Ali George Artist

For years I've been dyeing and hand printing most of the fabrics I use in my practice. Each piece has been unique and, to an extent, difficult to replicate. I wanted to bring my drawings, prints and doodles to life and this is the first. I really like the feel of Spoonflower's Petal Signature Cotton, although the background would have been better as pure white - this piece has a blue-ish tone. I'm going to love putting this piece under the needle.  

I have kept nearly all scrappy offcuts and tidyings of my hand dyed and printed fabrics. Over time, I have joined these into what is a rather large ball. I added some other bits and pieces to create a colourful bowl. I love how the transitions of colour are so random and spin outas is from the sun. Serindipity at its best. I'll continue working back into this by hand to add marks and other embroidery. From a fairly quick and easy project, it has become a slow stich, comforting project.  

Stormy weather nearly every day has kept me inside. This week I went back to paid employment after nearly 5 months away to move house, set up studios and offices, study and generally stay sane. Lots of time to reflect, to be still in the afternoons and listen to the grumble of thunder, or watch rain bursts fall over the mountains.  Now that I'm fully functioning (well almost) in the studio / office space it has made a huge difference to establish my routines and settle into them like falling into an overpadded lounge chair. The last 5-10 minutes of every visit is set aside to put everything back in its place, to tidy, sort, prepare and clean up before the lights go out, the fan slows to stillness and the sliding doors meet in the middle to signal the end of another day.  It's now time to be gentle, and keep the promise to myself of stress free Christmas holiday. We're unplugging, as far as we can, from the digital world and have banned phones at the table during meals, conv...

One of those books that almost needs no review or enthusiastic write up - it just is sumptuous, full of texture and inspirational stitch that's as good as chicken soup for the soul. The pages are thoughtful, intentional, about bringing meaning to mark-making and embracing where you find yourself, whereever that is. Fleaur's love of nature  intersects with her strong encouragement to explore, experiment and above all be at one with stitching in the ways of needle, thread, a cup of tea and taking time.  I found more than a 'how to' and more than the superbly photgraphed processes - this is a wonderful free-form meets the joy of being still. I have loved every page, some I pour over again and again to take in the rich, visual texture and find new perspectives every time I revisit. Koa Press is a New Zealand Publisher, and the book can be purchased through Can Do Books .  

My mark making exerciseon fabric produced a delicate set of signs and symbols. I then repeated the exerciseon paper, folding each edge to ensure all marking carried across the page so make a seamless (no punintended) repeat pattern. This was then scanned and cleaned up before uploading to a fabric printing website. I ordered small sample pieces (a must before ordering or offering the fabric for sale). I got the scale wrong. It needs to be a much smaller version of the characters - I feel these have pixelated somewhat. Great learning and  another round of samples being ordered.Once I'm happy with both the fabric type and the pattern scale, anyone will be able to order fabric or made up pieces including doona covers, table mats and table napkins.  

I'm hooked. Just wondering what it is I am meant to be doing that I am so keen on making advent mitts. Not a red or green floral to be seen - these are all hand dyed and printed fabrics and a great way to make room for more dyeing adventures. Committed (or should be) to a studio filled with mitts ready for the men and women in my life who bake. [Pattern: available from Maria Shell - Artful Oven Mitts ]  

  More experimentation related to next year's exhibition. I used Maria Shell's template . I wanted to find something that captured my response to Karim Demirbay's sexist comment to a referee after being red-carded. To his credit, he is reported to have apologised (and why should that be something to celebrate). In exploring our exhibition title / theme I was drawn to the mitt as something that portrays the idea of  'knowing one's place'. Lots to think about, explore and many expiriments ahead. 

My favourite part of the post-dyeing process is when I get to make marks. I most always use block printing inks (oil based) which are messy and take days to 'dry' but give amazing results on paper and cloth. Sometimes I leave the pieces whole, while other times I love the way slices and snippets take on a different life as part of an overall composition. I also love how the fabric picks up the 'noise' from the inked base ( I use a Skvallra desk pad from Ikea , about $10  for a 60cm x 80 cm size ). 

  I have been dyeing quite a few metres of fabric, trnsitioning from clear orange through to muted blue. The muted blue ever so slightly dulls the intensity and it works better for me. These past days were spen+t at retreat with the tribe - and these log cabin blocks will most likely be part of an art quilt, destined I hope, for my exhibition with Rebecca Staunton Coffey in late 2024. These blocks have been  made from free cut strips and will blend with the next lot of fabrics, some light and medium values in the same colourway. The focus will be around deconstruction and I'm looking forward to seeing hwo it progresses.

The excavator's words have stuck in my head, rent free. ' I have to make one hell of a mess before it can become beautiful. There is no beautiful end without the mess '. Or words to that effect. The retaining walls at the back of the house have to be finished before anything else can happen in the yard - and in between downpours, a few expletives and more rain, it has beena testing time for all involved in the construction.  I thought about his words - and the effort of making a quilt from scratch. The planning, drawing, testing, dyeing, playing, creating, starting again, creating and the final 'ah ha'. There is so much 'mess' before a quilt is resolved becomes a thing of meaning and beautiful in its own way. Blessed are the excavators.

  Long before there were frames and sprayed concrete outlines, the design of the indoor studio was months in the thinking and planning. Located in the upper section of the house, the sliding doors save valuable space by disappearing into the wall cavity. They are a neat way of moving between open and inviting and the need for quiet concentration.  On the right hand side the wall is reinforced and soundproofed from the activities area and guest rooms. An almost full length recessed space will be used for shelving and storage of textile and art supplies. Extra sound proofing and insulation. The sewing station will be located nearby.  The large window, behind camera, faces onto a small courtyard to be filled with potted plants and greenery. That's where the office desk / study will face. A couple of lounge chairs will be just inside the entrance, ready for relaxed reading or a snooze. I'm thinking of dividing the sections using  Kallax units. I measured and cut out the ...

  Scaling up an image of the Brisbane River to develop the substrate for a new art quilt. Each square needs to be 6cm x 6cm to make a finished size of 5 cm square.  I created a "to scale" model of the finished quilt on drafting paper. I printed an image of the river (attribution below) and then scaled it up to get a fairly accurate flow across the quilt.  The substrate rightly tells the background story. It is the foundation on which the main elements or features reside. So it isn't the "hero" of the piece - it needs to be recognised and visible without overwhelming the piece.   I can now easily identify which squares hold a section of the river and start to experiment on piecing, applique, fusing, printing, and painting to learn which gives the best outcome for the substrate.  (Brisbane River original image: Magpie Shooter; edited version Paulguard at en.wikipedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/indix.php?curid=9724127) My foundation piece might well end u...

  I've been limited for studio supplies and space for about two years,  confined to a 16-square Kallax and a sewing table. (OK, full disclosure, there are a couple of bolts of PFD fabric in a back room I have accessed for dyeing). Two boxes contain finished quilts tops in need of quilting, there are protein and plant based fabrics ready to dye, hand dyed and printed lengths, my mark making equipment and a box of office supplies. The open shelves contain the things that make me smile (top row) and the resources that inspire me like books, journals and sewing supplies (second row).  The restrictions have been in terms of available space, resources and time. I'm confined to 4 metres x5 metres after having access to a large, outdoor barn/studio and an internal sewing room/spare bedroom.  When we moved from Tarome we had pared down our belongings to such an extent that more than half the remaining cartons were filled with art and studio supplies.  There are about 25...

Look familiar? This is the 30cm x 30cm (12 inch x 12 inch) piece I made in 2022 for the Resene Paint Challenge at Quilt Symposium  2022 in Wellington. Now it is on its way to Albuquerque NM to join all the other donations pieces for SAQA's annual benefit auction . It's been a few years since I've donated, so I'm really looking forward to seeing all the artworks available for purchase later this year. It is such a wonderful way to raise funds and acquire a small piece of art at the same time. 

I find the process that resolves itself as a textile work challenging. In the beginning I am clueless. This is as much a strength as a source of mild anxiety. I have learnt persistence and turning up are as important as creative thinking.  I'm mindful  my first response is not going to be the best so I'm starting with a mind-dump. My focus is the Neville Bonner Pedestrian bridge connecting Queens Wharf to South Bank. Thoughts are scratched deep into journal pages. I'll find more connections over coming months. Right now I'm challenged and torn. What started as perfunctory research about Meanjin's (Brisbane's) newest bridge has developed into a sense of disappointment and WTFWTWPT (WTF-were-the-white-people-thinking)? I'm unpacking those thoughts in my journal - the architects and their inspiration, the consortium , what the bridge connects, where it leads, Yuggera and Turrbul people's connections to this part of the river, Mr Neville Bonner's  own ...

Priority #1: Create My CBD office sits on the edge of this mighty, murky waterway - the Brisbane River.  Over the next six months I'll be working on an exhibition piece as part of the Broadstrokes artists group.  Starting with the obvious, I'm making preliminary sketches to determine the substrate form. I need to consider how it will perform under the visual intent of the piece. That is, " substrate " can be used to convey those things which " underly " or " sit beneath " the  primary image. Infused by a river.  I need to consider the political, social, economic, ethical or moral connections.  I'll also explore which  materials are best suited for that purpose. 

Priority #1 Create Progress on the larger scale Kandinsky's Half Tuna. Testing border fabrics and how the eye moves across the design. Nearly every scrap or offcut has been used to create about 10 metres of border fabric. It is a change of scale and line as it comprises mainly straight, angular pieces in contrast to the curved blocks.  Inspired by a challenge piece (30cm x 30cm) for Quilt Symposium 2022 in Wellington, New Zealand based on two paint chips.   

Priority #1 - Create The new indoor studio and office is under construction. The whole build has been in the pipeline for 2+ years with delays due to everything from pandemics, to supply, to just because good things often take time. The beauty and curse of planning the new studio from scratch - I can take all the credit for the design, and it's only on me if something isn't right!  Recessed, sliding doors will open to reveal and 5m x 5m space divided by look-through Kalax shelving into two distinct areas. The practical creative space - for sewing, stitching, piecing, quilting and all things Bernina will take up about 60% of the floor space, while the office component will be used for ongoing paid employment, study and creative pursuits of the digital kind. Along the north facing wall (sheeted) I'm planning shelving with enclosed containers for my textiles and art plus a couple of lounge chairs to relax, read and be still. Steve Parcell Builders included a gorgeous recess...

Priority #1 - Create Progress on the upscaled block created for Symposium2022 (Wellington, NZ). This queen sized version builds on the Symposium challenge of using Reseene paint chips (Kandinsky and Half Tuna) to create a single 30cm x 30cm (12" square) block.   My exhibition piece was inspired by a Kandinksky painting - strong lines, curves and inspirational composition. The larger version comprises 9 blocks made in the style of the challenge piece. The finished quilt top will comprise a 9 patch (3 x 3)  framed in black and brought together by a wonderful green Kona cotton that was selected after the blocks were made.  The dilemma of finding the "right" fabric was solved using an app ( A Quilty Solid ) by Steph Skardal.    I uploaded an image of the constructed border which I made from block remnants - anything the size of a square inch (2.5cm squared) or larger was used. So far, about 9  metres  The app then gave me 20 colours from the image, an...

  Priority #1 Create: Making zippered bags from some of my art quilts is getting them out of storage and transformed into something useful. I'm using a technique from Design Matters TV whose re-imagined purse pattern is a delight to make. Every time. Each bag is lined with hand dyed and printed fabric. I'm enjoying saying "goodbye" and "thanks for your service" as I cut into quilts that, at the time, consumed every creative moment of my life. I'm enjoying the wooo hooo that accompanies the letting go. It's good for my (creative) soul.