Have you done any abstract work? I have and I often find it difficult to come up with the original design. One exercise that’s been floating around via Pat Pauly and others it to randomly cover an index card with fabric scraps and let that become your design. So I tried a few. Some of…
The students in my recent “Floral Improv” class, in Tallahassee, FL, produced wonderful results! After learning to make simple daisies and poppies, we talked about design and composition and they spent some time working on their arrangements. Flowers were placed first, then stems, then leaves. Next came the stitching. This is especially important with the…
My class, Double Reverse Applique, is the most popular one I teach. And with good reason: the technique is easy and the results are always exciting. I’ve taught it recently in both Boca Raton and Tallahassee, FL. Clicking on most images will show a larger view The goal: dramatic apples (and maybe even some pears.)…
At any good quilt show you’ll find amazing workmanship and creativity. The Daytona Beach show was no exception. This amazing trapunto quilt was made by Jan Hutchison. Click any image for a larger view (It looks slightly green under the lights, but was really a taupe color.) Check out these fabulous details! Isn’t it amazing?…
Lately, we’ve been seeing lots of quilts that are photos printed onto fabric and then stitched. Although often stunning from across the room, I’m not always enamored with these quilts. That’s because I want to see something more than the photo. I want to see some added texture, drawing with the quilting line, or thread…
Ellen Anne Eddy says, “If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.” In other words, don’t expect yourself to master something right away. If it’s worth doing it’s worth your practice time and whatever mediocre results you get along the way. Well, I think maybe I was the poster child for this philosophy in my…
Gee, I’ve been teaching so much that I haven’t had time to update my blog with all the great student results. These are the results from a February “Floral Improv” class in Charlotte, NC. With only 7 students, we had plenty of room to spread out and within the first few minutes colorful flowers were…
One third personal, one third class stuff, and one third quilts: that’s about the ratio of my luggage contents when I travel to teach. Since I want the quilts to arrive with a minimum of wrinkles, so I’ve developed a way to let each one pad the crease of another. I start with the one…
Have you tried ice dyeing? Oh my! It produces BEAUTIFUL brilliant colors and complex patterns. At a recent group dyeing day, Dij taught us how to do it. First, she showed us various ways to bunch, scrunch, and secure the fabric. Like tie dye, the folds in the fabric affect the way the dye penetrates…
My local art quilt group, the Dirty Dozen Fiber Artists, had a dyeing day recently, at Ruth Anne’s “barn.” We started with Gabriele explaining wet cyanotype to us. It’s similar to sun printing, but with chemically treated fabric that turns dark blue. That is, until you add water to the process. After that the results…