Quilt show afterglow and Reasons for taking on-site quilting classes

My quilt, "Guitar Strings Improv" hanging in the
AQS Chattanooga quilt show.

QuiltWeek afterglow...

Last week we were feeling the opposing forces of being exhausted from the physical aspects of walking the parking garages and the convention center, running to and from classes and lectures, and the excitement and joy from seeing the exquisite, innovative work of the quiltmakers and award winners, visiting with quilting friends, and discovering new products and techniques associated with quiltmaking. Yep, that's QuiltWeek and "QSA" [Quilt Show Afterglow]. Hopefully, the scale was tipped in favor of the excitement, and the learning for those that attended.

In addition to volunteering every day during the show, I made time to take a string piecing class with Lynn Harris and attend some lectures for my personal growth as a quiltmaker. Yes, you can take on-line classes, and buy books (of which I have many!), but taking a class in person offers so much more. Here are thoughts about taking on-site classes.

Thoughts about on-site classes

Real-time dialogs
With on-site classes, there is a live dialog between teacher and student—or teacher and multiple students—that doesn't happen elsewhere. You can post questions to on-line class platforms, but an immediate, real-time dialog and face-to-face discussion accompanied by the projects and quilt samples that are there in the classroom, is dynamic. As a class participant, you gain inspiration, insight and knowledge from all these impromptu conversations.

Lynn Harris discusses and show examples of string piecing.

Learning from fellow students
Some questions that come to light from a classroom of students or from a live audience cannot be anticipated. If you practice active listening in a class, you often learn from other students as well as from the instructor. In one of the lectures I attended, the instructor mentioned the Frixion pen. Four or five hands shot up with examples and experiences about this tool. [Read Jenny Lyons' research here and here].

Building community, making memories
Spending time with your friends in the class and working on the same project/technique offers a sense of community and camaraderie. It's a shared experience. We build memories when we take classes together.

Quilt Journalist, Meg Cox, discussed trends
and on-line quilt resources.

Additional detail and personal insights
With both classes and lectures, you hear the stories first hand. Instructors share personal philosophies and the "back story" about certain pieces in addition to the information about construction or fabric choices. Meg Cox shared small quilts from her personal collection. Paula Nadelstern's advice, "Don't be shy," was a good take-away from her lecture.

Discovering other options
Even when everyone in the classroom works on the same project or is learning the same technique, each one's interpretation or choice of color, fabric or thread is different. Walk around the room. See the other possibilities. Journey down other people's paths of discovery. You can't make every possible color or fabric combo for the project yourself (although you can certainly try).

Shared experiences
And there is something to be said about laughing... or crying... with a crowd. It's like being at the movie theater vs. watching the movie at home on your TV. It's a different kind of experience.

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With all these advantages, I encourage everyone to sign up for and take on-site classes—at YLQS or at regional and national quilt shows. As a quilting instructor myself, I so much appreciate the students who attend my classes, ask questions and share their projects. I am also grateful for the shop owners who offer their spaces to let teachers share what excites them. After taking Lynn Harris's class, I also "bought the book." Do both, if you can.

"Every Last Piece" book by Lynn Harris

Before closing, a side note about volunteers and volunteering...
If you go to a quilt show and attend a class or lecture, please, PLEASE don't ask—or shame—the quilt show volunteers to break the rules, give you additional compensation, or be an accomplice to your stealing. If you paid admission to attend a lecture, you are given a handout (as authorized by the presenter and/or the show sponsor). One ticket = one handout. Often, the handout includes "notes" about what is presented in the lecture (not a script) so attendees don't have to write everything down as the presentation unfolds. This is a convenience for you, as an attendee.

A handout is additional work/content/information that is given to an attendee in exchange for payment of the class/lecture. So, please don't ask the volunteers—who are specifically directed to check name badges (with no cross-outs), confirm receipts of payment, and insure the corresponding session number appears on the attendees name badge—to Give. You. 2 or 3. Extra. Handouts. These are not theirs to give.

Volunteers are given explicit instructions about the job for which they volunteered. Please don't put them in a compromising position. You received your handout as part of the admission. Why do you need 2 or 3 more? The handouts are "notes" which would have less meaning for "another someone" who did not hear the talk. There is also a cost for preparing, printing and sometimes shipping them. And when the volunteer tries to explain to you the directions they were given, please don't retort with a sarcastic remark. They are doing their job and being good stewards of property that was entrusted to them. Thank you for your coorperation.

"You're never wrong to do the right thing." —from The Intern

The last day of Chattanooga's AQS quilt show

"You'll never look at quilting
the same way again."

Saturday is the last day of the AQS quilt show in Chattanooga. If you don't go see it today, it's gone!

The lectures are entertaining, amusing and informative. The classes are enlightening and motivating. The vendor floor is buzzing with activity and inspiration. And of course the quilts… oh, the quilts... As the banner says, "You'll never look at quilting the same way again."

By the way, this banner with my quilt, "Pi" has hung over aisle 400 all this week. It's been on everyone's name badge, too, which has been very cool for me.

It's been a fun, exhausting and exhilarating week… running into past and present guild friends, former students, fellow workshop attendees, clients and various stitching comrades... meeting all kinds of talented quilters and making new friends in the classes, lectures and on the show floor—all kindred spirits.

I hope you don't pass up this wonderful opportunity! Over 180 quilts, plus 5 special exhibits.

Countdown Day 1: Sneak peek at Chattanooga QuiltWeek

Rapid-fire post #7 and Chattanooga QuiltWeek eve. We hung the first group of quilts on Monday afternoon. Let me tell you, there is some stunning work on display in the Chattanooga Convention Center!

Hanging the quilts for Chattanooga AQS QuiltWeek 2015.

The AQS staff has the system down pat and many hands make the work go quickly. Here are fellow Choo Choo Quilters, Ginny, Sherry, Vista and Cristy with our official 2015 royal blue Volunteer aprons.

From left: Ginny, Sherry, Vista and Cristy.
Choo Choo Quilters volunteers.

Ginny and I had the privilege of hanging some of the bigger quilts—one being a Dear Jane quilt. Yes, Dear Jane is still alive and kicking and there are some amazing hand quilted quilts in the show as well. Hanging the bigger quilts takes some stamina, however. Those babies are heavy! (Nothing 2 Advils and a good night's rest can't cure.)

I laid out my "work clothes" for Tuesday's quilt show duties—including a well-worn and well-loved 1999 AQS Paducah T-shirt. It's ready to see another quilt show in the making. We're reporting at 9 a.m. to hang the special exhibits.

1999 AQS Quilt Show T-shirt.

Countdown Day 5: Additional quilt exhibits are on tap in Chattanooga during QuiltWeek

5 days until Chattanooga AQS QuiltWeek®. Rapid-fire post #3.

In addition to the AQS quilt show at the Chattanooga Convention Center, here are two other quilt exhibits for your viewing pleasure. My friend and fellow ATC artist, Karen Downer, curated the exhibit that is now hanging at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. Twelve quilts, representing a variety of quilt styles and techniques, were made by Chattanooga area quilters. "Marketplace," one of my improv quilts, is among the twelve.

"Marketplace"

Chattanooga WorkSpace is also hosting a "Quilts of Chattanooga" Trunk Show September 15 - 18, from 3pm to 8pm. This exhibit, sponsored by one of our wonderful local quilt shops, Chattanooga Quilts, is a delightful collection of quilts made by patrons of the shop.

Chattanooga Quilts Trunk Show, September 15 - 18 from 3pm to 8pm.

WorkSpace is located downtown, across from the downtown YMCA. At last year's trunk show, there was artwork by local artists, hand-crafted ceramic mugs and fabric bundles available for purchase. Need a unique holiday gift? Might wanna check this out!

There is also going to be a display of small format quilts based on the Game of Thrones TV series at Spool Quilt Shop, on Friday evening, September 18. All the quilts use a specified selection of Peppered Cottons designed by Pepper Cory. Tickets for the exhibit, called "Game of Quilts," are on sale at the shop.

Countdown Day 6: Piecing batting, method 2

6 days until Chattanooga AQS QuiltWeek®.
Rapid-fire post #2. Here's another way to join pieces of batting together. This method works well if you have a large batt laid out on a table ready for basting and you find it's not quite big enough.

Batting prep and Cutting:
1) Slide a cutting mat under the batting. Overlap the two pieces of batting.
2) With the rotary cutter, cut a curve through both layers.
3) Remove the trimmings and abutt the pieces together.

1) Overlap the pieces of batting. 2) Cut a gentle curve through both layers.
3) Remove trimmings and abutt edges.

I like to make a curved cut so the join is more random and distributed—not in a straight line. This minimizes the chance that the join coincides with where the quilt might be folded.

Sewing the Seam: Use a thread color that blends with the batting so it won't show through the quilt top. (A darker thread was used here for visual purposes.) Thread a hand sewing needle. Knot one end of the thread or use a few short stitches to secure the thread.

Join the pieces with a hem stitch,

Batting joined with a hem stitch.

… a zigzag stitch or whip stitch.

Batting joined with a zigzag stitch.

End with a couple of small backstitches to secure the thread. I normally don't make a knot on this end. The stitching just needs to hold the batting together until the piece is quilted. Once quilted, the batting stays in place and no one knows it was pieced.

Anyone else use this method to piece batting?

Countdown: 7 days 'till Chattanooga AQS QuiltWeek

The AQS QuiltWeek® Chattanooga is a week away: September 16 - 19. To prime the pump, I thought I'd do a rapid-fire series of short quilting posts on various topics—whatever comes to mind—a tip, a tool, an exhibit, or a photo of something that is currently in the works. (LOL… that's an on-going list that gets ever longer.) So, with 7 days to go, I'll start with a tip.

I recently learned this tip from a fellow guild member, Dawn J., at our guild's annual Cuddle Quilt workshop. Ever have chunks and pieces of batting that are too big to throw away but aren't quite big enough for the project you're working on? Yup, we've all been there. This is a quick seam method for piecing batting:

Use a 3-step zigzag stitch to piece two pieces of batting together.

Dawn abutts the pieces of batting together and uses a 3-step zigzag stitch on her sewing machine to secure the join. The batting lies flat—no lumps. The 3-step zigzag is flexible, is secure and probably easier to sew than a regular zigzag. And, it's fast (compared to one of the methods I've been using, which I'll share tomorrow).