Winding down to the New Year, we’re in what many call the silly season. There are lots of TV and newspaper reviews of everything we’ve been following or missed this year – local, national and world events of note, including natural and man-made disasters and inspiring rescues, best book and movie lists, prizes won by various national and international celebrities, sporting highlights, trends in absolutely everything from fashion, travel and more, too many wars, notable obituaries… and there are still 3 more days of it to endure while we wait for New Year to break out all around the world…

Montevideo is really quiet at this time of year, and activities Mike and I do together if we’re home, include having a BBQ lunch and reading out on the patio. We give ourselves a nightly episode of some series on Netflix, and last night finished the final episode of the final series of The Crown, so we’ll be auditioning a couple of new ones tonight. I’m also about to look at what’s on in the movie theatres. This time of year, I’m sure that whatever time we go, there’ll be about 6 people in the theatre. And while my mahjong and book club are suspended for the next few weeks, I have more time to turn attention to a few ideas in sample making in my sewing room or ‘studio’, which I always think is too fancy a word for my workspace, but whatever.

Today I photographed this 30cm square work, tidied up the required maximumum 50 word statement, and well ahead of the closing date, actually submitted it to an online exhibition call that I’ve been planning to enter for several months. It’s been kicking around ‘almost finished’ for several weeks, and although to you it might not look finished, it actually is. The off-kilter fused fabric squares form a wonky grid that gradually gets more out of line, and this seemed to need unfinished edges. If I exhibit it in person I’ll attach it to a plain coloured canvas stretcher, or recommend framing so that none of the raw edges are hidden. In a previous post I referred to ‘rules based disorder‘ which I sort of forgot about when I named it Dancing Squares, but perhaps that’s better as a big concept title for a much larger work….

Some of the fibreartists I most admire work in the 2-3m range, and I’d love to as well, but the size and shape of my workroom make it harder for me to manage in terms of working space, and although my table area does allow domestic machine quilting, I’m avoiding it as my arthritic neck, back arm joints do better with hand stitching. A couple of painters I most admire work around 50cm – so I’m starting to think smaller, and hope I’ll eventually settle on a uniform small size.

Still on The List –

• Continue this series of squares in grids
• a few of which will be around 95 – 100cm plus range –
• but others will definitely be under 40cm
• a 30cm work for the annual SAQA benefit auction later in the year
• ditto but smaller for the Spotlight Auction at the annual conference