Layer upon layer Landscape class in Molde

Has it been almost a week since I came home from Molde? Woops. Anyway, here are some pictures from last Sunday’s Layer upon layer Landscape class at Vestlandstreffet.

The focus in the layer upon layer classes is my painting with fibre technique - the materials and how to achieve that painted look. This was a no-sewing-machine class, so they all left with their projects pinned together and had to do the quilting when they got home.

 

 

 

I supply kits for this class and the students choose a colour way up front. There’s a lot of work going into those kits – shopping for suitable materials (including rummaging through every thrift store in the area), washing & tumbling of recycled materials, choosing fabrics for each colour scheme (approx 40 fabrics for each colour way), cutting, packing, and let’s not forget all the vacuuming of stray threads that will cling for their bare lives to anything and everything in our house.

 

 

I also supply a little extra fabric for the students to add if they like. Would you have guessed that they all started out with the same sky kit?

 

The Layer upon layer classes are playful and relaxed. Most students find it liberating to work in a different way which is quite impressing considering that it’s the total opposite of straight lines and perfect corners.

This was an awesome group of quilters who did very well at throwing everything they had learned about quilting to the curb, and having fun while creating beautiful artwork.

Thank you for a great day, ladies!

Lag på lag in Trondheim

My weekend was filled with colour and energy and people. Teaching the “Lag på lag” (Layer upon layer) class in Trondheim my days were jam packed with visual impressions. The class was full, the classroom even fuller, and creative energy sparkling everywhere. These ladies, from traditional quilters and all the way up to textile artists, cut, ripped and pinned their way through 3 days and 5 different projects using all kinds of materials. By the end of the weekend my feet were tired and there were enough scraps to create a few more quilts lying on the floor. Perfect.

Trondheim is a historic city which I used to visit quite often as a teenager as my sister was a student there. They have been very good at preserving lots of the beautiful 2 story wooden buildings in the town center like around the town square.

The class, set up by Trondheim Quiltelag, was held at Quiltegården quilt shop. We kicked the weekend off with two smallish projects to reboot any straight line/ruler/rotary cutter brains.

I had, again, a room with a view

there were frost on the roofs below

and the streets were still quiet as I walked the two blocks from the hotel to the shop on Saturday morning.

Then there was a riot of fabric and colours as the students worked on their landscape quilts. So much beauty in one little space, my brain was still buzzing when I went to bed in the evening!

The hotel lift also came with a view. Not really a fan of ourdoorsy glass walled lifts, it took me a few rides to appreciate the view but I’m glad I did.

Back in class we worked on trees and flowers. Aren’t they just gorgeous!

We did a little show & tell at the end of the day. Some students had left already and others had a hard time leaving their machines, but still, quite an impressive show & tell for a weekend class I’d say!

Thank you, ladies, for being such great sports and diving into unchartered territory with me, and for making this such a fun class to teach! Just say the word and I’ll be back!

Lag på lag

After a month or so in the works (brainstorming, shopping and editing too many ideas included) I am happy to present my new mixed media quilting class “Lag på lag” (layer upon layer) which I first will be teaching in Trondheim October 12-14. Trondheim Quiltelag is hosting a weekend filled with classes and fun, and it’s open to everyone, so please, do contact them if you want to be part of the fun.

In this class we’ll be playing with different kinds of transparent materials, building our projects one layer at the time. We’ll be working with sheers, papers, yarn, and different kinds of fibers – painting pictures without paint or brushes, only using scissors and the sewing machine. Our main focus is on techniques, materials and possibilities, so most of the quilting itself and finishing will be done at home. My collection of special fibers will be available as kits for those who want a head start.

The class is in 2 parts which can be taken together or separately.

Module 1 (Friday + Saturday)
Warming up playing with different kinds of fibers and looking at how they work together

and building pictures/backgrounds using fibers. You can choose whichever colour scheme you’d like, but these three colour schemes will be available as kits: Fall

Winter

Spring

Module 2 (Sunday)
Creating simple shapes like trees, houses and clouds which can be attached to a background

Using two different techniques to build shapes like trees/flowers and houses directly onto a background.

Sorry about the wind and a few loose threads in some of the pictures. A detailed list of what is needed for each module will be emailed to the students a few weeks before the class.You will find a (Norwegian) presentation of the class uploaded here.

This technique, which I call “painting with fiber”, has been in progress for years – in my mind, while taking a painting class 3 years ago, and while dipping my toes into the waters of mixed media play. It has been so exciting to finally see the results and that they turned out everything I imagined and then some. I have a quite a few more ideas I want to try out and a few huge boxes of stuff to make into kits. I will post everything related to this class under the label “Lag på lag” as I move forward. This is going to be so much fun!