Student Spotlight: Palmetto Quilt Guild

What a wonderful place - Hilton Head Island is absolutely beautiful.

What a wonderful group of students!

I am SO lucky to get to do what I do!

Apli-Punto to Go

Art+Quilt: Quilter Beth - actual texture

Is it acceptable to call someone that is working through my book a "student" even if I haven't had the privilege of meeting her in the classroom? I sincerely hope so because Quilter Beth is doing some absolutely beautiful work and I'm so glad she's sharing her it with the world.

These are her ACTUAL TEXTURE exercises from chapter two in Art + Quilt in which one creates a composition with neutral colored fabrics with as many different textures as possible. It is an exploration in moving outside of the box - getting away from our comfortable quilter's cottons. Seeing new possibilities in our materials as well as in our own artistic sensibilities. 

Beth says, "Since I come from a traditional quilting background, I have seldom used fabrics other than smooth cottons in my pieces. I found myself really enjoying the feel of these various textures. I also liked "pushing" myself to come up with ways to add texture through embellishments. I think the multiple textures (and the play of light off these textures) make the pieces much more interesting."

Please click on these pictures to take a closer look at the fascinating materials she's used. There are rubber drawer liners and straw hat brims. Her compositions are well balanced and thoughtfully done. She's given each of her materials thought and care. What beautiful pieces.

Student Work

First a quick note: 3 ATC's left - they go to the next three people that order the Quilting Arts DVD workshop "Surface Design Sampler Platter" from me. Use the button on the upper right corner of this blog or on this page at my website.

Now on to the good stuff! 

I'd love to share some of the wonderful work done by a student in my last session of "Freeform Screen Printing" at QuiltUniversity.com. The next session opens this Friday, May the 15th. There is still space available and time to order supplies. There are four lessons, one opening each week and staying open until June 27th. I'm there on the forum to answer any of your questions and to comment on whatever work you choose to share in the student gallery. Just think - I'm at your beck and call for a month and a half - all for $36.00. Can't beat that.

Alexandra Panagopoulou took the screen printing class from the comfort of her home in Greece. Don't you just LOVE the technology that makes distance learning possible? It still boggles my mind to have students in my class from all over the world. Sure, every once in a while we all have to put our heads together and figure out where a student in a far flung place can find something like "anti-chlor" (which is used for halting the bleaching process in discharge printing.)  But it's definitely worth it and with so many good people willing to help out we always come up with a solution.

During class we learn to prepare an image for making a thermofax screen but the student can also purchase ready-made screens from different suppliers. Here Alexandra has used one of the leaf images I offer at my website and layered it in different colors on some dyed fabric. Gorgeous!

This lovely print was made with a paper stencil and masking tape resist on a wooden screen. It's an easy and low-tech method that has yielded beautiful results in her capable hands. I look forward to seeing more of Alexandra's work in the future. Perhaps, someday - even in person!