Are you a planner?

I am definitely a planner. My husband says I’m always planning ahead. It’s not just with my art. It’s pretty much with everything in my life. I’m always trying to figure out what my next project will be. Before I start something new I let the possible ideas simmer for a while before choosing one. Sometimes that process takes a while.  I save inspiration photos for years before making an art quilt from them. There are some that never lead to an art quilt.

I have a few projects before I can really pick my next major project. I’m still working on the Halloween block of the month. These are the blocks I have at this point. Some have the pieces stitched in place. Some have the hand stitching done. I will get back to this once I make my sister’s birthday gift. I can’t post that yet since it will be a surprise.

After the BOM I have this kit to make. It was a Christmas gift from a few years ago.

So what am I thinking about for my next project?  I have a few tempting AI images. 

I also have some tempting photos.

I’ve always wanted to do a quilt with stone work which is why the stone steps appeals to me.  I love buildings in the snow so the Pittsburgh alley is tempting. I’ve wanted to do a bridge. So add in a streetcar and an old car and I can see doing that photo. Then of course there is my love of buildings. I also like the forest idea partly because the colors are beautiful. 

Well it’s not like I have to decide right now. 

Thanks for reading. 

Chris

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

Going to be interviewed

Next Wednesday I am going to be interviewed by someone from the State College Magazine. The article is going to be about Olli instructors. Last spring I taught a class on making an art quilt from a photo and will be doing that spring 2020 as well. So I will be included with lots of other interesting teachers. The person interviewing me will be taking photos of my quilts as well for the article.

"When the Dark Night Seems Endless"

Energy/Environmental Quilts

"Dawn on the Charles Bridge"

"Midwinter Visitor"

"Midwinter's Night"

Thanks for reading.
Chris

Quilt Mulligan

I had a quilt that was making me crazy for the last few years. It was not hanging flat which was due to the borders. Also the black from one of the fabrics in the quilt had bled into the yellow inner border. This quilt has been hanging in our spare bedroom so I don’t see it often, but when I did it kept telling me to do something about it. So last week I decided to listen to it.
I thought the quilt would look better without the border so I cut off the border, blocked the remaining quilt, squared up the quilt, and bound it. I am so happy I did it because it looks much better now. It hangs flat and the wonky borders are now gone.
Before:  You can see how wonky the borders were. I am beginning to think quilts should not have borders! Believe me when I say that I am very careful when I put borders on a quilt, but sometimes they still don’t come out right. If you look closely near the black hill on the right side of the quilt you can see where the black bled into the yellow inner border.

After: Much better. Wonkiness is all gone. The orange fabric (both the sky and the water) in this quilt was hand painted by me years ago. The hills and birches are commercial fabrics.

Close up
 
The quilt is called “Orange Sky at Night.” Thanks for reading.
Chris

Beneath a Turquoise Sky

I finished a quilt started in my class with Gloria Loughman last September. For this class you just cut pieces of fabrics with smooth curves and then turned under the edges, arranged them on a stabilizer and then stitched them down. Last week I added the tree and grasses and the borders and quilted it. Now it is bound and a sleeve is sewn on. It is hanging where a boring quilt used to hang.


 
Chris

Midwinter Visitor Finished!

Well today I sewed the sleeve onto a quilt that I started back in February.  The inspiration was a photograph.  I loved the fact that the only color in the quilt was the cardinal which makes him the focal point of the quilt.  In order to get right shades of gray for the trees in the background I mostly had to use the backs of fabrics.

The overall size of the quilt is about 30 inches by 40 inches and since it has a lot of free motion quilting in it, it took quite a few days to do that. So you can imagine that the quilt had some distortion after that was done. So it had to be blocked which I did before adding the binding.  I have blocked quilts before, but usually after the binding has been added.  This worked much better. I am happy to say that the quilt is hanging very flat with no waves!!

I started this quilt in a two part online class given by Ellen Lindner called Design Your Own Nature Quilt.  Ellen is a great teacher and gives wonderful feedback as you work on your project. She is going to be offering this class in the near future if you are interested. My cardinal quilt will be posted on her website very soon as well.
Thanks for reading.
Chris