*Note: I started this post a couple of days ago, realized I needed to go to bed because getting some sleep is important.
This morning I taught The Weight of Color, a new class for International Quilt Festival:
Begin exploring the weight of color in free-motion quilting. Using color pens and pencils, fill in the space of a color wheel and quilt blocks with different quilting motifs. Practicing on paper is a great way to test the quilting motifs you want to try.
We began talking about different ways the quilting can be accomplished on a quilt from the utility of using one color/thread for everything from the piecing to the quilting; taking the time to match the thread to the background; to well, Twilight in the Bronx, Moon Over Manhattan, oh let’s face it, pretty much anything I do.
As the class started I shared quilts and practice pieces noting the differences in thread weight and color, and that depending on both the background and proximity to another color how it can come forward, or shift to the background. This year I changed the handout using new “quilts” to begin using different pens and pencils to fill in that space with quilting motifs. My favorite question is “what do you see?” The ladies had such a good time with the first block that we didn’t get much beyond that. My one tweak will be to add hand drawn motifs (ones not included in the book)
The Quilts, Inc staff have been absolutely amazing this week and I cannot thank them enough for all they’ve done to get this show in place and keep it running as smoothly as possible this week. While this show is significantly smaller than recent years, the moving parts are all the same and require a great deal of thoughtfulness, clarity and grace.
One more thank you for today – THANK YOU to each of my students and all who attended my lectures. You are a gift and treasure beyond what words find any adequacy.
Happy Stitching!
Teri
And the great Picture Show
And the place we engage in so many characters
And the place where we chat each other up
And the great big bulletin board and idea wall
