The Quilt Skipper

quilting makes me skip for joy

Jenny K Lyon

Quilting makes me skip for joy

Learning From Diane Gaudynski

Warning: If you are not interested in Free Motion Quilting, skip this post!

I wanted to pass on some of what I learned in the class I took from Diane Gaudynski, “The Adventure Continues” at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Ky last week. The class was created as an offering to the experienced free motion quilter, so it was challenging.
Any photos I took in class were allowed for personal use only, but you can see Diane’s work here. The photos I have included here are of the work I did in class (samples).

I learned several beautiful, useful motifs, but most of what I learned was what I call “beyond the motif” and was into the artistry and almost philosophy of what and how to quilt.

There are two main approaches to quilting for domestic machine free motion quilters: thread painting and heirloom quilting. Thread painting emphasizes color and thread, the thread sits atop the quilt and speaks clearly. In heirloom quilting, the thread compresses the fibers and creates shadow-thread color is of lesser importance, shadow is the star. My style, and what I learned from Diane, is really all about the “puff” created when the batting is compressed by the line of stitching. That resulting line of shadow is what gives the quilt that dimension that I love. Given that premise, much of what we learned I call “puff management”. So what is important in creating that beautiful shadow and glorious puff?
Glad you asked:

  • Tension-Often overlooked, but if the tension is off, the puff may ooze under the thread and be lost.
  • Your fabric choice is key in showcasing that shadow. If your fabric is stiff, it will flatten the surface of the quilt and minimize the shadow; too wimpy and you lose the definition of the shadow.
  • Also, the backing is critical, as you want the backing to push the puff to the front of the quilt where it will show. In class, I was the champion of poor fabric choices, grin!
  • If you over quilt, you will flatten the piece and negate the puff-not good!
  • Echo quilting creates a puddle of “flat” around the puff and makes it stand out even more-beautiful! I was surrounded by beautiful, stunning quilting for 3 days. It made the basics even more clear to me:
  • Even stitches elevate a piece.
  • Good instruction is priceless: Diane can take a difficult skill and make it doable by communicating so clearly how to proceed.
  • “Puff management” is the key to beautiful heirloom quilting.There were two completely new things I learned at the class:
    1. Diane breaks thread way more often than I do. I will travel a line to get to the  next motif; Diane will break thread and start a new line. It’s those little things that make a difference.
    2. Diane uses colored pencils and Tsukineko inks to emphasize the shadows and highlights of her work. I had no idea! We asked her to take a piece and show us how to do it. The difference is huge-the piece just comes alive with visual texture.

I learned a thing or two about quality teaching too, just by being the room with Diane for 3 days. I hope to bring what I learned about teaching as well as quilting with me into the classroom to share with my future students. And if you ever get a chance to take a class from Diane Gaudynski, DO IT!

Comments

  1. Thanks for the great info. I thought your quilting was beautiful before this class. How will we be able to find superlatives for what you’ll be producing now?!!!!! Glad it was a good learning experience for you.

  2. Well then… I guess I’d better be signing up for a Jenny Lyon class near me soon!!!!! I can’t even imagine you improving on your beautiful work! Thanks for sharing this, Jenny.

  3. Thank you both! It was an awesome experience. A great teacher shows you how to see beyond your current work, and makes you know that you can do it.

  4. How wonderful to come away from a class so energized and inspired. I can’t wait to see how you start incorporating your learnings into future projects.

  11. Is it really possible to improve on your talent? It is thrilling to learn from experts in any field. If sounds like you are ready to teach us even more in classes than you have already. The photos and your notes are outstanding. Thank you for taking time to share with all of us. You are an inspiring teacher and sewing friend.

  12. Thanks Marcia! There’s always more to learn in any area and if you could just see in person Diane’s absolute mastery of heirloom quilting, you would see why I jumped at the chance to take from her. She doesn’t teach much anymore and she’s really difficult to get into so I was thrilled to learn from a master. She’s a great teacher and a gem of a person to boot!

  13. I’d love to know what types of fabric (for the backing) are best for pushing the puff to front of the quilt. Please share!

    • Hi Cindy; I like to use a tightly woven backing if I really want to push it up front. So if my backing is tight and my top is drapey, I get maximum puff. Think Rbt Kaufman Radiance for the front and say a batik for the back. I am not a real batik girl at all so I choose the more plain batiks for a back.