About a year and a half ago I took a KVQG sponsored workshop from Joe the Quilter - Joe Cunningham. Although Joe's experience and training is in traditional quilting, he has branched out into sort of abstract and modern quilting. Check out some of his work here.
The Workshop we did was "Rock the Block, block style". Piecing the blocks was a breeze because there really was no specific pattern - it was just slice and add or slice and insert.
Deciding where to put the blocks was another deal altogether. Joe suggested we lay them out so that the color flowed from one area to another. When I did that with my blocks, I did get the feeling of a landscape with golden flowers, greenery and sky. But it was a landscape as seen through fractured glass - hence the name of the quilt - Fractured Landscape.
Adding the borders was another interesting step. I didn't want it to look "bordered" so I added borders in a way that continued the colors and lines of the design.
Next step - quilting. I have been paying more attention to how quilts are quilted and had seen this "follow the lines swirls" somewhere - I'm sorry I can't remember who inspired me - maybe several folks. And now that I started quilting it this way, I see this all the time - most recently on one of Jacquie Gering's quilts (see the post on her quilt Shattered Remix). If Jacquie is doing it I'm in really good company!
I have never spent so much time looking at my walking foot before. This quilting design is simple, but it takes a lot of time. I can use all the different "toes" on my walking foot as guidelines. I'm also really thankful for the needle stop down feature on my machine. I could stop with the needle down every time I needed to pivot.
My new (used) Bernina 440 has a free hands system that enables me to lift the presser foot with my knee. It works better if I used my left foot on the gas (foot control) and my right on the lift. It felt a little weird at first, but I am getting used to it.
I also used my Machingers gloves, a textured finger glove, to help me exert more control over the quilt sandwich. These gloves are especially useful when free-motion quilting.
Since the quilt design had irregular shapes in 3 colors, I decided to quilt the shapes separately, and then as some colors bordered each other I decided to try combining some of the shapes. It was enjoyable to see how the shapes emerged with the quilting.
So then I was approaching my non-bordering borders and didn't to quilt them like traditional borders. After consulting with my quilting sister Kathy at the retreat and seeing what she did on an angle quilt, I decided to continue to quilt the shapes into the border area. I marked the outlines, making sure that I varied the size and contour of my shapes.
I am finishing up this wall hanging just in time for the KVQG annual quilt show (5-6 April at Crown Toyota in Lawrence). Now I have to figure out how to bind it. I'm having the same dilemma I had regarding the borders. Should I bind as normal? Match the binding color to the border color? Face? Or use some other technique? I'll show you what I ended up with in my post about the quilt show.
What do you learn by taking workshops?
Always curious,
I love the 3rd Saturday of the month, because that's when I get to go to Stitching Traditions in Topeka and take the Color and Design class from Kathy Pflaum. What a treat! My mind is all a-whirl when I leave there with all sorts of colors, designs, various media options. Kathy and my classmates are amazing!
This month our assignment was to use complementary colors from the color wheel. Since I had so many red-violet fabrics from last month, I decided to to stay with that color and add its complement yellow-green.
One of the techniques on my bucket list is to add some prairie points a-la Susan Cleveland. It was really easy using Susan's prairie pointer tool. The hardest part was getting the points all lined up in the seams.
Since we discussed implied texture and actual texture in our last class, I decided to add shell beads to the tips of the points, giving the prairie points even more texture. The quilting seemed obvious to me - just follow the lines of the prairie points.
Son Jim takes a look and pronounces that my wall hanging looks like a dragon's back or tail - so now I have a cool name for the quilt - "Dragon's Tail".
This wall hanging will go into the mini quilt auction to benefit local Lawrence charities at our annual quilt show on April 6-7.
Always curious in class!
Denise
BFF Bobbie and I went on a Quilt Shop bus trip last April and I found this beautiful Poinsettia wall hanging pattern by Edyta Sitar at Oklahoma Quiltworks. Then the next day I gathered the batiks at Charlotte's Sew Natural in Newton (Mom's name is also Charlotte, so it was meant to be!). I started cutting out the applique pieces at Bobbies last month and finished quilting it last week.
My Mom called today to tell me that she received it and absolutely loved it! I do think it turned out pretty nice. This was only the forth quilt that I quilted myself - I'm getting better at it.
Edyta has some gorgeous applique wall hanging patterns. Check out her website!
On to the next project! So many quilts, so little time.
Curious at Christmastime,
Denise
Sometimes being able to stretch your fabric is a good thing. Sometimes when fabric stretches in the wrong place it's not so good. But when I stretch myself to learn and try new things it's always a good thing even when the outcome may not look so good.
I've been stretching myself in several ways lately and this stretching will continue on through the new year.
1. I've joined a postcard exchange with the guild. I've never made fabric postcards before and really wanted to try this. Today, my first postcard gets sent out to 5 other guild members and my BFF in Seattle.
2. I am designing a Kansas-Named Block sampler quilt (I have to come up with a sexier name for it) and hope to offer it to the guild for the BOM for next year.
3. I've signed up for a year-long color and design class taught by Kathy Pflaum at Stitching Traditions in Topeka. This class is challenging me to stretch my thinking in so many ways - not just about color and design, but about being good enough and not letting perfectionism stall a great idea.
4. I started working at Mea Bernina last May. I am loving it! I have learned so much about sewing machines and have started saving for a new machine. Staring in January I am teaching a BOM class focusing on learning new techniques and using various feet and accessories for the Bernina machines. I am so excited about it - both the learning and the teaching.
5. I've tried a new finishing technique called facing . . . .the jury is still out on this one, I like the look but the process was painful. Maybe I need to find a different way of doing it.
6. I signed up (last January) for a monthly source called Superior University to learn about the different threads that Superior has to offer. So this challenge has stalled a bit - I have all the threads in a box and the instructions in a notebook but not a stitch sewn yet. But the intention and will is there. I will stretch myself in terms of the thread I try.
7. I am learning and practicing free motion quilting whenever I can. I used free motion on the first C & D class project, the postcards, and a poinsettia wall hanging I am just now binding to send to Mom for Christmas. I want to learn how to do more than just stippling. I think I've got that down.
8. Jerrye V. and I are doing a program for the guild in January 2013 about the studio spaces where women create. I am enjoying this, but am a little nervous - but again, stretching me out of my comfort zone!
When I look at this list I feel proud of myself for trying new things.
WooHoo!
Denise
One of the themes for this year is COMPLETION. I have been working pretty diligently on finishing up quilts started many years ago. This wall hanging, called simply "Fall", is one of the ones I decided to finish.
I think I started the quilt in a basic quilt making class - I don't even remember now where or when. The pattern is from the book Backyard Treasures by Kansas Troubles. Then quite a few years later (again I don't remember - there is a case here for better quilt documentation!) I took a class at Prairie Point from Linda Potter on what she called then Qwik Stitch Quilting. Since then Linda has changed the name and wrote a book about the technique. It is really cool - embellishing with big stitches, beads and quilting at the same time. So when I took the class I decided to use my Fall wall hanging as a practice piece for the big stitch quilting.
This year when I brought the wall hanging out to finish, it was about 2/3 done. I found some beautiful #12 purl cotton when I was in Seattle and it was just what I needed to finish this wall hanging.
It was quite a learning process. I did some straight lines (with both regular stitches and long and short stitches), curves and swirls, and french knots, and . In some of the sections I got sort of carried away and did probably too much quilting. The section with the acorns was one of these. I ended up taking the stitching out (very easy to do with the big stitch) and just doing a simple shadow effect on each of the acorns. I think this looks much better.
I really enjoyed the big stitch and will certainly use it again on something. Perhaps a mix of big stitch and regular machine quilting! But for now the wall hanging is finished and hanging on the wall of my studio.
Curious about new techniques!
Denise
I am going to my Color and Design class tomorrow at Stitching Traditions in Topeka. The first assignment was to do a quilt in neutrals.
I expect this class will really challenge me as I tend to get stuck in perfectionism - I would never be able to finish a quilt a month if I took my normal view of things. So I have decided not to worry about construction, but to do something simple that embodies the technique we are supposed to learn and to use the completed quilt top as a practice canvas for free motion quilting. I think I did that pretty well on my first project!
As I was sitting on the plane on my way to Seattle a couple of weeks ago, I spent the time as a captive previewing some options for this first quilt assignment. I tried blacks and whites in a geometric quilt, an abstract something or other, and I finally settled on Morning Java - the name even came to me! Although I don't drink coffee (so it couldn't by MY morning java), I have always found the aroma and the effect of cream first entering the steamy surface appealing. Our teacher Kathy Pflaum said we could use white, grey, and black or ecru, tan and brown to represent neutrals, and as I thought about a graduated series of cream, mocha, and deep rich brown batiks, I knew exactly what I would do. We could also use one accent color - I debated between a red mug and a turquoise mug - well as you see, the turquoise won out.
I found the cream to dark brown batiks at Over The Rainbow during my visit with Bobbie in Seattle. Over The Rainbow is an internet store that is open to the public on the first Saturday of the month. I got some really good deals on these batiks there - 8.75 per yard!
So I did a rough sketch on freezer paper, cut the shapes and fused them to a backing of cream muslin. I practiced stippling, cross hatching and other shapes that I don't even know the name of. To make sure viewers knew what it is supposed to represent, I quilted "Morning Java" into the background. I am rather happy with the result! We'll see what feedback I get tomorrow in class.
Always curious,
Denise
I am almost done with my Holly Wreath lap quilt. I just need to quilt the outer border. I have done free motions quilting the the rest of the quilt and am fairly happy with the results given that its my first one - I do need practice. But in trying to quilt the outer border I have run into trouble - marking so that I can see and follow the marks.
I have 5 different marking pens or pencils and none of them are working. I can't see the lines very well on dark green and red/gold striped fabric.
A quick check on-line for advice about marking quilts yielded some explanations for my frustration - I should have marked the quilt top totally before I started quilting it and starched the fabric. Some people have had success with different marking methods. The one that looks best to me almost seems to be the most involved - copy your quilting design on paper, stitch on the paper thereby perforating it, use pounce chalk to mark the quilt top and then quilt it. I may try this next time as I have no pounce materials at the moment.
Does anyone have any advice?
Curious about marking,
Denise
