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International Quilt Festival 2013, Houston, #2
If it was Tuesday, that meant I was teaching Tame Fussy, Fiddly Threads! As always, the students were brilliant!
Tuesday is the “down” day between Market (the trade show, which is only open to industry professionals, not the general public, ends on Monday) and Festival (which opens with a Preview night on Wednesday evening, then is open Thursday-Sunday). Folks who attend Market often stay to take a class, and folks who attend Festival come early so they can take classes, then be free to enjoy the show and vendors on Thursday. This year, I got to teach one of my favorite classes, Tame Fussy, Fiddly Threads, which is all about using metallics, holographics, and heavy threads (the kind that go through the needle, not bobbin work).
A student plays with heavy 30-wt So Fine thread from Superior Threads early in the day.
Since so many of my classes are fusing, I thought I’d mix it up when I formulated this class. Instead, we make a stencil out of freezer paper and paint with Lumiere and ProFab textile paints. Students can use my model or do their own thing (which I LOVE when they do that!).
This student chose gingko leaves pointing away from the center on the north-south/east-west axes. She then penciled in quilting guidelines on the black background.
In the supply list, I suggest a black background fabric. I love this small black and charcoal check! Her quilting is great…love the nestled-in quilted-only leaf next to the stenciled leaf, as well as the shading on her leaves, and how she alternated painted and not in the spray of leaves on the right.
This student was having fun! Her background of black and gold fabric is somewhat visually busy, so she is wise to concentrate her stitching on the painted leaves as the print could obscure the lovely stitching.
Then in mid-morning a fun surprise! The best thing about Festival is seeing folks you know from (mostly) the internet…the quilts are great too, but the quilters are the bestest!
Luana Rubin, founder with her husband Paul of eQuilter, was at Festival and popped in to the classroom to say hi! We are both members of a small online group–there are not so many of us and we are VERY tight! We respect everyone’s privacy closely, so we can share and be sure that we will support each other and keep mum. I also got to see Luana AND her daughter Sophie later on the show floor (photo in a future post).
Practicing on a sample sandwich before working on the stenciled piece. (Note her shirt, from Lopez Island Resort; Lopez is the island next door to San Juan Island where I used to live. I swear everyone on the planet has either been to the islands or knows someone who lives or lived there!)
Another set of gingko leaves, this time on the diagonals, partially quilted.
And the same leaves at the end of class. Fabulous!
Oak leaves are popular, too, and easy to draw! notice how she varied the thread for the leaves. Would love to see how she quilts the acorns; we talked about doing a dense zigzaggy thing for the caps!
Love the quilted border!
A happy student–the maker of those wonderful gingkos– in a happy and talented classroom. We got to use the Janome 9900s in class, which is similar to the machine I use at home. FAB!
And those glorious gingkos from above at the end of the day. LOVE THIS!
My next Houston post will share quilt pics, then I’ll do more on classes I taught, then more quilts, then even MORE quilts!
November 21st, 2013 at 11:43 am
These are wonderful works of art!
November 21st, 2013 at 3:24 pm
Sarah, I’m so happy to have met you in this big world of art and quilting! Can’t wait for your book to arrive, maybe tomorrow I know you emailed and said it was being mailed. Yippee!
This technique with the hand painted leaves on a dark background with thick threads, is really fun.
I’ve got a group of gals who I get together with and it’s fabulous isn’t it? The ideas just start flying around the studio, it’s very inspiring.
Thanks for your continued inspiration!