• Category Archives Events
  • Good News and Upcoming Events

    Finally! I have bought a gallery and am in the process of preparing my photos to load into it and build my gallery. It will probably be a slow process but at least I’m one step closer to having something up on the site. Stay tuned for further updates.

    Onto upcoming events. I have a Totems class scheduled at A Common Thread This coming Sunday April 10. I LOVE this project and have created a virtual menagerie of animal totems for the class though I’ve only had the opportunity to make a few samples. The two  shown are the latest ones I finished and I have another two in progress.

    Deer Totem embellished with turquoise beads and copper pennies
    Deer Totem embellished with turquoise beads and copper pennies
    Lizard Totem with a Bold Over Batik insert fabric
    Lizard Totem with a Bold Over Batik insert fabric

    Next week I fly to Nevada to teach and lecture for the Desert Quilters, I will be presenting a trunk show and several classes on Landscape Quilts.

    Windswept Trees with Confetti Embellishments
    Windswept Trees with Confetti Embellishments

  • Color Talk

    Nothing like waiting for the eleventh hour to announce something but I still haven’t gotten a good handle on this Social Media stuff. Let’s blame it on tax time – yeah – that’s as good an excuse as any.

    Tomorrow I will be at the Milwaukie Airing of the Quilts and will be giving a demo/presentation in the library from 1pm – 2:30 pm. The presentation is on Color Theory and if you have ever felt intimidated by working with color or made a quilt out of colors you love but then did not like the finished quilt, this is the lecture for you.

    Extended color wheel of fabric
    Extended color wheel of fabric

    Learn what ‘value’ means and why it is perhaps the most critical factor in your quilt and how to troubleshoot your color choices BEFORE you sew them into your quilt – let’s face it – nobody LIKES to use a seam ripper. Learn the importance of color proportion and distribution and how you can control color to make your quilts spectacular.

    Included will be a variety of of ways to create color palettes beyond just working with formulas from a color wheel.

    The presentation will include a trunk show of my quilts where some of these methods were used.

    I hope to see some of you there.

    Picasso
    Picasso

  • Sashiko in Tillamook

    In a couple of weeks I will be in Tillamook again teaching at the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center. This time I will give a class on Sashiko – Japanese hand stitching that is a cross between embroidery and quilting. Like quilting, it is a running stitch often stitched through one or more layers of fabric but the stitches are larger and rendered in thicker thread. The prominent stitches coupled with the lack of batting between the layers, place it closer to the realm of embroidery.

    Sashiko is considered a rustic ‘folk art’ as opposed to the elegant Japanese silk embroidery that might grace a precious Kimono or silk panel. As a folk art , Indigo fabric with white or off-white thread is traditional. Indigo is easily grown in many climates and is a common natural dye making it accessible and affordable to all. Sometimes you might see a natural color fabric with Indigo thread though these days anything goes and Sashiko thread and fabrics come in many colors.

    Sashiko fabric, typically made of cotton (sometimes a blend of cotton and linen), is a looser and coarser weave than domestic quilting cottons making it easier to stitch with the large needles and threads used in the stitchery. You will not usually find it in regular quilt or fabric stores. Two good sources are: One World Fabrics and Shibori Dragon. One World Fabrics is online only (though local to Portland) while Shibori Dragon sells online but also has a retail store up near Tacoma WA. You will also find an assortment of Sashiko thread and needles at both shops.

    Of course, you can stitch Sashiko on any fabric that you can get the needle and thread through hence my samples shown below of Japanese Yarn Dye fabrics. I have also stitched on Linen and denim (though denim is hard to pull the needle through) as well as a variety of domestic cotton fabrics. The thread can also be substituted if you cannot find authentic Sashiko thread. I find Floche (made by DMC) is a very acceptable substitute but I have also used linen thread, wool thread and even Pearl Cotton. Pearl cotton is rejected by many ‘purists’ as it has a distinctly visible twist. Susan Briscoe (author of a number of books on Sashiko) advises against using it. Speaking of Susan Briscoe, of the numerous books she has written on the subject of Japanese quilting my favorite is The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook. It lives up to its name as being the ultimate book on that topic.

    The Sashiko class is scheduled for Tuesday October 20 from 10-4 at the Latimer Textile Center. The following day (Wednesday) I will be teaching a Thread Painting class there as well, but more on that in a future post.

    This panel is based on the concept of Noren (short curtains hung in doorways in Japan), The fabric is antique Japanese Indigo 14" wide and has bamboo segments hung along bottom edge as wind chimes.
    This panel is based on the concept of Noren (short curtains hung in doorways in Japan), The fabric is antique Japanese Indigo 14" wide and has bamboo segments hung along bottom edge as wind chimes.
    A pieced sampler of Komon (clan crest) designs
    A pieced sampler of Komon (clan crest) designs
    A contemporary approach to Sashiko. The title - Naruto Maelstrom refers to the Naruto River in Japan that features awe inspiring whirlpools
    A contemporary approach to Sashiko. The title - Naruto Maelstrom refers to the Naruto River in Japan that features awe inspiring whirlpools
    Sashiko is often used to decorate utilitarian objects such as this drawstring pouch
    Sashiko is often used to decorate utilitarian objects such as this drawstring pouch
    Hexagon sampler featuring a variety of traditional Sashiko patterns and Komon
    Hexagon sampler featuring a variety of traditional Sashiko patterns and Komon
    Circle Umi (plum blossom) motif stitched onto Taupe Yarn-dye fabric
    Circle Umi (plum blossom) motif stitched onto Taupe Yarn-dye fabric
    Sashiko coaster decorated with a Flax Flower design
    Sashiko coaster decorated with a Flax Flower design
    Circle motif of Take (bamboo) stitched on Taupe Yarn-dye fabric
    Circle motif of Take (bamboo) stitched on Taupe Yarn-dye fabric
    Sashiko coaster featuring a Komon design
    Sashiko coaster featuring a Komon design
    Circle Motif - Matsu (pine tree) stitched on Taupe Yarn-dye fabric
    Circle Motif - Matsu (pine tree) stitched on Taupe Yarn-dye fabric