Fall Class Announcement!

Yellow Brick Road
O'Connor 2013

My partner in crime Linda M and I will be teaching classes at Sew Portland again this fall! Over the course of several classes we'll be piecing two quilt tops using shortcuts, pre-cuts and easy-peasy piecing, then spending time learning how to finish those quilts with the infamous "quilt as desired." The classes are geared towards beginners, but any level quilter will have fun with strip piecing; playing with the stack, slash and shuffle technique or free motion quilting. Does this all sound like Greek to you? Come to class--you'll be talking "quilt" in no time!

Yellow Brick Road detail
O'Connor 2013

First up is "Yellow Brick Road" an older but very popular pattern by Atkinson Designs. Fat quarter and scrappy friendly. Class meets on Friday, September 13 and Saturday, September 14, from 10:00 to 3:00 each day.

Crazy patch blocks
O'Connor 2013

Next is "Crazy Patch". This technique produces blocks that resemble crazy quilt blocks--you will be surprised at how easy it is, yet no two blocks end up the same! Sew Portland will have class kits of pre-cut batiks for a head start on this one. This class meets Friday and Saturday, September 20 and 21, also 10:00 to 3:00 each day.

Need help to finish your quilt? Spend Saturday, October 4 from 9:30 to 2:30 learning how to plan and execute the quilting that finishes your beautiful work! We will practice free motion quilting although we will discuss other ways to get that quilt finished as well.

For more information, to sign up and for class lists, contact Sew Portland at 207-797-6700. Hope to see you there!

More Quilts Here

Win a Free Online Class!

An opportunity came my way from Eric Woolf, online media coordinator from Fons and Porter to review an online class at:

 Click the link to check out their many classes for yourself! This site has lots of great classes, with new ones being added all the time. They are not liminted to quilting, either--classes on Knitting, Crochet, and Papercraft, or Sewing and Scrapbooking are also available at a click of the mouse.

I had my pick of the classes, so I chose

with several well known instructors. The class was an hour long, formatted much like a TV show, with several 10-minute segments. The focus was on enhancing quilts (primarily art quilts) by the use of image transfers, colored pencil applique, understanding color temperature and more. I really enjoyed the technique segments--Heather Thomas' image transfer techniques really got me thinking about adding photography to quilts again. I had not loved using the prepared fabric and she shows several ways to use your own fabric for fabulous results. I also love that you can move through this class at your own pace, stopping, rewinding, or returning to the information at a later date.

Because this was a series of short segments, I was aware that not all the segments would appeal to me--such as joining binding edges--but I could skip over that easily enough. Also, being short segments, I found myself wanting more--more information, maybe taking a project from start to finish. But, there are classes on the site with a single instructor and those would cover a topic in depth. Maybe Heather Thomas will do a full hour on image transfers soon!

While these classes are quite affordable--ranging from under $4.99 to $9.99--the quality is excellent, with plenty of close ups to be sure you can see what the instructor is working on.

And here's the best news--one lucky reader will win a Free Class at
   

Just leave a comment on this blog saying "I want to win!" and I will contact the winner with instructions on how to access their free class.


More quilt photos! Click here

Thread Paint Sample

Next step for Honu is to layer with batting--I considered trapunto but I want to try out wool batting which I believe will give me enough dimension without adding trapunto. It's a gamble, I know! The local stores don't carry wool batting. I could order it online, but since I plan to attend a quilt show next weekend I am hoping to shop there. So, Honu is on hold for a bit. Meanwhile, I did a quick thread-paint example to test my plan for the workshop I will be teaching at our guild this fall. I found great fabric with decent-sized bugs and butterflies printed on it at the guild 'closet clean-out'. I thought the bugs would make great bases to learn thread painting. I usually thread paint after fusing an applique or image to the background. Here I added a tear-away stabilizer, then started stitching in the style of Christine Fries-Ureel, who taught an excellent workshop on the topic. Great way to use up lots of thread! Can you see the little bit of bling on his body?

More quilts at: Slideshow Album

In the Water

Honu (Hawaiian for sea turtle) has made it into the water. He has definitely moved at a "turtle's pace" since the image was drawn onto the background fabric at last year's Friendship retreat. I'll be back in Friendship this August and hope to bring Honu with me! Next steps to consider are thread paint (or not) trapunto (or not) and quilt--no choice on that, it has to be quilted or it will be too fragile to travel. I wonder how adding thread is going to change this piece? wonder how this temporary spray adhesive technique I came up with will hold up to the maneuvering needed for stitching?
For now, though, I am savoring the moment of finally pinning Honu in place on the background and enjoying seeing him swim.

Honu 46 x 36 Rana O'Connor

More quilt photos

Sunlight

My morning walk took me through the woods today. After a rainy night, the air was saturated with water, misty and damp. Morning sun through the canopy of leaves produced this stunning image. It stopped me in my tracks as it was virtually the same effect, on land, as rays of sunshine seen underwater, and I have been obsessed with capturing the essence of being underwater lately. To walk slowly through the rays, observing how the shafts broke apart, spread out, pooled and puddled on the ground, for those few minutes when the elements came together perfectly, was pure magic.
Slideshow of Quilts at Rana's Quilts

Center for Maine Craft Exhibit

Art Quilts Maine was offered the opportunity to exhibit at the Center for Maine Craft located in the service center off of the Maine Turnpike in West Gardiner. Eight artists contributed a total of 30 pieces. I promised to take photos when I went up to Augusta for the Art Quilts meeting, and here they are. The show looks super--such a lovely space. Amy's fabric bowls and vase are awesome additions, set on pedestals. If you are nearby anytime this month, be sure to stop by to stretch and check out the art!

AQM at the Center for Maine Craft

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: Rana's Quilts

Yes! Water!

After months of placing, pasting and rearranging, I tried a different technique for the water on my turtle quilt, Honu, and I am really liking it so far. Labor intensive but so worth the liquid feeling. Here's hoping the same technique will carry through to create rays of sunshine and the coral reef. Although I worked all afternoon--I even had help cutting fabric--I got just a narrow strip completed. I tried to get a photo, but it doesn't come through on camera yet, looks disjointed. You will just have to wait a bit. If the stars align I will get more done this weekend, and be able to get a photo that reflects what I am seeing develop. It's so exciting to be moving forward though that I wanted to give you a heads up! I generally don't advertise a particular product, but I  would not be getting through this project without 505 temporary spray adhesive. I love how I can spray the foundation, put pieces in place, move, rearrange, spray again, add more layers and when I am done, find the piece is not too sticky to manage. I worked on the dining table today, then held my breath and picked up the whole piece to transfer back to the design wall. It worked! When I have the background completely laid out, I will give it a final spray and cover with tulle. I found the glue dries quickly and cleanly so I'll be able to thread paint or quilt right over it. I have tried other glue products before and have found them either too messy or they dry and pieces can't be rearranged. On Dreams I literally tore the girl's hair out in order to rearrange a section! Swore then that I would find another technique. The only drawback I see is spraying a chemical into the studio. While 505 temporary adhesive has no offensive odor and claims to be non-toxic, I still might put a gas mask on my Christmas list

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: Quilt Photos