FACE It - Art Quilt Fun

Can you believe that I taught two different classes in two different towns within one week?  What fun!  This one was called Face It - Art Quilt Fun at Sew Unique in Mountain Home.  Much closer to home and once again great fun.  I am so tickled when I teach a class and folks have a good time and enjoy themselves trying something that they have never tried before.

The sample for this class was Alyssa (shown to the right).  Check out this blog for July 3, 2012 for more photos of this quilt in progress.

The process for construction was taking unfused fabric scraps (unusual for me) and cutting them into approximate shapes to form the face shape.  Then tiny little bits of glue hold the pieces together until the whole thing is fused in place.

Quilting the edges of every single piece is the next step and requires diligence and determination - especially if you actually bury every thread end.  But the overall look is that of a fabric jigsaw puzzle.

As always I was just so impressed by the work that the students did (shown below).  The colors and combinations of fabric they selected were just a wonderful Visual Feast!  Am I just lucky to get great students or what???

And of course one of the really great things about teaching a class at a fabric store is that we got to carry around the faces to find the PERFECT background fabric.  Much more fun that just having your own fabric stash at home to choose from!

Aren't these faces just wonderful?  Of course they are still at the stage I call the "ugly stage" because the quilting adds such amazing detail and definition.  I really hope that I get to see the finished quilts some day.       barbara

Traveling to teach a class

Clarksville Class Photo - Gorgeous!

I haven't taught any classes in a couple of years - even though I have tried.  I really have!  But I think that just maybe the quilters in this area weren't quite ready for Art Quilting - or maybe it just wasn't "my time to teach" yet.  Who knows?  But - and this is the good part - I think that the time has arrived.  Because I have had bunches of folks sign up and take several classes - and more are on the way after January 1.

Me teaching.

The first class - and Trunk Show - was for a dear sweet friend of mine, Dorothy.  She is a wonderful quilter and she likes my quilts - and asked me to come to her town - Clarksville AR - to show folks there what I do.  I did a Trunk Show on Friday evening and then taught a class the next morning.

The class that I taught was using fusible scraps to make a face on a 12 inch square.  I provided all of the materials and some samples to get folks started.  One thing that I am aware of as a teacher (because I did the VERY same thing when I was starting) is that folks who aren't already wild and crazy art quilters will make very tiny little faces on the 12 inch square if left to their own devices.  So I provide "face shapes" in approximately the right size so that they can be assured of success in their design.

And then the FUN starts.  I have scads of already fused scraps and I dump piles of them on each working table and the ladies (and gentlemen) begin to design their faces.  All pieces are removable and replaceable until they are fused so it is a Guaranteed Success class.

And I was not disappointed.  The members of the class were incredibly CREATIVE and WHIMSICAL and made beautiful faces - which you can see in this posting.  Aren't they great?  I hope that I get to see some of the finished pieces once they are quilted and embellished.

And I found out that I really really like teaching - so I am going to do it again SOON!  barbara