We began the class by working with 1″ x 1″ x 1″ white soap erasers and an X-Acto knife.  We made our first cut 1/4″ into the top of the eraser and the second cut on a 45-degree angle to the first, creating a channel.  We continued in this way to create our design.  Then, using an ink pad, we stamped our design onto white paper in a variety of arrangements.  We tried different combinations of stamping four times using rotational symmetry and compared the results of spacing the stamps side-by-side versus leaving white space (or sashing) between them.

This is one of the stamps that I carved in class.  (It still has some ink and paint left in the crevices!)

Here are the combinations I tried using rotational symmetry with this stamp.  Each version places a different element in the center for different results.

Leaving space between the stamps made a surprisingly big change to the designs.

Another stamp that I carved was more geometric, with mostly straight lines.

Here is how this stamp looked in rotated combinations of four – such interesting results!

Again, leaving space between the stamps created additional elements of interest.

After auditioning our stamp designs with ink and paper, we used different types of paint to stamp on fabric.  Our final exercise involved recreating our stamp design as a quilt block.  Now I was back in my comfort zone!  Using the bottom left ink-stamped arrangement (without any space between the stamps), I created a white-on-black and black-on-white version of my stamp design.

A couple days after this class, I watched a demo given by Daphne Greig on stamp making.  It was fun to see some other ways that stamps can be created.  Daphne showed how adhesive-backed pipe insulation could be cut into shapes and mounted onto a wood, acrylic or foam core base.  She even made stamps from fun foam shapes!  I enjoyed the creative process of stamp carving and I can certainly see how these designs can serve as inspiration for many aspects of quilt making.

I had been working on a series of grapevine wreath quilts, challenging myself to interpret the original Baltimore Album design using different techniques.  My first version was made using crayons, with machine embroidery to outline the edges.

I tried broderie perse, and created the wreath by cutting out grapes and leaves that were printed on fabric, fusing them to the background, and finishing the edges with a machine blanket stitch.

I used a three-dimensional appliqué technique and sandwiched a layer of fusible adhesive between two layers of fabric to create grapes and leaves.  These were tacked onto a quilted background.

And then, I tried making a grapevine wreath fabric mosaic.

Small pieces of fabric were arranged to create the grapes, the leaves, and even the background in this quilt.  Light Steam-a-Seam 2 was fused to the wrong side of each fabric scrap and the paper backing was removed before cutting the fabric into little snippets.  This particular brand of fusible web has a sticky finish, allowing the tiny bits to hold in place until they are permanently fused.

How fun!  This fabric mosaic is held in place mostly by the fusing of the swatches to the background, but I did add a certain amount of machine quilting over the layers as well.

I wanted to share this technique as a workshop but I wasn’t sure if the grapevine wreath would be the ideal project.  I decided that a butterfly would work well and give students lots of opportunity for creativity and expression.

On my version, I layered the fabric in sections by color, starting with dark blue swatches for the body …

then adding yellow-green at the bottom of the wings …

pink and violet …

light blue …

and swatches of blue-green for the top of the wings.

I added some navy-blue swirls to the wings …

then covered the butterfly with tulle.  I stitched the tulle around the outer edges of the butterfly then trimmed the tulle close to the stitching.

The mosaic was completed by couching navy-blue perle cotton around the edges of the butterfly and antennae.

To watch this butterfly mosaic come to life before your eyes, check out the video!  (http://youtu.be/wIs75u5JUUE)  If you would like to make your own butterfly mosaic, the class will be available on Friday, November 18th, 2011 at Quilter’s Cupboard in Uxbridge ON; Friday, March 16th, 2012 at the AQS Show in Lancaster PA; Friday, June 1st, 2012 at Quilt Canada in Halifax NS; or by booking directly for your guild or quilt group.

The pattern for this quilt was published in my book Sewflakes: Papercut Appliqué Quilts by C&T Publishing.  Now, for the first time, you can take a class to get you started on your own Tools of the Trade quilt.  On October 22, 2011, the class will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Quilters Cupboard in Uxbridge ON.  It will also be offered at Quilt Canada in Halifax NS on Saturday, June 2, 2012.

The first block that I designed for this quilt was the block “Cut it Out”.  On a square piece of paper folded into eight equal segments, I drew half a pair of scissors on one fold just touching the opposite half at the tip of the blades.

When this was cut out and unfolded, the result was eight connected scissors with a star shape in the center.

To unify the blocks, I decided to incorporate that star shape in the center of each sewflake design in the quilt.  “Pins and Needles” portrays thimbles as well as pins and needles in a pin cushion.

Here is the resulting block with embroidered pins and needles in the pin cushion.

One of our all-time favorite tools is our sewing machine, drawn with cut-outs in the table to create the center star shape.

This is the block “Sew Business” with embroidered thread detail.

Irons and ironing boards are the subject of the design “Pressing Matters”.

This is the block, complete with seed beads for the iron vent holes.

A wonderful invention that most quilters wouldn’t do without is the rotary cutter, seen here alongside its companion ruler.

Here is the block “The Cutting Edge”.

The sixth and final design features a tangled measuring tape.

This is the block “Measure Up”.

Fusible appliqué was used to create the six 13″ x 13″ sewflake blocks, stitched with a tiny zigzag stitch in invisible thread to cover the raw edges.  The blocks are framed with a pieced sashing of Spool blocks, each measuring 3 ¼” x 3 ¼”.

My color palette for this quilt was determined by the fabric I chose for the outer borders.  The fabric spools of thread suggested the red for the scissors and pin cushions; the blue for the sewing machine tables; the green for the ironing boards; and the yellow/gold for the rotary cutters, rulers and measuring tape.  They were echoed as well in the “thread” of the patchwork Spool blocks.

The conference will be held at Dalhousie University, a beautiful campus located minutes away from the ocean and Halifax city center.  Choose from a wide variety of over 100 classes from Canadian and international teachers.  Other activities during the week include lectures, dinners, a merchant mall and a closing banquet at the Cunard Centre on the Halifax waterfront.

And there will be quilts!  The National Juried Show is a showcase of the best quilts and wearable art from across the country; the awards presentation on Tuesday evening, May 29th, is sure to be an exciting event.  The Trend-Tex Challenge presents the creative results of five Trend-Tex challenge fabrics to portray the theme “At Home in my Garden by the Sea”.  Other exhibits include the CQA/ACC Invitational Show, the Mariners Quilt Guild Show, the Mayflower Quilters’ Guild Show, the Needlework Exhibition, “Seams Like Home” Nova Scotian Provincial Miniature Challenge, “Secret Codes”: An Exhibition of Contemporary African Nova Scotian Narrative and Picture Quilts, and displays from the Fibre Arts Network (FAN) and Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).

Many special events are planned throughout the week, such as a “Kitchen Party” on Wednesday evening, a Show-and-Share Quilt and Fashion Show on Thursday evening, three Friday evening after-dinner lectures, and of course, the final Saturday evening Nova Scotia Ceilidh Closing Banquet.  Tours are available to the nearby attractions of Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, and Halifax city itself.  And for the professional quilter, four half-day sessions on Tuesday May 29th will cover a variety of topics related to career development.  So much to do!

I will be teaching four one-day classes and presenting one of the half-day career development sessions at Quilt Canada 2012:

Introduction to EQ7 - Wednesday, May 30, 2012

EQ7 is the newest and most advanced version of the best-selling Electric Quilt software and it is also the most user-friendly.  This incredibly full-featured quilt design and drawing program has been especially designed with beginners as well as advanced designers in mind.  This class is oriented towards beginners and covers the basics of simple quilt layouts as well as how to colour, save, and print your quilt designs.  (Laptop computer and EQ7 software is required.)

Sewflakes: Papercut Appliqué - Thursday, May 31, 2012

As featured in my book Sewflakes, papercut appliqué is a technique similar to making paper snowflakes. In this workshop, we will discover how to design these unique snowflakes for fabric, with an emphasis on incorporating recognizable images into the design, and then look at various ways to transfer the design from paper to fabric.

Butterfly Mosaic - Friday, June 1, 2012

Let your creativity soar as your butterfly comes alive with color.  Cut and fuse small pieces of fabric to form your own mosaic masterpiece.  Optional kit includes 40 swatches of pre-fused fabric, but this is a great way to use up all your fabric scraps!

Tools of the Trade - Saturday, June 2, 2012

Tools of the Trade features papercut appliqué blocks of some of the favourite tools in a quilt maker’s studio.  Begin this project in class by making the scissors block using fusible appliqué with an invisible edge-finishing technique.  Exercise accurate piecing skills while making a 3-¼” spool of thread block.   Book purchase required:  Sewflakes: Papercut Appliqué Quilts.

Web Strategy for Business Success - Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Your web site is a vital tool for building, supporting, and developing your quilting business.  It establishes your credibility in the industry and represents who you are.  Whether you are just starting out or considering a makeover, your web strategy should be consistent with your business goals.  This session will consider the essential elements of an effective web site, how to generate and monitor traffic to your site, e-commerce, blogs, integration of social networking tools, and more.

Questions?
Post any questions you may have in the comment box below and I will attach my reply so others can read it as well.  You can also follow this event on my Facebook Page and post comments there as well.  Hope to see you next May in Halifax at Quilt Canada 2012!

Quilt shops submit a detailed application of their history, activities, promotions, teaching schedules, design philosophies and mission statement.  Then, a panel of quilt experts narrows down the applications to ten featured shops for each issue.  Imagine the thrill for owner Sue Carmichael and the staff at Quilters Cupboard to learn they made the list!

Another feature of this publication is an original quilt design from each shop.  Sherri Hisey, from Bordercreek Station, designed a stunning quilt called “Oakridge Towne Square” – or “Autumn Nights”, as it’s called in the magazine.  Kits are available at the store.

I discovered Quilters Cupboard in Uxbridge quite a few years ago.  Although it is not the closest quilt shop to where I live, I quickly discovered it was worth the drive on those occasions when I needed fabric selection.  With 2,500 bolts to choose from, they certainly fit the bill!  If you have been following my progress on the quilt “Flourish on the Vine”, most of the main fabrics in that quilt were purchased at Quilters Cupboard.

This fall, I’ll be spending even more time in this delightful shop as I offer a couple of EQ7 workshops.  Join us for three Friday or three Saturday sessions as we discover all the great features of this best-selling quilt design software.  And don’t worry – there will be plenty of breaks so you can check out all the great fabric!

For registration information, directions to the shop and more, visit the shop on-line at www.quilterscupboard.ca, on their Facebook page, or call 905-862-0666.  Copies of Quilt Sampler® magazine and kits for Oakridge Towne Square are also available in store.

This is particularly true about my Papercut Appliqué workshop.  Based on my book Sewflakes:  Papercut Appliqué Quilts, students learn how to design their own one-of-a-kind snowflake-style designs.  The results are always different, amazing, and beautiful!  I love teaching this class.

Sometimes, a student arrives to class with a clear idea of what they hope to accomplish.  Such was the case with Jan, who took the workshop at the Quilts in the Gardens show in Burlington ON last year.  She was in the process of making a quilt for her daughter’s upcoming wedding and wanted to design a co-ordinating wallhanging for her future son-in-law.

She was working with African fabrics and a safari theme, and knew that she wanted to incorporate elephants into her sewflake design.  She even came to class with pictures of elephants!  I remember debating with her what would work best in the center of her design and was delighted to see what she came up with.  I was also most impressed with the way she made the elephants three-dimensional and with the embellishments that bring the animals to life.

Congratulations, Jan, on your stunning design.  Your daughter and son-in-law must have been thrilled to receive such beautiful gifts from your heart and your hands.