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I’ve had several requests for a tutorial on how to quilt strings of pearls. This is a beautiful and useful motif to add to your bag of tricks. Pearls are probably not for the beginner, but it’s not a difficult motif either. Here’s how I’ve used pearls in some of my work: I love pearls as a divider-I do this a lot. How about to fill a border? Or to fill a feather’s spine? Before you even start, make some mindful choices: -Thread-I usually use a low contrast thread for pearls-their real beauty is in their puff, not the stitching…
Oh I love to alliterate! I am simple to please sometimes. This week I have been working on many things at once by necessity. I am trying to get a new piece started, possibly in time for Pacific Int’l Quilt Festival, I’ve figured out some ways to make quilting more comfortable and even made time for some play. I seem to be in a black and white series-I still have more to say on my grasses and drought tolerant plants. I love them: their texture, their movement, their shapes. I hope to capture my favorite grass, Stipa Gigantia, in its…
Every month of Elizabeth Barton‘s Design Master Class I get excited about the new challenge. June’s assignment was to revisit a previous month’s subject and tackle it again. I chose January’s subject of value, something I definitely need to learn more about. Again, it all started so well…. When I visited my son in Tucson I was particularly intrigued by the giant agave plants that are so abundant there. I chose this photo to work from. It’s not the greatest photo but it does show off the margins that appear on mature agaves and I found the shapes interesting. Also…
I know many quilters are reluctant to have their work judged. I want to actually encourage you to consider having your work judged. Some quilters will bristle at this, but I have found that I have learned a lot from having my work judged. There is a belief by some that judges are evil Quilt Police whose job it is to squish self expression. And most of us have experienced or heard stories about quilts that have been unfairly judged. And sometimes you look at a quilt show and wonder, “How did that quilt place higher than this one?” etc.…
“The function of the overwhelming majority of your artwork is simply to teach you how to make the small fraction of your artwork that soars….even the failed pieces are essential” Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland This month I did not soar! May’s assignment in my Design Master Class was another “learning experience”. I am committed to showing the breadth of my personal art making journey and sometimes it’s pretty humbling to show it all. I’m thankful to have “Art and Fear” as one of my guiding voices to help me understand the roller coaster of making…
I am passionate about teaching free motion quilting-I really want anyone interested to know that they CAN quilt their own work! I am always looking for motifs and projects that help beginners feel competent and to put them on the road to loving free motion quilting. Ferns are surprisingly easy to quilt, definitely in the realm of possibility for anyone with a bit of free motion quilting experience. I’m going to walk you through the process of how to quilt this delightful motif. But first, here’s why you might want to learn: I added a fern to my “Morning Breeze”…
I’m still here! It’s been a wild 3 weeks of travel with 3 consecutive trips with just a day or so in between. I’ve wanted to write about this whole concept of mindfulness for awhile. This comes up in class a lot. I think mindfulness is an important subject, far removed from all the technical choices around thread, batting, tension, needles and such. But it has a huge impact on your success, your outcome and how much you enjoy quilting. Mindfulness. It’s an intentional act. I Googled it and Wikipedia describes it using words like awareness, retention and memory, with…
I recently found this cute dress at Target and I thought it would be perfect for my upcoming travels. It’s cute, can be dressed up or down with accessories, comfy as a sweatshirt and an easy pack. What’s not to love? Once I got it home though, I realized it had a very boxy fit. Taller girls can wear this fit, but it’s not a great look for me-I needed to put some curve into it. Geez, I look like somebody died, LOL! The side view really shows how baggy it is on me. I planned to belt it and…
I Mistyfuse basted my recent Morning Hosta quilt and loved the method. It’s super simple as I’ll show you here. Mistyfuse is a unique product-a two-sided fusing product that does not alter the hand of the fabric. Additionally, its melting point is low, allowing its use on even delicate fabrics. I used it to fuse the poly sheer border on “Emerge“. It’s so easy to use! I bought a 100 yard roll and used a good bit of it putting my kits together to teach at Houston last year. Mistyfuse can be used to baste your quilts together in preparation…
April’s assignment was a “Magical mystery tour”! Elizabeth grew up in England where the mystery coach tour was a real thing. People would pay for a ticket and get on a bus, not knowing where they were headed!! It was the unexpectedness that was appealing. And indeed, my results for this month were very much unexpected and took me places I’ve never been! We were to set off on our own mystery tour-what shapes would we see? Try it yourself: Choose a shape and place it within the edges of your piece. Add a second shape, one related to the…