Actually, I'm hoping Desert Quilters of Nevada won't hold me to this so I can share the work they create in the two workshops I'll teach there week after next. Emma — my high-maintenance BFF, aka Rpod camper — and I will head out from our home in the Rockies April 15 for Sin City. I imagine my biggest sins will be having too much fun with these quilters and visiting too many quilt shops.
En route home, I'lI visit Zion, Grand Canyon and Arches National Parks and Bear's Ears National Monument. My camera and sketchpad are packed. Emma's preparing for the trip with a complete tune-up, oiling her stabilizing jacks, and repairs to her door hinges and weather stripping. Did I say high maintenance? If you have a camper, you understand this is the nature of RVing, which unfortunately I find way too enjoyable to stop doing just because poor Emma is always in need of repair. Fortunately, she has a close relationship with the entire crew — Jeff, Connie, Matt and more — at Jefe's RV Service in Commerce City, Colorado. At just 18 feet, I think she is their favorite baby.
Before this road trip, I plan a quick fly-in-and-fly-out trip to the LosAngeles area to participate in Northern California Quilt Council's Meet the Teachers in-person event. I'm looking forward to meeting the leaders of this great group in person for the first time. If you'll be there, please stop by my table and introduce yourself. It will be a quick trip. I hope I can grab at least a few photos to share here.
Make Barb's Day
After my last blog post, Barb signed up for my new "Warp Speed" workshop. She has her heart set on taking this Zoom class May 14 and 21. You can make her dream come true by registering for the class.
In this workshop, you'll select a traditional block to "warp." You'll change design proportions and nest, twist, turn, flop and reverse blocks, and more. You'll design a quilt using your warped block, and as an added plus, you'll learn to calculate yardage for your quilt.
The idea for this class has its roots in two classes I took. The first was a class on warping the grid taught by Sarah Nishiura of Chicago. https://www.sarahnishiura.com
In Sarah's workshop, we learned to create the look of three dimensions in a flat quilt by varying the size of the grid into which we put half-square triangles. The pillow top we pieced appeared round but there is no curved piecing. The warped grid combined with value create the illusion.
Next I took Maria Shell's "Riffing on Tradition" class in which each person selected a traditional block then began manipulating it for a variety of designs, all of which referenced the block but which took it in new directions. I worked with the Ohio Star block. https://mariashell.com
I'm now working with the Churn Dash block, focusing on overlapping blocks and nesting them as I did in "Don't Call Me Girl." Nesting is concept I've been intrigued by since childhood. My fascination with grids emerged when I began designing newspaper layouts as a young adult working newspaper copy desks. Warp Speed brings these loves together in quilt designs. Each participant designs a unique quilt.
The first ever open enrollment session of Warp Speed will meet from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time (noon-3 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Central and 9 a.m.-noon Pacific) Tuesdays, May 14 and 21. Register now.
Check Out My Other Classes
Want to see what other workshops I've scheduled? Just head to my home page and follow the links. I hope to see you in class soon!
Tiny Bites
Over the next few weeks, I plan to do periodic blog posts, each one introducing one of my workshops. I hope you'll find one you want to take and/or share with friends who will be eager to enroll. If you've taken my classes, I'd love to see your work if I haven't, and I'd love to get your feedback and suggestions. Are there new workshops you'd like me to offer? Just send to danaellenjones@gmail.com. Thanks in advance!