I've been busy having fun lately: making new art, writing an article, creating a blog, and gearing up for the next class. There's lots of news, so let's get started

Perfectly Flat Quilts

When my niece was about four years old, she looked up at the sea gulls flying overhead, and said "They're very friendly birds." When asked why she thought this, she said "They're all waving to me!"

If that's the criteria then I've made some very friendly quilts. Yep. The kind that wave. With machine quilting this is very common, and it happens to me all the time. (See my "friendly" quilt at left.)

Thankfully, there's a solution: blocking the quilt. I've written an article that explains how to do it, and Part One is now posted. I hope you'll find it helpful.

Upcoming Events

- Venice, FL, October 28, workshop and lecture
See Teaching and Events schedule for more details, and other events.

Great Student Results

Not only do my students produce fantastic quilts, they're also generous enough to let me share them with you. As a result, I've created a new online gallery, and added to two more. Please check out:
The Instant Art Quilt Student Gallery, with four new pieces,
The Double Reverse Appliqué Gallery, which has two new pieces, and
The brand spanking new Design Your Own Nature Quilt Student Gallery, which has six pieces.

Next online class: Design Your Own Nature Quilt, starting August 7th!

I'm already having fun in this class, before it even gets started! My students are introducing themselves and we're jointly conferring on their inspiration photos.

The quilt at right, Water Garden, was made by online class participant Cherie Brown. I love the way she's made the fish look like they're really down in the water, rather than right at the surface. That's quite tricky and she's handled it well.

This class is great for students with a little bit of artistic courage. Maybe you'd like to join us?
Full class details here.

New Work

Frothy Surf, at left, was great fun to make. It's composed entirely of melted sheer (synthetic) fabrics. It's a wonderful adventure to partially burn the top layer, in order to reveal the varied fabrics tucked beneath. I've written about this piece, the process, and the technique on my blog, (beginning with the July 21, 2009 entry.)

You'll also find more information and a detail shot here.

Blog Ready

My blog is up! I'm really enjoying it and I hope you will too. Because I post to it frequently, I'm able to show things in progress (including the mistakes) and explain my process a little more.

Recent posts include a paper collage, redoing a previous project, and my set up for melting sheer fabrics. I hope you'll visit me!

If you found this newsletter useful, you may be interested in my free articles, online classes, and e-books. You'll find a full directory here.

Enjoy the adventure!
Ellen

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