Sunday, March 30, 2014

Intermediate Quilting Class 2014 (Session One)

A friend and I again taught an Intermediate Quilting class.  We taught it a few years ago for the first time.  Last year we taught Beginning Quilting, and this year we are teaching the intermediate class.  I should state for the record that these classes have been taught for quite a few years, through our quilting guild, PPQG, by some very, very capable teachers.  I've taken both of these classes.  I can only hope that my friend and I can fill their tennis shoes.

We have an excellent group of students this year, 7 in total, which is a really nice number for the class.  Not too big and not too small.

The first week we taught "Y-seams."  Specifically, the Attic Windows block and Tumbling Blocks.


This is the basic attic window pattern.  


When sewn together a nice window pattern emerges.

Tumbling blocks, as you know, are made up of just three diamond shapes, light, medium, and dark.  With the shading, they make a three-dimensional effect, as does attic windows.


I have a little (!) experience with tumbling blocks.  You can see some posts here and here.



 Our students are really great, and catch on quickly.  In fact, we had some extra time after they mastered these Y-seams, so we also taught them a free-form method of making blocks out of just strips of neutral fabric and scraps.  I learned this method from a blog I follow, called Oh Fransson.  I  made a quilt using this method back in this blog post.


One of my "free-form" blocks.

A happy student with her "free-form" block.

I always have fun re-making the blocks for the beginning and intermediate classes before we teach them.  This way they are fresh in my mind, and I'm aware of any steps or procedures that might be confusing to the students.  

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Acceptance Letter


I was so excited to received an acceptance letter a few weeks ago from 
QuiltFest Destination Savannah.  My quilt, Nature Redesigns Highway One, was sent off today to appear in their show March 27-30.


I saw that their theme was "Destination," so I thought a quilt with a highway in it 
might be good for that.  And sent in my photos.


I'm excited because this is the first judged show in which I've had a quilt.  It will be really interesting to see what comments the judges have about my quilt.  Or maybe not.  All of a sudden I'm feeling a little insecure about my sewing abilities.  {Tee-hee!}