type: 
Backing:

*McCalls Needlework & Crafts Magazine September 1988 p64 (Original shown in Winter 1980 edition)

Lessons Learned:
Start small and don't fiddle about with things you don't particularly enjoy (for me - embroidery).  Also, seek help - join a class, a guild or local group - get some expert advice.  When I did these things, I relaxed and started to really enjoy quilting! 

Trial & Error 1980

M'Calls 1980

This was the quilt that inspired my patchwork beginnings.  Somewhere, somehow I managed to throw out the original magazine but had kept this black & white photocopy.  (Did they make colour photocopiers for home back then?)  The original quilt was a deep forest green with colourful fans, all in rich jewel colours - as only silk can be.  I think the outside edge of the fans were finished with velvet ribbon.  The rich moiré self patterning in the border fabric also added to its charms.  I was keen to give it a go.  And so I discovered the complexities of patchwork patterns.  The result, seen in the post to follow, will be finished.....one day!

Fair Warning

My interests are travel, photography, art history, culture and textiles.  This order of preference can vary on any given day depending on mood, weather, star alignment and interest - amongst other things.  My ramblings are not academic materials just a record for me, in some semblance of order, of our trips away; the things I've seen and done that have, as they say, expanded my world view. 

As I must have dozed off a lot in class, travelling has inspired me to do a little “research” to aid and inform my expeditions.  This means including a bit of background detail, a timeline of important events and finally an “itinerary” of the places and/or monuments we specifically visited.  Also, I will try to include interesting links, references and articles that I have “unearthed” over the years.  I will  try not to digress (well, too much anyway). 

This is a photo of me in Malaya with my friend and neighbour, Shane Holt, so it's not too hard to understand why the travel bug bit me - hard.

Testing Chaos Theory

Well, the kitchen's really gone now...

Last year we decided to forge on ahead with the last 1/3 of our cosmetic renovations.  That meant lounge, dining & kitchen.  All that stuff is now strewn around the rest of the house which we swear has given us a serious list towards the west.  

Mr DIY is nearing the end of laying a brushbox floor and has offered to do my garden shed with the left overs.  Too right! 

The thing is of course, that the shed has to be emptied out.  I am now trying to move rather too “many” boxes of fabric stash, habby, dyeing equipment, silkscreens and picture frames into the house.  Not to mention the odd few sewing machines.  Just where does it all come from?  The other difficulty is trying to make it all look less than it really is…..as you would!  I keep pointing at the frames saying, “They’ll be on the wall soon.”  As if!!  The reality is however, that it could be another month or more before I get to do some sewing or hang pictures.  Sew, what to do?

The answer I’ve decided rests in the many old reference materials that I’ve brought in from my garden shed.  You know, the lot that you might need someday…  As a consequence, I’ve revisited my blog terms of reference to include a couple of additional goals.  It will continue to be a log of one quilter’s progress - that is, mine.  However to add a bit of depth, I plan to include:

a.   Significant influences – those ah-ha moments that set you off exploring down another path.  For some time I’ve read “The Books that Changed Me” in the Sunday paper.  Interesting choices.  What would I choose in my list?  Better yet, what were the occasions that changed my quilting life?

b.   A bit of Art History.  Groan.  Well maybe not all of it.  I’ve kept years (and years) of notes thinking they would come in handy and as we plan to do a bit of touring Europe, I can reacquaint myself with what’s to see and do.  A sort of a Grand Tour inspired to some degree by the indefatigable Sister Wendy and Kevin McCloud.  Only I’ll add my photos as I take them and use words from my notes.  Don’t worry, they’re descriptive and fairly simple.  We weren’t taught to think for ourselves way back then.  My teacher in year 11 described herself (a lot) as “Rubenesque”.  It’s the only thing I remember, except for thinking that that wasn’t much to live up too.

(For anyone wondering where all this is going, be assured that where possible some reference will be made to (serious) resources, including books – remember them?  Main texts used over 7 years of schooling/college were Gardener’s Art through the Ages 1964, Herbert Read’s The Meaning of Art 1931, and Carl Roebuck’s The World of Ancient Times 1966.  College it seems, was slow death by a flood of slides.  A lot of the notes we were given were roneod, a method of copying first introduced in 1906 and still being used in the 70’s.  Remember that smell of metho in the classroom?) 

Why are we waiting?

I had thought this was going to be easy.  A simple assembly of the quilts I’ve made over the years. HA!  I should have known better.  One question leads to another and in a way I feel as if I’ve joined the ranks of the “family history” fraternity.  So, let the recipe (so far) begin:

1. Sort and measure all quilts/wall hangings at home. Try to remember technical details and pattern sources, so get lost in my books again!
2. Sort all workshop notes & patterns into chronological order.  Maybe doing this in front of the TV wasn’t such a good idea.  Now what’s missing?  Ask the girls – blank stares (of the “who really cares” variety).
3. Remember (well try) to list those given away; made by me or as part of a group.
4. Start looking for photos.  Damn – their nearly all pre-digital.  Wow, have I been quilting for that long?….  Box them up until I find the perfect scanner.  Meanwhile get lost in all the old family photos (pre-digital too!).  I’m found late at night under the stairs, with a glass of red, lost in memories… Ooops, beans on toast for dinner. Again!
5. Buy the perfect scanner, now covered in dust, still waiting to be used.  Still haven’t finished sorting photos.  Unfortunate side effect – rapidly reducing wine cellar - but I’ve got a happy glow. 
6. Now, which ones did I exhibit?  What, when & where…. Oh, this is all too much!
7. Add all ingredients, knead well and pour into an excel spreadsheet.  Dust with a little colour (to keep your eyes open and brain on fire).  We’re not anywhere near finished yet!!

I am consoled by this: 

"The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination."  Don Williams Jr. (poet)

The picture to the left is a sarong kebaya, a form of Malaysian dress.