Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Demo Day

This is a day of remembrance in America. Despite the political turmoil here and abroad, I think most of us hope to coexist peacefully. We need to work towards that end harder than we merely hope. Everyone we've ever known or heard of has lived on this one small, blue dot in space.

Democracy is not only a form of state, it is not just something that is embodied in a constitution; democracy is a view of life, it requires a belief in human beings, in humanity.... Democracy is a discussion. But the real discussion is possible only if people trust each other and if they try fairly to find the truth. 
- Tomas Garrigue Masaryk

I'll be at the workshop all day and hope my demonstration goes well. I plan to show how to use the Value Finder, discuss print scale and density, and get everyone started with their own Chinese Coin quilt.

I've tagged and bagged samples and demos for the various steps. Planning to teach a technique is quite different than making a quilt. I've stopped at each small step, scratched notes, tried to figure out how and why I made each decision, and made more tops than I ever expected to try to include all these points. Each highlights some but none is perfect. Well, we all know nothing ever is perfect.

Since the participants say they are most interested in how I put fabrics together, one simple layout - vertical columns - gives us more time to work with fabric.

Hearing something one hundred times is not as good as seeing it once. 
- Chinese proverb

I'm taking all the Coin quilts still on hand. The white/yellow/blue/green Coins might help others visualize different results from the same pile of Coins - from pale yellow-and-white to background to loud-and-proud. Three others showcase used household fabrics, a selected group of red, pink, blue and green fabrics, and finally clearing the scrap bag.

Chinese Coin quilt examples for workshop

Collaged together, they showcase my fabric choices. We all have color combinations and values we prefer and mine show up here although I definitely cut too many yellow and green strips. {Yellow is not one of my usual colors but I'm coming to like it.} Even though those started from the same batch of scraps, they highlight how we can start with one framework but end with different quilts. {Like the two authors and their books from Throw Mama From the Train... without the murderous intent. Ha.}

Hopefully I can take photos of the day to share later.

Enjoy the day, Ann

30 comments:

Judy H said...

Looking at these always makes me want to start working on my scraps and make many coin quilts.

Quilting Babcia said...

So inspiring! I'm especially in love with the two that have the appliqued flowers scattered over the coins.

gayle said...

I've just been fascinated watching you work through this series of quilts. It's amazing what a variety you've ended up with - related but different - all within the same framework. Beautiful beautiful beautiful!
I'm generally a 'throw the scrap bag at it' kind of quilter, but you're making me look at limited palettes in a whole new light...

Quiltdivajulie said...

Lucky workshop participants -- you are SO well prepared!

Julierose said...

Lovely quilts--it must be quite a job to pack them all up and then display them...hugs, Julierose

patty a. said...

I know you will have a wonderful day with your demo.

LA Paylor said...

I love yellow, it adds a glow to projects. In fact I like seeing the collage of the different quilts together in one photo. It really gives me a chance to compare styles. Amazing. I am jazzed to make another abstract nature piece with this concept. Thank you!! Oh, and I opened a box with a couple thread boxes in it today, so there's hope it's not all lost.

Cathy said...

I'd love to be a fly on the wall listening to your demo. Well, maybe not a fly but how about a flower in a vase? I'm sure you will be great teacher and with such a wide range of Coins sounds like there's something for everyone to absorb and feel inspired. If someone asked me how I put fabric together I'd be at a loss for words..I have no clue. Wait! I know...with a sewing machine! Good luck!

Janie said...

Have a wonderful class. Sharing and inspiration are a big part of art.
Helping people to express themselves successfully is priceless.

Robin said...

Wish I could come and listen. I like the Chinese proverb - that is so true in quilting.

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Lovely to see the coin quilts all together like that, all different in their own way. Enjoy teaching & sharing, it'll be a great class!

audrey said...

What a great representation of coin quilts! Love them all, especially the ones with extra little details. I was quickly scrolling through Bloglovin' this morning and saw your post, 'hey! that looks like Ann's quilts!' and yep, it was you. So fun to recognize someones work so instinctively!

KaHolly said...

Hope it went well! I’m envious of all the lucky participants!

Ann said...

I hope you do. Let me know so I can follow along and comment. Ha.

Ann said...

Thanks. Those are helping meet my goal to add more details to quilting. I like them, too, and plan to do more applique.

Ann said...

Thanks, Gayle. I have thrown the scrap bag, too, but really like pulling a story from the scraps and working in that framework.

Ann said...

Thanks, Julie. I think I learned more than they did during the workshop. So many ideas, colors, fabrics.

Ann said...

Fortunately I only had to drive a few miles. Brought them in with my cart but didn't have enough places to display them.

Ann said...

Thanks, Patty. I did although I was completely wiped out afterwards. Just like your weeding.

Ann said...

I'm starting to like yellow more and more. It's never been a favorite but it does add sunshine.
I'm glad you liked the collage, too. It doesn't show the details but allows easy comparison of metadata. I can't wait to see your nature piece. I'll be checking in frequently. So glad you found more supplies. Now you can get even busier!

Ann said...

You're definitely a whole bouquet on the front table, Cathy. I believe I learned more than my students in the class yesterday. Lots of clarifications, ideas of how to get people to bring more prints, etc.
My sister laughed when I told her what they wanted to know. She said, "You just dump it on the floor and start sewing." And she's right. It's been very educational to figure out how to explain decisions that have become innate
Thanks for writing.

Ann said...

Thanks, Janie. I was impressed with the start the participants made and wish we had a second day. So much to pack into a short time. I learned more than they did.

Ann said...

Thanks, Robin. I wish you'd been there, also.

Ann said...

The collage shows the overall effect well, doesn't it? The class was wonderful and I had a great time. I'm sure I learned more than they did.

Ann said...

You and Kaja inspired me to add those details. I'm thinking about how to add more applique or other details in future.
What a treat that you recognized my quilts. I think I'd know which are yours anywhere, too.

Ann said...

Thanks, Karen. It went very well and I learned as much or more than they did. So many lovely starts. The nice thing is that we're in the same guild so I should see some results in future.

Mystic Quilter said...

Pleased to read from your replies to comments that all went so very well with your class demo. Perhaps we might be able to see photos of the results sometime in the future.

Kaja said...

I like your Coins collage - cool to be able to compare all the variations - and I'm glad to read your comments here and learn that it all went so well,though I'm not at all surprised. I hope it doesn't take you too long to recover. :-)

Ann said...

Thanks, Maureen. I forgot to take photos but hope to get some as people finish.

Ann said...

That collage option makes comparison much easier, doesn't it? I have an app that gives me more layout choices but this one is from Google photos. I enjoyed the class and think everyone did, too. Lots of rewriting now that I've given the class once.