Conversations Over Coffee #3 and Re-Opening

 Greetings. Here in Ontario, Canada, lockdown ends tomorrow, when we move into the first phase of our three-step re-opening. It's been a long ordeal for many people. Now that vaccines are arriving in plentiful numbers, we've been able to move ahead our timeline to get everyone vaccinated. My second vaccine will take place on June 27. 

I'd like to share the third piece in my series, "Conversations Over Coffee". The challenge was to create a white cup. I've taken some inspiration from torn paper collage artists in using fabrics with text. I know the black and white polka dots will figure in the background some way, but likely not exactly like this photo. I want to wait until I've finished a few of these collages before I decide on backgrounds. I'm pleased with the shading, but still playing a bit with the foam on the coffee.

The inspiration for my next piece will be a black and white espresso cup and saucer. So I will make use of the same set of fabrics as the above piece, but the values will be quite pronounced, rather than gradual.

In my first collage cup I used glue to adhere my collage shapes. In my second I used Lite Steam a Seam 2. This is now my preferred method. In my next post I'll share some process in prepping the fabric. I am also still playing with collage shapes. I think everyone will cut them differently and everyone's piece will show the hand of the maker.

As the lockdown went on and on and on, I found my mental health sliding a bit. Lower mood and more anxiety. But now that we are heading into a slow opening up, I'm feeling more anxiety about whether I'll be able to cope in a so-called "normal" world, after having been in isolation so long. Well OK, I did see some friends during the lockdown. That was one of my coping skills. I walk outdoors every day, and many days it was with a friend. But going out into the world is a whole other story. I know I'm not the only one who feels it. I read an article recently that said some people would be hyper social after the pandemic is over, going to every social function they can. Others will have "cave syndrome", like an animal coming from hibernation in spring, scanning the horizon for danger. We'll just have to ease back in slowly.

And that brings me to the subject of my career. There is likely to be big changes. At the moment I am not teaching. Not in person and not on-line. We'll see what I feel like after things are more normal for a while. I've done a couple of presentations on Zoom and will continue to do them if asked. I also don't want to be dyeing kits in the future. I have a good number of Poppy and Peony kits left, perhaps about a dozen of each, and once they are gone I will not be dyeing more. That boat has sailed. It's time to move on to something else. What that is I'm not sure yet. I bet I'm not the only one feeling that too in these strange times.

Hoping this post finds you well and enjoying the beautiful summer weather, now that the heat wave has calmed down.

Conversations Over Coffee, and Spring

I'm back with my second collage coffee cup in the "Conversations Over Coffee" series. In the first image below you can see what I thought was a finished collage. I did notice that the handle of the cup got a bit lost, but I was a bit stuck on the fact that this is the way the cup actually looked in real life. 

A friend left a comment on Facebook about the "lost" handle, and that made me take it more seriously. Who cares if the handle of the real live cup gets lost? We can improve on it! And so I did, as you can see in the photo below.

I like the background the cup is sitting on, but I am still toying with the idea of collaging my backgrounds as well. That will become clearer as I move forward with a few more pieces in the series.

My next cup project will be a challenge because it is white. Here is the photo that inspired it. 

It occurs to me that the perspective on the orange cup (shot from above) is much more interesting than the perspective in the other coffee cups I've photographed in my travels. Most of them are taken straight on. Well hmmm ... I might have to have me a photo session with my own coffee cups here at home. "Conversations We Can't Have Over Coffee"?? It feels that way as this lock-down really drags ... we are all weary of the pandemic.

It's been raining a lot lately, and we've experienced many cloudy days. Last weekend when the sun came out we went to one of our favorite nature trails. I was delighted to see the woods turning green again.

And even more delighted to be there at a time when ferns are unfurling

It is also Trillium season here in Ontario.

Elaine's Back

Greetings my long lost blog followers. It's been one year and 10 months since I last posted here. I became one of those blogger ghosts. I used to wonder why some people started blogging and then disappeared, or started a web site and then didn't update it for years. Without going into too much detail, I had a year of ill health: a very severe depression in fact, that had me hospitalized twice, for a total of 8 weeks. But I think the anxiety I suffered with it was worse than the depression. I had absolutely NO IDEA how bad a depression could be. While I had suffered one in my 30's, it was nothing of the magnitude of this one! All of this happened just before Covid hit. To say that Covid has been difficult would be an understatement, but I feel as though I am making progress and getting glimpses of myself again. For most of the last year I have been busy making practical things like knitting socks, crocheting rugs, making a jelly roll rug, sewing three large quilts. Only recently have I started a new series. My daily walks, distanced visits with friends, making things, and setting small goals have helped me cope.

I am happy to share the first in my new series called "Conversations Over Coffee". Conversations over coffee with a friend are one of the things I most miss about these strange and isolating times we live in. I spent many years travelling to teach and travelling for pleasure, and I have photographed the coffees I have enjoyed in many locations. I have always loved collage, but never seemed to find the time to try it. In the process of trying collage I have fallen in love with commercially printed fabrics again. I love the whimsy of polka dots and swirls and squares, and in this turquoise cup below there is even a cat face near the bottom centre. I am not sure if this will be the background I will settle on. I plan to wait until I've made several cups before I decide. I would like some common feature in the background to pull all the cups together.

The cup above was inspired by a cup of coffee I enjoyed in Vancouver. Next I'm going to do a collage inspired by this orange cup of coffee I enjoyed in Strasbourg, France, in 2017. Isn't it cheerful?

This past Saturday I also gave my first presentation on Zoom, to Courtepointe Quebec, the Quebec Provincial Quilting Association. The feedback was very positive. So I am hanging out my shingle to give presentations again. Do email me at equehl@hotmail.com if you are interested. But please note that I am not currently teaching on Zoom. If and/or when that changes, I will announce it on my web site, here on my blog and on Facebook.

As I write we are in the third wave of covid here in Ontario, and the most restrictive lockdown we have seen since Covid started. We just didn't get enough vaccinations in time before the variants took over. I had my first shot of Moderna on Saturday. Fortunately, because I am turning 60 later this year, I was eligible to receive a shot with the 60-69 age group.

I hope you are keeping well and safe. This past year has been hard on all of us. Brighter days are ahead.