Free-Motion Boot Camp

 

I signed up for The Free-Motion Boot Camp with Frances Quilts.  I just stumbled on the class over the Holidays.  Anyone want to join me?

It's an 8-10 week class designed to build confidence in trying new free-motion quilting designs.   I have a number of go-to patterns I like to use, but thought it might be a good idea to brush up and learn some new ones that might become old favorites.

At some point, I found some old quilt sandwiches from a previous class or some that my mom had ready to go ...

KIm Klassen's Skinny Mini PhotoShop Elements Class : Day 6 Homework

 Here's the modified photo with Kim Klassen's "Old Barn Recipe" from her Test Kitchen.

Basically, we added layers, changed blending modes, and added a texture.  

This is my original photo.  What a difference, huh?

I can't tell you how helpful it is to have Kim's recipes.  At this point, I don't have the vision or the foresight to know how all the changes in levels, layers and modifications will work together.   

The Recipes also make things go quicker, as I have a procedure to follow to arrive at a desired end.

 Here's another one :  For this one, I added a soft light layer, added a texture in the background, and added the text ("A chicken in every pot")  at the bottom.  The trouble with text on a varied background is that parts of it can be obscured by the backgrounds.   The text color comes from the red pot.  I love that feature.  It takes all the guesswork out of picking suitable colors!  It could probably use a little more tinkering, but I have to move on with my day!

This is the original photo.  I took this photo in my friend Bob's garden last fall.  

He has real chickens who tend his garden, but I had to take a shot of this wooden one. 

Candied Fabrics Lesson 3 : The First Triad - Brights

 

 

Last weekend, I worked on dyeing the first 66 colors from 3 primaries in Candy G's Controlling Color online dyeing class.   We're dyeing swatches to build her Candiotic Table of Color.  Candy is currently running an online class on the topic.  Sign up here.  The class is designed to work at your own pace, so you can sign up anytime.

Really!  All those colors at the top came from 3 basic primaries!

 3 primaries in the cup mixed in varying proportions to make ...  

 Teal!

 Or Scarlet

 Or Midnight Blue!

It was exciting (and seemingly magical!) to see the colors emerge from the 3 basic primaries : Intense Violet, Scarlet, Midnight Blue --and many others.  And no overpowering Fuschia!  I feel like Candy is revealing the Secrets to the Color Universe to me!  The world is opening wide.  I felt like this when I learned how to free-motion quilt, too!

Other thoughts on the process :
*  Working with a dye stock is new to me.  Previously, I've just mixed up what I planned to use in that day's session.  I'm discovering that I was wasting quite a bit of dye that way.
*  I thought I was doing low-water immersion dyeing before, but this is really low-water immersion--like there's just enough water to keep the fabric moist, but not swimming in the dye bath.
*  Weighing grams vs. teaspoons by volume seems to be the solution to my problem with Fuschia over-powering everything it touched in the past.  It's denser, 1 tsp goes farther than a teaspoon of a less dense dye.  By weighing out grams, it's puts them all on a more even footing.
*  As suggested in the class, I used a krinkle rotary cutter to cut the fat quarters for the gradation dyes in the last post.  This worked beautifully!  After washing and drying in the laundry room, there was only 1 small tangle to pull off the tumble-dried fabric--and that came from a previously torn edge.  That little tidbit alone was worth the price of admission for the class!

*  Yes, she's serious about keeping your swatches a safe distance from the mixing area.  I was feeling pretty comfortable with the process at this point and squirted the dye stock into the cup with just a little too much gusto. It splashed up and hit my "clean" swatches.  This batch was re-done and re-labeled with a clean set.

 

Here's a sample of the Tyvek labels and how they survived the process.  A little rust, but that's no big deal. 

Inspired Surfaces : Out of the Cupboard Online Class

Lynda Monk and Carol McFee at Fibre-in-Form are offering another luscious surface design class : Inspired Surfaces : Out of the Cupboard. That's something I just cannot resist!

They are offering a free taster with Lesson 1 - Chapter 1 if you are curious. The focus is on using items you probably already have in stock (Aluminum Foil, newspaper, muslin/calico, and white school glue). I guess, I'd better get to work!

Cost is a very reasonable $34 US or 20 British Pounds.

Simply Salt - Creative Surfaces (Online Class)

Look at these GORGEOUS RICH Surfaces! Carol and Lynda at Fibre-in-Form have done it again! I can't resist--I want to know how they do what they do, so I signed up for their latest online class : Creative Surfaces : Simply Salt.

7.50 Great British Pounds which translates to about $12.65 US Dollars. Seems very reasonable to me for the key to this knowledge. This class appears to be self-paced.


I also bought their new book Stitching the Textured Surface --- which is sure to be a feast for the senses. Should be here in a week, or so. I am anticipating its arrival with glee!

If you're not sure about taking an online class, read this series of blog posts by my sister, a scrap-booker who lives in Japan.

From Working Mom in Japan (Or Mande's J-Life) :
Online Learning : Part 1
Online Learning : Part 2
Online Learning : Part 3

Fibre -in-Form class on Textured Surface Design starts Oct 17th

Lynda Monk (aka Purple Missus) and Carol McFee (Textile Tales) create the most wonderful textured surfaces. And now they are offering an online class through Fibre-in-Form on how they do what they do ...

I'm really looking forward to this opportunity to learn some of their techniques. Stay tuned. I should have lots of samples to share in the coming weeks ... I'm hoping some of these will be suitable for journal covers.

The Joys of Online Quilting/Mixed Media Classes

Benefits

• Much wider range of options and topics than would be available locally with live teachers
• Classmates from around the world
• You don't have to pack up a trunk-load of supplies and equipment. You just print your lesson and retreat to the sewing room, or wet studio ...
  
• You get to know your computer in new and utilitarian ways
• Inspiration - Though you may all have the same class assignment, every student puts their own spin and interpretation on it. There is usually a photo gallery where student share pictures of their progress and work.
  
• Access to the instructors who can offer encouragement to help you get unstuck by problem-solving and offering suggestions. We can all purchase books filled with techniques, but it's this live interaction with the teacher and classmates that makes the classes so worthwhile.
• Class assignments with flexible deadlines are incentive to do the work--not wait for the perfect break in your schedule
• Reasonable rates
  
• Lots of ideas come from your classmates--ideas about where to purchase supplies, what worked, and what didn't work. Sometimes the problems are just as instructive as the successes.

Challenges

• Getting familiar and comfortable enough with your computer to make an online class work
• Getting used to a new interface can also be challenging. For instance Quilt University's bulletin board style of posting messages seemed easy and intuitive. It took me a while to figure out how to efficiently work Joggles' class forums (Look for the New Posts links ...)

If you're curious about how an online quilting class works, Quilt University offers a free sample class to let you get the feel of it.

A few Selected Sources for Online Quilting / Mixed Media Classes :
This list is by no means exhaustive. If you have more to add, please leave a comment.

I've successfully taken online classes at :
Quilt University
I took 3 dyeing classes with Marjie McWilliams that I can highly recommend.

Tea Dyed Samples


Quilt Portraits with Marilyn Belford was also top-notch.


Fireworks class was also fun (This was my first online class--I just wanted to see how in the world these things work before I embarked on the Quilt Portraits class with MB).

I took a few others at QU ... including a class with Susan Brittingham where we made free-motion lace :



I took a few Electric Quilt classes, too, but realized that I would much rather sew and make stuff than spend even more time on the computer. I didn't take so well to those, but that was my problem. The teachers were top-notch authors who know the subjects well!

Joggles
Sue Bleiweiss's Mixed Media Surfaces class was a lot of fun! I'm just finishing it up now.

I have not taken classes with the following, so I can't vouch for them :
Embellished Cloth Community
Linda Kemshall - City & Guilds Program
Quilt Campus
Quilter's Threads - Click Online Classes
Quilters Keep Learning
Sharon Schamber Network - She seems to use actual video to teach, including lessons on long-arm quilting.

Many more quilt teachers are starting to offer online classes and tutorials on their own.

• Bonnie McCaffery offers a free monthly videocast with interviews and demonstrations
• Sue Bleiweiss offers mixed media and journal-making classes on her own and through Joggles.
• Paullette Insall - All About Faces, Mixed Media
  
• Ellen Lindner - Color and design classes for art quilters
• Susan Sorrell - Teaches on her own and through Joggles
• Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) has a list of members who teach. These are not necessarily online classes, but it gives you an idea of who's out there ...

There are also a number of video demonstrations and lectures out there as well. Although these don't offer the interaction with other live students, these are also very useful, educational and inspiring!

• International Quilt Study Center & Museum - Podcasts & Videos of lectures
• Sewing with Nancy - Nancy Z. now offers her program over the internet! A long-time PBS favorite
• Vidcasts from the 2008 International Quilt Festival-Chicago produced by Bonnie McCaffery

Online Quilt Classes open up a whole new world of possibilities! I hope some of you try them!

[This entry updated May 3, 2008]