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Quilt Fests Galore

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This past weekend was the Quilt Fest at Ben Franklin in Oconomowoc. If you’re not from the area, then let me fill you in! As I understand it, Ben Franklin was originally a dime store chain, but now each store is independently owned and they are very different, one from another. The store in Oconomowoc has an amazing collection of crafting supplies, a lovely gift deck, a full service framery and a quilt shop quality fabric department. The employees make the store what it is and the fabric department crew is great! Terrie Siefert, the manager (and a dear friend), gave me permission to take some pictures for this blog, so please …. enjoy!

Beginning at the front door there are quilts! These were made by one of this year’s  featured artists, Juleen Jaeger.

Along the back wall, and in full view from the front door, are quilts by Laura Krasinski, the other featured artist at this year’s show.

There is a Viewer’s Choice quilt show hanging in the aisles!

 

I was very pleased to see that a number of my students had quilts entered in the show!

My “Gradation Play” talk was very well attended by a smiling, happy group of quilters!

And, of course, I always enjoy an opportunity to share my quilts and my passion.

There is another Quilting Event coming up in November that I’m quite excited about. The Slinger Quilt Show will be held November 3rd and they’ve invited me to be their featured artist. What a blessing and an honor. I’ve even been invited to be there and talk about my quilts (I didn’t need to be asked twice :-)). Please go to: http://slingerquiltshow.org/ for all the information about the show!

And, one more bit of information for you quilt show enthusiasts – the Wandering Foot Quilt Guild’s show is rapidly approaching. It will be held Oct 20 and 21 at the American Legion Post in Oak Creek, WI. Their website is: http://wanderingfoot.com/About_Us.html/

Bead Inspired

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Our latest challenge in the Milwaukee Art Quilters guild is entitled Bead Inspired. We were to create a small wall quilt that was inspired by a single bead or button which had to  be attached to the quilt. About 20 of our members participated in the challenge and 8 of those quilts were entered in the Ultimate Guild challenge at the AQS show in Grand Rapids, MI ….. and we won third place! To see a video of all of the winners in Grand Rapids click here (our quilts are about 4 minutes into the video ).

I chose a button called a Czech Aurora which I purchased at the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee a few years ago. I researched the history of this type of button and put this information on the label: “North Bohemia has been a European glass-manufacturing center since the 13th century. The vast majority of glass buttons made in the 20th century owe their existence to the craftsmen of this area. Almost all glass buttons require a significant amount of handwork. Glass button craftsmen typically work at individual stations furnished with a small furnace, a quantity of glass canes, and scissor-like button molds in which one button at a time is hand-pressed from glass drawn from a semi-molten glass cane.  Intensely colorful fired-on iridescent lusters on these buttons are called “auroras”.”

While staying (and shopping) with my friend, Evelyn, in Arizona last January I found a striped fabric that was just what I needed to begin working on my challenge quilt. Evelyn is quite skilled in the use of Shiva Paintstiks™ and she encouraged me to use them in the quilt (click here for my post on how to use Paintstiks). I did just that plus some intense fussy cutting of the stripe to create my design. The button is at the center of the quilt and the Paintstiks create the outer 3 rings and the “half moons” inside the gold ring.

We will be posting pictures of all of the Bead Inspired quilts soon at https://milwaukeeartquilters.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/bead-inspired-quilts/

Have you used beads or buttons on a quilt? If you have, and you would be so kind as to email me a picture at: , I’d be happy to include it in a future blog!

An FYI for Wisconsin Quilters!

This weekend is the Quilt Fest at Ben Franklin in Oconomowoc, WI. The featured quilters this year are Laura Krasinski and Juleen Jaeger. The display of their quilts is amazing! The Fest includes a Viewer’s Choice quilt show in the aisles, a wonderful fabric department with many good sales and free demonstrations/lectures all weekend. Here’s the schedule for those interested:

Saturday, October 6

10:00-10:45 “Gradation Play” by Chris Lynn Kirsch

11:30-12:15 “Perfect Half Square/Quarter Square Triangles” by Caren Zimmerman

1:15-2:00 “What’s New!?” by Pam See

2:45-3:30 “Journey of a Needlefelter” by Tricia Anderson

Sunday, October 7

11:30-12:15 “Conquering the T-Shirt Quilt” by Sheryl Schwochert

1:15-2:00 ““Mastering Raw Edge Fusible Applique” by Laura Krasinski

2:45-3:30 “Fast & Fun Tips with Freezer Paper” by Kathy Frye

Hope to see you there :-)!

Quilt Blocking

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When my quilts are meant to hang on a wall or go to competition, I really want them to be square and lay flat. This doesn’t always come naturally, so blocking is a good way to do some fine tuning. It won’t correct major ripples or wobbles, but it can work wonders for minor issues. Please be aware that I use this technique with cotton batts. Polyester batts may flatten due to melting from the heat of the iron. Be careful too that the colors in your fabric will not run when wet and the fibers are not too fragile for the heat of the iron.

I always quilt my quilts before I attach the binding. I feel this allows me to quilt any fullness out to the edges and then square things up prior to binding, yielding a truly square and flat quilt. So, once the quilting is done I do the square up step.

This is my method of choice:

1. Choose a carpeted, out of the way area and cover with a layer of towels a little larger than the quilt.

2. Place the quilt on the towels, back side up, and mist with water.

3. Turn the quilt to the right side and mist again.

4. Place a large square ruler in a corner and pin the quilt into the carpet along the ruler, keeping the edge of the quilt top even with the ruler. A bit of tugging and encouraging may be required.

5. Butt 2 long rulers up to the top and left edges of the square ruler. This is called “piggy backing” and creates a large square. Keeping the rulers aligned, continue pinning the quilt into the carpet.

6. Continue moving the rulers around the quilt, pinning as you go. Some areas require a bit more encouraging than others :-).

7. Once the entire perimeter has been pinned. Place a pressing cloth over an area and place the iron in the corner for a count of about 5. Move the iron to an adjacent area and repeat until the whole quilt has been pressed.

I then leave everything as is for at least 24 hours. This allows for thorough drying. Once the pins are removed, rotary cut around the now square outside edge of the quilt and bind!

Do you block your quilts?

Whirlwind Teaching

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I’ve just returned home from teaching 7 classes/lectures in 4 days – and all on Mariner’s Compass! What a joy and blessing, but I have to admit to being a bit exhausted. Thanks to everyone who took my classes! Wednesday was an all day class with a wonderful group, the Pine Tree Needlers in Wautoma, WI. I used to teach at their annual retreat and so it was very nice to reunite with past friends. I only wish I had thought to snap a photo or two. Thanks to Patty B. for her kind hospitality.

From there I headed to Madison, WI to meet up with my dear friend and roommate, Laura Krasinski. We were both on the faculty at Quilt Expo (it was Laura’s first year and she did a great job!). This was the Expo’s 8th year and it just keeps getting better. The crowds were big, the quilts were amazing and the Vendor Mall was as good as it gets. I believe a good time was had by all. My lectures and workshops were all well attended – Praise the Lord – and on the last day I did remember to use my camera. This was my Saturday morning class – a very talented group (even Maria who was hiding behind her machine :-))!

I found the show quilts to be very inspiring. There were quilts from Wisconsin, all over the US and beyond. Being a juried show, the competition was intense. I’ve mentioned this in my blog before, but I think it bears repeating. When a show is juried, the quilts need to catch the jurors attention to be chosen. This means that many wonderful quilts may be turned down. Typically these are the regular type that most quilters make. They can still be found in abundance at local quilt shows and county fairs and are so much fun to view, but when attending juried shows I recommend going with the attitude that you just want to be wowed and inspired!

That being said, I enjoy the excitement of entering juried shows because I make quilts that like to be seen. I have had many quilts accepted into juried shows and quite a number of times I’ve been turned down. That’s just the way it is. This year I was blessed to have the 2 quilts I entered accepted. In the following photograph 2 viewers are really examining one of them: Welcoming the Son Into Our Garden (third from the left). This is a project I made with my dear friend, Wendy Rieves, and it was featured in a previous post. Please click here for a better picture and more information.

What a joy it was to actually win a second place ribbon. Wendy and I were thrilled!

I have one more photo to share. Here’s a bird’s eye view of the entry hall still filled with happy quilters, even on the last afternoon of the show.

Quilt Expo has really grown to be a National Level quilt show and the city of Madison has a lot to offer as well. I highly recommend marking your calendars for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday following Labor Day weekend next year!

Were you able to attend Expo? What was your favorite part :-)?

Making Faces

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In my teaching at WCTC it’s necessary for me to come up with class ideas 2 semesters ahead of when they’ll be taught. This can be a bit daunting, so I often make up a class name and description without really knowing what the quilt will look like (it adds excitement and mystery to my job :-)). This Fall I made up a class I called “Snowperson Topper”. When the time came to actually stitch something I decided a scallopped hexagon shaped table topper with snowman faces would be fun.
I used some tried and true techniques and came up with a few innovations too. It was fun giving a unique personality to each of the snowpeople. I got to go through my button collection to find just the right pair of eyes for each face, did some hand stitching on the felt noses and free motion embroidery of the mouths.  Once the faces were made, the sections needed defining and I decided a bit of couching was in order.
Couching means to attach a yarn or other fiber to the top of the quilt by laying it on the surface and stitching it down with an additional thread. This can be done by hand or machine. When it’s done by machine a zig zag or some other decorative machine stitch is usually used. Years ago my dear friend and traveling partner, Wendy, showed me a simple alternative couching technique that’s as easy as:
1.  Wrap the yarn around the needle and backstitch one stitch to secure it –
2.  Stitch forward 5 to 7 stitches (use a matching thread, mine is contrasting so you can see it) –
3. Cross the yarn in front of the needle –
4.  Stitch over the crossed yarns and repeat –
A finished line should look something like this:
The Snowperson Topper is just one of a number of classes I’ll be teaching this Fall. There will be my usual 3 sessions of Thursday afternoon Open Labs. Here’s the information for my 1 day workshops:

304-604T Goose Tricks: Learn to create flying geese blocks that float and swirl across your quilt. Paper piecing and bias strips make this project appealing, easy and fun! Saturday, September 15, 9-2:30

304-604U Railroad Tracks: Choose a lovely large print that is too pretty to cut into small pieces, then cut it into large squares and frame them with colorful, strip-pieced sashing. This quick and easy quilt features a surprise three-dimensional element. Friday, October 5, 9-2:30

304-604V Quilting – Beginning Fiber Art (also known as Parallelisms) Are you a traditional quilter who secretly would like to try a bit of fiber art, but don’t know where to begin? Then this class is for you! Learn simple fusing techniques to play with fabric, color and design. Discover your inner creativity. Saturday, November 10, 9-2:30.
304-604W Quilting – Snowperson Topper: Create an adorable table topper filled with personality, just in time for Christmas. Plus – the snow theme can be enjoyed all winter long! Friday, December 7, 9-2:30

You may sign up by calling 262.691.5578

or on line at www.wctc.edu. Once you’re on the home page click on “Class Search”; choose the Fall semester and type “quilting” in the “Course/Subject” box and click “Submit”. All of the quilting classes Wendy and I are teaching this coming semester will pop up.

And now to end this week’s post with a response to last week’s post in which I asked if any of you have made a quilt inspired by someone else’s art. Gloria emailed me with pictures! When I asked if I could share her pictures on the blog she was more than happy to agree. Here’s the front of her quilt and her email:
“Hi Chris, I would be happy for you to use my quilt – that’s why I sent the pics.  I made the quilt for my college friend going through chemo this spring.  We adopted a purple bean bag frog one evening and “Floyd” has been our mascot ever since.  We are a group of 6 roommates and have continued our friendship over the years.  My inspiration was a ceramic frog climbing a wall in a cute restaurant in St. Pete’s Beach in Florida.  The other side of the quilt is a history of who we are and where we have been:). (We are the Sixth Street Convent Gang because we lived in an apartment with more rules than the dorms had in 1970, it was nearly cloistered!)   Gloria Knipschild”
Here’s the back of the quilt:
I really enjoyed the quilt and the story. Thanks Gloria!

KirschArt

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As quilters we often make quilts inspired by the creativity of others ….. we do so love all our patterns and books! This is a great system because designers have ideas to share and many quilters are not into making up their own designs.

My daughter-in-law, Betsy, is a professional graphic artist and Sommer’s mommy. In 2009 I was in a creative rut and I began asking her about her work. After an exciting discussion she agreed to loan me some of her pieces. My hope was to create fiber art that didn’t reproduce her work, but was inspired by it. This became an adventure we call KirschArt.

We’ve had our work shown in a number of different venues. Our first joint exhibit was at a restaurant in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. We shared exhibit space with my talented friend, Laura Krasinski.

We currently have pieces hanging at the Brickhaus Café in Jefferson, Wisconsin, and this is one example of our collaboration – Betsy’s photography and my fiber art.

The Brickhaus Cafe has a beautiful garden area for outside dining and great food. Tea and Textiles, a wonderful quilt shop, is just a block away. I’d love to have you stop in if you live nearby.

Since then Betsy and I have collaborated on a completely different project: Compass Capers! She did all of the illustrations in my book and then taught me how to use Adobe InDesign while putting it all together. She is a very talented young woman and such a blessing to me.

So – have you ever created a quilt which was inspired by someone else’s art? If so, I’d really enjoy hearing about it. Please comment to this post or, if you’re so inclined, email me a picture :-)!

PS I really enjoyed reading all the comments about your favorite notions. Thanks to everyone who responded. Most of them I already have on my “fav” list, but I hadn’t heard of the “touch n brow”, so I stopped at Sally’s Beauty Supply the other day and …WOW… this is a great tool! Thank you Cindy!

 

Feeding Needy Children

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A few weeks ago I asked if anyone had a vintage Burgoyne Surrounded or Pineapple Log Cabin quilt they might be interested in selling because I’m in need of those patterns for a new quilt lecture I’m putting together. I already had a sample of Mariner’s Compass and Rose of Sharon, but I was thinking I’d like a better example of those too – if I could find them.

Well, I decided to do a bit of searching on-line and I found a gorgeous Rose of Sharon top on a site called Buckboard Quilts, and it was in my price range! I contacted the owner, Judy Howard, purchased that top and conversed about the other quilts I needed. During those emails, she said she would send me information about a project that is dear to her heart. It’s a quilt contest to raise funds to feed children.  I decided I wanted in and I completed a small “Parallelisms” quilt I had in my UFO pile. It’s called Chasing Butterflies and the idea was that children should be concerned with childish things like chasing butterflies and not about hungry tummies. Here’s a picture of my quilt:

As a thank you for donating the quilt to the contest, Judy sent me a copy of her wonderful cookbook and I just knew I needed to share this information with you. I asked Judy to send me something to put on the blog and here it is. Enjoy!

22”Quilt Contest/Exhibit Feeds Needy Children

The overwhelming need to feed needy children inspired Buckboard Quilts to sponsor the “Food for Body and Soul Touring Quilts Contest and Exhibits.” The exhibits are touring the U.S. for three years with all proceeds from the $100/week-end exhibit rental and accompanying 1905 Cookbook—Food for Body and Soul going to local soup kitchens and food pantries.

     See http://www.heavenlypatchwork.com/food_for_body_and_soul.html for quilt photos, entry and rental forms, calendar of shows and sample recipes and stories.

   These two hundred-fifty 22×22” and larger touring quilts capture the essence of pioneer cooking, ethnic customs, vintage kitchen collectibles, passion for food, family, celebrations and holiday traditions, food stories from the Bible, fighting hunger; feeding hope–anything and everything food or anything that feeds your soul like quilting, grandkids, music, art, gardening, etc.

    

 It’s not too late for you and your children to enter your 22” quilts to receive a free copy of the 1905 Cookbook–Food for Body and Soul with each entry, free advertising on the story label and a chance to win $2500 in prizes and 33 rosette ribbons.

 

     Please mail your 22” quilts ASAP to 12101 N. MacArthur, #137, Oklahoma City, OK 73162. Reserve your exhibit today by emailing  or calling 405-751-3885. Displayed in as little as 20 feet, sixty 22” quilts can be hung in 40 minutes displayed 3 up, back to back, or spread out for maximum effect. Drop-down labels feature heart-warming stories.

     Judy Howard’s new cookbook for cooks, foodies and historians is based on recipes from pioneer days in central Oklahoma. 1905 Cookbook: Food for Body and Soul will inspire today’s cooks regardless of age or sophistication. Recipes like Molasses Drop Cake and Delightful Biscuits or Delicious Chicken Pie and Roast Beef with Oyster Dressing entice the taste buds and make you want to keep this book within easy reach to satisfy your body and soul. In addition to this amazing and often amusing collection of 300 epicurean delights, Howard’s book is flavored with 200 turn-of-the-century photographs, 1905 merchant ads and stories of the 89er/pioneers who compiled the original cookbook found at a flea market. This cookbook will complement any cook’s recipe collection and is the perfect gift at discounted price of $12.95 if ordered on http://www.heavenlypatchwork.com/1905%20Cookbook.htm.

     Enter your 22” Food Quilt today to help feed needy children. And reserve the $100 exhibit for your next show.

Also…

If you’re looking for some quilting fun this week. I’ll be teaching at the UW Platteville Sewing and Quilting Expo. For all the information go to: http://www.uwplatt.edu/cont_ed/sewing_expo/index.html

Parallelisms in England

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One of my favorite workshops to teach is called Parallelisms. The above quilt is entitled “Joy” and it’s just a small sample of this fun technique. Parallelisms is an art quilt class for traditional quilters who would like to try creating a piece of fiber art, but aren’t sure they can. My answer is absolutely “yes” and I’ve had a lot of fun proving it. A few years ago I taught this class at the AQS show in Paducah and one of my students, Doreen Davis, had traveled all the way from England for the show (not just to take my class :-)). After returning home she emailed me to ask if she could teach my technique to her quilting friends and I was honored to be asked. She recently sent me pictures of a class with this message:

“Hi Chris, We had a wonderful day yesterday at the class, the ladies had the most fab time, they were all a bit hesitant at first cos I think they were all used to being told you must do it this way and that but after I had stressed onto them that this is a fun workshop and not to be stressed over, they all let their hair down and thoroughly enjoyed every minute as I hope you can tell.”

Doreen procured permission for me to share a few photos on the blog, so here they are. First a few of Doreen’s quilts (I’m so impressed that she has had such fun with the technique!):

And now WIP’s (works in progress) by Linda, Carol, Ruth, Eve and Liz:

It certainly looks like they were having a bit of fun. Thanks ladies!

I will be teaching Parallelisms for Quilter’s Plus quilt guild in Illinois on August 30th. If you think your guild would be interested in a “let your hair down” kind of art quilt class, please let me know!