QUILT FESTIVAL HOUSTON 2023 -- MY CLASSES

 It's that great time of year when classes for International Quilt Festival are announced and Enrollment opens. Many classes FILL in the first week so those in the know are ready with their class selections and make sure they enroll as soon as Enrollment opens.

This year is special for me--I am TEACHING at Houston. Having worked in the Education Department for almost 25 years, I have known that someday I would change jobs from "Faculty Check-In Person" to FACULTY. This is the year.

I am teaching 3 of my favorite classes. 

Thursday November 2, 2023, 9-5, #411 WESTERN SUN:

Wild Western Sun  about 50" square 

This class teaches so many great techniques, like paper piecing, hand or machine applique and, as always in my classes, lots of tips and tricks for accurate precision piecing. 

What if you want to use Reproduction fabrics instead of brights? No problem:

My King size bed quilt, 110" square, 25 whole blocks, 12 half blocks, 4 quarter blocks

To see a recent class of Western Sun and find links to additional blogs about it see this Blog: Western Sun in TN

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2023 , 9-5, #507 ANTIQUE ROSE STAR: 

my top

Student Work--a baby quilt

Student work in beautiful fabrics

A small sample in bright contemporary fabrics--see how easy it is to put this together in class:

We will speed cut the shapes and learn how to piece this block quickly. It looks great in any kind of fabric, from Civil War Reproductions to Modern to Brights. And there are many ways to set this block. I think it is my most favorite class to teach.

For more student work see this Blog: Antique Rose Star

Saturday November 4, 2023, 9-5, #606 Disappearing Patchwork:

About 62" square, 16 total blocks

This started out as a challenge to myself to make a Neutral quilt. It was a stretch for me, but I was satisfied with the result. There are MANY WAYS to set the blocks, so it is fun to play with design ideas as the blocks get made.

How about we make it with Bright fabrics? Here is a quick sample I just created:

I also had a lot of fun quilting the neutral quilt. See some detail photos in this Blog: Disappearing Patchwork -- the Quilting

Find all the Class Catalog and Information here: Class Info Hub Houston 2023

Enrollment is due to begin Monday June 19, 2023. Be ready if you really want to take any of the classes--they do FILL FAST! 

I hope to see many of you in class. For years, I have been asked at Festival "When can I take a class from YOU HERE?" The answer to that question is NOW, THIS YEAR, 2023!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Disappearing Patchwork -- the Quilting

 For the past few months I have been working on a Neutral quilt, made from neutral fabrics: white, tan, gray, in various shades of each. That is descriptive but it's not a great name. So, the official title is Disappearing Patchwork.

About 62" square

Here are details of the machine quilting I did with the Bernina Q20 sit down long arm:

Each of the thirty-two 4.5" squares has a different quilting design--some I got from books, some I came up with. Most were done with a ruler: 

A star: 

Just follow the squiggles in the fabric: 

Square on point with horizontal and vertical lines and a square on point with pumpkin seeds: 

Each of the 2" x 4.5" rectangles have the same half circle curve, done with a circle ruler: 

The pinwheels in the four corners have simple quilting, a square on point with pumpkin seeds:

All the remaining pinwheels have more curved quilting, again using a ruler: 

While it is hard to see, the small 2" squares were used to "travel" from block to block, with a simple loop-di-loop squiggle that got me from one place to another: 

Superior Thread: Omni 40 wt #3008 Sesame Seeds and Bottom Line 60 wt  #653 Beach:

On the brown narrow outer border, I used Quilter's Select 60 wt # 739--it matched perfectly for a very simple loop that took me quickly all around the outside edge:

The back in the sunlight--I love the texture of quilting: 

Disappearing Patchwork is named this because this is a simple 16 block quilt, made from pinwheels and 5" squares, cut up using the "disappearing nine-patch" method. 

There has been some interest in using this for a free Sew-A-Long here in the future. If you are interested, let me know in the comments below, and when we reach 2500 followers, I will do that. We are about 2300 now so follow by email or with Google if you  have a Gmail account--it's easy and you don't miss any of the posts, usually twice a week, Wednesday and Sunday.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Traveling West

 At this moment I am in Salt Lake City, Utah for International Quilt Festival. I am sure there will be lots of great quilt photos to share when I get home. 

If you are at this Show, stop in the Education Office and say "hi"! The show is open to the public, the dates are July 21-23, 2022. Find out all the information you need right here: International Quilt Festival Salt Lake City

Here is my Neutral quilt, under construction: 

There will be a pieced border all around, still being made. 

I am working with neutrals as a challenge to myself. Bright colors or 1800's reproductions are my usual go-to. It isn't easy working with "low volume" fabrics--the current word for NEUTRALS. But it's growing on me. 

Perhaps I will see a neutral quilt or two in Salt Lake City for inspiration.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

PROGRESS ON PROJECTS

 I've been working on a several projects at the same time, my typical process. 

Whenever I teach Antique Rose Star by Machine, I come home eager to make more blocks myself. I have Kite templates in various sizes: 1.5", 2", 2.375", 3", 4" and 5". It was time to make one BIG block with the 5" Kite, as a table topper and as a visual when teaching. It took very little time to make this:

Front  34" across the middle

Back

These would make great gifts--I received one as a gift made from a 4" kite but always have to remember to take it when teaching. This one can live in my teaching bag for this class. 

No binding or batting--I used a fabric as the "inner layer" to provide a little stability. Finishing was the "pillow" method--layer top/back right sides together, put inner layer on the bottom, sew all around the outer edge, leaving a 3-4" opening to turn right side out. Slipstitch the opening closed then some minor straight line quilting and it's done!

Garden Party Down Under is more than half way done for 2022, the Block of the Month for www.thequiltshow.com. I love my complete quilt made last year to test the pattern, with help from the wonderful Sunday Sew and Sews. 

This year I am making parts to have visuals for demos and the LIVE broadcasts I do for The Quilt Show. I didn't want to make a second complete large quilt this year. So far, I have two wallhanging tops made. This most recent one uses blocks from Months 3-7:

50" square

Earlier, I decided Months 1 and 2 make a perfectly good wallhanging so this top is also done:

38" square

Eventually, I'll prepare backs and batting for both of these and quilt them.

Then there's the Neutral Quilt I've been working on. I wrote about this twice recently, find out more HERE  My first blocks were darker than I expected so I made four more, somewhat lighter, and will place them in the middle:

All the fabrics for the remaining 8 blocks are cut out and waiting. I sew a couple of these in between doing other things. It shouldn't take long to make those 8 blocks but I'm getting busy and will travel to Salt Lake City and Long Beach in this next month. So this will have to wait.

The newest start is getting all my extra attention now. It's a gift for a man who said his favorite color is blue. The pattern is from thimblesandneedles, an Australian designer. Patterns are available on Etsy:

Not all the parts are there yet but all the pieces are cut and ready to be used as Leaders/Enders while I work on other things. My plan is to push hard on this in the next two weeks so the top is done before I go to International Quilt Festival in Salt Lake City. Having it on the wall now makes it easier to work on it as time is available. I am debating whether the perimeter triangles will be various blues or various whites. I'm leaning toward blue.

What are you working on? 

Let's quilt.

Barbara