My first surface design quilt

Remember the work I did at Anne Munoz's and Lisa Chin's class at Quilt Fest in St. George? Here it is:

And here it is, quilted. I love the way it turned out! I call it "We All Shine" because that is how I feel about all of us - we have different talents, shine for different reasons, but are all brilliant in our own right!

I quilted it with metallic thread around and inside each sun and dots, then used Sulky variegated thread to do the [tiny] stippling on the background. Before I applied the binding, I sewed a golden trim all around.

So fun! What have you been up to lately?

Tip for a portable design wall

Margo, from Idaho Falls, was in Karen Combs' class with me last Saturday. She gave me a great tip she learned from another quilter, on how to put together a quick and portable design wall:

She used 2 dowels, 6 huge paper clips (clamps), and a cardboard cutting mat. Fold the outside flaps in, hold one of the dowels behind it, clamp it with 3 of the clips.

Then, turn it end to end, and repeat.

The design wall is large enough, light, and you can pin your blocks onto it when you are not allowed to pin them onto the classroom wall! Cool!

Have you any other tips that can make your traveling sewing room more efficient? Let's hear it!

Crystal Star

My last class at Quilt Fest was Crystal Star by Karen Combs. It was soooo much fun! Karen was busy as a bee, going from table to table, making sure the students understood what they were supposed to do, giving tips, ironing our blocks...

Her step-by-step instructions gave us the confidence we needed to tackle the block. There was no guesswork! It is no wonder she has been chosen Teacher of the Year three times by the Professional Quilter Journal!!!

We were also delighted to hear Karen speak during lunch the same day, Saturday. Her trunk show elicited many 'Ohs' from the audience... Below is a little sample of the eye candy she brought with her...

... and here is the quilt we were working on in class, plus my rendition of it:

Cool, huh? She is a delightful person, an excellent teacher, and a master quilter! How lucky we were to have been able to attend her class...

Braided Rug

Another class I really enjoyed at the Utah Guild Quilt Festival in St. George was "Stash Buster Braided Rug" taught by Bonnie Barker. After talking to us about how she discovered this particular technique, which are the best fabrics to use and why, and explaining how to prepare the fabric strips to ensure a long-lasting rug, she started her demonstration.

Using a braiding board designed by Bonnie, the large group of students watched carefully, asked questions, and were expertly guided by the teacher throughout the evening. Bonnie handled the class superbly!

I can't show you my sample because it belongs to the student I replaced in class. However, I learned the technique, have the board and will start one very soon... What a fantastic way to make a braided rug!

Check out Bonnie's blog - http://cityhomecountryhome.blogspot.com : you cannot help but drool as you read her recipes, 'aahh' as you enjoy her writing, and dream as you travel back to the wonderful memories her thoughts invoke...

Amazing Grace by Claudia Clark Myers

On Friday, I was in Claudia Clark Myers' class. She taught us how to make her quilt "Amazing Grace".

We sewed strips of fabric together into stratas, then sliced them using the 60 degree triangle ruler. We sewed the triangles together in the diagonal.  I almost completed one of the vertical rows and will have a lot of fun finishing it. However, I am also tempted to turn what I did into a table runner.

I used batiks and will upload a picture of the project once it is ready. Claudia's quilt is pictured below.

Log Cabin by a Master

Flavin Glover, in my opinion the master of log cabin quilts with a twist, was the featured speaker during one of the luncheons at Quilt Fest. I have admired her for so many years!

Her trunk show was inspirational, and her delightful Alabama accent kept our attention for over one hour. I forgot my camera in the hotel room and had to shoot this one with my phone... Dang it, it failed me! However, I think you can still see one of her wonderful creations from her book "A New Look at Log Cabin Quilts" (you can find it here).

My friend Sue, who took one of her classes, was kind enough to ask Flavin to sign my copy of this book. I feel like a kid at the ball game, after his favorite player signed the ball for him...

Surface Design = more results

Lisa Chin sent me these pictures taken on Wednesday, during the surface design class she and Anne Munoz taught. I am so excited about the results! I am not sure which project I will tackle first when I return home...

Fabric painted with Jacquard textile paints. 

Dyed fabric stamped with rubber stamp, using yellow Decolourant Plus.

Same fabric, same Decolourant Plus color, this time using stencil. Decolourant was applied over stencil with roller sponge.

Surface Design fun

My first class at Quilt Fest in St. George, Utah, was a blast! Anne Munoz and Lisa Chin taught "Catch the Surface Design Bug". We donned our aprons, grabbed our pretty (and not so pretty) fabrics, and followed their expert advice for a day chock-full of experimentation, discovery, and plain child-like fun!


We learned to use products to remove color of fabric, to both remove and apply new color to fabric in one step, and to use acrylic paints, inks, and paint sticks to create our own 'masterpieces'.

In addition to a variety of paints, we used paint and stencil brushes, stencils, stamps, cups, kitchen utensils, etc, to come up with new fabric designs or enhance existing prints. Anne and Lisa were armed with an arsenal of materials for our delight, as well as handouts, catalogs, and books for our reference.

At right is my first attempt at fabric painting. I learned how to  add texture and color to a piece of white fabric, to use Decolourant Plus, stamps... My subsequent projects were nicer (will upload pictures later), and will definitely serve as background for upcoming art quilts.

How powerful it was for me to learn that I can paint my own fabrics, starting with white, batiks, or printed fabric!

I can't wait to practice and learn more about surface design... If you would like more information about the techniques and products I mentioned, be sure to visit Anne's website and Lisa's blog!

Smocking Newbie

Here is a sample of what I learned yesterday during my first smocking class. It will probably take me a long time to get the stitches right, but it was so much fun! Allisha and Ann were at the Stitching Corner in Orem, Utah, with me (what fun is it to take a class without girlfriends?).

I had never seen a pleater before... but I did not have to use it as the fabric was already prepared for us before class. Although sewing dresses is not my forte, I will have to learn to make a simple one so I can show off the smocking once I master the stitches.

Or... I can smock to top of an apron - now that is an idea! Have you done any smocking? Do you have any helpful tips for me (books, videos, anything)?

Thanks!

Off to quilting paradise I go...

Tomorrow, the 18th, I will be heading down to St. George, Utah with a girlfriend. We will spend the week at the Quilt Fest 2012. I can't wait! I will be taking classes, working on my own projects, doing yoga... I am looking forward to getting away for a few days, and getting energized for my fall projects!

Right now, I am pulling lots of fabrics from my stash in preparation for the classes. I will be reporting after each class, so be prepared!

Finished Quilt!

Celebration time! Here is the finished quilt I named "Celebrate Life", which by this time is already in Brazil on its way to its owner.

I changed the pattern a bit from Carmen Christian's 2004 American Beauty, published on Evelyn Sloppy's book 40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts, and it now measures 84" x 92". Finding a fabric for the border was tricky (although I ended up using something from my stash - yeah!).

Free-motion quilting was easier than I expected! I used the quilting foot with the feed dogs down, and different stitches for each color section: stippling on greens, using green Masterpiece by Superior thread, stringing hearts on red, with red thread by same company, and squiggles on the yellow section. Too bad I did not take a picture of the quilting for you to see it!

I am glad it is finished, and I am also glad I will have more time to blog now that my mom has gone back home (bittersweet, though, as I will miss her company).

As you can see, I've been busy... How about you?

Giveaway Winner

Hi, everyone! Here is the winner of the Back to School Blog Hop:

Research Randomizer Results

1 Set of 1 Unique Numbers Per Set
Range: From 1 to 137 -- Unsorted:  Set #1: 79

"Farm quilter", that is you! Check your email for a note from me.

A heartfelt "Thank you" to all the wonderful visitors for sharing your summer memories, and for becoming followers of my blog! Keep coming back to check out my upcoming projects and giveaways...

Wishing you a great week,