Study, Study, Study...

Quilt Judging Certification Programme (QJCP)

I'm on a long term learning curve to become a quilt judge and the process has been sometimes easy, sometimes hard, but always fun. Being a teacher in the quilting world, I take the best results of what I've learned over the years and share that knowledge and passion with students. But that doesn't mean that there still might not be a better way. Taking the QJCP course has really opened my eyes that there is always something more to learn. Here's a quick glimpse at one of the fun exercises I had to do along the way...

These required exercises were from the book: Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter by Katie Pasquini Masopust and Brett Barker. For the judging course we did ALL of the exercises in this book and I highly recommend it for quilters who are looking to boost their knowledge for their own designs.

Line and Shape - Composing with Line

Horizontal Composition

Radiating Composition

Diagonal Composition

Framed/Border Composition

The idea of the exercises was to simply cut fuse-backed fabric in strips and work out a few designs of your own following the Nine-Patch of Compositions in the book. It was fun and a great way to train your eye to spot the different compositions as a judge. 

If you are interested in checking out this excellent book I spotted it on Amazon for a great price. And you can get it on your Kindle for under $10, although I'd recommend the hard copy color version of course!

So happy trails with quilting - are you stalled with creativity? Sign up for a local class in your area to boost your creative spirit, or book one of my workshops for your guild at Brandy Lynn Designs.

Fibre Artist Feature - Val Wilson

This month has been such a fabulous whirlwind of activity teaching in Manitoba and then having visitors for a week. All this culminating in a lull of blog postings - SORRY!

But judging from the quilter and artist I am about to feature, I promise it was a wait worth enduring.

Val Wilson - Fibre Artist, Manitoba, Canada

Val has a refreshing sense of fibre artistry that captures the viewer and makes them linger on every intricate detail. She has a clear love of the outdoors and the natural colour schemes of flowers, trees and landscape. She is also drawn to those brilliant old photos depicting the way we once were. You are drawn in by the whimsical titles and led to wonder - "What were they thinking and doing in that time and place?"

With her busy schedule, I thought I might get a quick midday peruse of this lovely fibre art show in Selkirk, Manitoba, but since she is a dear friend I hadn't seen in over a year, it turned into a prolonged meandering and then a lovely lunch out at the world famous Barney Gargles!

Here is just a sample of some of the brilliant art pieces that were on display during her recent show:

With fabric and thread as her art medium of choice, Val loves the tactile nature of the textiles and the abundant colour palette. Just viewing the skin tones of her characters, it is clear that she is also a brilliant fabric dyer and strives to create every shaded nuance.

Over the years I have become wonderful friends with Val. She has gotten me absolutely hooked on fabric dyeing and we've shared some wonderful mishaps and adventures in colour. Although she'd never admit it, she has had a huge impact on me as a mentor and a friend. I was thrilled to just happen to be in Winnipeg teaching and visiting at the same time as her first solo show.

On Cloud Nine

My heart is soaring tonight after a full day of teaching the Inksations workshop for the Manitoba Prairie Quilters. There are a few elements that have come in to play here...

1. I lived in Manitoba the first 39 years of my life before I moved away to BC.
2. My quilting friends and mentors brought me back to teach.
3. They filled up my classes because they care about me and believe in me.

There is not much else to say except that I am in heaven doing what I love, and this weekend it was for people that I love. I am so blessed with support. They lift me up when I'm not sure. They talk about me in gushes like I'm their only child. My class today included friends, followers, family and even a wonderful mentor who taught me my first beginner quilt class.

Not everyone stuck around for the photo, but here's a quick shot of the students with finished quilt tops. That's me - bottom left corner - with a finished sample.

I can't wait for another fun-filled day tomorrow teaching my brand new Black Sheep Block Party workshop for the very first time. 

You know if you are one of my guinea pigs for a brand new pattern, you're gonna have fun! 

Morden Workshop

I had so much fun teaching the Inksations class in Morden today with the Quilter's Den. Judging from the gorgeous quilts adorning the walls of the Quilter's Den, that town has some talent. I hadn't been in the shop since it came under new ownership a few years ago. The previous owner had excellent customer service with a very lovely traditional aesthetic. The new owner, Alvina has given the shop a serious makeover and embraced the modern trends in the quilting industry. It is clean, fresh and inviting and a great new destination for Manitoba quilters. There's more to Morden than corn and apples!

Here are a few shots of fabulous toppers finished by the students in the class. I'll say it again and again - I love seeing the fabrics that the students choose to bring to class.

Looking forward to a fabulous week of seeing family and friends and then two more days of teaching at the 30th Anniversary Event for the Manitoba Prairie Quilters.

Happy Easter everyone!

Appliquéd Cherries

The cherries are going brilliantly! I was surprised that the hand of the fabric with light body acrylic paint was quite nice. I did not use fabric paint or medium, but I did moisten the cloth before painting for a softened effect. They are slightly wrinkled at the moment due to rolling and travelling with the quilt, but I will iron the entire quilt with steam to flatten it before more quilting.

I decided to attach the hand painted leaves and cherries with invisible thread and a machine quilted stitch rather than hand appliqué. I tested them both out on samples. It's always a balance between the beauty and hidden quality of the hand stitch and the speed of the machine stitch. This time the machine stitch won out because you can hardly see it on the hand painted fabric and I attached everything on a 15" x 40" quilt in less than 3 hours. 

Still to come:

1. Some tiny stipple quilting on the white background. 

2. Machine appliqué veins on the leaves. 

3. Shiva paint stick shadow painting on the leaves.

4. Square and face the quilt to finish the edges. 

5. Label - of course! (You know how adamant I am about labels!)

If you are looking to bring some artsy inspiration into your guild - check out my workshops at Brandy Lynn Designs. There are 6 workshops listed there and 6 new ones to come this spring! If your guild is the first to try out a brand new class, you get a 10% discount for being my guinea pigs! I love to travel and I guarantee smiles and inspired creativity all day long! 

All About Cherries

Today I am painting on fabric and my theme is all about cherries. It's simple and fun - all you need is white cotton, a large quilting hoop, water, brushes and acrylic or textile paint.

Once they are dry, I'll hand appliqué them onto a background and quilt some love in between and around them. Ha ha, I typed leaves but the spell check changed it to love! I think I should quilt some love into this piece!

Winter in Winnipeg!

I am so excited to be teaching in Winnipeg, MB in just 10 days. I was born and raised, lived there 4 decades until just 2 years ago when we moved to BC. I'm so excited to see all of my family and friends again. I'm not even sure if this is a shot of a variety of the Manitoba crocus flower, but it is a photo of a gorgeous flower that I took myself when I lived there!

My itinerary is packed for 10 days - I'll be teaching 3 workshops, visiting friends and family, hitting my favorite restaurants and even catching an old school Bon Jovi concert!

Here's what I'll be teaching:
Inksations Workshop in Morden, MB on Saturday March 30th
Inksations Workshop for Manitoba Prairie Quilters (MPQ) April 6th
Black Sheep Block Party Workshop for MPQ on April 7th

Black Sheep Block Party is a brand new class I designed at the request of the MPQ guild so I haven't even blogged about it or finished the pattern yet, so here's a couple quick snapshots...

It is such a great project because students get to pick 15 different fabrics. You basically need 5 fabric colours in 3 values plus a border fabric, so the shopping for this class is so fun.

The countdown is on for Winnipeg and I am trying to figure out how I'll fit everything into my luggage.  I'm pretty sure I'll have to dig out some warm winter clothes! The best part of the whole trip is that I'll be cuddling a few new babies that were born in the last two years. I can't wait - and of course I have a quilt for each one of them! I have a baby niece, a baby great niece and a close friend's baby boy! I can't show the quilts of course, until after I give them away.

If you think you'd like to book a workshop in your area or purchase the Inksations Table Runner & Silk Screen Kit, check out the Brandy Lynn Designs website or just leave me a comment. Let's see if can make it happen!