North Carolina Symposium

The North Carolina Symposium was held last week in Raleigh, NC at William Peace University. The symposium is hosted by a different guild each year which allows it to move around the state. I was teaching my Layered Naturescapes workshop which is always great fun. 

My cats seem to have a 6th sense about these things and love it when they find an open suitcase...I think they try and hide in hopes of tagging along but I always catch them in time... 

 Raleigh was a straight shot on I-40 except for when I got to the last 15 mins...of course my GPS died on me an hour into the trip and my google maps would not connect...There I was on Glenwood Avenue and didn't know where to go..After 3 gas stations, I found my way ...A little old lady who was quite feisty and smart told me (she was probably a quilter)...but I know from experience, a trip wouldn't be complete if I didn't get lost. Just ask anyone who knows me...So here is a pic of the lovely WP Univ campus...

It was quite small and easy for everyone to get aroound.

So onto the workshop...this one always fills and is the most fun to teach. There were 22 lovely ladies so we were bulging at the seams but quilters are the nicest people and everyone was very respectful of each other's space. We did have a table of goodies - silk paint, textile paint, silk screens and tulle...

The 1st part of this workshop is to paint (using Dye-na-Flow) a piece of silk organza. The colors should work with the base piece since this will serve as an overlay.

Crinkling up the organza provides lots of nooks and crannies for the paint flow giving it an interesting dimension when dry.

We used the hall for drying which can take up to a couple of hours. If it's a sunny day, students often put their silk on bushes and grass outside which speeds up drying time.

So the next step while organza is drying is to create some interesting imagery on the base piece of fabric. This is achieved through silk screens and appliques.

This very clever gal also used some wonderful yarns for embellishment underneath the organza.

The organza is placed on top...

and more imagery added to organza...which is yet to be done here...but it's off to a wonderful start.

This gal had a fabulous piece of fabric she dyed and was using as a base. She has silk screened some trees on top and next will add the organza.

I loved this piece...it was incredibly soft and pretty.

and a detail where you can see how interesting the painted organza is. Crinkling the fabric will create the mottled look you see above.

I loved this piece with the beautiful ferns (this will be an underwater scene) and then using a fancy tulle with ribbon

added this to the top.

This piece was so playful and I failed to get a picture of the next step...but it did feature dolphins jumping out of the water. The clouds were more tweaked and some beautiful colors used.
It was such a big group, I had a hard time remembering names...but I will say this...I got the "happy chills" when walking up and down seeing what everyone was doing...These gals were incredibly talented and did some beautiful pieces...I hope they'll email a picture when they're done.

Quilt Symposium of Alabama

What a crazy, busy 2 weeks it has been, just returned from the NC Symposium, a day at home and then onto Alabama. I never do these back to backs, these old bones can't take it but sometimes it just happens. The Quilt Symposium of Alabama was lovely down to every detail.

 The Quilts of Valor were already hung when we got there. This was a display, one in which they only expected 6 or 7 quilts and wound up with close to 30. It was impressive. Most were hung in the cafeteria of a middle school where the symposium was held...

and some on stage in the auditorium where the quilt show was being held.

 All were lovely and beautifully made to honor our men and women in service to our country.

 It gave you the chills to see them all side by side, all so different and patriotic.

 On to the workshops....One of my workshops was on bobbin work. Using a pattern of a parrot or butterfly, students fused down the applique pieces and finished the edges with couching thread and decorative stitches. This is Mary's piece who did a beautiful job with her couched stitching.

 Even though the same 2 patterns were used, each piece was so unique because of the wonderful fabric choices and color combinations chosen.

 Some even mirrored each other.

 Some used solids and others, some wild prints which lent themselves so well to this project.

I also did a workshop on Shaded Florals, using patterns of flowers, different values of fabric and Shiva paintsticks. Again, each was so individual depending on choices and every one was lovely. Dottie finished her shading (left side) making it really come alive. Dottie is also a water color artist so this was a natural for her to do. M E's is on the right. M E goes by her initials which stands for a really beautiful first name but she prefers M E. I think my husband had a nun in Catholic school with this name.  ( - : 

 Norma chose a very different color palette which turned out beautiful. Norma is a great grandmother and her many years of sewing really showed in her amazing technical skills.

This is Sherrie's and again, a wonderful and lively color palette. I've asked students to send me a picture of their finished piece and I hope they do. Once again, thanks to a wonderful group of gals who took my workshops, made me laugh and inspired me with their wonderful creativity.

NC Symposium cont...

To continue my little "brag-a-thon" of students work, here are some more of the wonderful pieces started in my Layered Naturescapes class.

 This piece was to feature water lilies and bright flowers.

 This was a very colorful desert scene with organza already in place, some screening on top and underneath.  I love the way the one screen resembles sage brush.

One piece had some fernlike images screened on fabric and then filled in with Derwents inktense pencils which are easy to apply, blended with water and are permanent. What a great tool for art quilts.

 I loved the story behind this piece - a beloved tree and landmark on their property was slowly dying.  A photograph served as inspiration to recreate it in fabric.

 Crashing waves were to be added to the horizon of this piece, it's off to a wonderful start. I love all the screening in the foreground.

 The moon and clouds add a sense of mystery to this piece with organza already in place to give it lots of dimension.

 It took a couple of tries to get the organza the right color for the base fabric of this piece but the results are perfect. The imagery is wonderful - the mushroom and ferns on top add such movement.

 This next piece featured a pond and forest with lots of lovely foliage in the foreground.

 Love the big old tree and orange moon. The background fabric was quite busy but worked beautifully with chosen imagery.

 Love the pop of color ...

A fun workshop and symposium. Thank you to all my wonderful students who are the heart and soul of these gatherings and make them so worthwhile.

NC Symposium

I'm catching up on my blogposts as I've been out of town for a while, first teaching at the NC Symposium - home for a day and then off to the Quilt Symposium of Alabama. One of the workshops I taught at NC was my Layered Naturescapes. It is a fun, fun workshop to teach as you see such creativity. 

The first step was to paint a piece of silk organza which would blend with the colors of the base piece. It was a warm, muggy day so we had to use very creative ways to speed up the drying. The lawn and big bushes were used with success.

The process is so interesting, preparing the background with appliques, laying organza over it and treating it with more appliques. to get this wonderful before and after.

 This is the start of a seascape. More than one color was used to silkscreen the wavy ferns giving it more dimension.

Another before and after of a forest and dragonfly. The chosen background fabric is especially wonderful. What seemed like a "too busy" fabric turned out to be the perfect backdrop for a forest.

 I loved this piece, so simple but such wonderful leaves and the little touch of blue flowers to make it pop.

 The start of a wonderful mountain piece still waiting for the second layer.

And this lovely before and after, the way the organza was painted gives the feel of a ray of light shining down.

To go from this beginning....

to this is quite amazing.

 The start of another wonderful piece with organza in place ....and some silk screening on organza to be layered over the background.
I have more students work to share next time. I get thrills and chills at the creativity of my students - so much talent!