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Quilt Classes

Upcoming Multi-Day Design Workshop at the National Quilt Museum


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Have you taken one of my single day classes, learned the stitching techniques and been intrigued by the designing aspects?  Want to know more?  If so, this is the class for you, held at the remarkable facilities of theNational Quilt Museum in beautiful Paducah, Kentucky, right in the heart of Quilt Country.

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Join me for a three day workshop where each student will learn to create their own original designed quilt, complete with free-form geese creating motion and adding light. It’s simple and easy with a ruler and compass, even for those who hate math. This class is designed for the student who desires an in-depth experience: exploring all aspects of crating innovative geometric quilts. Students will learn design, color selection, use of contrast and scale, and stitching techniques that include freezer paper foundation piecing.

Join me in Paducah!  We will have a grand time!  Contact Rebecca Glasby or me for additional information about the class.

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Guest Post – Afton Warrick from Quilting Mod

Hello, I’m Afton Warrick from Quilting Mod. I am a mother of two and an avid paper-piecer. I have had the pleasure of assisting Gail with some of her creative pursuits, such as the Hawk’s Aloft raffle quilt. Gail has been kind enough to allow me to visit with you here.
I have just experienced the BEST WEEKEND EVER! Perhaps I am being a bit dramatic and my son, who optimistically insists each and every day is the BEST DAY EVER, is rubbing off on me. To my credit, I have been away at Quilt Bliss, a weekend retreat organized by the Utah County Modern Quilt Guild, where there was much to appreciate. 
First off, the accommodations are divine at the 26,000 square foot Timber Moose Lodge.
 

 
This enchanting hide-away boasts thirteen bedrooms with comfortable beds, a hot tub and pool, great views, and plenty of sewing space. 
Here’s a peek into my bedroom, featuring three queen-sized bunks.
 
 
While my driving companions and I discovered the four-wheel drive vehicle requirement regarding the gravel road leading to Timber Moose was more than a suggestion, we made it to the formidable lodge in time for an elegantly prepared feast of pork tenderloin, green beans, salmon and scalloped potatoes. I will not soon forget dessert either–with its marshmallow snowmen, trio of yule logs, meringue mushrooms and chocolate-covered candies. 
 
Thank goodness this was not a fitness retreat, as I had no intention of restraint at the sight of the food, glorious food! This fine dining experience extended throughout the weekend, with an unending assortment of tasty delights.
 
It was a pleasure getting to know the talented women who attended, many of which are well-known fabric designers, quilt bloggers, or pattern designers such as Emily Herrick and Melissa Solecki.
 
I took advantage of the many optional classes included with the retreat. Amanda Woodruff gave great suggestions for fabric selection such as using a unifying solid color to tie together a quilt, balancing warm and cool colors, and excluding a color to make a desirable palette. Anna Morrison provided a step-by-step overview of paper-piecing so her students could create a free block designed by Anna of Six White Horses.
Kristin Barrus expressed the importance of journaling by sharing her late mother’s beautiful watercolor journals and providing suggestions from her personal organization of quilt records. I learned a few helpful knots for hand appliqué and played around with fabric dyeing under the guidance of Jeanette Hartvigsen.
 

Emily Sessions gave some pointers regarding quilting and Leigh Hansen reminded everyone of the value of time to create. Amy Smart provided ample ideas for how to use scraps in her class, which resulted in these beauties. 

 
The trunk shows from JoyLyn Rigby, Sarah Jane Wright, Sherri McConnell, Erika Bartlett, and the Utah County Modern Quilt Group were quite inspirational.
 
Sarah Jane
 
Sarah’s Jane’s Autograph
(Yes, I’m that groupie.)
Sherri McConnell

 

Sherri McConnell
What’s more, there was SWAG. Check out the bountiful loot I scored from the sponsors!
I also won some fabulous prizes.

 

I participated in the Secret Friend swap too. I created this wall-hanging using the Lone Star tutorial on Better Off Thread.



These are the treasures I received in return from Pamela Cardell. Aren’t I lucky?


The low volume and text print fabric swaps were a rousing success as well.

Now I’ve unpacked the bag I made for my trip using a free pattern tutorial by Jennifer Mathis. I’d say they are quite a match.

Bye, Bye, Quilt Bliss. I will miss you. Until next year…

 

 

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Quilting in the Desert – Sensational Stars

Sensational – an apt description of this class of versatile students!  The smaller class size enabled me to spend more time with each student, getting to know them and to help them with their designs.

Sensational Stars Class

Sensational Stars Class

Although in the above image, only the star centers appear, the two-day class also included circular border design.  We’ll have to wait to see those when the images of the finished designs show up at a later date!

Bea

Bea

My favorite part of class is doing introductions at the beginning because this is where we get to know each other and begin to develop friendships that just might last a lifetime.  When Bea (no last name given) introduced herself, she said she was OLD.  How old we will never know, but this lady taught others a thing or two and was one of the first students to finish all the sections of her original design star!

Bea's Star

Bea’s Star

I just love the way her fabrics almost appear to be floating atop the mottled background fabric.

Carol Ann Emerson Quilt, Surprise, AZ

Carol Ann Emerson Quilt, Surprise, AZ

Shortly after class began, Carol Ann Emerson showed another quilt that she had stitched. It was a beauty and the detail work incredible.

Carol Ann Emerson, Surprise, AZ

Carol Ann Emerson, Surprise, AZ

Carol was the only student that elected to make an asymmetrical star design.  Although simple to draw, these designs create sewing challenges.  I can’t wait to see what she does with the rest of her design.

Beautiful!  (Sadly I didn't get the name of this student)

Susan Lock, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The color in Susan’s star simply radiates!

Alexandra Bykova,Novosibirsk, Russia

Alexandra Bykova,Novosibirsk, Russia

It was my great pleasure to meet Alexandra Bykova, who traveled all the way from Siberia, Russia to attend Quilting in the Desert.  Leksie, as she prefers to be called, is bringing quilting to the women of Novosibirk.  She blogs about her work on SkinnyBear Hugs Quilts.  It hope to entice her to write a guest blog here about her quilts and the women of her area.

Leksie and yours truly

Leksie and yours truly

It was a grand time!  Now, I have a whole bunch of new friends in quilting, some from near and others from very far away!

 

 

 

 

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Quilting in the Desert – Flying Colors

Quilting in the Desert at Cottonwoods Resort, Scottsdale, AZ

Quilting in the Desert at Cottonwoods Resort, Scottsdale, AZ

This was my first year to teach at Quilting in the Desert, owned and operated by Ginny and Lyn Goodbar.  What a treat it was to stay and teach in the warm sunshine of Arizona in the winter!  And, what a thrill it was to be able to teach multi-day workshops and meet students who had traveled from near and far to take the class, Flying Colors.

Drawing

Drawing

Like many of my classes, every student designed their own project.  We always begin by drawing, using a workbook to master the various free-form shapes before moving on to original design.

Earth in Progress

Earth in Progress

Geri Willems of Apache Junction, AZ, arrived with her already completed circle that was to be Earth in a cosmic view of our planet.  Once the drawings were complete, we turned to stitching.

Gail's Little Sweatshop!

Gail’s Little Sweatshop!

This is when the fun really begins as the patterns and colors start to emerge!

Debbie Cavillon and Carol Hesse

Debbie Cavillon and Carol Hesse

It was a double thrill to had the mother-daughter duo in class, Carol Hesse from Annandale, MN and her daughter Debbie, who hails from Aix-les-Bains, France!

Debbie Cavillon, Aix-les-Bains, France

Debbie Cavillon, Aix-les-Bains, France

Both of their designs were very different.  Above, Debbie poses with her design.  She had never before done freezer paper foundation piecing!

Sylvie Poulin, Val-D'Or, Quebec, Canada and yours truly

Sylvie Poulin, Val-D’Or, Quebec, Canada and yours truly

Sylvie surprised me with a gift of Pure Maple Syrup, a specialty of Quebec.  All the directions are written in French but she also gave me a good recipe for candied pecans, which will be one of my offerings for today’s SuperBowl Party!  Thanks Sylvie!

Sylvie Poulin

Sylvie Poulin

As an artist whose primary medium is stained glass, Sylvie arrived in class with her design already drawn.  The challenge for her, which she overcame brilliantly was using the far more accommodating fabric than the hard-as-nails glass.

Goose on the Loose

Goose on the Loose

As students worked, I took photographs of various parts and pieces in progress.

Beth Gilhuly, Kelso WA

Beth Gilhuly, Kelso WA

I can’t wait to see how this design turns out when it is complete.  Beth’s drawing includes piecework and hand applique of the Superstition Mountains.

Marilyn Lynch, Redwood City, CA

Marilyn Lynch, Redwood City, CA

Marilyn’s design includes the Golden Gate Bridge.  It will be very interesting to see how she combines the techniques to complete her design.

Jennifer Holt, Bossier City, LA

Jennifer Holt, Bossier City, LA

Above are two of the parts from Jennifer’s design.  The sun is particularly effective with the strip pieced center that combines many different fabrics.

Maggie Kingsbury, Bishop, CA

Maggie Kingsbury, Bishop, CA

Two students opted to use one of the quilts in my book, Flying Colors, for inspiration, although each drew her own interpretation.  Above is Maggie Kingsbury’s which features hand-dyed gradations in rainbow colors.

Pat Rotolo, Pueblo, CO

Pat Rotolo, Pueblo, CO

While Pat Rotolo’s design features commercially printed fabrics.  I think that both are equally effective and very different.

Geri Willems, Apache Junction, AZ

Geri Willems, Apache Junction, AZ

Geri Willems made good progress on Earth as viewed from the cosmos, completing major portions of her design.  I can’t wait to share this one, and all the others as they are completed in the coming years! Thanks to all 21 students in the class!  You made these days very special.

Stay tuned — I also taught the two-day Sensational Stars class, and there are ‘after-hours’ items to show as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Back at Home: Rainbow Crow Class at Bernina Sewing Center

Oh, what fun we have at our local Bernina dealer, Ann Silva’s Bernina Sewing Center!  I taught a two session class on my Rainbow Crow design on two consecutive Saturdays.  Nine wonderful students joined me, including an 80-year-old quilter!

Rainbow Crow by Gail Garber

Rainbow Crow by Gail Garber

Each was given the pattern, and instruction covered freezer paper foundation piecing and curved seam piecing.  At the end of the first class, students went home with some pieces completed and a lot of homework.  I worried that it might be too much homework!  But . . .

Rainbow Crow in Progress

Rainbow Crow in Progress

almost everyone returned with all their foundations stitched, or mostly stitched.  So we focused on curved seam assembly in the second class.  And, look what happened!

Rainbow Crow Class at Bernina Sewing Center, Albuquerque

Rainbow Crow Class at Bernina Sewing Center, Albuquerque

Didn’t they do great?  Check out the Rainbow Crow on the left.  She used this wonderful feather print that made her piece just sing, like the beautiful voice of the Rainbow Crow.  I have proposed to teach this class at International Quilt Festival in 2014.  I hope they select this class for me to teach!  My students are the BEST!!!!

 

 

 

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International Quilt Festival – Old Friends and New

One of the best things about International Quilt Festival is seeing my friends from afar, and meeting new friends. Some of my best friends in the whole world are people I met through quilting – a very special breed!

Diane Anderson, from Auckland, New Zealand, and Yours Truly

Diane Anderson, from Auckland, New Zealand, and Yours Truly

This year, I was thrilled to be able to spend time with Diane Anderson, and her husband Terry!  The first night of the big show, (and the night that I forgot to make a reservation at the Hilton, we all crowded into Janice Schindeler and Harry Crofton‘s lovely home in medical center area, where we all enjoyed a light repast and some bubbly!

Anna Sexton and her Little House of Geese, from class.

Anna Sexton and her Little House of Geese, from class.

Monday morning it was off to class, where I taught Little House of Geese, one of my favorite classes, and one in which students are very successful.  However, no one every finished the project in the six hour class.  But, the next day, Anna Sexton walked into my next class to show off her completed quilt top!  Beautiful, Anna!

Later in the week, I taught a design class in which students work through a series of exercises and then move on to their own designs.  I was surprised and delighted when

Kathleen Johnson's design, Alexander, ND

High Gear by Kathleen Johnson, Alexander, ND

Kathleen Johnson, of Alexander, ND brought this terrific quilt into class.  Kathleen had taken my class several years ago when I taught at the North Dakota Quilting Retreat.  She not only completed the quilt, but added many nice touches and lovely machine quilting!

Detail of Kathleen Johnson Quilt

Detail of Kathleen Johnson Quilt

I just love how she used asymmetry to create motion in the circular stars.

Oasis on the Green

Oasis on the Green

Where once a parking lot stood, the City of Houston has created an oasis of green across the street from the George Brown Convention Center.  The gardens were in full regalia during this year’s show and it was a peaceful respite from the goings on inside the center.  What could be more beautiful than

Bird of Paradise Flowers

Bird of Paradise Flowers

a whole bank of bird of paradise flowers!  I hope that I will see some of you there in 2014, the 40th anniversary of International Quilt Festival.

 

 

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Painted Stitched Canvas Class with Katie Pasquini-Masopust

A minor blog emergency happened here yesterday — my laptop died!!! Yes, it is really dead, all dead, even though it is only 6 months old.  The good news is that it is still under warranty so it will be fixed up, good as new, in another week or so.  But, I didn’t get a blog post done yesterday.  So, I bundled up my hard drive with all the photos on it, and took it to the office — where it still sits.  Now, back home and ready to post on my big computer, the photos from Houston aren’t here!  I guess it’s time to take a little break from showing IQA competition quilts and explore more local happenings, right here in good old Albuquerque.

Katie PM Demonstrates Painting Techniques

Katie PM Demonstrates Painting Techniques

We are very fortunate to have such a well-known quilt artist living just down the road in Santa Fe, a mere hour’s drive.  Katie Pasquini-Masopust taught her two-day Painted Stitched Canvas class at Ann Silva’s Bernina Sewing Center.  I was lucky to be one of the 20 students in her class.  Even though  I had taken the class a couple of years ago, I had so much fun that I did not want to miss out.  Besides, Katie had new material.

Painting Canvas - Red to Blue

Painting Canvas – Red to Blue

We began by painting three canvases, each in a different color palette.

Paintings Drying on the Floor

Paintings Drying on the Floor

This allowed us to continue painting while the wet canvases dried on the shop floor.

Painting Canvas - Work in Progress

Painting Canvas – Work in Progress

We added bits of fabric for texturs and then added more paint.  What a blast!  Most of us didn’t want to stop the building our layers.  But, stop we must.  One of the items on our supply list was to bring a painting shirt – which most of us did.  It was about then that Steve Silva, shop co-owner, strolled by the classroom, wearing in his perfectly pristine blue shirt — not a spot on it.  We set about correcting that asap!

Painting Steve - Hands All Around!

Painting Steve – Hands All Around!

Painting Steve - Katie adds Stamps

Painting Steve – Katie adds Stamps

Painting Steve - A Work in Progress

Painting Steve – A Work in Progress

Painting Steve was progressing well, but he just needed something else . . . . and, Katie had taught us about splatter painting.

Painting Steve - the Final Touches

Painting Steve – the Final Touches by Ginny Gaskill

Out back they went, Steve and Ginny, for the Finishing Touches.  It’s a good thing that Steve is a good sport!  But, back to work on the real reason for being in class!

Painting Canvas -Work in Progress

Making the Collage -Work in Progress

The next step was to cut the three canvases apart and reassemble them – just like we do in quilting.  We created a painted fabric collage from our parts.

Making the Collage - Work in Progress

Making the Collage – Work in Progress

It was fascinating to watch the various combinations emerge.  Great creativity in this room, inspired by an amazing teacher.

Stitching the Canvas - Lynn from Gallup

Stitching the Canvas – Lynn from Gallup

Once the collage was to the student’s liking, the pieces were stitched together.

Student Projects

Student Projects

Above are just a few of the student projects!  We all have enough work completed to make even more combinations.  Katie also taught us to make a Six-minute Zipper Bag and book covers for the not-so-lovely paintings.  What a great two days! Thank you, Katie, for being such a great teacher and Thank you, Steve, for being a good sport!

Painted Canvas Collage by Yours Truly

Painted Canvas Collage by Yours Truly

Here’s what I did in class!  I highly recommend this class for everyone, even novices!  It is way too much fun and the sewing skill level is easy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Color and Contrast in Quilting – At Quilt Festival 2013

Students work on exercises at Color and Contrast in Quilting 2013

Students work on exercises at Color and Contrast in Quilting 2013

One of my favorite classes is the half-day, Color and Contrast in Quilting.  In this class, there is a lecture about the use of color in making successful quilts, but especially, there is discussion about the need for contrast in a good quilt!  Then, students critique a number of samples that I provide, figuring out why it is that one works well and another does not.  Moving right along, each student is given 16 random fabrics and a limited amount of time to cut and glue their very small project into the workbook.  We had time for three exercises in this year’s Houston Class.

Color Exercise 1

Color Exercise 1

In the first exercise, each student worked on a line drawing that appeared to be a nine-patch.  They were told that they had to use at lease 3 different fabrics.  They also were told that they did not have to ‘color within the lines’.  Check out the wide variety here.

Color Exercise 2

Color Exercise 2

In Color Exercise 2, you can see that more students departed from the traditional 25 patch line drawing.  In fact, none of these small works even resembles a 25 patch block.

Color Exercise 3

Color Exercise 3

By Exercise 3 we were running out of time!  Students had only 10 minutes to work on their final exercise.  I think the designs are pretty imaginative!  Below are a few of my favorites.

Color Sample 101

Color Sample 101

I loved the abstractiveness of this little design which shows the very effective use of the Zinger fabrics, the lime green and the light rust.

Color Sample 102

Color Sample 102

This design is effective both in contrast of color, but also the use of scale in the combination of the hearts, dots, and solids.

Color Sample 103

Color Sample 103

This very creative piece is simply adorable, from the flower cutouts to the mountains and sun.  This student went event further in her 10 minute proejct, by using a marker to draw in the window panes.

What a creative group of students!  This was a fabulous class and everyone was a STAR!

 

 

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