Practicing

 

It was sunny finally, so I found an old class sample piece where I had done some demo quilting.  This quilting is always iffy, in that I usually am using someone else's machine, am sitting at a bad height so my eyes can't focus correctly, maybe the wrong color of thread, and everything on the machine is a bit different to me. 

 

I do understand when you take classes that this happens to all of you too!  I try and reassure students that it will indeed be better at home, so I tried that theory myself to warm up the machine and see if my old hands and eyes could still do this. 

 

The piece I unearthed was done on some lovely green cotton fabric with bright gold thread, perhaps bright yellow, hard to tell with fine thread after the quilting is done what color it actually was on the spool.  Fine silk thread takes on a new shade once the quilting is done and it is affected by the color of the fabric.  Good to know, good to use this info when you choose thread color.

 

I threaded up some shimmery chartreuse #100 YLI silk thread in my trusty Bernina and decided to echo the awkward feather plume I had done as a demo.  The tension was off on the previously quilted feather, the stitches were a bit large, the feather was stilted and boring. It was a demo.  But, for a warm-up for me, it was fine. 

 

Echo quilting is my favorite background, so I set to it, found that after a few stitches it all came back just fine.  That muscle memory that is forged while quilting will still be there with the gentle nudge of practicing.  If you cannot do any machine quilting for long periods of time, usually a brief warm-up while really trying to do well will bring it all back. 

 

Don't practice and stitch with no care; always try to do your best.

 

Because there is no stress involved as with this feather project (it was already not great, how could I make it worse?) you will be relaxed, and that is the key ingredient to good free motion work.  As soon as you tense up and think "I am going to ruin this quilt" then you WILL quilt below your skill level.  Stop, regroup, relax, let it go.  If it takes doing some warm-up quilting or practicing to feel confident, do it.  It all adds to the greater good of making you a better quilter.

 

Here is the finished work - it turned out great.  I could still quilt, oh happy day. I quilted for quite awhile and it was so good to hear the sound of the machine and feel so relaxed again.  Oliver napped in the chair by me on an old quilt, content to see me working again in his favorite room, the forbidden room.....

 

 

The echo quilting is about 1/8" apart; the feathers are giant!

 

I do like to vary the shades of thread as I quilt.  I don't use variegated threads often, although they are beautiful and do magic tricks on your quilt when you need that.  Instead, I prefer to stop and switch out the thread color as I choose.  This gives you more control in the finished "look" and is kind of fun as well.  It gives you that moment to stop, step back, assess what you've done and decide what's next, a bit like tasting the soup as it is simmering to check the seasonings.

 

Below, a detail from my quilt "Shadows of Umbria," now part of the collection at the National Quilt Museum.  The freehand feathers create movement in this very structured design, giving it softness and grace.  I changed out the thread colors frequently to lighten the background, deepen the feathers.  The urn was not freehand; I drew it and traced it to the quilt.

 

 

 

I also used several dye lots of the hand dyed Cherrywood sueded cotton for the background areas to take away from the flatness of only one shade for the entire background.  This created more dimension and oddity to the quilt, looked less modern and less planned out.  This fabric quilts up so beautifully - the stitches marry well with it and mistakes are not as visible, tension is easy to get right.  I pre-wash it and press with a touch of starch before using it for piecing.

 

I've added a link to my blog list for Why Quilts Matter: Politics, Art & History, the nine-part documentary produced by The Kentucky Quilt Project: www.whyquiltsmatter.org. The series has aired on 200+ PBS stations, and is also available on DVD.

 

They offer a special discount of 40% on orders of four or more DVDs to quilt guilds: http://www.whyquiltsmatter.org/welcome/quilt-guild-discount-offer-for-the-documentary-why-quilts-matter-history-art-politics/. They have a weekly blog that currently publishes a new post every Monday: http://www.whyquiltsmatter.org/welcome/blog/.

 

They have a guest post every month by collector and blogger, Bill Volckening (Wonkyworld) as well. Recent post topics have included a virtual quilt show of holiday-related quilts; quilts made by quilters for comfort and healing (featuring the Hurricane Sandy Quilts & Blanket Drive, the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative, and the Quilts of Valor Foundation); wool quilts; a report from Houston 2012; and various noteworthy exhibits (e.g., Civil War quilts at the New England Quilt Museum, the High Fiber fundraiser at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, and an exhibit of politically themed quilts from the American Folk Art Museum at the Boca Raton Museum of Art).

 

Profits from sales of the DVD, Discussion Guide, and DVD/Guide package are returned to The Kentucky Quilt Project to fund new educational resources for quilters and quilt scholars.  So check it out!

 

If you are not working on quilting but doing other things, take some time to sit at your machine and do a little practice and reinforcement.  Try a thread color you normally would not choose, do a new design until it becomes easy.  Save it and refer to it for your next project.  Sometimes I tack these up on the wall or I forget all about them. 

 

Below, my homemade pizza we had for Christmas dinner, yummy, spinach and tomatoes were our nod to red and green for the holiday.

 

 

 

Keep quilting; your work gets better every time you quilt!

Diane

 

 

"Blossom's Journey"

"Blossom's Journey"

Pilgrim/Roy Challenge Quilt 2012

Live Auction AQS Show, Paducah 2012

40 1/2" square

My quilt is finished!  I was invited to be part of this year's Pilgrim and Roy Challenge, a group of quilts made by well known quilters to be auctioned live at the AQS show in Paducah to raise funds for the National Quilt Museum. 

The quilts were due last April but because of health problems I was unable to complete mine until this winter.  But it's done, will be exhibited at the quilt show in the convention center with the other magnificent quilts already featured and displayed this past year.  To see them and think about bidding on one or more of them, click here.

The quilt auction is Thursday evening April 26, 6-8 p.m. with food available beforehand in the food tent.

You can bid online if you won't be at the event:  http://www.quiltmuseum.org/auction1.html

The quilt was made of a packet of challenge fabrics by Moda from Hancock's of Paducah, and I added two additional fabrics to complete the design.  Quilting motifs are original, including the animals from my Quilting Whimsy digitized embroidery designs for OESD.

The animals were traced to the quilt, but the feathers surrounding it are done freehand and are not symmetrical or matching, totally organic.  I thought the birds, cats, and rabbits looked best surrounded by flowing natural greenery.

I used YLI #100 silk thread and YLI Sparkle thread, and Pellon Legacy wool batt, and the lovely piping/binding was made using Susan Cleveland's Piping Hot Binding materials, book, and technique, which worked wonderfully.  Love it.

Below is a detail of the border quilting. 

I will add more photos in an upcoming post so if you are interested in purchasing this quilt you will have more detailed information.  If you are going to the AQS Show in Paducah, you can see it there, which is always so much better than a photo.  The motifs are outlined in taupe/gold YLI Sparkle thread which gives it such a richness and vintage warmth. 

All of the quilters involved in this project made stunning quilts, and we hope you will be generous and bid and support the museum.  Your contribution will be tax deductible, plus you will own a piece of quilting history from some of your favorite iconic quilters. 

I hope whatever quilt you choose to buy you will be thrilled with this opportunity to own and see every single day something that will enrich your life so much and do so much to support our museum.  The museum belongs to all of us, and we have to do as much as we can to support it. 

The story of this quilt is all about Blossom, a lovely and amazingly sweet little tabby cat who found our home in the snows and ice of February, and went through a long and incredible journey of trust with us to find a new life. 

While that was going on, I made this quilt, a happy diversion for Oliver and me, and included the two cats on it to represent this ordeal.  The "Trip Around the World" pattern is very fitting indeed.  It has a good ending, and Blossom has a new home with a family in our town.  The quilt I hope will find a new home too.

Please spread the word about these quilts so as many people as possible will know about them and think about buying one of them.  I thank you so much.

I am making plans to go to Sneak Preview at the AQS Paducah show and opening day, so please say hi if you see me, whip out a feather plume to show me, and I will be happy.  Can't wait to see the quilts, see old friends, do some shopping, see what everyone has been making!

Keep quilting,  your work gets better every day!

Diane

NQM Quilt Ruler!

Oliver has checked out my new ruler that arrived from the National Quilt Museum gift shop and discovered that Mom has a quilt included on its vertical display of quilts from their collection.  How cool is that???

It's $8.95 and features some really beautiful favorites.  I will keep mine handy for the necessary measuring of things I do all the time. 

My "Shadows of Umbria" is on the ruler and I think you'll recognize so many others that you all have loved at the museum.  The detail is excellent on the photos; you'll love seeing the fabrics and quilting. 

Please excuse the cat hair, a carryover from previous cats that became part of the fabric of the quilt.  Oliver enjoyed investigating the "new" smell of the ruler, plus the "old" scents of all the prior cats who slept on this lap quilt, but was not unduly alarmed at all.  Just curious.

I guess it is due for a good wash soon!  It is quilted with smoke invisble monofilament thread, which has held up well over the years, and mostly because it was good quality fresh thread, quilted with the correct set-up and needle, but most importantly quilted with the correct tension.  I used cotton #60 Mettler in the bobbin.  It has lasted nicely, has cotton batt, no trapunto.  I love its vintage look.

SewCalGal has given me some sneak peeks at comments and photos on the Free Motion Quilting Challenge Facebook page, and I am really pleased and proud of all of you for doing so incredibly well!  The best thing is to see finished feathers in actual quilts, table runners, wall hangings.  Go for it!  The more you quilt them, the better you'll become and you will WANT to quilt your own tops, yes, on your very own home sewing machine.  Yay!!

Oliver finally fell asleep by the ruler, adding yet another layer to the interesting fur deposits on the quilt. 

Keep quilting!  Your work gets better every day,

Diane



Quilt Journeys: Three Quilters

The new exhibit featuring work of three quilters is now open at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY.  My quilts are part of this exhibit that shows the journey we all take as we travel through this grand adventure of quiltmaking, shown above.   It will run through March 13, 2012.

When I was invited to participate in this exhibit, although so honored, I was very reluctant to show my early work.  Then I decided the entire point was to allow the viewer to see up close the beginnings, the flickers of inspiration along the way, the development of techniques and skills, which allowed art and ideas to be expressed in cloth by the final quilts that are shown. 

It is a huge honor to have my work showcased at the National Quilt Museum, and I hope many of you can see this exhibit and be inspired in your own quilting journeys, by my work and the quilts of two other quilters.

Included are some of my very first quilts, done mostly with a walking foot and invisible thread.  My early free motion work is there, and the beginnings of the kind of quilting I love to do now show up in all the quilts, but the techniques and machine skills definitely improve as the quilts progress. 

"Through a Glass, Darkly:  An American Memory" is in the exhibit, my NQA Masterpiece quilt, and probably my favorite quilt.  It is a log cabin design, and I made it to work in color exploration, and it showcases my original free motion quilting designs as well.  I never tire of this quilt, and I hope you enjoy seeing it in person.  Below, after winning a Master Award at Houston, 2001.

Other smaller wall quilts are there, "Sixteen Baskets of Mud," "Rabbit in Green," "Mourning Too Soon" from the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. 

October Morning, 2000

Detail, below

"October Morning" was the last quilt I made with trapunto, cotton batt, and invisible thread, many original designs and some stencil designs still, and with a tiny amount of applique (broderie perse) in the center, that I had to do as the quilt needed it.  It is a Delectable Mountains traditional pattern.

Please read about the exhibit on the website of the National Quilt Museum, www.quiltmuseum.org to get all the details.  The other two quilters are Doreen Speckmann (also from Wisconsin) and Dorris McManis, and I know you will enjoy their quilts as well. 

I've been busy fussing with my quilting with Sparkle thread.  It is going well, but I SO definitely prefer quilting with #100 silk!  Soon the designs will be finished and my background work will be so relaxing, because it will be back to my #60 Sharp needle and #100 silk thread, smooth curves, no crunchy sound as the needle backtracks over stitches (eek), and faster quilting, definitely.  However, it does look pretty nice. 

One night I was having shredding issues, and switched to a new Jersey needle from a different pack and all was well. 

Oliver has sneaked in twice to bite the thread as it comes off the spool while I am quilting.  I did not see him.  He goes behind the cabinet, jumps up on my right, and before I know it, either wet thread is coming through or the thread is chewed in half, the needle breaks, I scream, cat runs off, door is firmly closed. 

Two nights ago a small spring fell out of the machine but I am forging on as it doesn't affect much except the presser foot lever.  It's now a bit wobbly and limp.  Onward!

Oliver has been banished from my room.  How he opened the door twice I do not know.  He is a clever boy.

Relax a bit during this hectic time of year.  For me, that is an hour or so of quilting in my room, door closed, lights on, music playing.  It does wonders for you.

If you learn anything at all from my exhibit at the museum it is that I did keep quilting, and yes, my work did get better!

Happy Holidays,

Diane

National Quilt Museum Classes.....Wow!

It was beautiful weather in Paducah, KY last week for my two classes at the National Quilt Museum, warm, autumnal, perfect.  Above, my first class, posing in the museum's main gallery with two of my quilts as backdrop.  Yes, there were onlookers watching us with either questioning looks or big grins, because this group was fun, talented, and really succeeded with their quilting.  It was such a pleasure working with them.

They had the wonderful opportunity to view the quilts in the collection plus several exhibits, shop, eat at charming downtown restaurants, have lunch at Bryerpatch Studio with Caryl Bryer Fallert, and generally enjoy all that the museum and Paducah offer.  What a terrific time we all had.

We certainly had an array of beautiful shades of denim!

I've scheduled this same class there for next Oct. 18-20, 2012 for experienced beginners and beyond.  I think this is a wonderful class and we get a lot accomplished in the three days spent together.  Because local shops close early we take a longer lunch break for either viewing the galleries (free to class members), shopping in the store on site, or eating out, shopping at the local quilt stores.  Contact Rebecca Glasby at the museum for information from their website.

I had a second class after a day catching up, recording a video interview for my part in an upcoming exhibit at the museum, doing some re-shuffling of samples, and oiling my machine. 

The second class was for experienced quilters and former students who worked on techniques and designs I suggested and also did some independent work with advice from me.  They were definitely troublemakers, as you can see in the photos below.

Joan and Susan came complete with accessories, and made me smile every time I noticed their bat headbands gently bouncing as they worked or talked, while moving their heads.  Susan is filling the bucket with chocolate bars, which we needed and ate!  The handle had flashing lights....

Doing some quilting as a demo for interested students.

Class #2, below.

Thanks to all for making my time at the museum fly by, your talent and humor and hard work were terrific.  I hope new students will sign up for next year's class where we'll explore free motion machine quilting on a home machine, take you to a higher level of expertise, and become friends and kindred spirits in quilting.  I know I'll see many of you again at quilting events.

Keep quilting - your work definitely gets better every day,

Diane

Autumn Leaves, Fall Feathers

Autumn leaves are beginning to appear here in Wisconsin, just touches here and there.  I always like to use fabrics in these colors that I love so much once fall arrives and inspires me. 

I decided to do a small feather frond as a class sample for my upcoming classes at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY.  I just read on their website that there are a few openings in my classes, which are the final ones I'll be doing for awhile.  I have no more scheduled for the future.  If you are interested, give them a call.  The supply list is fairly easy to assemble, and these classes are wonderful, Paducah a great place to visit.

We will be quilting feathers and there are two basic methods I've used over the years, so both are included in the sample, above.

On the right side of the feather, which I quilted first, I began by zipping along from the bottom up and totally forgot I was going to do them the "traditional" way, with no space between each feather.  The first feather on the bottom right does have that space, and then I quickly realized I was already diverging from my plan. 

If something is quilted well, I don't take out the stitches.  If this had been in a "real" quilt, I still would have left it in, and it would blend with the rest and be a bit of a quirky variation on the feather, but not wrong.

I made a quick mental readjustment, and the remaining feathers on the right side, plus the smaller feathers at the top are done the way I had intended.  Each one is quilted, then there is  "backtracking" or "traveling" over the top of that feather or on the center line, or "spine" of the feather, then the next feather is quilted.  This involves precision, experience, control. 

I learned how to quilt them like this in 1990 and quilted them like this for many years, over a decade and more.  I could quilt them quickly and efficiently, but students found it difficult to stay precisely on the previous stitches, and often had feathers that looked messy and uneven.  They were not happy.  I made it look so easy when I showed how to do it, but it takes a bit of repetition and skill to get them so precise.

I like how they look.  Neat and even and compact.  Smooth, classic.

However, I decided there had to be a somewhat easier way, and came up with "Echo Feathers," explained in my Quilt Savvy book. 

Instead of stitching over a previous line of quilting to get to the next feather, when I completed a feather shape and hit the spine, I simply bounced off the spine and echoed the line of the first feather about 1/8" away or less.

When I reached the top of the previous feather I had to create the new feather shape and quilt it, down to the spine once again, building from the bottom of the feather and UP so I could see the feather already quilted in front of the foot and space the next one perfectly.

Upon reaching the top of the design it is important to echo down the outside of the feathers already quilted, that same space that was left between each one, completing the design, and taking you to the bottom.  Then you can quilt around to the other side and begin building feathers from the bottom up, on the left side.

I could quilt these quickly, at one even smooth speed.  I rarely had to slow down, maybe just a bit at the spine for the bounce into the next feather shape. 

The left side has the echo feathers.  There is a small space between each one.  Sometimes this technique seems to define each feather more and make it stand out.  It is faster, and most students can master this with some effort. 

Try drawing them, use a stencil and quilt around those lines to get the flow and shape of the design in your mind.  It's impossible to quilt something with no marking if you don't know the shape.  Practice them, look at what's wrong, correct it, practice some more.  Draw, draw, draw.  Quilt, quilt, quilt.

Some beginners at feathers can only do two at a time and then they begin to deteriorate or become funky.  The answer to this is to quilt two, stop the machine, take a breath, look at what you've done, proceed to the next two.  Soon you will be able to do more at a time, and finally entire rows of feathers with no problem at all.

They look especially lovely like the one above as "leaves."  Instead of large leaves in designs, try some feathers instead.  Tuck some tiny feathers in your leaf designs.  Use leaves with feather designs! 

Get out some of the beautiful fall colors you've saved and mix in your other favorites for something fun to quilt.  I always tell my classes to "practice" on fabrics and colors you love.  You'll do better work.

Some will quilt feathers better and easier the old-fashioned way, and some will love the echo technique.  One isn't necessarily better or easier, just different.  Give it a try!

And keep quilting, your work gets better every day!

Diane

Houndstooth

Fall is right around the corner, back to school is just about here, and the sunbeams are streaming in at a new dazzling angle.  Oliver has found his old cozy spot on the soft throw on the back of the couch every evening, rather than his summer spot, stretched out on the hardwood floor.  The summer is winding down.

I was thinking of more grid-based designs using my June Tailor Grid Marker stencil that lets you mark those perfect lines with no gaps so quickly.  My first favorite background or space-filler was a cross-hatch grid.  Next came "Diane-shiko," the classic sashiko design but done not in circles that overlapped, but over a marked grid, lines removed when quilting is finished. 

Then came Apple Core.   My students embraced these designs and most could quilt them well with a bit of practice.  It gave everyone such a fabulous design basic to use over and over, giving a structured look to contrast with more circular flowing designs.  It's good to have structure.

But another one?  I wondered what would happen on a marked 1/2" grid if  only gentle wiggles were quilted on those lines, in both directions, "sort of" trying to cross both lines at the marked intersections, but not obsessing about it.  What would that look like?

The design, above, was my first effort, done on a 1/2" marked grid (lines are removed after quilting) with #100 silk thread, in a very subtle variegated green.  I don't like the distraction of the thread, but that is just me.  Many love the little surprises when variegated is used.

I did the vertical lines first, then horizontal to avoid stretch. 

It would have been easier if this had been marked "on point" with lines at a 45-degree angle to the edges of the fabric.  There would be no distortion at all, no pushing or pulling of fabric as you approach an already-quilted line or intersection.  Just a suggestion, as it does work ok quilted on the grain if it works for your design choice, but be careful of distortion.

Below, my second try, on a 1" grid with matching silk thread in green, next to the first sample on the 1/2" grid.  This was actually a bit harder to keep the wiggles small and not revert to the arcs in my other designs like Diane-shiko or Apple core.  It was harder not to create large wiggles.

However, like any machine quilting motif, repetition brings competency.  After doing this for a half hour or so, I could do it rapidly with minimal goofs.

I decided the design looked just a bit like the old wool woven Houndstooth, which I have always loved.  This gives a structured look with TOTAL forgiveness in quilting! 

However, and you know what I am going to stress:  Stitches must be even and consistent, tension correct, thread color a good choice.  I honestly think the most distracting thing about poor machine quilting is uneven stitches, especially very large ones. 

If you have stitches that are too large for either the type of thread or the design, the "puff" of the batt will not happen.  You will lose it.  It will seep out under those giant stitches.

With stitches that are too large, you tend to "see" them, not the design.  Stitches look like big chicken tracks. 

Slow down your hands.  Speed up the machine just a bit.  For some mysterious reason the most common problem I see in my classes is a combo of fast hands but slow machine speed.  Work on this.  Learn to move those hands smoothly and evenly, and keep the speed of the machine going fast enough to create the best looking stitch length.

Make up a sample and try this!  Use something beautiful, a scrap of silk or sateen so you can see the quilting, and the final design.  Once you become more proficient, try it on a quilt in an area you would normally use a grid.  Let me know what you think!!  I believe it would look great over prints, just like the other grid-based designs do.

And have a wonderful Labor Day holiday everyone, hope you can relax and enjoy the end of summer.  Soon I'll be seeing many of you at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY in October.  Please email me with any questions about the class if you have them:  dianequilter@sbcglobal.net

Keep quilting!  Your work gets better every day.

Diane

Oliver claiming his spot in the "other" sink while I brush my teeth....

Skipping Along

I am back home from my wonderful time in Paducah at the National Quilt Museum and two classes for 39 terrific quilters.  The weather was amazing, the best I've ever experienced there, cool at night, dry and sunny and 70's in the day with autumn color and deep blue skies.  Lovely.

We quilted and we learned.  I always learn so much from those in class and we laughed a lot too.  One of the techniques I stressed this time was curving parallel lines, and learning to echo quilt well so that anything is possible. 

Depending on the batt, thread used, fabrics, as well as design choice, switching to a smaller needle gave a better result unless one of those things wasn't quite right, and then we had problems. 

One problem can be skipped stitches, see sample in photo above.  Everything was working fine for one student until she put in a #60 needle with a fine cotton thread.  A combination of the thin batt and the small needle caused skipped stitches.  Going back to the #70 needle solved the problem. 

Almost always skipped stitches are caused by one of the following:

•  the needle being too small for the thread
•  the batt being very thin and flat
•  the presser foot pressure too low
•  a defective needle
•  threading done incorrectly
•  hands too fast for the speed of the machine

Sometimes it is a combination of things, so try one thing at a time.  Re-thread, try a bigger needle, check the pressure on the foot for the thickness of the batt.

The thicker and poufier the batt, the lower the pressure on the foot should be so the quilt will glide smoothly and easily.  I switch mine to a lower pressure if I need to quilt over an island of puff without causing pleats,  increase it for doing free motion straight lines for a bit more control.  I usually decrease the pressure a bit for any free motion quilting for ease of movement, and to avoid the dreaded snowplowing of excess fabric, and the inevitable pleat that results.

Also, slow down your hands to a smooth even consistent motion.  If you want to move them faster, increase the speed of the machine to keep up with them.  Needles stop breaking and skipped stitches will be a memory.

By the way, in the photo, above, the thread tension is perfect.  You want a softly curving stitch, no visible bobbin thread, that showcases the thread, that doesn't stretch it flat and tight.  I usually recommend for all free motion quilting lowering the top tension one number.  Some of the newer machines might need less, or some not any depending on the thread, but a little leeway for the stitches to go in all directions is a very good thing.  And I didn't really have skipped stitches; I moved the needle over a bit and then continued to get a facsimile of a skipped stitch.

Try some curving, echoed lines for an interesting new way of quilting.  The bowl, above, should give you some ideas and a challenge!

I will be teaching at the museum in Paducah, KY next October in 2011, an introductory class first for quilters with free motion experience, and an advanced class for returning students to continue the adventure.  Check the museum's website for information; there are still openings in these classes, and I have not booked any more events after '11.  http://www.quiltmuseum.org/

It's great to be home, Oliver really, really missed me and spent all day yesterday playing, attacking me, helping me unpack, scratching my suitcases, and having an ecstatic cat day.  I wish I could take him along, but perhaps his adventures will have to remain sniffing my shoes and clothes and wondering where I have been.

Keep quilting, your work gets better every day!

Diane

Packing for Paducah

"Batzbelow"

Halloween is coming up, pumpkins are appearing on doorsteps here, and the quilting above highlights two bat creatures emerging in some hand dyed fabric a few years ago. 

I quilted for a day at least until I saw them peering up at me, and decided to emphasize their presence with quilting rather than quilting over them.  Below, another creature that appeared in this fabric, wildly flinging his bat cape around and beckoning to me as I was trying to concentrate on my stitching.

I'm busy packing for Paducah, leaving early tomorrow for two classes at the National Quilt Museum, so hope to see many of you soon.  I will be the one with my car filled with quilting stuff.  Oh yes, I guess many of you will be in that same situation! 

Each class takes its own path, never are any the same even when I try to keep on the same agenda.  I hope to have everyone leave class a better quilter and more confident in their own skills.

The second class is for graduates of any of my classes in the past, and they already know my style, have worked on their own and now want to learn more and refine their quilting.  Hope we have some great group sharing from all the talented participants.

Recently I did an interview for http://www.asianartandquilts.com/ so check that out if you want to read my answers to the interview questions.

Meanwhile, see many of you soon in Quilt City USA, and keep quilting, your work gets better every day!

Diane

Labor Day '10

A holiday weekend, finally some cool weather and Fall is in the air.  I found this doll bed, above, while cleaning the odd corners of the house, and also found an old whole-cloth stencil I quilted for a class sample years ago, wedged behind a bookcase.  It seemed a fortuitous pairing, so I made up the bed with the tiny quilt, and am enjoying it for awhile.  I think it shall go to a better home with visiting granddaughters and lots of use eventually, but for now it is dandy in my front hall.

Haven't been quilting much at all, just enough to keep my machine moving well, sort of like old bodies, thinking about upcoming classes at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY.  Wisconsin Quilt Expo is coming up and I hope to get to that and be inspired.  It has been a long miserable summer, and seeing some lovely quilts and good friends will be perfect.

I am always on the hunt for good questions to answer in my one-page column in American Quilter Magazine.  The upcoming issue has a great thread chart for you to clip and save that helps with weight of thread and style of quilting pairing, and I also have completed the January one.  I've had great questions emailed to me through the AQS website, http://www.americanquilter.com/ for those articles, but need more.

If you have one about machine quilting that would be useful for many to see answered, send it in! 

I'm home alone this weekend with Oliver, who is definitely changing now that he is turning from kitten to cat.  He sleeps more, and is getting bored with former activities that would keep him happy and busy for hours.  I search for entertainment, but really, I warned him he was coming to live with two old, boring people and he'd have to make the best of it.  I'll probably stop at the pet store and look for a fun new toy for him.....

Meanwhile, I do hope your quilting is progressing well, you are doing the quilting on your own quilts, and seeing results in actually quilting tops, not just practicing. 

Keep quilting....your work gets better every day.
Diane

New Hats

New hats....sometimes it's pure fun and self-indulgence to shop for a frivolous item like a hat. A lovely outdoor summer wedding is coming up this weekend, so I decided to give in and buy a big straw hat. Whether I actually wear it or not is up for last-minute decisions, but the small expense of it compared to the fun I had picking it out is so worth it. While I was trying them all on and enjoying every minute of it, I discovered this sumptious felt cloche style hat with the cabbage rose that had to come home with me as well.

I may never wear it, but have plans of covering bad hair if need be, accenting my jeans and turtleneck fall outfits with this hat just to make a statement and enjoy the fact that I can wear a hat if I want to. I never thought being older would be so liberating!

Below, Cynthia, Susie and Marty are working hard in the class held at the National Quilt Museum. The entire class at work shows you the classroom, size, and how relaxed everyone was while working quietly, or gathering together around me and my machine for some instruction for all. Hope to see some of you there next year.

Until then, keep quilting! Your work gets better every day.

Diane

Unpacking

Sometimes it is more work to “unpack” from a trip than it is to pack. For some mysterious reason I always bring home more, even though I distribute the handouts, eat the food taken with me, sell the thread. My quilts “fluff” after being out and about in the classroom and take up more room, I buy a few things here and there, and clothes that have been worn and just tossed in the suitcase definitely take up more room.

Plus, the anticipation of the trip makes packing so much more fun than unpacking and getting back to the normal routine of everyday life at home. It is raining hard here in Wisconsin and we really need it for the parched lawns, gardens, farms. Good weather for "unpacking."

The laundry is in the washer, stencils back in the drawer, quilts out flat on my cutting table to relax and de-crease after being smooshed in the suitcase in hot, humid weather. I tacked the notes I made to myself on the wall, and now just have a bit of bookkeeping to do, then relax, quilt until it is time to get ready for the next trip.

I had a wonderful time with 39 students in two sessions at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY last week, and I too learned new things. Ideas, techniques, all were shared, and of course the quilts in the museum continually inspire and delight. It was a pleasure to visit two of my quilts on display and recall all that went into them and see them with a fresh perspective of time and distance.

The photo, below, shows some of my quilting on a small muslin sample. The circles, or “froth,” the bubbles on top of a hot latte, an heirloom variation of rocks or pebbles, are about 1/8” across.

When quilting them you need to slow down a bit, be sure the stitches don’t get too large or you’ll get rolling hexagons, adjust the top tension maybe a bit lower so the thread doesn’t pull as you do tiny designs. I used yellow thread on muslin and the effect is a subtle colorwash of color that blends and enriches.

Most of us in both classes found that quilting small circles like this is better done in small amounts at a sitting, short sessions at the machine. Be sure and take frequent breaks, look up, blink, rest your eyes. I use a magnifier on my Bernina whenever doing this sort of quilting design and it helps tremendously.

I do still take plenty of breaks though, and no one could pay me enough to quilt an entire background of tiny circles. I use them here and there, like a dash of seasoning in my quilt.

We discovered that #100 silk thread has this colorwash effect. Quilted heavily over a fabric color in a non-matching but blending shade it adds to the richness of the quilt without screaming “Thread!” or looking too contrasty. Thread is another tool we machine quilters can use to define our designs, control color, and let negative space show better.

Stitch length, color of thread, and machine tension are the three defining things that make or break the quilting.

Play around with some quilting and try a slightly “off” color of thread instead of matching it to the fabric, or contrasting it. Chartreuse silk thread on gold fabric, oh my, wonderful. How did I not know this twenty years ago?

Keep quilting, your work indeed will get better!

Diane

School's Out

Class #1 is over at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY. Here are a few of my terrific students after they survived intensive quilting and instruction at the museum. And note that they are still standing!

We had a tour of a few quilts in the galleries today, and they had free access to the exhibits throughout the time they were here, and oh what beauties are on display! We saw Mariya Waters' Best of Show quilt from this year's AQS show, and Philippa Naylor's 2009 Bernina Award winner, both marvelous designs and amazing machine quilting.

The miniature collection is growing and is as awe-inspiring as ever to see these works of art, done in such a small scale, so perfect, so beautiful. Pieced, appliqued, whole cloth; it's all there. I was able to tell them inside information about my miniature quilt "A Visit to Provence" and my full size quilt, "Shadows of Umbria," both on display.

If you have never been to the museum, check out their website at http://www.quiltmuseum.org/ and get information, because it is well worth the trip.

These quilters were in the very back of the room and laughter kept erupting as running jokes found new outlets for them. The quilting however was beautiful. Lovely, flowing designs, and attention to detail everywhere.

Congratulations class, you did so well, and it was a pleasure to meet and work with all of you.

Keep quilting, your work gets better every day.

Diane