Jeanette DeNicolis Meyer Workshop

What a weekend!  Jeanette's workshop 'Layers of Lightness - Quilt and Collage with Translucent Fabrics' was a  huge success.  Everyone I spoke to took something away with them, whether it was new skills that they were sure they would use again, inspiration for a new work, or just more of an idea of where they are heading in their quilting journey.  

Day one and we got to play with lots of paint.  Trying out colour mixes, methods of laying down paint and getting texture were all part of our experiments.  We were painting on silk organza for the most part and it was wonderful stuff.

Our drop cloths were almost as exciting as the organza, and I for one, caught myself planning my next colour to match my drop cloth rather than what I needed to complete a range of colours in my organza!

We all ended up with a pile of beautiful fabrics.  And they were all completely different. 

Day two saw us learning about the different ways to seam our fabrics and then we jumped right in to composing.  Sue was congratulated in being so brave as to cut up her beautiful piece of organza that forms the centre of her quilt.

And here are our compositions up on the design wall.  Above, from left to right, are Kerry, Gaylin and Terri's pieces.

From left to right we have Vikki's, Charlotte's (who did two) and Sue's.

Then we have Shirley, Petra and Dolores.

From left to right again, Carol and Donna.

Then we have Patricia, Robyn, Cynthia and Monika.

And last, but not least, we have Suz.

You can see how different each piece is.  Yet we all started with the same white organza and the same paints.  Some people used their drop cloths and others added a patterned fabric as their base to work on.

Jeanette is a fabulous tutor and a wonderful person as well.  She is teaching again in New Zealand next year, Wanaka's Autumn Art School (this links to the 2012 programme as they haven't put up the 2013 one yet) from from 22 to the 26 of April 2013.  If you ever have the opportunity to take a class with her, you won't be disappointed, whatever it is she may be teaching.

Books

Are you a quilting book collector?  I hear some people's book stashes rival their fabric stashes.  And should we talk about magazine stashes?!

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sometimes there is a particular book you want.  You search your local quilt shop - no luck, you search your library - no luck.  What do you do?  Well, have you tried Fishpond?  Fishpond is kinda the NZ local equivalent of Amazon, a big on-line bookshop.  They often have specials and they have free postage within New Zealand.  You can set up a wishlist and you can send that wishlist to your hubby as a birthday hint!

I went in and searched for 'traditional quilts' and more than 1000 products were found.  Gulp!  It might take you a little while to browse all those, but I'm sure you'll have fun while you do it.  Here's the link for my search:

http://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/advanced_search_result.php?rid=1481827791&keywords=traditional%20quilts

Otherwise, click here to go to Fishpond's home page.

And no, I don't get any kickbacks from Fishpond, and please support your local quilt shop when you can.

Faced Binding Tutorial

Using a faced binding can be a nice way to finish off a wall hanging or small art quilt.  A traditional binding can sometimes be 'too much' and a faced binding finishes the edge without adding anything to it.

Judy Coates Perez (who is an amazing art quilter and, if you haven't already, you should spend some time looking at her work) has generously shared a faced binding tutorial on her blog.  I have seen some other tutorials but this one is the easiest to follow in my opinion.  She has nice clear photos and well-written instructions.

This is what the back of a quilt with a faced binding looks like.  Image from www.judyperez.blogspot.com 

So if you are looking for a new skill, something to help you finish those little quilts you've made, then take a look here:  http://judyperez.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/faced%20binding

Graph Paper.

Do you draft out your own quilt designs?  How about playing with layouts and colour options for your latest hexie quilt?  This website has free graph paper in all sorts of different shapes and sizes - you can download and keep a PDF of your most used shape.  There's diamonds, triangles, hexagons and squares of course.  You set the size you want and off you go.

 (Images from http://incompetech.com)

Colour!!

Do you feel like you are lacking something?  Is the start of Autumn getting you down?  Are you looking for a little wow?  Well, check out Melody Johnson's website for more than a little colour infusion!

Image from www.wowmelody.com

Click here to go to www.wowmelody.com and have a cruise through some of her fun-filled and bright quilts.  You can also find a link to her blog if you would like to follow Melody as she knits, dyes and quilts her way through life.

Beneath the Southern Sky

Image from www.beneathsouthernsky.com

Beneath the Southern Sky is a travelling exhibition of 30 contemporary textile works.  It will be touring Australia and a couple of venues in the USA and you will be able to see the collection in New Zealand at the Craft and Sewing Show in Auckland,  15th to 18th of March.  It is being curated by Brenda Gael Smith, one of the now famous twelve by twelve quilters.

For full details on this exhibition, have a look at the website www.beneathsouthernsky.com

Check it out if you have the chance - it looks like it will be a great show!

Jeanette DeNicolis Meyer Workshop

Renowned international fabric artist  Jeanette DeNicolis Meyer  is coming to Northland.  She will be teaching a two-day course on designing and collage with translucent fabrics.

Quilt and Collage with Translucent Fabrics

Discover the design and color world that opens up while composing quilts or fabric collages with layers of luscious silk organza and crisp cotton organdy. We will begin by producing a gem-like palette of translucent fabric with easy to use paints and then proceed to the design wall, where new colors and shapes will emerge as the translucent fabrics are layered. We will also produce a technique sampler notebook as we experiment with fusing and a variety of machine and hand-sewn seams to explore the design possibilities different finished edges can provide.

Dates:   March 10th and 11th 2012

Location:   Whangarei, venue to be advised

Cost:   $115.00 per person.  $40.00 non-refundable deposit.  Limited places available.

Contact:   Charlotte Scott  09 404 0644

Brought to you by the combined efforts of Whangarei and Kerikeri Patchwork and Quilting Clubs. 

Jeanette’s website: www.jdmeyer.com