THE BEST OF STRIP-PIECING I & II
• Length: 5 days
• Level: Beginning to Intermediate
• Sewing machine used
DESCRIPTION
Strip-piecing is a very fluid way of creating fabric vocabularies out of one's existing fabrics that have been cut into various size widths, selvage to selvage, and then sewn together in composed groupings. Lots of fabrics will be used in this exciting but intense class that will cover important exercises in fabric-making and composition. Color, value, contrast, gradations, shape and line will be explored in a creative manner while students cut-out and sew together a very large range of strip-pieced fabrics. Students will be using both solid colors and bold commercial graphic prints, stripes, and plaids. Two or more small compositions will be made from the completed fabrics. All compositions will be approached intuitively as FUNDAMENTAL practice towards BEING READY for the more advanced composition classes that Nancy offers.
Students will be pinning work as it progresses onto the wall, so please bring good ball-head pins... specifically the silk pins with ball-heads produced by Clover.
Come with an open mind and no agendas, ready for growth and for risk-taking!
Presentations:
Each student should bring 10-12 slides or 3-6 actual quilts and be prepared to make a short (3 minutes maximum) articulate presentation about their work and be ready to discuss and explain their goals.
SUPPLIES
Sewing Machine
Swing-Arm Lamp
Digital Camera and Printer or Polaroid and Film
Multiple Outlet Power Strip/Adaptors
Glue to Adhere Snapshots into Sketchbook
Iron/Iron Cleaner
Heavy Duty Extension Cords
Small Spray Bottle
4’ x 8’ Batting/Flannel (White) on which to pin work
Ball-Head Pins (long silk pin produced by Clover is ideal)
24" x 36" Cutting Mat/Extra Large Rotary Cutter and Blades
Scissors, Needles, Thread, Rulers
Sketchbook/Pens/Other Supplies You Want
Optional Books:
Nancy Crow, 2006, Breckling Press (new book covering Nancy's work from 1989-2005)
Unfortunately, the following titles are out of print, but your local library may have them.
GRADATIONS: FROM THE STUDIO OF NANCY CROW, Quilt House Publishing
NANCY CROW: WORK IN TRANSITION, American Quilters’ Society
NANCY CROW: QUILTS AND INFLUENCES, American Quilters’ Society
NANCY CROW: IMPROVISATIONAL QUILTS, C&T Publishing
Fabrics:
• Do not bring fat quarters. We will be cutting strips selvage to selvage.
4 yards each of:
• SOLID BLACK and SOLID WHITE (Pimatex by Robert Kaufman is wonderful quality)
1 yard of each color:
• SOLID COLORS the widest range you can afford to bring and be sure to include both warm and cool colors
-60 to 100 different colors (1 yard of each color)
• OFF-WHITES...warm white, cold white, cream (1 yard of each color)
• GRAYS 5 to 9 in light, medium, and dark (1 yard of each color)
• TANS (1 yard of each color)
• PLAIDS 5 to 7 different ones (3/4 to 1 yard of each)
• STRIPES 5 to 7 different ones (3/4 to 1 yard of each)
• GRAPHIC PRINTS (high contrast), GEOMETRIC PRINTS, BATIKS (3/4 to 1 yard of each)
• We will use a lot of solid colors so bring a good range that includes darks, medium and light values - Browns, Blues, Greens, Reds, Golds, Yellows, Oranges, Purples, Violets
• Bring enough variety so you are not hamstrung!
• We will use everything listed above so do not decide to leave anything out.
NOTES REGARDING FABRIC SUPPLY LIST
Yes, the rumor is true!!! Yes, I do ask that each student bring lots of fabrics. My personal theory embraces the belief that one will be freer to be creative if one has many fabric choices available in class. After 20 years of teaching, I consider each class I teach to be on a graduate level and therefore I expect students to arrive prepared with all necessary supplies. In that regard, I have outlined those fabrics we will use in this class. For some students, my fabric supply list will seem overwhelming in quantity and variety, while for other students, the selection they bring will never be good enough.
About solid colors--the more shades you have to work with, the more you will learn about how to work with color. Color is Joyous!!! Color does not cause pain!!! Take DELIGHT in color!!!
Working in color does not mean only using BOLD colors or HOT colors; working in color means learning to be versatile in all types of colors.
Overall during the class, we will use many solid colors, but still.... please bring the requested prints. When choosing both solid colors and prints to bring to class, be sure to bring both warm and cool tones.
I caution you to not bring mostly middle value solids, rather bring a wide variety, including:
• Light values
• Medium light values
• Medium values
• Medium dark values
• Dark values
Any color can be warm or cold.
Warm tones: Any colors that are mixed with yellow and which have a glow coming off the surface.
Cold tones: Any colors that are mixed with blue and which have a dullness and subdued nature.
Many students arrive with their own hand-dyed solids or stacks they have purchased from other dyers. By all means, bring hand-dyed if you want.
But flat solids (dyed commercially) are equally acceptable.
I usually work with flat colors or my own subtly dyed flat colors. My own palette includes approximately 500 shades.
I cannot specifically tell you to only bring 1/2 yard cuts of each color because I know we will be using at least a yard of some to many colors depending on each student’s color preferences. If you bring a yard of each – say 5 blues, 5 reds, 5 yellows, 5 greens, etc. but one each in light values, medium light values, medium values, medium dark values, & dark values, that would be better than not having enough. So bring 1 yard of as many colors as you can afford and shorter lengths for the rest. Remember, we will be working selvage to selvage.
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