Confidence Tricks
This is the main sample I used to teach Improvisational Piecing, very squared off and block-ish. Sunday’s workshop for the Ann Arbor Quilt Guild was just as much fun as Friday’s. We learned all about improv piecing and I was so proud of everyone in the class…when I told them we were going to dive right in and rotary cut without a ruler, there was not a single gasp! These were fearless women! (And I will not be naming names, because I don’t have a list in front of me and I will make embarrassing errors without it!)
I believe the bravest of the bunch was this designer! She hadn’t touched her sewing machine in several years and signed up at the last minute. She jumped right in, bold fabrics, new techniques and all. She chopped up the top piece as the main shape in her final design. She decided that she really didn’t like the brown, nor the rest of the pieces on the bottom, so she chucked them out. She started with a large floral for a focus fabric and by the end of the day didn’t even think she wanted to use that, except as a possible wide border. I absolutely loved having her in my class, because she is the quilter I had in mind when I wrote my book…and, I swear, she even looked like my mental quilter image! So much fun!
I was totally in love with these fabrics, and when the leaf shape emerged, this designer really went with it! Her final piece (badly focused, sorry!) will be similar to this.
All the samples I had made for this class were finished with a sashing and a block idea, but luckily my class of designers didn’t let that limit their imaginations. They put pieces together based on color and feeling and shape, which is also how I work. They were all much more sophisticated artists than I have worked with previously and I was grateful to be learning from their choices.
Here are the other pictures I remembered to take…and I hope I didn’t miss anyone this time!
Took the keyboard idea and made it a focus of this design.
Started with lots of similar shades of hand dyed fabric and kept adding and adding colors…and it works so well!
Totally different color palette from where she started on Friday, but she can work with anything now and make a great design!
Here is the greatest deviation from the samples original intent! She actually apologized for going so far off track from what I was presenting and I was celebrating her originality! Awesome!
I am positive on the name, so I will say that Carol changed quite a lot from Friday’s class through Sunday’s. Friday everything blended together with an accent striking through. Sunday, she started out thinking framework as I had presented it, and by the end of the day decided that she could easily mix the frame and the blending! Two great looking pieces this weekend, for sure.
I am so sorry I missed a ‘final’ design shot of this one. Hand dyed fabrics, again, but so soft and with such a feeling of peace, calm and serenity when it was done. I’m really hoping for a chance to see this one when it is actually completed.
Now all of this may not be your idea of a party weekend, but it works for me! I had such a great time, teaching and also learning from each of my students. Can’t wait for my next class—which will be at the Quilt Patch, here in Tecumseh…here’s the skinny on that!
FAT QUARTER FUSION
Let’s turn your brain around with a new approach to free motion quilting. We’ll start with a great patterned fabric and expand the design into our quilting space. We will learn to control our machines as well as draw with them. Truly fun and a different way to practice and master completely free motion quilting. Some previous free motion quilting experience is desired, but not essential!
Thursday, Feb. 3 1:00-3:00 or Sat. Feb. 5 1:00-3:00
$15.00 + supplies
Gotta get that self-promotion in whenever I can, you know! That’s one of the main lessons I’ve learned since I wrote my book–promote, promote, promote! I’ll try to get a teaching calendar page up in the next couple of days, I think. That may be an easier way for me to keep track, too!
