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  • Things With Wings

    These winged flights of fancy will capture your imagination and unlock a creative streak that you might not even know you have . One approach is more exact where you can cut fabrics using templates and in some cases create rather realistic Butterflies (below left). A more improvisational style which I enjoy more, involves simply finding interesting forms in fabric prints, simply fussy-cutting them out and then composing Butterflies springing from imagination (below right). This method is liberating and very satisfying.

    I will be offering this class at NW Quilting Expo on Friday, September 25, 2015 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. In the class, students will create the fused butterflies on a Teflon pressing sheet  which can later be transferred and fused into a panel composition of their choice or used to embellish a garment or accessory. A pattern for the Japanese style scroll shown in the class catalog is included in the class handout. The kit includes a variety of  interesting fabrics to make the butterflies and the  fusible web.

    This quilt is formatted in the style of traditional Japanese Art scrolls.
    This quilt is formatted in the style of traditional Japanese Art scrolls.
    This is a more realistic approach to the collage.
    This is a more realistic approach to the collage.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    And speaking of things with wings, I have a Thread Painting class coming up on September 11 at Pioneer Quilts (whose website is finally up and running – Hooray!). There is a choice between two patterns for that class. One is a Butterfly (below left) and is eminently suitable for a novice quilter who would like to try their hand at Thread Painting while the other – a  songbird  (below right) – requires a more ‘painterly’ approach and is better suited for those who have some level of confidence with free motion stitching. Contact Pioneer Quilts to register.

    This little fellow requires some degree of color shading and is best tackled by someone that has a sense of confidence with free-motion sewing.
    This little fellow requires some degree of color shading and is best tackled by someone that has a sense of confidence with free-motion sewing.
    These lovely ladies are not difficult to make, then process is sort of like coloring  in a coloring book but using thread instead of crayons
    These lovely ladies are not difficult to make, then process is sort of like coloring in a coloring book but using thread instead of crayons

  • Another Class at NW Quilting Expo

    Another day – another class to promote. Today, I will promote my 3-D leaves.

    These leaves are fun to create and make wonderful ’embellishments’ for quilts and garments . With a good batik as a starting point, they look surprisingly real. Adding to the realism is the design source, I use real leaves as the patterns for these leaves.

    In the class, we will explore the basic process  of stitching, cutting and shaping the leaves.

    You can find the class registration on the website for NW Quilting Expo along with more information on cost, supply list etc.

    Lovely ruffled Ginko leaves grace a nature quilt
    Lovely ruffled Ginko leaves grace a nature quilt
    Autumn comes and the oaks shed their leaves
    Autumn comes and the oaks shed their leaves
    Flaming maple leaves drift on the wind and carpet the forest floor
    Flaming maple leaves drift on the wind and carpet the forest floor

  • My Classes at NW Quilting Expo

    Good morning everyone. I’m delighted to tell you that I will be offering several classes at the 2015 Northwest Quilting Expo taking place in September at the Expo Center in Portland Oregon; follow the link for more information on the show and classes.

    For the next few days, I will be posting details and pictures of the projects in the classes I am offering – pictures fill classes and as most venues, the expo registration only had room for one image per class so I’m taking the opportunity to share more images and a more thorough description of what you can learn in the class and the possible applications for the techniques.

    The class I’m profiling today is Hand Lettering on Fabric ; offered on Thursday September 24 from 1-5 pm.

    If you are like me, you may have experienced the ‘trailing letter syndrome’; this is where you don’t plan your letting well and you either run out of room (or don’t center a block of writing well) or perhaps a line of lettering looks good for the most part and then takes a dive at the end of the sentence. The method you will learn in class will allow you to create neat, well balanced lettering, explore unusual fonts or create your own special letters and add artistic drawn graphics – even if you are convinced that you can’t draw.

    The applications for this are varied ranging from creating unique lettering  or graphics as a part of your artistic design on the front of the quilt to making the very special label on the back of your quilt. You will also discover a world of free design resources if you are among the ‘artistically challenged’ when it comes to creating original designs.

    This class is suitable for beginners and more accomplished quilters and fiber artists alike; you may create your own label for a quilt that you have made or make a sample project with graphics and a quote from some resource templates I will have. I have posted several images ranging from unique quilt labels I have created to lettering on the surface of a quilt – even a custom drawn ‘fabric’ I created for a quilt when no suitable commercial prints were available.

    A masterpiece quilt deserves a masterpiece label. A 'parchment scroll' graphic label tells the story of Sarah, the mournful subject of the quilt.
    A masterpiece quilt deserves a masterpiece label. A ‘parchment scroll’ graphic label tells the story of Sarah, the mournful subject of the quilt.
    I made this label for my Aztec Sun Calendar quilt. The graphic design is the central figure from the stone carving that was the inspiration for the quilt.
    I made this label for my Aztec Sun Calendar quilt. The graphic design is the central figure from the stone carving that was the inspiration for the quilt.
    This lettering appears on the front of a small Art Journal Quilt I created to commemorate the teenage summer i spent trying to master the Gordon Lightfoot song that I loved so much
    This lettering appears on the front of a small Art Journal Quilt I created to commemorate the teenage summer i spent trying to master the Gordon Lightfoot song that I loved so much
    Many years ago I made an Egyptian themed quilt that I wanted to include a 'papyrus' scroll design. There was no such fabric available and so I had to design my own using an authentic ancient papyrus as the source design. The hardest part was to put all this work into the drawing and then to tear and distress this finished panel to mimic an ancient fragment scroll
    Many years ago I made an Egyptian themed quilt that I wanted to include a ‘papyrus’ scroll design. There was no such fabric available and so I had to design my own using an authentic ancient papyrus as the source design. The hardest part was to put all this work into the drawing and then to tear and distress this finished panel to mimic an ancient fragment scroll
    This butterfly shaped label was created for my collage butterfly quilt and goes beyond a standard rectangular 'business card' type of label
    This butterfly shaped label was created for my collage butterfly quilt and goes beyond a standard rectangular ‘business card’ type of label