Good grief. I’ve about worn out my brain cells trying out different ways to proceed with my current project. I was really thrilled with the background composition but felt like it needed to have some more black added. But nothing that would detract from the black already there. Maybe something loose and organic that would…
I’m working on a new project, inspired by some great new fabrics. The bulk of these were painted by Pat Pauly. I purchased them to use together and they make my mouth water! In the photo above I’ve folded each one to reveal the parts I intend to work with. I think a good dose…
You’ve heard of trunk shows, right? When a group of quilts travels in order to be shown at various quilt guilds, shows, meetings, etc.? Here in Florida, my SAQA co-rep, Karol Kusmaul, had the brilliant idea of doing something like this on a statewide level. We’re calling it a “Roaming Gallery.” (Her idea, which I…
I still can’t believe I made a blanket, but here it is. It’s about 53″ x 42″ and will serve as a nice lap quilt for my son. Although blankets don’t normally get names, I decided this one needed one. So, I’m calling it Indigo Hug. Appropriate, don’t you think? Of course, I love the indigo, but…
My latest quilt, Poppies Ablaze, is now complete. I’m very happy with it, plus I had a lot of fun working on it! This very close detail shot shows the double black outline stitching which I love to use. This piece is the newest sample for my class “Design Your Own Nature Quilt.” (This class is…
After completing the flowers in my poppy project, it was time to audition fabrics for stems and buds. I also played around with how to best achieve the back lighting on the stems. My plan was to use a white paint pen, in a sort of dotted (fuzzy) effect. That seems to be the right…
As I told you in a previous post, I’ve been needing a new sample for my class “Design Your Own Nature Quilt.” After selecting an inspiration photo and drawing a sketch, I got started. First I selected fabrics. And then got started on the background. I typically use a lot of different fabrics for the…
My “Floral Improv” class is a very productive one. In one day students: – Make flowers without a pattern – Design an effective composition – Add stitching – Learn how to use a facing for finishing But, more importantly, the students always get fabulous results! Pam’s dark background was very effective and her leaf fabric…
I always love teaching and a recent class in The Villages, FL was no exception. The class was called “Floral Improv” and we had a GREAT time together! Although I didn’t get photos of every quilter with her results, I think you can see the joy on the faces of those I did capture. They…
I have a new lecture that’s rather fun, called “Confessions of a Fabric Whisperer.” (Actually, I’ve changed the name about three times, but I think this might stick.) In this presentation I give an amusing accounting of some of the wacky things I’ve done over the years in the pursuit of creating art quilts. Some of…