Want to See Some Tiling with Nancy Z?

So I'm drifting through the Internet the other day (in my zombie like surfing mode) when what do I come across? It's a YouTube video of Nancy Zieman and me talking about Tiling.

Tiling is a method of overlapping fused symmetric fabric shapes onto each other in a tile like fashion. You can build textured and patterned collages in this way with square, circle, or even leaf shapes like these above. (The leaves are cut with an AccuQuilt fabric cutter and die.)

The video is not only educational but I'm wearing my favorite shirt. Sadly the shirt has passed on to shirt heaven. I miss that shirt.

Can You Cut This Fabric?

One of the phrases heard most often in my classroom is, "I can't cut into this hand-dyed fabric. It's too precious!"

Please, don't worry. We're always making more. Why deny yourself the pleasure of working with beautiful fabric?

But, alas, I am a hypocrite. There is a stack of hand-dyed fabric in my studio that is never on the market, is never touched and is never cut. It is too precious!

But today I did it! I pulled out my precious stack of fabric and sliced off sections for a new quilt. It was scary but it also energized me. Cutting the fabric released me from a cloth prison of my own making. It gave me the freedom to create something new with beautiful fabric.

Are you a fabric hoarder? Are you a prisoner of the cloth? Maybe it's time to give yourself permission to use your best and favorite fabric. They'll always make more!

Stitch-a-thon Day 4: A Fit of Decorative Bliss

As we bring our Stitch-a-thon Marathon to an end, our attention turns to the tablecloth. Stitching the edges of the tablecloth with a Blanket Stitch gives it a nice finish like the decorative edge on a real tablecloth. (And I'm about reality here.) The Tangerine colorway in the Size 8 thread lets me repeat the colors used in the leaves.

And speaking of repetition, the Degas Blue size 12 thread is used in a row of Cross Stitches across the tablecloth dots. Lends a rather festive air, don't you think? 

And as long as we are feeling festive, add French Knots to the dots. These dots on dots plus dots around the edge of the composition really decorate the piece nicely.

And here is the final quilt. With a little machine quilting around the edge it will be complete and ready for display.  Thanks for joining be in my Stitch-a-thon! We'll have more to see in the new year!

Stitch-a-thon Day 3: Degas Blue Saves the Day!

It's Day 3 of adding hand stitchery to a fused art quilt. And today we attack the basket! One of our most versatile, yet humble, stitches, the Stem Stitch, is used around the basket edge. This outlines the basket and give it a nice neat finish. By using the heavier Size 8 perle cotton thread (in the Sunflowers colorway) we repeat the colors found in the flowers, border and basket fabrics. It's always good to repeat colors to give artwork a cohesive feel.

The basket rim could use a decorative element to help set it aside from the rest of the basket. Enter French Knots and Straight Stitches added across the rim. This Degas Blue thread in Size 12 is just the right shade of blue to go with the salmon, gold, and green in the basket.

The doily beneath the basket can also be decorated. Using the Size 12 thread in the famous Pickle Juice colorway, a modified Blanket Stitch is added around the scalloped edge of the doily.

And why not French Knots and Straight Stitches in our Degas Blue thread to add some spark to the doily. My, aren't we a handsome doily!

With all this addition of Degas Blue to the basket and doily, the flowers are looking a little plain. Adding Degas Blue to the flowers will help the viewer's eye travel around the piece seeking out the next occurrence of blue thread and shift interest back to the flowers. A Zig Zag Stitch across the flower top accomplishes this. Now I feel much better. Please visit me tomorrow as we finish up our hand stitchery!

Stitch-a-thon Day 2: Got Your Anthers Handy?

Welcome back to Day 2 of hand stitching a fused art quilt. Now, not to get all botanical on you,  but we are about to stitch those things sticking out of the flowers, the filaments and the anthers. Using a Size 12 cotton thread in the Sunflowers colorway, add Straight Stitches across the filaments. A healthy French Knot on the tip, or anther, looks like a big dollop of  pollen. If you were a bee, you'd be dancing! (Thanks Gene for all this filament/anther info!)

Our next step is to stitch the leaves. Without stitching the leaves are plain as toast without jelly. They have no definition. But slap a Fly Stitch on a leaf and suddenly it changes from featureless to dynamic! In this version of the Fly Stitch, you are adding Fly Stitches in a line to create the veins for the leaves.

The Size 12 thread in the Tangerine colorway works for the leaves and is also used to outline the stems of the flowers with a.... Stem Stitch. Tangerine is in keeping with the flower color and contrasts nicely with the green of the leaves. There's more to show you tomorrow. Until then, practice your bee dance!

Stitch-a-thon Day 1: In the Beginning

In this series of posts, I'd like to show you the process of adding hand stitchery to a fused art quilt. We'll go from start to finish using this quilt. (You may remember it from the How to Make an Improvised Art Quilt series. You can see how it was made here.) This quilt is our subject, our muse, our inspiration, our reason to live! In short.... what we're stitching.

Our quilt is ready to stitch because we have followed the 10 Commandments of Hand Stitching a Fused Art Quilt. (If you're not into commandments think of them as "suggestions".)  It is steam set to the batting and we'll stitch only through the batting and top layers of the quilt.

Always begin your stitching on the focal point of the quilt, in this case, the flowers. If you begin stitching a lot in a remote corner of the quilt, the focal point loses importance and a great deal of stitchery will be needed to balance the composition. Here, you see I've started with the Stem Stitch to outline the flower.

The thread is a Size 12 in the Pickle Juice colorway and a size 5 embroidery needle is used. The Stem stitches are placed right next to the silk flower on the blue background fabric. A few Straight Stitches are used in the flower opening and later at the base of the flower.

French Knots across the rim of the flower add some much needed texture. Each of the 3 flowers is done in turn. Please return tomorrow where we answer the question: Are those your anthers or are just happy to be stitching?

A Surprise for One Lucky Quilter

Housing Department #20 was a big surprise!

Isn't it fun to be part of a conspiracy? (And I don't mean one of those involving aliens from outer space.) This conspiracy started last July after my lecture at the Knoxville show. It has to do with my friend, Julia, her many sisters, a flummoxed husband, and this quilt above, Housing Department #20. Read all about it here on Julia's blog.

Merry Christmas!

It's a Gift!

'Tis the season for singing as loud as you can! And for giving gifts to those you love. No matter what holiday you celebrate this season, I'd like to give you a gift.

It's you, dear readers, that keep me posting my stories, photos, and goofy stuff. Thank you for returning to my blog again and again. So, during this season of giving, here are 8 free patterns for you to play with.  Feel free to pass the gift on to your friends. And Happy Holidays!

Why This Quilt Candidate Won This Election

Quilt Candidate #1

Thank you so much for your input regarding which background fabric to use to frame my little composition above. Sadly, this yellow background did not win. Not enough support in the "primary". (Get it?!)

Quilt Candidate #2

Of the several framing fabric candidates to choose from, this one was also set aside. The patterning of the batik fabric is too strong and pulls interest from the quilt. Also, it was disqualified because one person voted for it twice.

Quilt Candidate #3

Quilt Candidate #3 was very popular because of it's complimentary color. I really tried to make this one work. But when your framing fabric looks like a snow storm, then the story of the quilt changes from a Spring Day to a Return of Winter Day. (We call this "flip flopping.") The purple batik changed the tone or feel of a piece too much for me.

Quilt Candidate #4

The intense green of this batik fabric really said Spring to me.  But again, the surface pattern overwhelmed the design. And, as in any election, too much noise is bad.

Quilt Candidate #5

And here is our winner, Quilt Candidate #5. Again, I have the advantage of seeing these background fabrics in person not through an image on the web. This fabric was chosen because it give the quilt a fresh, Spring-like look. The surface pattern is subtle and the color repeats the light greens in the composition. This candidate also won the support of more color and pattern with the blue squares and pink dots around the edge.

Thank you so much for your advice, suggestions, and votes. The voters may have spoken but let's face it, I'm a quilt dictator!

Which Quilt Candidate Do You Support?

Quilt Candidate #1

Last month I made several small quilt tops at Art Quilt Tahoe. The little quilt composition you see here was created on release paper. Our next step is to remove the composition from the paper and audition it on different framing fabrics like the yellow fabric above.

Quilt Candidate #2

We have several framing fabric candidates to choose from. (Although I call them candidates, thankfully, they have no political affiliation.) But I would like you to vote for one.

Quilt Candidate #3

The color of the framing fabric can really change a composition. It brings out different colors. It changes the tone or feel of a piece.

Quilt Candidate #4

All of these framing fabric candidates are batiks. The patterning of a batik fabric also affects the look of the quilt. Surface patterns may enhance or overwhelm the design.

Quilt Candidate #5

I have the advantage of seeing these background fabrics in person, but which background fabric would you choose to frame this composition? Which candidate do you wish to represent your composition? State you framing colors! Join the party and vote today!

5 Reasons to Go to Quilting in the Desert

What you could make in the Fowl Play class.

So you're thinking to yourself, why should I go to Quilting in the Desert? Can't I just quilt on the tundra like everyone else?

What you could make in the Colorful Leaves class.

No. You do not want to quilt on the tundra.

What you could make in the Tools of the Trade class.

Here's why you need to go to Quilting in the Desert in Phoenix AZ January 22- 27, 2012.

1. It's warm there. I'm no meteorologist but having just frozen my tootsies off shoveling snow, I guarantee Phoenix will be warmer than Illinois in January.
2. You can take a great class with a classy instructor like moi! I have 5 workshops including Tools of the Trade, Colorful Leaves, Four Little Landscapes, Stitch after Fusing, and Fowl Play.
3. No matter what class you sign up for, you will find a friend in that classroom. Or bring your own friend and make even more.
4. You'll learn more about creating a fused art quilt than anyone else in the world!
5. It's warm there.

 Come join me! It will be fun to hang out at Quilting in the Desert  in Phoenix in January!

A Secret about My Past

Stamping in the Sun

There is a new book out from Interweave Press called The Best of Quilting Arts edited by Pokey Bolton. It celebrates 10 years of Quilting Arts Magazine by presenting the "very best articles" from the magazine. And yippee! I'm in it!

Stamping in the Forest

Apparently this book is "your ultimate resource for art quilt techniques and inspiration." With that in mind, check out my article, Carve Stampum on page 57. It describes how I hand carved stamps from Saftety Kut and used them with textile paints to stamp fabric for my quilts like those above.

Here's an example of the many stamps carved from Safety Kut that clutter my shelves. At one time I was an addicted stamp carver. But that's all behind me now. Now that I've discovered a different, less messy, addiction..... hand stitching. And now you know about my secret past.

Stitch Therapy: 5 Reasons to Stitch

When I received my degree in Stitchology (with a minor in Thread-u-cation) I thought, what will I do with this degree? And, who in the heck gets a degree in Stitchology?

Before stitching. Not so interesting.

But then I remembered the many benefits of hand stitching:

1. You get to sit down.

2. You get to make daring thread color choices that may appear rash but are oh, so satisfying.

3. You can stitch while watching TV and look at your artwork during the scary parts.

4. You can look productive when really all you are doing is playing around.

5. You will be admired by all who like the idea of going from flat to fabulous.

After stitching. Way more interesting!

Hand sewing is one of our oldest crafts. It's in your bones people! Doing hand work frees your mind to wander and gives you a feeling of accomplishment because you are making a thing of beauty. We need beautiful things in our life! So listen to you Stitchologist, stitch something today!

(This free Stitch Therapy session was brought to you by the Artfabrik Stitchers. Stitch on!)

Guest Artist: Doing Something Scary Well

Our featured artist today is Michele Scott author of the new book Bobbin Quiltin' and Fusin' Fun from AQS. This is a great book for those of you interested in trying that scary thing called bobbin quilting. Yikes!

In bobbin quilting you flip the quilt over and stitch on the back of the quilt so the bobbin threads appear on the face of the quilt. Using decorative threads and yarns, Michele gives you directions for 11 fused quilt projects in her book. 

Shoot for the Stars by Michele Scott

She is a brave woman! And she is a kind woman. Why?  Because Michele recommends my threads in her book saying they are "By far, my absolute favorite thread of all time." Thanks Michele and best wishes for your brand new book!

Stitch Therapy: Why Gotta Have It

Hello, it's your Stitchologist calling! This is your daily wellness check. Have you stitched something today? Trust me, stitching will make you feel better. The repetitive motion of pulling a needle with thread through fabric soothes the soul. 

And there's another reason to add hand embroidery stitches on your quilt top. It will take it from flat to fabulous. Add a few French Knots or Scattered Seed Stitches and suddenly the world has more dimension, colors are brighter, birds sing and your checkbook balances.

Have you stitched something lately? I'd love to see it. Send photos!