Halloween, Basic Stencils for Ruler Work, and Other Things

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Betty Jo's Blog / Posted in Design as you go, Design Work, Food for Thought, My micro-business, Ruler work / 2 Comments

Hi! Happy Halloween! Here we are finally into the fall. Our leaves are not very pretty this year..just kind of brown, and the weatherpeople say we had so much rain and it was too warm too late at night so the trees got confused. So the leaves will mostly just turn brown and fall off. It was kind of like living in a tropical environment this summer…steamy, hot, wet. So I am really happy to finally get to some good quilting and sewing weather. Maybe there is some hope for some pretty oranges and reds in the leaves yet.

On Saturday, I finished all my teaching for this year and have my overcoat with its fur collar all cut out and stacked by my Bernina 830 ready to sew together starting tomorrow. I have been working on one of my books today and am really going to finish the manuscript sometime in November. I am working on a show quilt design. And I am designing something interesting I wanted to tell you about and see if I can get any of you to give me some feedback on the idea.

I was recently challenged to develop a class or two in ruler work using a specific set of very basic quilting rulers that are inadequately marked. Now while I find this concept a little limiting, given that I wanted to come up with some designs that are significantly more fun than drawing blocks and filling them in with ruler patterns, I also find it fun to meet this challenge. I also decided it needed an accompanying handout/short book complete with designs and project ideas. Sew developing a basic quilt sandwich to work with for this project has led me to think it would be fabulous to have a stencil I could use for marking a basic structure on the practice sandwich to build some designs on.

So I then drew some 16 inch by 16 inch foundation designs for marking these sandwiches and got some 13 x 19 inch paper, which is the largest my printer will take, and printed off a couple of different such designs for tracing and taped them together, I tried using smaller paper, but that requires a lot of taping and it introduces small distortions. This type of foundation design cannot have distortions and still be useful. I’d like to share this concept, but a pdf file wouldn’t be helpful because of distortions when someone taped them together.

Wouldn’t it be nice, I asked myself, to have these in plastic stencils that I could either pounce or use to draw onto the sandwiches. Then I could just work through a stack of structurally marked sandwiches until I came up with one or two completed designs that would be fun, interesting, and something a student could accomplish in a four or five hour class.

I then got to thinking that there may be others out in the quilting world who would like to have such basic structural stencils that go beyond grids and circles but are the right thing to hang a good design onto. I also have located someone who could make these for me for something that would enable me to sell them for about $12 to $15 each for the 16 inch square size. To do this requires some up front investment, and it would be difficult to sell them for much less, so I have not yet decided what to do.

I would like to have my dear readers responses on what you think about this. Is $15 too much to pay for a stencil that could help you build a mandala or other interesting designs. It would be much less marking than a whole design, but could enable the quilter to create some really nice designs without detailed marking. Just lay it down and pounce or mark the stencil and grab your favorite rulers. You could even use it to make your guidelines on your design paper to work out your more detailed design. I hope I have gotten the idea adequately explained. I don’t want to put the designs on here I want to keep them for me to create first. LOL

Sew happy everyone!

Workshops, Books, and Near Magic

Posted on October 14, 2018October 14, 2018 by Betty Jo's Blog / Posted in Art Quilt Techniques, Books, Classes, Design Work, Food for Thought, High-Tech Studio, My micro-business / 2 Comments

On Workshops

I have one more workshop to teach of my three-part series on basic fabric art techniques. The last one will be held at G Street Fabrics in Rockville, Maryland on 27 October and is on Organic Free Motion Quilting. The class will quilt a prepared quilt sampler sandwich, and hopefully they will all leave with the same sense that one of my students said about the last class that “this has been a really good class and I feel so much more comfortable with my machine.”

Sew I have all the kits almost prepared, though I still have to put together six more sandwiches that are already cut, marked, and prepared, which should take me only about another hour.

So I have been asked by G Street to return for another round of these same classes next spring, and to add at least one more on ruler work. I agreed to do that.

Drawing used to digitize the applique project.

On Books

While I was there, my friend and dealer talked me into finishing my 10 Skill-Building Projects for Bernina design V7 software book. I had nearly finished it when Bernina came out with v8 and put it aside at that time, but I had shown it to her recently. She said there are lots of people out there who are still using v7. I decided she is right and maybe I won’t make much money with it, but someone may find it useful. It does seem too bad to not publish it after all that work. She said then maybe I could maybe buy v8 at a sale price and do another one for that software. I’m considering that and think I probably will do that.

But I did open the file for the v7 book to see how much I have to do, and I think I can finish the manuscript in a matter of a few weeks. I only have one more chapter and I have to make one more stitch-out for photographs in addition to whatever I do for the last project.

Sew that made me look at the other book that covers the same fabric arts techniques presented in my three workshops only much more extensively, and that is not too far away from completion either. And in fact, I even think I have nearly all the samples made that only needs photographing for the book.

I have a third book in the works also on surface design and embellishment…but it’s a ways away from completion.

I’ve been working on these three books off and on for years and it’s high time I get them finished and published.

On Near Magic

I know how frustrating computer software and computerized machines can be sometimes. I also know that if they work, or if I actually figure out how they work, they can enormously enhane my ability to accomplish things, or accomplish them faster or better. The more I learn the more I realize it’s nearly magical. I also know that most of the problems I have with them is because I don’t really know how to use them right or don’t know all the cool things they will do that I can use.

I have been taking a class in Corel Painter this past couple of months and I have learned an enormous amount. This will be a major help in my design work and it’s lots and lots of fun too.

For some unknown reason I am sometimes compelled to share what I have learned, which is why I am developing workshops, writing books, and sharing this blog. I am going to add to those the making of videos. My oldest son has outfitted me with all the equipment I need to do some simple videos and podcasts. I have been practicing video making so those will happen sometime soon.

It may seem that I am getting in over my head, and am going to be overwhelmed, but while that may be, a lot of the work for quilts, books, workshops, and videos has multiple uses. If I make samples and develop methods for a book, I can use the same thing in a workshop and video. I can use my quilts or parts of them as some of the illustrations. So it’s kind of like working on everything at once. Magic, see? Hahahaha

And I haven’t forgotten my show quilts. Just today I worked on a pattern for one of my planned show quilts. I won’t share this one until it is mostly done, but just think “trains”.

Sew happy everyone. Share what you have learned with someone. Happy new quilting season!

Fabric Art Workshops…Some done, more to come

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Betty Jo's Blog / Posted in Uncategorized

Today I completed teaching the second in a series of Fabric Art Workshops that cover my basic techniques for creating quilted fabric art. So far I have addressed my multiple techniques for machine applique and today I covered quilting with feed dogs up. This gives the new quilter a chance to get used to handling a small quilt and learn how much you can do with the feed dogs engages. On October 27th I am going to finish the three part series with Organic free motion quilting. This is not formal feathery quilting, but rather how to approach quilting in a way that adds texture and enhances the design…often of pictorial quilts and the like.

This series sets up a nicely finished piece, but it does not include several things I also use…ruler work and the real biggy, which is surface design and embellishment. So while I was there they asked me to run this series again next spring, and I agreed. We also talked about how I might cover the missing elements…ruler work as well as surface design & embellishment. So I will be developing some new workshops to go with the first three. IF, therefore, someone wants to have the techniques to make quilted fabric art (and even use the techniques for more traditional quilting), they will be started down that path. Once they learn the techniques they can fly, as Bob Ross once said. I am also mulling around in the back of my mind the possibility ofoffering these to quilt shows close enough to drive to from here (Ashburn, Virginia) and other shops.

I may not do that other than a possible local business or two because I don’t want to get so busy with these that I don’t have time to spend a lot of time making new art in my studio, because I am, after-all, basically a studio artist. It is my biggest joy. I do find I like teaching also, though. I just don’t want to have the art overwhelmed by the teaching. It is fun, however, to think of providing this whole series of what may work out to be five or six classes. I want to do what I can to keep this sport alive and growing.

Sew there is more to come. I have also been encouraged to complete my book on Bernina V7 design software, even though v8 is already out, because there are still people using v7. It is almost finished and might actually be ready for the editor in a matter of a couple of weaks. We’ll see. And then I am well over half-way through my techniques for fabric arts book. I think I need a super power…Zap! This is finished…that is finished…hahahaha

Exciting times…I want to start a new show quilt. Tee hee

Sew happy everyone!..Teach someone to sew or quilt…your next door neighbor, your best friend, your grandson, your granddaughter, your dog….lol. I love having you along on this great adventure!