HOME - From Virtual Workshop to Fundraising Opportunity

Wrapped up my last virtual workshop of the year this past weekend. What a whirlwind fall it’s been! Two of the most popular classes have been HOME and Make Words Not War. HOME is a more focused version of the other but both are about making Improv letters and using intention in our improv piecing.

As I developed samples for the HOME class a collection of blocks grows. Different text styles, different piecing techniques, and different homes.

A while back I asked followers on Twitter what home means to them. Interestingly, no one mentioned a physical space. It was more about a feeling - of warmth, safety, comfort, love, a deep breath. I’d always envisioned these blocks as representative of a physical space, so it presented a design challenge. It got me thinking about the different physical spaces that can be home - an apartment, a bed, a hearth. And about the non-tangible feelings. Not sure how to represent the latter, but I am working on alternatives to a single family dwelling.

This particular block started in a workshop with Keystone Modern Creative. It was about showing a few different ways to use curves in making the letters. Then that O happened. Doesn’t it look like a flame? That got us talking about the hearth of a home, the idea of warmth and comfort. With input from students I picked the fabric to make the tile surround and mantle.

Home really is the heart of life at the moment. For good and bad. I realize that for so many it is not safe place, not a place of respite. It can be scary or boring or dangerous or not even there. I’ve decided to take the HOME blocks I make for these workshops and turn them into a quilt come summer. After that it will be used as a fundraiser. I will also donate a portion of my earnings from each HOME workshop. So the more workshops I do, the more potential for fundraising.

Not exactly sure how this will all unfold, but I want the money to go towards a shelter that helps those finding home. I am open to suggestions, but will likely pick a local option.

Thank you so much to everyone inspiring these. Thank you to everyone staying home, staying safe.

Morning Make November 2020

Well this one was way out of my comfort zone! Just the way it should be.

Partly meditative, full of exploration, a lot of learning, and some very cool results at times. November Morning Make was some playtime with block printing. Thanks to my neighbourhood friend Julie who inspires me with her detailed reduction prints. Baby steps for me, as my one and only experience with block printing was a 2 hour class years ago where I recall being bored and distracted like a child in history class..

So I set myself some boundaries but gave myself free reign to try many things. I started with 3” blocks of the pink lino cutting material available in any art store. My daughter happened to have a lino cutting tool (I think it was a birthday present). I bought Speedball fabric printing ink, which the tube says was also fine for paper. Each morning I would carve a block then stamp it on paper in a 4 patch and then on fabric in a different 4 patch. Different patterns for the different materials simply to have two ways to see how the pattern of the block interacted.

Sometimes I did patterns that linked within the 4 patch. These were more or less obvious depending on the block. Sometimes I did a graphic motif that stood on its own, like a single stamp, so that a repeat was interesting, but not the most exciting. Sometimes the ideas worked, sometimes they did not.

The blocks above are probably my favourites of the whole bunch.

There were quite a few times where I wanted to print a number more repeats, to see a larger interaction. Or maybe mix a few stamps together to see the intricacies of the patterns created. Thankfully, I have the blocks still so I can always do that!

For the fabric I chose a slubby linen I had in my stash. I really don’t know if it was a smart or a stupid choice. I think my application of the ink on the stamp was a bigger concern than the fabric I used. I struggled to get it coated without being too thick or thin. Without doing much research - I didn’t want to use my phone while I was in the middle of Morning make but would forget as soon as I left the studio - I’m thinking that it is something that comes with feel and probably varies with the products used.

A friend pointed out to me that many of the things I’ve been exploring this year have potential to be repeat fabric designs. While I can’t argue with that, let me be clear that it was not my intention. I have been a quilter for 22 years and playing with prints that whole time so it isn’t exactly shocking that it would come out that way. Who knows? Maybe I will explore that a bit more in the new year? For now, though, I am just really having fun playing.

The Slow Comfort of Painting a Quilt

Small comforts.

These days that is what we take, what we can find. Whether that be in the consumption of something, Or, as it would be more likely for readers here, the creation of something.

A cup of tea or a glass of wine, candles lit, a ruler and a quilt book close at hand. Don’t forget my now trusty watercolours. I had no idea when 2020 started they would become familiar, comforting. It took me some time, but I’ve brought them to my quilting. Rather, I’ve brought quilting to the watercolours.

Meditative to make, these paintings are an exploration of traditional quilt patterns. They are significantly more detailed than the cards I made back in September. In a way, they are my opportunity to play with precision piecing without having to actually precision piece. They serve to try out colour combinations, as if I was sewing with solid fabrics, also something I don’t do that often.

I can’t say that I want to go out and make these quilts now. They are comforting to make, but aren’t necessarily inspiring me to sew. At least each one only takes me a few hours to make. Much faster than a quilt with fabric!

Each one starts with a sharp pencil, a block pulled from history, and a ruler. I draw the whole thing with pencil then start painting. Painting is a multi day/evening process as I like to have the paint dry in between. It’s watercolour so I don’t want the paint to bleed. Once the colour is all done I go over the seam lines with a black marker, to highlight them. Without that last step it feels a bit unfinished. Kind of like me adding the quilting stitches to a flimsy.

These aren’t fine art and I have a lot to learn yet, but the comfort it gives me is divine. A quiet, slow moment in a noisy world that wants to reach in and swallow me whole.

And maybe this way I can convince my husband to put a quilt on the wall?!

10 Observations from an Online Quilt Teacher

Are you Zooming?

While I admit that I shunned Zoom, Skype, and most online meeting grounds in the spring and summer - I was just done with being online after schooling with my son and what little work I could get done - I have fully embraced online teaching. In fact, I am relishing the opportunities to be with guilds, stores, and students again. I am also highly respectful of groups choosing to meet this way over putting people at risk.

My corporate background is really coming out now - I can make a killer slide show! So maybe my graduate degree and 10 years in the energy sector weren't all for naught when I became a professional quilter? I do have 10 years of experience as a pro in this quilting community too. These sets of experiences combine to make me now and I appreciate it all.

In the past few months of teaching online I think I have learned and improved as well. I’ve also made some observations in my classes. Talking to other teachers has given me some additional insights. I will admit, that I haven’t taken any classes myself, so there is more learning to do. With all that, I’ve got some observations I want to share with you.

10 Observations from an Online Quilt Teacher (Teaching Live)

1. Just like in person, there are good teachers and there are not great teachers. Honestly, it might be the same on any given day. We’re all trying and for some, learning a new platform is not easy. You still have to keep your students engaged, perhaps even more so. You can’t just give everyone a task and then leave them be for an hour. This is an interactive experience. How that works exactly will be different for each teacher and each class.

2. Not all classes translate well to an online, live environment. You’ve got to examine flow, interactions with students, and how the time will be spent. For example, people sitting in silence sewing in their own space is kind of boring online.

3. Have either 2 cameras going or pre-record segments. When you want to do a demo of something specific it really helps to have a close up and/or overhead shot of the work. Being able to switch between these angles makes for a much better experience for the student.

4. Don’t force anyone to be on camera or talk. Keep the invitation open, but respect the wishes of people. Also. no one has to sew or participate if they don’t want to, their level of participation is up to them. This is the student’s advantage to taking the class on their own. They might just want to hang out or they have their reasons for not participating as you anticipated, it’s all good.

5. Take advantage of students being at home - get them to play with ALL their fabrics or supplies they may not have brought to class otherwise. Many students tell me they LOVE having access to all their stuff during a class so exploit that.

6. Own up to glitches and be quick to fix things as best as possible. We are not all IT gurus and things will go wrong. Take the time to learn the platform as best you can and work through anything that is going on. Your internet connectivity is up to you, the teacher. The student’s is up to them.

7. It’s hard to be running a live class AND manage the technical side of things. Using the guild or store’s account and having them manage entry and questions means you can concentrate on the classroom experience. If you are running your own event consider having an assistant or trusted friend managing the back end of stuff for you.

8. People seem to be MORE engaged at home. Honestly, I was shocked at this. I think I’m a pretty good teacher but even I doubted people’s interest in a 6 hour online class. But it works! The comfort of being at home and choosing your commitment to the class, not to mention access to all your stuff, is a huge advantage for students.

9. Recording classes delivered live is not okay, especially if it is done without the teacher’s permission. If we wanted to have a recorded class we would offer a stand alone one to buy.

10. Build in both breaks and chat time. For one, the teacher needs to go to the washroom if it is a long class. And secondly, by making them formal, students don’t feel they are sneaking out of class. At the same time, adding breaks in your active teaching so people can chat enhances their experience.

We are all hungry for connection. Guild meetings, hanging out at the store, taking classes together are all ways we quilters are used to connection. Switching to a solely online environment is new, difficult, and even scary for some. It’s one thing to be a chat or Facebook group, it is entirely different to be trying to learn and actually hang out together online. As a teacher I see my job as a facilitator of this connection, regardless of the class I am teaching. At the same time, I am privileged to be invited in to the shared space. It isn’t a responsibility I, or any teacher, should take lightly.

What about those of you who have taken classes? What would you add? What are some of the good and bad things you’ve seen in your own Zoom experience? How do you like Zoom compared to a prerecorded class? Add your thoughts to the comments section. We would all benefit from the shared experience.