First Time Quilting

In 5 weeks flat, first-time quilting students learned to piece, hand quilt, and bind with beautiful results! Despite some remaining basting stitches and unfinished bindings (I took these pictures during our final class when everyone was rushing to complete their work), I think you will agree, these little gems are gorgeous!

Block Printing A Go-Go

Okay, everyone, I couldn't resist showing off these ever so lovely block prints from the gang in the Repeats and Patterns class. Mind you, most of the students hadn't even said as much as hello to a linoblock before, and look at what happened after three intimate hours together . . .

See anything you like? Well, you too can have a meaningful creative relationship with this tantalizing print form by taking the Block Printing on fabric class offered next term here at Lillstreet. Check out the website for all the details and I hope to see you there!

eak

Spoonflower

There's this great website (if you haven't heard of it already) called Spoonflower. www.spoonflower.com It's a wonderful place for textile designers to submit their own designs and have their own fabric printed. As a designer you still own the rights to your design, you earn 10% of your fabric which is sold, and you get a 10% discount on buying your own fabric. Anyhow, if you haven't checked this sight out, you've got to. It's the new marketplace for fabric and it's growing fast. It's comparable to the Etsy of D.I.Y. fabric.

Also, if you take the Digital Print Class for Fabric, you can easily learn how to digitally create patterns to upload to the sight. Several of my students have already been able to achieve this by taking this class.

And, if you are looking for motivation as well as inspiration, check out the weekly contests they hold. The last contest's theme was rabbits.

First Time Sewing On Sundays!!!!!!

In First time sewing class students practiced different stitches, learned to use the sewing machine, hem pants, hem jeans keeping the same original hem, traced and cut out patterns. As you can see my student of this season did a wonderful job with their reversible bag project. We finished our last class with a smile on our faces because everyone did great job and had a good time!

Heating it up in Repeats

Greetings all!

We've been having fun and working hard, creating some hot projects during this cold winter in the Repeats design class and I want to share the work of these incredible students. It's only half way through the term, and all the class seems to have warmed (I know) to this fun and challenging technique. See for yourselves . . .

More sizzling designs to come!

eak

Valentine's Day: Quilt I Love

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is perhaps my favorite quilt- (it's two sided; the images are of the front and reverse views):

It is by Elizabeth Brimelow
Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
Maravu
Silk fabrics that have been direct and reverse appliqued; hand and machine stitched, hand tied; 60"x60"

Handmade Paper Projects

We will be learning the basics of hand papermaking, as well as some interesting inclusion, 2D and 3D techniques for using paper & paper pulp as more than just a ground, but also as a medium in and of itself.

Come join us!  This 5-week session begins next Sunday, February 20th, from 5-8pm.

Book Recommendation

I recommend this book to anyone who makes things or is interested in the value of art to education. Although the author uses gender as a driving theme, it is most useful for me at it's most metaphorical, or as an idea encompassing a certain body of characteristics. What seems most important is the implication for art not only as a legitimate means of knowledge generation, but a crucial and endangered one.

"In this groundbreaking book, Leonard Shlain, author of the bestselling Art & Physics, proposes that the process of learning alphabetic literacy rewired the human brain, with profound consequences for culture. Making remarkable connections across a wide range of subjects including brain function, anthropology, history, and religion, Shlain argues that literacy reinforced the brain's linear, abstract, predominantly masculine left hemisphere at the expense of the holistic, iconic feminine right one. This shift upset the balance between men and women initiating the disappearance of goddesses, the abhorrence of images, and, in literacy's early stages, the decline of women's political status. Patriarchy and misogyny followed."

Embroidered Projects

In our EMBROIDERED PROJECTS class we learned how to use conventional embroidery hoops with sewing machines, to combine the textures of machine AND hand embroidery.

We learned how to take apart the machine to fit the hoop in, and also how to drop the feed dogs to get a more gestural, free form application of line from the sewing machine and it's various stitches.

In the spirit of Valentines Day, I thought I would add this anonymous embroidery as a project idea for your beloved.  It's embroidered over the chest, where only the person who is wearing the hoodie can see the embroidery. 

Housewares Class

Embellish your home with handmade place mats, napkins and pillows!

New Directions

These 4 pieces have been lurking around my studio since the summer. I printed them at Lill Street and they are based on imagery from medicinal plant forms. I've added collaged scraps of silk and printed paper. Maybe I just see them as small celebrations in between the headaches and hassles of life. They continue to prod me into making more simply because nothing else pleases me as much.

Sewing Books- Reviews and Recomendations

In Garment Construction class, we're just getting finished up with the first project- taking a pattern from a garment and recreating it from scratch. Next week we'll move on to making our own patterns and blocks ( a block is a very basic, but perfectly fit pattern for a bodice or a straight skirt which is used as a base to develop more complex patterns from). Looking closely at clothing you already own is a great way to learn new sewing techniques. If you are interested in trying this on your own, or want a nice reference to guide you when class is over, Pattern Making for a Perfect Fit by Steffani Lincecum is a good choice.


The author works in costume design, and has developed techniques for taking patterns from very delicate vintage garments as well as regular clothing you just don't want to cut up. There clear diagrams and great little sidebars on things like giving a collar a perfect roll. Its not a book for beginning sewers- the author describes techniques and hints that would get left out of a basic sewing book, and you can tell the author has many years of experience doing this work. I'm going to try her method of using sheer fabric to take a pattern the next time I have to deal with a fragile garment. Sew Liberated by Meg McElwee is nice book for First-time Sewing students looking for more projects after class is over. There is an emphasis on appliques, which may not be everyone's favorite thing, but the projects are simple without being boring. The best part is that actual full-size paper patterns are included with the book, so you don't need to mess around with printers and tape.
The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff is a beautiful book that I'm planning on adding to my own library. It covers everything. If it is a thing you can do with fabric, its in there somewhere. Check out a preview on Google books here. Its the most inspirational encyclopedia I know of.