Am I addicted to taking quilting classes?

 Many of those who have known me for a while would probably answer yes. Of course even those folks probably have no idea how many classes I've actually taken.

 Ever since I turned 70 back in April I have been contemplating things about my art. These are my latest questions. How many classes have I taken and what did I make? Were they worth taking or does that even really matter?

When I started quilting 35 years ago I learned how to quilt from books taken out of the local library. I only worked on one thing at a time, did not have a bunch of unfinished projects, and did not have a huge book and fabric stash. Boy have times changed! The first class I took was one on making a double wedding ring quilt at a local quilt store. This was made back when I only hand quilted and there was a lot of hand quilting in this queen sized quilt....800 hours worth.

Wedding rings and white roses

Once I found Quilt University I started taking lots of classes online. I estimate that I took at least 12 classes from dying fabric to free motion quilting to painting fabric to making an art quilt. Many of those classes did not result in making anything. I did make some pieces.

Forest Cathedral, dyeing fabric

Crazy About Daisies, learning to FMQ

Orange Sky at Night,  painting fabric

Over the Sea to Skye, first art quilt

Snap, Crackle, Pop, elements in fabric class

Blue Flower, flower power class

So 6 quilts for at least 12 classes. I guess that's not too bad. I have an Hawaiian quilt that is only 1/4 appliqued at this point. I doubt that I'll ever finish it. I hate needle turn applique. I guess I leaned that in that class!

I've taken other online classes from independent teachers. In each of these classes I did make something.

Winter Solstice, Ellen Lindner class

Midwinter Visitor, Ellen Lindner class

Blue Portal, Portal class with Natalya Khorover

Apple, Double reverse applique class

Connected to the Moon, text on textiles class

Beneath a Turquoise Sky, in person class with Gloria Loughman

So I guess not a bad showing from these classes.

Then of course I took Elizabeth Barton's master class twice. These classes lasted an entire year. The first time back in 2014 we made 10 quilts. Those quilts can be seen here.

The second time I took the class as an independent student in 2018. I made 4 quilts that you have seen many times.

Evolution?

 

When the Dark Night Seems Endless

Taking its Toll

Light in Darkness

Then there is Academy of Quilting. I've taken plenty of classes there as well. I did make something in several of the classes.

Midwinter's night, abstract art for quilt makers

We are Broken, abstract art for quilt makers

Sunlight in the Forest, abstract art for quilt makers

Stained Glass quilt with Elizabeth Barton

Then there are all those classes with Natalya Khorover. In each one I made something.

Abandoned Cement Works, plastic class

Boston Collage in progress, Sense of space class

Pittsburgh in the Snow 1: Waiting for the Trolley, Sense of space class

Pittsburgh in the Snow 2: Cathedral

Looking back at this makes me think that I accomplished a lot in all of these classes. They certainly have turned me into the artist that I am today. When I started this blog I was sure I hadn’t made many things from all of those classes. The thing that I am least proud of is all the classes I have taken at Craftsy and made nothing except some great sticky buns and failed attempts at sourdough bread. And there are other classes I have taken to create original fabrics. So if I had to guess how many classes I have taken in total I would have to say maybe about 50. Is that good to take so many classes? 

I'm sure I will take many more classes. Already Natalya has said that she is teaching the Sense of Space class in the fall and it will be different this time around. I was tempted to take it again, but decided that I am crazy. I have enough on my plate with projects.

Do you take classes? Do you always make something? Can we take them for the pure joy of taking them without doing anything?

Thanks for reading.

Linking to Nina-Marie.

Chris

Do I dare hope that it is fixed?

Potential fabric design

I am able to get onto my blog this morning. I knew that a Comcast engineer was working on figuring out why I have been blocked, but did not have a lot of faith in the results. Our modem was out this morning so I suspect they were working updating it.  I am still skeptical that this is really fixed so we will see.

I have gotten a lot done on the secret project that I mentioned last week. I will eventually be able to post it, but not at this point.

My MIL was going to knit a shawl for me. I got the yarn and now she says she can't do it. Since I am not a knitter this has become a problem. It looks like a complicated pattern. So now I have over $100 worth of yarn and am pretty frustrated. I should have known better.

Linking to Nina-Marie.
Thanks for reading.
Chris

Before and After

I did not really work on the Halloween quilt this week. We were busy putting in a really nice under the stairs pantry closet.

Here is the closet before.

Before

Here it it after putting in the organizer closet from Easy Closets. This is our 5th closet from them. We have done master closets with drawers, shelves, and hanging rods. So this closet was easy compared to that.

After

I did play in Photoshop Elements creating fabric ideas with layered wind turbines from a previous quilt, smoke stacks and my pixel designs.

Linking to Nina-Marie.
Thanks for reading.
Chris

It's all coming together....

The house quilt is thread basted and ready for hand quilting. Boy that was some job. It took two days of working on it for many, many hours Sometimes I think I over baste, but I will be carrying this around for a while so I don't want it to shift too much.

Moral: I will never complain about pin basting for machine quilting ever again.

My fabrics arrived from Spoonflower. The one in the middle is my fabric for my Van Gogh inspired piece. Now I can get started on it. The one on the left is created from an abstract design I came up with last year in EB's abstract class. The one on the right is fabric I created with my ipad. I had it printed before, but this time added the white word designs. I have made a quilt from this fabric before.

Design created in EB's class using blue/green/gray squares.

Quilt made from the fabric created on my ipad.
This quilt is only 15 in by 15 in.

















Linking to Nina-Marie.

Thanks for reading.

Chris