Getting Ready

I have spent the last 4 weeks or so prepping my supplies and step outs for my classes at MAQ. You can find the website for this quilt retreat at www.MAQonline.org.      It takes place at Mt St Marys College near Gettysburg, PA. 

After submitting my class proposals back in October of 2014, it has been a long time since I worked on these specific projects.  To me, that means a long time and a lot of forgetting. The classes start on July 10 th. My first class is a silk lone star, but none of my students are doing it in silk! 

                         

I made this lone star out of dupioni silk using a Quiltsmart foundation and that is how I am teaching it. I guess making a lone star is daunting enough that my students decided that working in silk would be just too much. By choosing cotton, they can pick their own color palette. So , to refresh my memory and make some step outs to demo the technique, I also chose cotton. I decided to use some of the bright batiks that I bought in Bali. I chose 7 different ones. 

After making 4 sections using The Quiltsmart foundation, the challenge was finding a background fabric from my stash that showed off the star. It also was necessary that I had a big enough piece of it, 1 1/4 yd to be exact. I really did not want to go out and buy fabric. Here's a little sneak peak of why I didn't want to go buy any more fabric. 

I hung the 4 diamond sections and the various fabric choices on my design wall to audition the various background fabrics. Here's a sampling, unedited. 

I wasn't thrilled with any of the batiks. I kind of liked this last yellow batik, but it wasn't quite right. 

I kept hunting through my stash looking for a large enough piece of fabric and I found this low volume white fabric with a small turquoise star. I think I bought it in Holland. 

It was perfect. 

It's going to be a great class. 

There's still room  and room in lot of other classes. So if you find yourself with a free weekend and an itch to be creative, check it out. 

The Enchantment of Silk

I tend to go through phases with interests, with food and even with quilting.  I have been in a dupioni silk phase for a while.  It is a beautiful, elegant fabric albeit with certain challenges.  The biggest challenge is that it frays even if you just look at it cross eyed. 

 

Dupioni is a coarsely woven fabric that should not be displayed in the sun. Since it is woven there is no right or wrong side.   Washing it removes the sheen and the sizing.  It needs to be stabilized for piecing.   A light weight woven  fusible stabilizer is the best. 

 

This is my most recent silk piece.

It is not quilted yet.

This is one of my most favorite silk pieces:

It's called "Roundabout".

 

I have been teaching dupioni silk workshops with great success this year. 

 In one day, quilters have learned how to tame this difficult but beautiful fabric.  Part of the beauty of it is the way it changes color depending on how the light hits it 

and the slubs add a wonderful texture.

 

I decided to design kits to share this amazing fabric.  The kits use various techniques to learn how to manipulate it.  I've named them Silk Samplings.  They measure 12"x12" and each kit contains everything needed to finish the wallhanging except for the thread and a sewing machine. Right now there are 3 different designs and they are available in a limited amount in my etsy Shop called Sewing With Silk.

 

 "Chrysanthemum"
This kit includes the dupioni silk, cotton for the backing and the binding, interfacing for stabilizing the silk, paper backed fusible web, batting, the pink velvet for the center
and the pattern with directions.  It focuses on fusible applique.

 "Hardware"
This kit includes the dupioni silk, interfacing for stabilizing the silk, cotton for the backing and binding, batting, paper backed fusible web, all the embellishments and the pattern and directions.
The focus of this kit is piecing and embellishing.

"Whimsy"

The kit includes the dupioni silk, interfacing for stabilizing the silk, batting, cotton for the backing and the batting, buttons, paperbacked fusible web, the pattern and directions.  The focus is on creating fusible applique from the silk. 

 

They all can be finished in a day and are a great entrée into the world of silk and would make a beautiful gift.  Since this is an initial offering and there is a very limited amount, act fast. But, contact me if they are sold out before you get a chance to purchase the one of your choice. I will be making up more kits depending on demand.

 

My shop: www.etsy.com/shop/SewingWithSilk