Teaching "Liberated Basics"

C

Detail of  "Fireworks over Millennium Park."

 "Fireworks over Millennium Park" is the quilt I will be using to teach "Liberated Basics."

In 2015 I will be teaching a series of classes I am calling "Liberated Basics." In this series of three classes I hope to address some of the elements of Liberated quilting. Liberated quilting is very improvisational quilting and a pattern is not needed. The only thing needed is thread, fabric and imagination. I will teach the techniques by  using my quilt, " Fireworks over Millennium Park" as an example for this class. This quilt was a semi-finalist in the 2013 American Quilters Society Show in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I will address how I created each of the elements of this quilt and will help the students in the class create their own one-of -a kind liberated quilts.  Quilters Square, a quilt shop in Lexington, Ky has graciously allowed me to use their shop to teach this series of classes. The shop will be providing the students with  a fat quarter pack of fabrics that "reads as solids."  I picked these fabrics because I think the end results will be fantastic. Some of  the fabrics in the fat quarter bundle include the line from Moda called Grunge. My goal is to inspire others to give liberated quilting a try. I will provide the students with my list of favorite inspirational quilt books. My favorite being books by Gwen Marston, the mother of Liberated quilting.  I have been quilting using elements of  this method for about five years and love the results.

Oh yes.... The classes are on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. January 10, February 14 and March 21. There is a price break if signing up for all three classes. You can sign up by calling Quilters Square.Call quilter's Square at 859 278-5010 to sign up. 

Last Minute Trip to Lancaster Pennsylvania AQS Show

The obligatory photo of  me with my second place Modern Quilt.





What a great surprise I had this month. It was the phone call every quilter would love to get, and a first for me. I entered my Modern Quilt "Flight Patterns" in the American Quilters Society Lancaster, Pennsylvania show and it won second place. So I did what any enthusiastic quilter would do, I jumped in the car for a road trip. Many thanks to my friend Penny for going along with me for this last minute trip and a really fun weekend.

 I had a great time being interviewed by Michele Duffy, editor of  the American Quilter magazine. It was a video interview and we talked about my second place winner "Flight Patterns."  It is  one of my quilts in what I call my "gray series" of quilts. We also talked about "Autumn in Boyle County,"  my quilt that is being displayed with an exhibit of Modern Quilts in each of the AQS shows this year. I was really excited to have two quilts on display at the show. I hope to see the interviews on the AQS website when they are edited.

 

 There was so much to see at the quilt show that we missed  the whole second floor of exhibits and vendors. But we did take in all that was to be seen on the first and third floors of the convention center and that included all of the quilts in the AQS contest. Needless to say, they were all amazing and inspiring. There are so many talented quilters out there. I love some of the new directions quilting has taken in the last five years. I especially love the use of solid colors and the quality and design of machine quilting. What will be next?

This  was taken during my interview with Michele Duffy.




Since the trip was a 10 hour car ride we took advantage of the location in Amish Country and spent a day in the small town of Lititz, Pa. We  toured the chocolate factory and the pretzel factory as well as poked around in all the cute little shops in town. This town really did smell like chocolate.



And for the first day of spring....

 

The first signs..,

Of spring.

My husband insisted I leave my responsibilities to take a hike this evening of the first day of spring.  Kentucky has had a long cold winter and we usually have a lot of yellow Wood Poppies blooming by now. There weren't any Wood Poppies but I did find a few brave wildflowers.  

Flight Patterns, my latest Modern Quilt, will be in the AQS Lancaster, PA show

Flight Patterns will be in the AQS Lancaster, PA Show.

Flight Patterns, my latest Modern Quilt, has been accepted in the American Quilters Society show set for March 12-15, 2014 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The quilt will be in one of the newest AQS divisions, Modern Quilts. It is a semi-finalist with 173 other quilts spanning five categories.

I want to give a shout out to my son, Sam, who came up with the name, Flight Patterns, for this quilt. Sam is part of my computer support team for this blog because I have a better understanding of quilting than computer technology. So Sam and Daniel, my oldest, are often wrangled into helping with photography and other blog glitches that I will experience. Thanks guys.

While helping me enter the AQS contest Sam called me a "Hipster" because my quilt has fabric with birds on it. Sam said Hipsters put birds on everything and that birds are very popular right now.  Since then I have had to research exactly what being a "Hipster" entails. I have discovered that it is more than putting birds on things. It is what was once called "cutting edge, counter culture or off-beat." Okay Sam, I'll take that as a compliment.

The truth be told I started designing this quilt with the Japanese fabric bird print in the middle because, yes, I do love birds and I was attracted to the aqua color. From there the pattern evolved one round at a time. I stopped and re-evaluated before adding each round. I have added some close-ups of the quilting because this is the first time I have ventured into using a bit of metallic threads.




Metallic threads were used in the flying geese.

 I also used a variegated thread on the gray background that gave the quilt a dimensional look. The metallic threads were used in the flying geese designs as well as highlighting the birds in the Japanese fabric.

 

Close-up of the quilting.

 

I used my home sewing machine for all the piecing and quilting. The quilt measures 63"x63", a size that makes it easier to get the quilt under the throat of my machine.

 

 

The 16-patch has a quilted flower design.

 

 

 

For each quilt I make I always try a new technique and Flight Patterns is no exception. I find that each quilt I make is a learning process.

 

 

In January I have had time to get some UFO's completed as well as complete some gifts for nieces and nephews. I have several baby quilt tops that are in the "to be quilted" pile. After that I hope to create some more fun quilts with original designs.

 

In February want to feature quilts I purchased at  the three generations quilt auction in November. As soon as I get a good photo shoot day and some helpers to hold the quilts I will make that post.