Applique Details from "God Save Us All"Quilt by Rayela Art
Several years ago I taught a couple of quilting classes at the now defunct Textile Art Centre in Chicago. Loved it! Several of my peers now teach online and I thought it was time I joined in the fun. Part of the joy for me was to see how each person interpreted an exercise in their own way. One theme, many voices. As I have not taught these classes before, I don't have any photos showing examples of what a finished quilt will look like. The above photos are not very good ones, but are details of an appliqued quilt I made for a friend of mine.I am offering two classes, Window to the World and Sew My Self. Both classes are aimed at helping people break out of patterns and kits into seeing in a new way and achieving skills to design their own quilts using applique. As a big believer in recycling fabric, both also can be made with scraps, old clothing, or other fabrics you might find at a thrift store. The cost of materials, therefore, really depends on the participant.
Time Commitment for the Quilt Classes
The classes will run through the month of November and require a minimum of 40 hours to complete. Perfect time for creating an heirloom Christmas gift! (... If you celebrate it...) Each class will have four lesson plans that will have photo and written descriptions. We will meet on a private, invitation only forum. Participants will also be able to critique each other and brain-storm over ideas. I will also work on a piece for each class so that you can see my process.
Skills Needed
Basic sewing skills, ability to draw free hand or with rulers, comfort with working online and ability to follow through on tasks. We all live busy lives and it is easy to put off a lesson until tomorrow, but the reality is simply that mastering any craft requires time. We will discuss shortcuts and present options so that the participant can choose how much time they want to dedicate to their projects. Be sure that you have at least 10 hours a week that you can dedicate to this in order to complete it in a month. Maybe peer pressure will help those of us who have a tendency to accumulate "ufo"s (unfinished objects)... Both classes can be done completely by hand, although a sewing machine will help it go faster. I usually mix a combination between machine and hand work, but you can use what you prefer.
Deadline for Signing Up
October 31st. Use the Pay Pal buttons below to pay for and sign up for the class. These will be your receipts.
Window to the World
Pick your favorite window in your house. Look at it. Imagine it in fabric. You will learn how to graph it out and translate it into a finished piece. You can look out on to a real world or your fantasy world. Finished size will be around 2'x2' depending on the shape of the window. The class is made up of four lesson plans, a new one posted each Monday:
November 3 Graphing it Out and Fabric Choices
November 10 Freezer Paper Templates
November 17 Sewing and Adhering Options
November 24 Finishing
Sew My Self
Outline your body or that of someone you love. If you do yourself, this will be a self-portrait. A child's body would be faster and easier. Dress the body with actual clothing and explore ideas in texture, movement and color. Limbs and faces can be expressed in many different ways. Finished size will depend on on participant's body choice, but will most likely be a rectangular wall piece. The class is made up of four lesson plans, a new one posted each Tuesday:
November 4 Drawing the Profile
November 11 Dressing the Body
November 18 Applique Choices
November 25 Finishing Options
Sew My Self November 2008 Class
$60
$60
When we are finished, we will have a "gallery exhibit" here on Fiber Focus and you will be able to write about what you learned and how this class has helped you see in a new way! Even experienced quilters often need a push to help them experiment with new techniques and fresh ideas.
When you sign up I will send out a questionnaire that will help me shape the class to fit the needs of the participants involved. Come join us! This is going to be a lot of fun!
See my post on Arpilleras for more inspiration.
Wonderful ideas, Rachel. Good luck with your classes! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know how these work out for you! Great idea! Good luck!
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