I have a few classes coming up in the very near future. I am pretty proud of them. After spending years trying to figure out what I loved and wanted to be teaching to others, I think my curriculum for 2024 has put me directly into my happy place.
I spend a lot of time talking to my students about nurturing their creative spirit,
But I get into those slumps too -- especially this past year. Funny how that works: I can talk about creative mojo all day long, but forget to listen to my own advice when I hit a mojo pothole myself. I have to remind myself to turn to the things I love most, and just try to be in the moment. Playing with color interaction, exploring fabric in collage and raw appliqué, and lots and lots of small, approachable stitching projects. These are the things that grab me and keep me going. And help me climb out of that creative slump.
Do what you love and it will all make sense.
Keep at it! It always seems the worst right before you have that AHA moment happen.
All of this personal growth is what led me to add some new classes into my calendar. I can honestly say each of these classes is near and dear to my heart. I feel very strongly that if I can use these classes as a breakthrough moment in my finding my voice, then I can certainly share the steps I took to help others looking for a fresh, new perspective. And so, I want to share with you the classes I am so excited about. Take a moment to read about each one. Whether or not you are able to attend a class, I hope they provide a spark of inspiration. If you see something you like - great! I look forward to seeing you in class! But mostly, I hope these ideas get some of those dusty cogs moving in your wonderful quilty brain to help move you onto your next exciting project!
4 Classes - Starting Soon!
Meeting monthly on the 1st Sunday
February 4, March 3, April 7 and May 5
10AM - 12PM (PST)
Even if you can't attend the live class, don't worry - all classes will be recorded for you to watch at your convenience.
This is actually the a class that I have been teaching for a few years. Each time I teach it, I see a whole group of curious quilters open their minds to a different way of piecing. We set the rulers aside and explore the exciting possibilities of color, line, and expressive styles through listening to our instincts rather than rules. Over the course, we cover 4 distinct categories of improvisational piecing that will give you the foundation you need to work in your own style and voice. Class will be spent analyzing masters of this craft, and delving into the reasons and methods behind each technique. We will sew together, then you will have a month to explore and experiment each category on your own, before adding the next technique. By the end of this course, you will have a fantastic set of tools to create more expressive and spontaneous work in the future.
Another class I have coming up is in person! Whoopee! At my local quilt shop.
In Person - Bay Quilts, Richmond, CA.
Saturday, March 16
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
I spent a lot of time the past few years exploring ways to create fabric books. Some books are for practicing embroidery stitches, some are for creating small stitched appliqué work in the concept of a sketchbook and some are simply to have fun.
This class is pure fun.
Gather up your leftover blocks and spend the day creating fun and improvisational pages to create your own quilty book.! Your book might tell a story, be a gift for a toddler, or simply showcase your love of quilting. You decide! Bring your stray blocks, buttons, ribbons or even yo-yos to make this book truly and uniquely yours!
I will share a few bookmaking techniques that transfer well to fabric books, including interactive pages that fold out, hold something in a pocket or pop up to greet you! I also have lots of tips on how to jazz up or resize a block, along with how to curate a cohesive story with what you have.
Most of all, it is a day to jumpstart your creativity while adding personality and purpose to your pile of lonely quilt blocks.
And last is probably the class I am most excited about. I will be teaching at Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar this spring. I was very fortunate to be the artist in residence a few years back at Empty Spools. This quilt stirred up a lot of questions. How did you do that? What did you use here? But the biggest question was, Will you be teaching this?
I will be honest. This project took a lot of blood, sweat and tears out of me. I knew what I wanted, I just had no idea of how to go about achieving it. The steps I took along the way are the substance of this class. I have italicized these important steps below.*
We all have moments and places that we hold dear in our memories. Sometimes it is hard to communicate the impact they have in our lives. The emotions they evoke simply cannot be put into words, or captured in a photo. In the early 20th Century, artists were exploring new ways to express their ideas. This developed into the art movement known as "Expressionism," in which artists were more interested in expressing an emotional experience than a realistic image. Let's honor an important moment in your life with Expressionism.
*We will explore simple, small studies, playing with texture, unusual fabric choices, and mixed media, along with the use of “no rules or rulers'' machine stitching and slow stitching. These explorations will help you to find your own unique voice and style, which will then be applied to your Moment in Time project. By breaking down your final project into a process of layers, you will have many choices and paths to draw from your small explorations, to create a meaningful art quilt that captures the very essence of your moment in time.
I hope you enjoyed reading about these classes. Please consider signing up for one or more - or forward this post to someone you think might be interested. Let's help each other jumpstart our creativity in 2024!
Kirsten, Julia and I are meeting tomorrow to plan out the 2024 blog schedule. Please leave a comment if there is a topic you would like to read about.
By the way, two of the photos that I shared above are also Moments in Time that I am currently working on as art quilts. The first photo is one of the first few days of a textile tour in India in 2020. I was so enthralled with the sights, sounds, textures and colors of India. Can you tell? The second photo was taken about two weeks later in a market. As you can see, I was filled with so much joy from all that I had experienced. These are the types of quilts that I want to be creating. Ones filled with memories of special moments in my life. I would love for you to join me in this adventure.
More to come on these two quilts in a few months. . .
And now, on to February!
Pati