Tip #1 Award-winning quilter and author Gwen Marston shows how to insert a narrow wedge into a …
Gwen Marston was the keynote speaker at this year’s QuiltCon West 2016 in Pasadena, and had a special exhibition GWEN MARSTON: Abstract Quilts in Solids. A trailblazer and well-known interna…
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
photo by Kathy French, permission granted by John French
Wow, three days of 15+ quilters / artists in the house and the ideas just started flowing. Gwen was under the weather the first day. She did her intro, pinned up her Small Studies samples and then went back to her room. And we got busy. These first 4 pieces are some of my favorites of Gwen's work. I just love the shot of turquoise that jumped into this piece. Here is the collective work of our class. WOW. I watched people share their ideas, their formulas, their methods. It was a room that was busting with ideas and creativity. You can see my pieces on the bottom left. First piece as too much print in it, the second one got a shot of pink and the small piece on the bottom left is the beginning of ?????? These two are made by the same quilter, in fact, she had 3 pieces finished by the end of day 3. It wasn't' a race or a competition, and I have to tell you, I learned SO MUCH watching KM work. I have already starting thinking in a different manner about piecing and quilting design in general after these three days. Close up of KM's third piece. This picture is twisted, but see next picture. Great work by this quilter. Here is the second piece right side up. I love the curve in the top right corner and how it plays with the straight outside edge of the borders. I had the pleasure of having Tom at my table. It was fabulous to watch him work. He's spent his career surrounded by line and design and has recently started playing with textiles. Unfortunately, I did not capture his first piece that was superb. In this picture, he re created the piece on the left side, which is a chenille creation of his. The upper left was his 3rd piece of the workshop. My goal was to test every technique Gwen had to offer. I came home with a stitched sample of each method she uses and I can now refer back to these pieces for reference. That was my goal, I achieved it and am very pleased with my pieces and my ability to move forward onto a second and third piece. And if you've stayed with me, here is the info on Gwen's new book. I can't wait, and I'm positive it will be one that becomes dog eared and coffee stained in my studio. Thank you Gwen, for a life time of creating and sharing and teaching. I've learned so much from you! Sharon
While at QuiltCon West in Pasadena this past February, I took a workshop with the inimitable Gwen Marston. A once in a lifetime opportunity, really, since she is not going to be travelling and teaching anymore. I'm not even certain she will be continuing her retreats on Beaver Island. The day I spent learning from her was the absolute highlight of the entire trip for me, and that's saying something since it was a pretty fabulous trip all around. This is the finished product, which is about 10½" square. Working with 3/4" strips was challenging but I loved the ability to see my composition come together right before my eyes. Gwen is a really marvelous teacher, and the work that came out of the class in just one day was absolutely wonderful: And finally, here we are after the class. This sweet lil' mini is on my Q2 Finish Along goals list. Yay for finishes (it was my only one for the quarter)!
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
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Last Thursday we had the pleasure of seeing the exhibit "Gwen Marston: Contemporary Quilts" at the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City, Mi...
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
Let's go back in time again to April. This was just before my move and everything was really hectic, but I sure wasn't going to miss taking a couple of workshops with Gwen Marston (her last in Sisters)! The first was Abstract Quilts in Solids. This is the second time I'
Gwen Marston has been recognized for many decades as an influential quiltmaker. She developed her style early in her career or, as art quilters like to say, found her voice. Amish and what I call p…
My friend Kay visited me a week ago for four days, and we collaborated on this quilt (about 25 x 32" with 6" squares). We'd been talking for a while about doing a quilt with black and assorted solids, and decided on making the sort of "liberated" crazy-pieced block that Gwen Marston has made popular. This was a fun project to do together; we each made 7 blocks for a total of 14, giving us some extra choices when we got to the point of deciding on placement. The top is done, and now is waiting its turn in line for quilting. For those who like using black fabric, I recommend Michael Miller Jet Solid Black, available from Fiber on a Whim. This is a darker black even than the Amish black I previously had been using.
Let's go back in time again to April. This was just before my move and everything was really hectic, but I sure wasn't going to miss taking a couple of workshops with Gwen Marston (her last in Sisters)! The first was Abstract Quilts in Solids. This is the second time I'
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
I've just spent the last few days in quilty heaven - two totally wonderful, fun, inspiring days of workshops with Gwen Marston . ...
You may remember I promised a tutorial for the Mid-Century Modern quilt, which I made and shared earlier this summer. Well ... it turns out it is a little more difficult than I thought! So, as you f
You may remember I promised a tutorial for the Mid-Century Modern quilt, which I made and shared earlier this summer. Well ... it turns out it is a little more difficult than I thought! So, as you f
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! In today's post we're featuring 50 free patterns for table runners, table toppers and place m...
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Gui...
You may remember I promised a tutorial for the Mid-Century Modern quilt, which I made and shared earlier this summer. Well ... it turns out it is a little more difficult than I thought! So, as you f
You may remember I promised a tutorial for the Mid-Century Modern quilt, which I made and shared earlier this summer. Well ... it turns out it is a little more difficult than I thought! So, as you f
You may remember I promised a tutorial for the Mid-Century Modern quilt, which I made and shared earlier this summer. Well ... it turns out it is a little more difficult than I thought! So, as you f
You may remember I promised a tutorial for the Mid-Century Modern quilt, which I made and shared earlier this summer. Well ... it turns out it is a little more difficult than I thought! So, as you f
Part of the 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival was the World Quilt Competition XX , which is a special exhibition within the larger P...
The 2016 AQS QuiltWeek in Phoenix, Arizona was one of the best shows ever! With hundreds of quilts and some very special exhibits by renow...
The 2016 International Quilt Invitational Exhibition in Brigham City, Utah, contained so many gorgeous art quilts. Come along with us on o...
This is our first-ever post about scrap quilts, although we've been collecting inspiration for years. Our favorite scrap quilts are those w...
You may remember I promised a tutorial for the Mid-Century Modern quilt, which I made and shared earlier this summer. Well ... it turns out it is a little more difficult than I thought! So, as you f
You may remember I promised a tutorial for the Mid-Century Modern quilt, which I made and shared earlier this summer. Well ... it turns out it is a little more difficult than I thought! So, as you f
You may remember I promised a tutorial for the Mid-Century Modern quilt, which I made and shared earlier this summer. Well ... it turns out it is a little more difficult than I thought! So, as you f
You may remember I promised a tutorial for the Mid-Century Modern quilt, which I made and shared earlier this summer. Well ... it turns out it is a little more difficult than I thought! So, as you f
