Sew Fresh Quilts Class

On Saturday my local quilt guild hosted a class with Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts and I was lucky enough to get in the class!
It was sooo fun and the classroom was filled with lots of laughter as we all tried to make various creatures from her patterns.
I chose to make Lorna's Elephant Parade quilt and took my white featherweight to class to use for the day. But the tension was way off and I didn't want to spend my class time working on machine adjustments. 
Luckily I had taken Lucy as a back up machine. Lucy is a long bed 301 Singer built in 1953 and she worked perfectly sewing these elephant blocks all day long. 

However, the sewing machine operator was not working perfectly! 
There were a few elephants requiring surgical repair! This repair required one consultant (Lorna), one sewist/surgeon (me), one component extraction, one 90 degree part rotation, and one re-insertion. No problem!

Here are the elephants that I finished so far. See the surgical patient elephant - top left block? He recovered nicely from surgery and you never would have known there was a problem!
I have the 5 large elephants done and 3 of the 14 small elephants.

Here are all the students in the class holding up our blocks. Lorna is one of the monkey holders in the front row! I am in the back row on the left laughing at the monkey in front of me! 

Do you see all the creatures we made? 

Birds, elephants, some cross-eyed cats, dogs of all shapes and sizes, chickens... it was a total zoo with all these animals and quilters in one room!

A huge thank you to Lorna for such a fun day and for being such a brilliant pattern designer! I'm linking up to the Sew Fresh Quilts party and then I'm back to sewing more elephant blocks!

Quilt Canada Class #2

My second Quilt Canada class was called "Modern Quilting With Feed Dogs Up" and the teacher was Melissa Marginet from Manitoba. Just look at all the designs on this sample quilt!
This class was a whole other ballgame from yesterday's class. It used a completely different part of my brain but thankfully I discovered that this part still works well enough to learn these techniques.

Many of these designs involved measuring and some minimal marking, and were fun to sew. It really was quite a different process than free motion quilting.

These are the machines we were using, which were even more computerized versions of the ones we used in class #1. This one had some nice features, such as the automatic foot lift and pivot function that engaged whenever you stopped sewing. 

However some of the students had a lot of challenges with their machines and made good use of the technician who spent most of the day in our classroom. The needle threaders were consistently problematic, and I just didn't even bother to use mine at all.

Here is one of the quilting designs we learned, but just look at the mess on the back of my block! Can you say tension issues?!? I tried to fix the problem and was periodically successful. 

Here are some of the sample sandwiches from the students.
This class gave me lots of great ideas for designs, and my mind was spinning with plans for quilting the various UFO's that are currently in the finishing queue.
I will write more about this project on Monday when I gather up all the samples and put them on the design wall.
And tomorrow I will share some wonderful hand stitching highlights from Quilt Canada.
Thanks for reading!

Quilt Canada Class #1

My first Quilt Canada class was on improvisational strip piecing and the teacher was Cinzia Alloca from Montreal. I must like improv piecing because last Quilt Canada, I took an improv class too (read about 2014's class here). Here is Cinzia showing some pieces that she is going to combine for a quilt she is working on. This is the first time I have ever worked with strip sets, and it's a whole other process than making improv quilt blocks. It's something I have never tried before.



For this class I started with the quarter log cabin blocks I made in a class I took with Bethany Garner last month. I wanted to combine these blocks with the strip sets from this improv class. I had to whip up another 2 blocks to make an even 12 blocks.

First we cut and strip pieced some sets of fabric to work with and started to play with possible layouts. It was so relaxing to piece these blocks and I loved the look of of the fabric piling up behind the needle. Don't you think it looks like ribbon candy?!? 

This is the beginning of adding strip sets to the sides, and we were encouraged to think about direction of the strips, and the widths. 

Here I am with Cinzia at my sewing machine. When she was making the rounds in the classroom and helping each student, I got a quick photo with her. 
I should also mention that even though I was worried about working with a sewing machine I didn't "know", I didn't have a single problem with this learning this Janome machine. It sewed really well for me all day and I ran it hard!

The next step was adding in the accent fabric, which for my project was lime green. But where should it go, and how much of it do you like, and do you want a strip or a small square?

So many decisions to make and it's all up to you!
I thought my project was looking way too pink, so the next strip sets I made with wider white strips and narrower pink ones.

Here is Cinzia helping me with the layout and making suggestions for improvements and additions. It was fascinating to hear her ideas and to learn how to "see" the process of building a quilt in a different way. 



Here are some of the other projects in development. It was challenging to work on layouts on the floor and I realize that a design wall is really essential when working on a quilt layout. There were some really amazing quilts being created here!

Day #2 with Bethany Garner

My local quilt guild organized a second class with Bethany Garner this week and I was so happy to be able to take this class. Bethany was teaching us how to make beaded bags, and I just love beading on fabric, so you can just imagine my delight! Here she is showing how to do some machine embellishment techniques, but I did my sewing by hand.



This is the starting point... an odd shaped base of batik and batting, and some block trimming scraps that someone had given to me (or maybe I took them out of the garbage at another workshop!)

Then we got to play with our collections of beads and embellishments. As it turns out, I may have a bit of a bead collection problem! HA!

I started to bead those scrap strips to look like the bottom of the ocean....coral and seaweed. I was lost in my own little happy hand stitching world and believe me... it's a fabulous place to spend time. I wish I could live there!

Here is the wide array of beaded bags that were started at the class. We each had the same supply list for the class and you can see how each one is completely different. Creativity is an amazing process! 

Taking a Quilt Class

Bethany Garner

It has been such a busy week that I haven't had much time for being near the computer. My local quilt guild has quilt teacher Bethany Garner here to help us celebrate the guild's 25th anniversary. It's quite an accomplishment for an organization to be so vibrant and full of exciting and creative energy after all these years! It's such an amazing group of women and I am so so lucky to have found them 22 years ago. 
I was able to take a class with Bethany on Monday called "Creative Design in Patchwork". 
As we all know, taking a class means starting a new UFO.
I started my new quilt using quarter log cabin blocks in the Gees Bend style of using only scissors (no rotary cutters or rulers) to make the blocks. The fabric choices were inspired by a backing fabric that was on my cutting mat, and the scraps and fat quarters that were hanging around. This was not at all the fabric I had intended to take to the class, but there it is, with it's bright and obnoxious orange and pink presence.
It was so fun making these blocks without caring about anything matching or worrying about what the plan for the quilt is. 

So fun until you put them on the design wall and have to actually look at them.
OMG that's bright! They're so bright they could be a night light!
Oh sheesh, there really is no plan on how to deal with these things!
I have no idea what's next. 
I guess I'll just keep making more blocks until I'm tired of them, or a plan emerges. 

Slow Sunday Stitching - Hand Beading

This is a long post today with lots of photos so be forewarned! I took a beading class this week with Anne Marie Desaulniers. I used to do a lot of beading on fabric in the past and I have made many beaded quilts. But recently I have been enamoured with hand embroidery and hand quilting, and had gotten away from my beading. This class reminded me how much I love it and hope to incorporate more beading into my hand work. 
Here is my finished bead encrusted piece which I am calling "Killarney". It measures 2.5" square and contains hundreds of beads (mostly sizes 8, 11 and my favorite size 15) some watch gears, a cabochon made by Anne Marie, some stones, and other treasures I found in the bead box.
Here are the steps we went through following Anne Marie's instruction...

Step #1 Select a base size for the project and a foundation fabric. This is a piece of my brother's shirt.

Step #2 Select a cabochon and some coordinating beads. Attach cabochon with peyote bezel.

Step #3 Audition colours, found items, and beads, and cluster them around cabochon.

Step #4 Start to sew down the parts you know you like. Listen for the story that is developing.

Step #5 Fix things that you don't like. I added a piece of a brown shirt behind the watch cog.

Step #6 You don't have to know the whole design, just stitch down what you know you like.

Step #7 Create movement with lines of beads.

Step #8 Audition beads in open areas.

Step #9 Have fun and try some specialty beading stitches.

Step #10 Continue to add design around cluster.

Step #11 Do the grunt work and fill in all the edges with size 15 beads.

And voila... you have magically created an intuitively beaded story! These steps make it sound easy, and I have to admit that it really is not. You mostly have to "get out of your own way" and learn to listen to your own inner creative voice. You can take a class with Anne Marie and make one for yourself if you live near Toronto, Canada - click here for more information about her classes.
What are your hands creating this week? Link up your blog post below and share your project with other hand stitchers around the world. We love to see what you're stitching!

More about Ricky...

You didn't think that I would only write one blog post about my day with Ricky, did you? My family is certainly tired of hearing about him, so maybe you are too?
This is what I'm pondering today...

Border feathering in Ricky's quilt

**Ricky reminded me of how much I enjoy feather quilting! I love the look of feathers and can't get enough of them. But honestly... just look at Ricky's feathers! He generously shared so many tips about his technique and I am reading over his notes, wondering if I am brave enough to try his method of bobbin feathers combined with micro stippling?!? So beautiful!  For sure I will be looking for places to quilt more feathers, even if I just use my own method for now.

**I think the best you can hope for as a quilting teacher is to you inspire someone enough to keep progressing in their own life and/or quilting journey. And Ricky did that and so much more for me. 

From Beyond Waiting

He inspired me to be my ordinary self in the telling the story of the salesman who sold a sewing machine to his granny, which was a sale that changed the future. When his granny died, Ricky reluctantly inherited her old sewing machine. Because of her old sewing machine, Ricky learned to quilt, and that dramatically changed his life. We all have opportunities to do ordinary things that change peoples' lives now and in the future, in ways we will never know.

**There are many types of inspiration - visual, technical skill, spiritual, auditory, musical, just to name a few. I got it all filled up, full to the top and flowing over on Saturday. I discovered for the first time that a human brain can only take in so much information, beauty and  inspiration at one time. I have never experienced that in my life before. 
So here's a line from Ricky's Granny that I will always remember, and you have to picture him saying it in his "South Canada" Texan accent:
"Nothin's ever happened that couldn't have been worse".
So here's a song to start your day, by Great Big Sea from Newfoundland,  since that's where Ricky is today...

Slow Sunday Stitching

Yesterday was spent basking in the creative brilliance of Ricky Tims. 
Yep, he came to Canada (from "South Canada") making 3 stops so far, and is travelling on to St. John's Newfoundland to meet the quilters there on Tuesday. I just know he is going to love it there, and they will love him.
This is the syllabus that Ricky used for his master class. He taught so many quiltmaking techniques by lunch time I thought my brain might explode! 

Louise and Ricky

I cannot say enough effusive things about the whole experience of being with him. He is a great quilt teacher with a fabulous sense of humour, a captivating storyteller, and a brilliant musician. He spent every extra bit of time at this table endlessly signing books, and taking photos, and talking with the quilters.




In the evening, he treated us to a wonderful concert and more entertaining, hilarious, and moving stories. It was inspiring and enlightening, and I feel so blessed to have been there.

Life Is Beautiful Block #4

So today I have a Ricky hangover, and I am tired from too much sensory overload - what a great problem to have!
I need some Slow Sunday Stitching. I have finished block #4 for my Life is Beautiful quilt, which is certainly a perfect block to have sewn this week.





I played with the variegated threads to emphasize the words love and life, and the 3 apples on the tree. Maybe it's too subtle, but I know it's there!


What are you working on my slow stitching friends? Link up your blog post below and share your hand stitching project for today.

One Last Quilt Canada Post

I have already treated my Dad to a special meal for Father's Day, and now I'm watching PGA and FIFA while editing my Quilt Canada photos. Are you tired of hearing about the conference yet?!? As soon as I'm off the computer, I'll be back to some relaxing hand stitching. But for now... one more post about my conference experience.
I took a 2 day class on Improv Piecing with Cheryl Arkison,

Cheryl shows the quilt in her book that my
friend Barb is sewing in brown scraps!

author of A Month of Sundays. If you read my blog regularly you might remember, I won a draw for an autographed copy of her new book last year (read about it here). At that time I had just finished sewing a quilt from her first book Sunday Morning Quilts. 
I love both of these books, so it was great fun to meet Cheryl in person and learn from her for two days about improve piecing.










This is Cheryl's sampler quilt that inspired us to get sewing our scraps and try out some of the techniques of improve quilting.

Improve class Log Cabin blocks

We started with wonky log cabin blocks and that was fun. It was a good place to start since most quilters have sewn a regular log cabin block or two in their quilting history, so making an improve version was comfortable for everyone.

Improve class criss-cross blocks

Then we moved on to criss-cross blocks. 
It's funny how the electrical cord hung down the middle of the photo like another line across the blocks!

Improve class slab blocks

Then we started sewing my favorite block... "slabs". 
I have sewn these before  (click here and here to see them) and I really love this method for using up scraps. I have called it crumb piecing since I love to use up tiny little crumbs of scraps.
We also made free hand curves, stars, and anything else we were inspired to try.

One possible "down" side to improve work ... your sewing table becomes a real big mess in a hurry! There were times when I wondered what I was doing with all this mess! But then I'd look around and see that all the other quilters had the same kind of mess on their table. There is no way around it with this technique! It was a fun class with many interesting blocks sewn and a ton of creative inspiration! 
Thanks Cheryl! And thanks to your family for sharing you with the quilting world!
I will unpack my suitcases and put my blocks up on the design wall... check back tomorrow to see them.