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This is a great block if you get the colors and points right. Alex has some tips on how to make the Star of Hope Quilt Block succeed. Want to see what other members are doing with the mystery quilt? Check out the FORUM.
Alex is LIVE Monday, August 10, 2020 at 10am PST, 1pm EST, and 6pm London time.
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No time to make a quilted gift when invited to a party? Whip up a fast and useful gift bag that you can fill with a home baked or purchased baked item. The hostess will not only enjoy the baked goods, but also have a handy new tea towel.
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We are thinking this block looks like a tree, perhaps combined with others, a forest? Find out what it's called when you play the game.
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Susan Webster wanted to choose a different setting for her appliqué, so she chose a clamshell shape. She did a fabulous job with her appliqué and the quilting is pretty amazing as well. Enjoy A Formal Garden.
A Formal Garden by Susan Webster of Apple Valley, Minnesota was featured in the Appliqué, Small category at Houston 2019.
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Based on Tula Pink's City Sampler, Pam Raby created Sundown Cityscape not knowing how she was going to quilt it. Only when she dove headfirst in without a plan did inspiration strike and another fabulous quilt was born.
Learn From Pam in Show 2703.
Original Photo: Mary Kay Davis
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TQS continues its feature of quilts from the exhibit Log Cabin Today! Presented by Brigitte Morgenroth, a series of log cabin quilts created by Brigitte Morgenroth that were featured at the Houston International Quilt Festival in 2015. The exhibit is described as:
"Twenty-five years ago, Brigitte Morgenroth discovered quilting when she lived in Bophuthatswana (a former homeland in South Africa) and Libya. She creates modern and interesting Log Cabin quilts, with her choice of expressive colors and material, combined in different variations and arrangements: Log Cabin with a twist, triangular, undulating, or pineapple. Silk and polyester satin are her favorite materials, sometimes combined with patterned cotton. Mainly, she sews large quilts and sometimes smaller, more sophisticated ones. All of her quilts are hand-quilted. She gives this old pattern a modern, interesting character."
Please enjoy Brigitte's sixth quilt from the exhibition.
Title of Quilt: Cyclamen
Quilter's Name: Brigitte Morgenroth
Photos by John Anderson
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Based on an original interpretation of the Bow Tie Block, Summer Perspective by Nancy Lambert is made to produce a 3-dimensional effect, adding depth and perspective to push and pull the viewer's eye to new sights.
Summer Perspective by Nancy Lambert of Greensboro, Georgia was featured in the Pieced, Large category at Houston 2019.
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Rhythm and movement in art can transport you. "No," you say? Let's set the scene. It's a cold, rainy day, and you are listening to music while ironing fabric in your sewing space (not the most exciting of tasks for most of us). Suddenly, the melody of a favorite tune comes wafting through the airways and you begin to sway and move to the rhythm of the beat. No longer are you just ironing, you are lifted and carried away, if for only a brief moment.
Rhythm and movement in quilts can in the same way move the viewer by drawing them in and taking them on a visual journey into, around, or across a quilt. Whether traditionalist, art quilter or something in between, you as the artist can achieve this in your work by combining a single or group of elements (e.g. rectangles, triangles, circles) in a pattern that varies slightly. It is the play with unexpected twists and turns, that will hold the viewers attention.
Using the examples below, look at what a difference movement/rhythm can make when you throw them in the mix of a pattern sequence.
Let's follow the progression of taking a very basic unit (Half-Square Triangle or HST) to create movement across the span of a quilt.
How about using just blue and white solids? Can you see where this quilter's head was going with this very simple block? Did she draft the final design out beforehand on a slip of paper or spread her stack of finished blocks on a floor to see where the pattern could lead?
We will never know the answers to these question. But look at the stunning results! This is a two-color quilt using just ONE block (with a strip of blue on each side). This quilter certainly marched to the beat of her own drum using very few resources.
More examples of using rhythm and movement in quilt work:
Lilith by Karen K. Stone (Show 1611). [Image TheQuiltShow.com] ; Streak of Lightning by Amy Pabst. (Image TheQuiltshow.com)
Lateral Ascension by Cassandra Ireland Beaver. (Image AQS)
Aroma by Kate Themel. (Image courtesy of Kate Themel)
Sampler Detail by Allie Aller (Show 1906)
Arandano by Marilyn Badger. (Image TheQuiltShow.com)
(All images courtesy of Leni Levenson Wiener, unless otherwise noted)
There are a few things to consider to give a sense of movement to your artwork:
Image
This one is pretty obvious, the image you choose will greatly determine the feeling of movement. A seascape with the horizon line as the focal point is not going to have the same amount of movement as a waterfall rushing over a rocky cliff. Some images require you to amp up the feeling of movement, others require a gentle and peaceful and more calming approach.
Format
This refers to whether your overall artwork is horizontal (the top and bottom being longer than the sides) or vertical (the sides being longer than the top and bottom). A horizontal format will feel more restful and still than one that is vertical. It is no accident that many landscapes and seascapes are horizontal.
Direction
Now let’s think about the direction of the pieces of fabric within your composition. As in format, horizontal lines will appear to have little or no movement, vertical lines feel a bit more energetic. But to really show movement, a diagonal or swirly line will be your best choice. The placement of elements in the design or the direction the pieces of fabric need to draw the eye in and around the composition; this perceived motion tells the viewer something about the subject matter and the tone of the artwork.
Fabric
We have an additional advantage over painters in that we are using fabric as our medium, which means the choice of fabric can support the movement we wish to convey. Using a fabric with swirly or curving lines will add to the feeling of movement in the composition. Patterns that are more static will enhance the feeling of restfulness and calm in a composition. Even a bit of fabric that has its own movement can enliven a more static composition. The stronger the color, the more energy and therefore sense of movement will be depicted, as well.
Icy Perch—The water moves in a diagonal line from one side of the composition to the other. You can’t help but look at the piece from one side to the other, your eye travels along with the water, giving the feeling that it is moving through the space. The use of fabrics with swirling lines and curves in the assortment of fabric helps to support that feeling of movement.
Ruffled Feathers—The wings of the goose are diagonal in the composition but there is another trick I have employed here—the head and wings come out beyond the edges of the composition giving the illusion that he is moving out of the space towards the viewer. This can be a very effective tool in creating a sense of urgency and immediacy.
Tulips in Vase—This piece does not require a sense of movement but the principles of movement are used more subtly here. Although, this still life is static, there is still one flower placed at an angle in the foreground and a diagonal line of the shadow from the window, both of which make the composition feel less stiff. The use of a softly colored swirly background behind the vase also enlivens the artwork and makes it more visually dynamic without adding a sense of actual movement.
Supplies Needed:
Directions:
1. Draw a series of diagonal lines on the white construction paper. You can draw three smaller lines going across the page or fill the space with lines. Both look great, in my opinion.
2. Color in the diagonal lines using markers/colored pencils.
3. Turn the page over and divide the page into twenty-four 1/2" wide strips. Use your ruler for this and try to be as precise as possible. Number the drawn strips on the back from 1-24 along one end (the same end of the strips for all numbers), BEFORE you cut the strips apart.
4. Cut out strip marked #12. With the black construction placed vertically, glue the strip in place in the middle horizontally, like this:
5. Now you can cut strip #11 out and put glue on the back of it. Overlap the left edge of the strip over the left edge of the previous strip (in this case, strip #12), fanning the right edge out slightly (about 1/2"). Repeat with strips 10-1 (working away from you) until you get through strip #1, forming a nice curve with the strips. Use the photo as a guide.
6. Once you have finished gluing down strip #1. Place glue on the back of strip #13 and overlap the right edge of the strip over the right edge of strip #12, fanning the left edge down slightly (about 1/2").
7. Repeat with strips 14-24 until you get through all the strips, forming a nice curve in the opposite direction with the strips. Use the picture as a guide.
It is OK if the ends of the strips continue off the edge of the page. You can leave them that way or trim them to the edge of the black construction paper
Click here for more topics related to The Art of Quilt Design program
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Christian Dior created miniature versions of their haute couture designs. The handwork and attention to detail are truly amazing to behold.
See inside the secret world of the ateliers at 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris to discover some of the extraordinary savoir-faire behind the Autumn-Winter 2020-2021 Haute Couture collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri, discoverable on.dior.com/couture-aw2021. Produced as both 55cm-tall miniatures and in regular size, with the intense attention to detail the same for both, the realization of each look posed specific and sometimes significant challenges. - Christian Dior
This short film is not in English, make sure you have your close-captioning turned on.
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Everyone loves the pinwheel quilt block, but getting the points right makes a big difference. Alex has tips on this fun block.
Alex will be LIVE August 7, 2020 at 10am PST, 1pm EST, and 6pm London time. All classes are recorded.
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