Self-Portraits
My fiber art group has an annual challenge, which is a requirement for participation in our yearly exhibit. This year, the challenge was to create a non-representational self-portrait. In other words, one that would showcase the maker's priorities, hobbies, and personalities, rather than her appearance.

Although I found this to be an excellent creative exercise, I also found it rather difficult to edit my list down to something I could work with. Finally, I decided to represent my top three priorities. The result is at right and it's called My Big Three: Faith, Family, and Conversation. It's a whole cloth silk quilt, created with paints and inks, and it's approximately 9" x 12".

Our annual exhibit is during October, and it's always an exciting time for us. See Dirty Dozen Exposed! V, below, for more info.

Upcoming Events
- Mt. Dora, FL, September 19 - October 23, Fiber Expose exhibit, at Mt. Dora Center for the Arts
- Melbourne, FL, October 2 - 31, Dirty Dozen Exposed! V, Boutique 4 Quilters, Melbourne, FL
- Melbourne, FL, October 4, 1-3 p.m. Opening Reception for Dirty Dozen Exposed! V
- Mt. Dora, FL, October 10, Interactive Demo Fabric Collage, followed by opening reception of Fiber Expose, at Mt. Dora Center for the Arts
- Mt. Dora, FL, October 18, Workshop Design Your Own Nature Collage - Glued or Stitched, Mt. Dora Center for the Arts

Next online class: Double Reverse Applique, starting November 7th. Details here.

See Teaching and Events schedule for more details.

Online Class: Design Your Own Nature Quilt
I'm VERY impressed with the quilts that the students in my current online course are making. The in-progress one shown at left was created by Patricia Powers.

Like Patricia, all of the students have enthusiastically tackled the design of their own quilts. I've consistently asked them to work outside their comfort zones, and they've done so. It's been very exciting for all of us to see these quilts come together!

Short Lesson: Can Dull Fabrics Add Drama???
During the Design-Nature online class, I've been reminded how useful dull fabrics can be. I'm not talking about boring fabrics, but rather, subdued (grayed) ones. Many of my students have selected such fabrics for their backgrounds. Patricia's quilt, at left is a good example. In addition, she's used dull fabrics in her borders, (here, only in the audition stage.)

The reason this is useful is because the dull fabrics in the background allow the brighter ones in the foreground to glow. Imagine how different this quilt would look if she had used bright greens in the background. It would still be lovely, but the brighter colors would compete for the viewer's attention.

In art terminology, this glowing phenomena is called luminosity. Luminosity is when elements appear to be lit from within, or from behind. Think of a stained glass window. It's not just the glass pieces that are beautiful. The dark leading that surrounds them adds to the beauty, because it enhances the luminosity.

It's very easy to create this glow in your quilts. All you need to do is to put a relatively light, pure (not-grayed) color next to a darker dull one. Voila! Luminosity.

Challenge/Exercise
It's always easier to learn new concepts when you USE them, rather than just read about them. With that in mind, why not grab the closest quilt magazine and see how many of the pictured quilts have a luminous quality? Maybe you'd also like to experiment with luminosity for your next quilt.

E-book Written!
I'm thrilled to have completed my first e-book, Double Reverse Applique, (An Apple a Day!) What is an e-book? It's a book in electronic/digital form. You download it from the interenet, onto your computer. Then, you have the option of reading the information while sitting at your computer, or printing out the pages, to create a hard copy book.

The advantages of e-books over regular ones are cost and convenience. They're less expensive than typical books, and they arrive in your computer almost instantaneously. How convenient is that?

Each e-book will include ALL the material used in my online classes, so it's much like a home course, that you work at your own pace. The material is formatted to be printer friendly. Numbered pages are used, all of which have an extra wide left margin. This allows you to easily punch holes, without losing any content. Also, easy-on-the-ink printing options are provided.

I'm excited about this new endeavor, since it allows me to provide information to quilters who want to learn on their own, rather than waiting for the start of a class. Now, I just need to setup the online interface that will allow you to purchase this
e-book. I hope to have that ready by November 1st.

Facing: A Non-Binding Alternative

You may have noticed that many of many quilts do not include a binding. That's because I typically face them, instead. This technique is perfect for quilts with unusual shapes, and it has other advantages as well - not the least of which is speed. I've written a tutorial on the subject, which you'll find here. (By the way, there's a link to all my tutorials and articles, called Short Lessons, on the main online learning page.)

Website additions

New quilt pages, with details: Cosmo Duet, and Fire at Night.  Follow links from the gallery page.

Enjoy the adventure!
Ellen

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