Applique class in Bangor
Wow..what fun! I taught a “combined” applique class in Bangor on Saturday, Dec. 10th. We didn’t have enough for either the Intro applique (using the Blue Gingko pattern) or the Balinese Garden, but if we combined both (Manager Debbie’s brilliant idea–she’s up near the front of the shop in the first photo) we could have a class “go.” So we did, and it worked! I wouldn’t want to do that with more than six or so students, but we had a ball. Here’s a picture looking from the back of the store (Cote Brothers on Stillwater in Bangor, Maine) toward the front.
It was SO much fun to see Emma and Kathy again, and meet new students Sheila, Susan, Heather and Pauline. It was a total gas to see folks interpret my pattern in wasy I would never have imagined, so I decided to share:
Here is Susan’s gingko leaf—Susan wanted to learn how to machine applique, and I think she’s well on her way. We did fused and satin-stitched, hand-look by machine (i.e. freezer paper underneath) and Jane Sassaman’s method of stiff interfacing underneat (looks like hand-look, but with crisp distinct edges…Jane’s book the Quilted Garden seems to be my guidebook!)
Emma and her friend Heather came together…Emma is new to quilting, but has been garment making for years. She’s a natural at machine quilting, and she’s proving to be just as good at applique. She auditioned two background fabrics…one looks like a stone walls, another like a weathered wood fence. She opted for the stone wall, and we tweaked the pattern to use the entire fat quarter and have her flowers climbing the stone garden wall…way fun!
Heather used a square of wonderful pale blue and lilac and had a garden of riotous color….
I had never even thought of using wools, but Pauline used hand-dyed wools for this piece, which I can’t WAIT to see finished! It’s going to be wonderful. Fusing the wool was challenging, but all the pieces end up stiched, so it will be OK.
Somehow Kathy and Sheila, who were both using flannels, managed to escape before I snapped pictures, so I hope to catch up with them next year and see the finished (or at least in-progress) top!