Daily Blog

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All you have to do is listen to the chatter of quilters everywhere who are stash diving to make masks for front line workers, family, friends and all those others who are continuing to hold the economic fort down. My heart sings when I hear of a quilter who is making masks for hospitals, grocery store clerks, delivery personnel, and the people who are continuing to cook take out at their favorite restaurants. The history of quilting is all about sharing and taking care and this world event has shown me that quilters are angels. Many quilt shops, including my own local quilt shop the Stitchin' Post, have stepped up to support the local mask makers.

 

My DIL is an ER nurse and asked if I could try making scrub caps that would cover long hair. The mask making was only a small step from making a quilt, but a scrub cap was more like being a seamstress...and, I was worried about how they would turn out. Searching the internet I found a pattern by A Design by Angie. It was challenging, but when you see the need you remember that you were able to stitch a feathered star block, LOL. I wish every quilter who stitched something for a front line worker could see that there is a smile underneath that mask or scrub cap!

 

 

When I received this photo of the nurses in the scrub caps, it was better than any ribbon I have received for a quilt...and so, what did I do? Made several more! Thank you to all the quilting angels out there... I am blessed to be part of your tribe.

 

 

Stay tuned and travel along with us on Quilt Roadies.

Click here for Anna's blog.

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Hillary Goodwin's quilt, Pick Up Sticks, brings us back to our childhood with her rendition of the traditional game. She experimented with the quilting in order to create a technique which made it look like painted brush strokes.

Pick Up Sticks by Hillary Goodwin won First Place, Piecing, sponsored by Aurifil, at QuiltCon 2020.

Photos by Mary Kay Davis

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Alex is walking us through the paper piecing trails. She was forced to learn it and has become of fan of its precision. She is LIVE at 10am PST, 1pm EST, and 6pm London. It's more fun LIVE, but if you miss it the recording will play here. Please take advantage of our Stay in Place special membership - 6 months for $19.95 or lock in the price for a year at $39. Pleeeeze.

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Sometimes you need to be very accurate. Foundation paper piecing techniques give you that level of skill. Alex resisted foundation paper piecing at first and you might be hesitant too. Alex will let you know some of the tips she learned along the way. Remember, if you want to chat while Alex is LIVE, click on the YouTube logo and go to the YouTube site. Your comments will post LIVE. If you are watching the recording, just comment here.

If you haven't joined or renewed, get the Stay-In-Place special membership.

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We caught up with Lorena Uriarte on the show floor of QuiltCon 2020 where she talked to us about how she made her award-winning quilt, Dynamic Hypnotic. While the piecing might be quite simple, it's the hand quilting that is impressive.

Below, Lorena talks about how she made the quilt followed by photos.

Dynamic Hypnotic won Third Place, Quilting Challenge, sponsored by American Patchwork & Quilting, at QuiltCon 2020.

Photos by Mary Kay Davis

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Making a lot of masks, scrub caps, and gowns? You are taking care of lots of good people, so make sure to take care of your machine as well. Gayle Schliemann from BERNINA of Naperville gives you a quick guide through removing your BERNINA Hook, oiling, and changing a needle on your BERNINA 4, 5 and 7 Series models.

Learn more cool tips and tricks from Gayle in Show 2413 and Show 2503.

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Looking for inspiration to create your perfect quilting and crafting space? Check out this article from Redfin.com, 13 Tips for Creating the Ultimate Crafting Space. It is chock full of ideas, and one of them even came from TQS!

Click here to read the article.

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The Quilt Alliance is giving you access to FREE Story Bee Episodes through the month of April. StoryBee is a web-based interview show that records conversations with people from all corners of the quilt world, touring their workspace and finding out what’s on their minds.

A number of great episodes of StoryBee are now free for everyone to sample through the end of April 2020. Included this month are interviews with: Carole Lyles Shaw, Jacquie Gering, Georgia Bonesteel, and Victoria Findlay Wolfe.

Click here for episodes.

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Enjoy the poster for the 2007 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, titled Nature's Inspiration and designed by Kathy Deggendorfer. We just love Kathy's artwork.

Click here for the current status of the show for 2020.

Watch Kathy in Show 2608.

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Three Easy Steps To Save This Lesson As A Pdf:
-Make sure you are logged in.
-Click on the small triangle next to the tool wheel in the upper right hand corner of the page (you'll find it above the Like button).
-Select the pdf. option. Wait a few minutes. It's a large file due to the number of images.
-Your file should appear with the title of the lesson.

Illustration by Amy Gibson, Canyon Crest Elementary

A shape is a closed two dimensional flat line, meaning that it has length & width. Using the example of a house that you might draw on a piece of paper. You recognize that the drawing on the left is a house, but are not able to determine how large it is, or look around it, because it is on a flat piece of paper. Now look at the house on the right. It gives you a clear sense of its size, shape, and form (which we will focus on next week). Shape falls into two categories: geometric and organic.

Geometric vs. Organic

As quilters, we are very familiar with blocks and patterns using two dimensional shapes such as a square, rectangle, triangle, or hexagon. These shapes are created using mathematical formulas. You might want to think of them as something that is man-made.                                        
                                                        

  LeMoyne Star Variation by Deb Tucker.

Organic shapes are free-flowing, irregular, and less defined. These shapes are often found in nature, such as plants and animals. The line that encloses the organic shape can be curved, angular, or a a blend of both. Twisted Hornet by Sheila Frampton Cooper (Show 1306: No-Pin Curves and Quilting "Modern") is an example using Organic shapes.

Twisted Hornet by Sheila Frampton Cooper

Positive vs. Negative Shape

 
Block #95 Attic Window. Jinny Beyer.com

Shapes can also be categorized as Positive or Negative as in the Attic Window block. Positive shapes are the solid forms which make up the window. Negative shape is the space between the shapes (inside the window). The Attic Window block is a perfect example of using both positive and negative space to give the illusion of a three dimensional window.

Negative shape is the area around/between the shape, such as in the illustrations on the left and of a pair of scissors. 

In Jenny Bowker's (Show 1804: Quilting Outside the Blocks) quilt Arabesque, the doorway is the positive space, while the opening is considered the negative space.

Combining Elements of Shape

 
Rainbow Waterfall 1 by Cara Gulati (Left) ; Kimberley Mystique by Gloria Loughman (Right)

In the case of Rainbow Waterfall 1 by Cara Gulati (Show 1105: Curves Ahead...and More!) the organic shape that occupies the negative and positive space is more fluid and varies. While Gloria Loughman's (Show 612: Nature's Journey) Kimberley Mystique combines both geometric (background sky) and organic shapes (trees and foreground).

Practice Exercise: Recognizing Shape in Quilts

Each of the four quilts feature a number of shapes. In each category we are giving you an easy and a challenge. Put your eagle eyes on to spy the various shapes.

1. How many geometric shapes can you find in Quilts 1 & 2?
2. How many organic shapes can you find in Quilt 3?

1. Spoolin' Around by Laura Nownes. Photo by Gregory Case Photography.  2. Butterfly Quilt by Tula Pink. Photo by Gregory Case Photography

3. Johnny Jump Ups by Jane Sassaman. Photo by IQA.  4. Clipper Ship by Wendy Grande. Photo by Gregory Case Photography

Click here for more topics related to The Art of Quilt Design program.