Workshop: Feathers, Ferns, and Furls

On July 12-13, 2019, I will be a teaching a two day in depth version of this class at Village Sewing in Santa Rosa, CA. All work is done on your regular domestic machine.

 In my machine quilting career, I have created just about every shape you could possibly imagine. One design tendency I have for quilting is to choose one or two motifs or designs, and then I do multiple variations of those designs throughout the quilt.
   That is why the information included in this workshop is so valuable. Many people think "drawing" is very intimidating and something beyond their reach or skill level. Almost everyone's first response to the word is that they can't draw, and they quickly retreat in the opposite direction.

I will take all the fear out of drawing for you.

   In this workshop I will share with you my foolproof method for drawing curves and quilting design variations of the Feathers, Ferns, and Furls to fill just about any space.

These are some of my fern designs. Look at how they pop on the black fabric.

Day One:

• Create amazing, foolproof curves to fit any

areas of your quilt.

• Fill any shapes with your designs.

• Learn stitching tips and optional sequences

to achieve immediate success.

• Practice with traditional feathers and learn

more contemporary designs as well.

These are the furls. Once you know how to draw the curves, you can do endless shapes and variations.

Day Two:
For more practice you can do any of the following,
with lots of help of course!
• Stitch the sampler pattern provided.
• Design and stitch your own original wholecloth
piece using the designs you have
learned.
• Quilt your own quilt or wallhanging in class
or just receive a consultation for quilting
ideas to be used later on.

This is my sampler in progress. It is all about technique, and you can do this too with a little practice.

   More than anything, I want you to look forward to quilting your work when you finish the piecing. I will help you get "unstuck" when it come to options for the quilting of your work.

Santa Clara: Contemporary Hand Embroidery Workshop

Irene Brummer

 Last October, I taught my Hand Embroidery workshop to the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association in Santa Clara, CA. We had a packed class with 20 participants. The skill level ran the gamut from people who had been embroidering for most of their lives to those who had never done hand embroidery before.
   Everyone was remarkably patient and enthusiastic, and I was very happy to see all the finished samples entered in the guild's semi-annual show a couple of weeks ago.

Tracy Visher

  
   This piece was done by Tracy Visher of Sacramento, CA. Tracy made a whole set of pillows for her patio furniture, of which this is one. Tracy is a very accomplished stitcher who has been doing hand embroidery for years, so I was glad she enjoyed the class.

Mitsuko Sasaki

   This beautiful piece was done by Mitsuko Sasaki. She has done a marvelous job, and I love the additional edging she added to her piece.

Roberta Pabst

Betty Eastham

   I offer the option of doing this design in either the Bright or Neutral color palette. Roberta chose to do her piece in the neutral color palette. The neutrals really help you see the impact of values in your work. One thing that really makes mandala type designs 'pop" is the variation in value and the detail and scale of the shapes in each concentric row.
 

Sandra Crane

   And last of all, we have Sandra's lovely piece. I love the way everyone has put their own spin on this embroidery pattern. You can see what a difference the choice in colors and the variation in the fabric borders can make to the overall impact of the piece. Thank you everyone for sharing your work!
   I will also be teaching this workshop, Contemporary Hand Embroidery, at San Francisco School of Needlework and Design on August 24, 2019.