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Saturday, May 31, 2014

Change of DEADLINe for SAQA Benefit Auction!

As SAQA members may have read in the newsletter, the final deadline for donations for the SAQA Benefit Auction has been pushed back a little.



The new final date is JUNE 15.
For more information on the auction, please check here: http://www.saqa.com/memberArt.php?cat=34
You can still become a member in time to donate a 12 x 12 inch quilt - and after shipping it, you can also still send a little text and some photos, including a link to your personal blog if you wish, to participate not only as donator in the auction, but also as a contributor to this blog's Grand Gallery of SAQA Europ/Middle East's contributions to the Benefit Auction. For more information on the Grand Gallery, please check here: http://saqa-europe-middleeast.blogspot.de/search/label/The%20Grand%20Gallery%20of%20Europe%2FMiddle%20East%27s%20Contributions

Looking forward to hearing from many of you. (We have twice as many members in our region as Oceania does - at present I have received about a third of the number of contributions that were posted on the Oceania blog hop last year. Come on, folks - we can do better than that!)

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Change of venue for SAQA meet and greet at FoQ Birmingham!

The organizers have let us know that the venue for this year's SAQA meet and greet at Birmingham has changed from our usual room. The new location is the following. Time remains the same.

Organisers Office Hall 9 on Friday 8th August between 3pm and 5pm.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

SAQA Biergarten get-together in Karlsruhe

A small, but select group of SAQA members assembled at the Biergarten "Alter Brauhof" in Karlsruhe this past Friday evening for an informal get-together. Four members from three countries - international indeed!
Despite earlier rain during the day it was warm enough to sit outside, enjoy local specialties from the menu, and talk away a couple of hours on common interest themes.

Adelheid from Switzerland, Brigitte from Germany and Paula from the US -
Uta is behind the camera, taking the picture

The next possibility for such a meeting is in the end of June in Berlin - please let co-rep and blog-moderator Uta know if you are interested in attending!

This is SAQA Europe/Middle East: The Netherlands

Mirjam Pet-Jacobs 




I am a Dutch artist working with textiles and multi media. I have been creative all my life and even during my English studies at university I managed to follow several art classes at free art academies. When I stumbled upon textiles I fell in love with their versatility, flexibility and tactility.
Some 12 years ago I found my artistic voice and realized that I could use art to get some structure in life and understand it a bit better. I started working with themes of my own choice. Recurring items are society, the way people interact, the why’s and what for’s of life and the concept of ‘time’. Important to me is to transform my reflections and my own feelings to a general level into abstract realistic wall hangings, installations, objects, videos and photos.
The ideas themselves ask for their own materials and techniques, which means that I often have to find unknown approaches and solutions. I like to challenge myself. The past years photography and video have grabbed my interest and they slowly make their way into my work.
Most important is always to keep close to myself, be original, trust my instincts and just do it my way. It’s the path and not the result that is most important to me.
Besides making art I guide textile students in finding their own approaches to make their own art. A few years ago I was thrilled to be able to write a book about this and share my guidance and knowledge with more people, “Textile Adventures”, Bergtor Verlag, in three languages.


Sometimes I long for (still), by Mirjam Pet-Jacobs


Sometimes I long for, 2012 (still)
For Contextile 2012 I made a stop motion video projected on a wall hanging in which a Mimi shape comes free on the left and travels to the right to melt together with a similar shape . This symbolizes the longing or wish we all sometimes have to be with someone far away, to be in another place or to go back in time.
Every step in the creating had to be thought out very carefully, especially the placement of elements. I am not a professional video maker, lack professional equipment and programmes, so I decided to keep things as simple as possible. The moving Mimi was stitched on the left of the wall hanging later.
The video can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/40389637


Serendipity, by Mirjam Pet-Jacobs

Serendipity, 2014
For the theme ‘Earth’ of Miniartextile 2014 Como I covered twigs of a protected plant (Myrica gale) with golden thread to symbolize the necessity to take care of and to care for what is precious: our world, the people around us, and as an artist, creativity.

It was challenging to do, because the twigs were so fragile and difficult to handle under the machine.

For more information, go to

Sunday, May 11, 2014

This is SAQA Europe/Middle East: The Romance Countries

Geneviève ATTINGER



I was born in France in 1954 and I’m living in Pontivy
Former agricultural engineer, part-time teacher in biology and bioethics I am a self-taught textile artist. I started to create wall hangings about 30 years ago. In 1989, feeling the need for more personal expression, I took evening classes in graphic expression and sculpture courses in order to progress. These courses completely changed  my work, it was essential training to become artist working with fabrics, at once palette and  sensual, tactile and  bendable material.
I still divide my time between teaching bioethics and creating textile art works inspired 
by photographs, books, news reports or debates on TV concerning contemporary problems
very often in touch with the feminine condition. 
I make figurative artworks, many of which are portraits.
In these works, the narrative, the techniques and the title are part of the whole.

Atmosphere of fear created by « The Rumor » which refutes, misrepresents, reinvents the story spread from black crow to black crow.

-“La Rumeur (2011) (H46.5’’x L46.5’’)
Materials : cotton, linen, silk , metallic textiles.
Techniques: free-motion machine embroidery, 
pull-thread work,   button loop, hand embroidery, machine quilted.

The lack of water and the necessity to find it are a real nightmare for those who go through that.

-« Le Cauchemard de l’Eau (La Quête)(2012) (H40’’x L39’’)
Materials: cotton, linen, wool, vegetal fiber.
Techniques: free-motion machine embroidery on appliquéed pieces,
narrow stips of jersey maintainded in place with free motion machine grid,
machine pieced and quilted, surface design: painting, dyed and discharged, felting

I am a member of France-Patchwork (F), Fiber Art Fever (F), Fibre Art Synergy (F) and I’m SAQA( JAM)


I started to enter french and international exhibitions in 1989 ;  some of my works are in private and corporate collections in France, England, Sweden and USA.