Quilting by the Lake | Quilting Classes

Quilting by the Lake 2009 Classes QBL offers over 30 2, 3 and 5 day quilting classes & workshops taught by nationally and internationally recognized quilt artists and teachers. All quilting classes are held on the campus of Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, NY. All classrooms are air-conditioned. 2 day classes meet Monday & Tuesday 3 day classes meet Wednesday - Friday 5 day classes meet Monday - Friday All classes meet from 8:30 - 11:30am & 1 - 4pm. Additional matierals fees may apply for some classes and are indicated on the supply list. A QBL equipment fee of $5 per session will be included on your final invoice. This fee is applied to the increasing cost of supplying classroom equipment. The QBL equipment fee is in addition to any supply fee that the teacher may require, which is paid directly to the teacher at QBL. For information on cost of tuition & QBL registration click here.
Session I Classes: July 20 - 24	Session II Classes: July 27 - 31
1. Studio with Teacher (2 day) J. Blaydon 2. Studio with Teacher (3 day) J. Blaydon 3. Realistic Fabric Portraits (5 day) M. Belford 4. New Directions (5 day) C. Corbin 5. Earth, Wind and Fire (5 day) R. Dace 6. Complex Cloth (5 day) J. Dunnewold 7. Mud Pies (5 day) A. Hergert 8. Harbor Lights (2 day) J. Krentz 9. Summer Salsa (3 day) J. Krentz 10. Transformings Still Life (5 day) K. Pasquini Masopust 11. Painting, Printing & Collage with Paper and Fabric (5 day) F. Skiles 12. Fusing Fun (2 day) L. Wasilowski 13. Fuse and Tell (3 day) L. Wasilowski 14. Independent Studio (2 day) No Instructor 15. Independent Studio (3 day) No Instructor	16. Color, Texture, Line & Shape with Free-motion (5 day) B. Adams 17. Art Quilts: Working in a Series (5day) E. Barton 18. Collage+Cloth=Quilt (5 day) J. Blaydon 19. The Expressive Stitch (5 day) D. Caldwell 20. African Motifs in Design (2 day) R. Dace 21. Quilt Jazz: Freedom in Quilt Making African Style (3 day) R. Dace 22. Water-Based Resists (5 day) J. Dunnewold 23. Printing with Found Objects (2 day) R. Gillman 24. Jump-starting the Art Quilt (3 day) R. Gillman 25. Studio with Teacher (2 day) A. Hergert 26. Studio with Teacher (3 day) A. Hergert 29. Shape Shifting (5 day) J. Sassaman 30. Independent Studio (2 day) No Instructor 31. Independent Studio (3 day) No Instructor
Session l: July 20 – July 24, 2009

1. Studio with Teacher Judi Blaydon 2 days (7/20 & 7/21) – All levels During our time together, your “spirit” will always take precedence over mine and the goals you set will be more important than goals I might suggest! Your answers will always be respected---but I will ask questions, challenge your opinions and share mine. You will determine the goals and make the decisions; I will offer support, motivation, critiques, comments and morning conferences for those who want them. We will concentrate on creative problem-solving, expression of themes and refining your personal style. We will talk about the influence of color, content and compositional options---in a quilt that says what YOU want to say. We will gather briefly each morning for group updates and encouragement and I will urge you to be inspired by the progress of your colleagues. This is an opportunity to start a quilt you’ve been dreaming about for years and find solutions for solving a “problem” quilt. Return to Class List.

2. Studio with Teacher Judi Blaydon 3 days (7/22 - 7/24) – All levels See description above. Return to Class List.

3. Realistic Fabric Portraits Marilyn Belford Closed-waitlist available 5 days (7/20 - 7/24) – Intermediate This is a perfect class for quilters who think they cannot draw. Start with a photograph and you, too, will be accepting compliments for your skills. Award-winning artist and quilter, Marilyn Belford, will guide you step-by-step through the techniques that enable you to produce realistic fabric portraits. Learn to transfer designs, apply fabric and use free-motion machine embroidery to embellish portraits. You will learn how to use the computer to adjust photos, appliqué by fusing, deal with the features on a face and use thread painting for the finishing touches. Good basic sewing skills are necessary in this machine class. Laptop computer with CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite is optional. Sewing machine with zig zag and “feed dogs down” capability required. Supply List Return to Class List.

4. New Directions Cynthia Corbin 5 days (7/20 - 7/24) – All Levels/Comfortable with sewing machine How do you take an idea through a process that leads to a truly unique quilt? One that communicates who you are and what you want to say as a quiltmaker? This class is for the student eager to use what they know about quiltmaking and take it in new directions--beginning with generating and developing their own ideas, then using an approach to design that culminates in unique and personal work. Explore your language of quiltmaking - whether it is traditional, ethnic, commemorative, personal, realistic or abstract. Whether you employ the traditions of stitching or other methods of joining fabric to fabric, fiber to fiber, find ways that develop the character of your own work. The goal is to design quilts that work, that communicate and illustrate each student’s unique personality and vision. In an encouraging atmosphere, students will explore the use of small studies to find and evolve their ideas. The studies will be preliminary work leading to a final project to be completed in class. Focus will be on exploring ways to generate and visualize ideas, using a problem solving approach to design and construction, developing the character of individual work and encouraging each student’s unique style. Supply List Return to Class List.

5. Earth, Wind and Fire Rosalie Dace Closed-waitlist available 5 days (7/20 - 7/24) – Intermediate to Advanced Emphasis in this class will be on color variation and choice, contrasts and subtlety, tonal value, texture and pattern. Invite the magic of Nature’s colors into your quilts! Be inspired by the myriad varieties and ever-changing palette of rich earth, cool air, water and blazing hot fire. Learning to work sensitively with color, contrasts and harmonies, you will do a series of small studies, followed by one or two larger color-rich abstract quilt tops. A zig zag machine is required for this class. Supply List Return to Class List.

6. Complex Cloth Jane Dunnewold Closed-waitlist available 5 days (7/20- 7/24) – Beginner to Advanced This workshop introduces participants to the principles of Complex Cloth - white fabric layered through the use of multiple surface patterning techniques, which include the use of dyes, discharging agents, paints and foils. The media are applied using tools generated in the workshop. Each participant will make a series of stamps, stencils and silk screens, which are then used to produce the layered and patterned surface. Emphasis will be on mastery of technique and on the creation of the tools. Discussions on studio set-up, safety and design development round out the week. A sewing machine is not required for this class. Supply List Return to Class List.

7. Mud Pies Anna Hergert Closed-waitlist available 5 days (7/20 - 7/24) – Beginner to Advanced Mesmerized by distressed surfaces in nature and on man-made structures? Compelled to add dimension to your art quilts? Committed to reducing your carbon footprint as an artist? Here is your chance to: Holster your heat guns! Plug in your heat tools! Sort through your recycle boxes… and sign up to experiment to your heart’s content with like-minded art quilters under Anna’s guidance: combine ordinary quilting supplies with recyclable materials, direct a little heat, add a brushstroke of paint, weave in some threads and manipulate a used dryer sheet, those pesty plastic bags, metallic wrappers and Tyvek into gems that can be incorporated into your next art quilt. This hands-on workshop allows for extensive experimentation and will produce a library of samples during the first half. A small art quilt or 3 –D installation piece will be created during the latter part of the week. Supply List Return to Class List.

8. Harbor Lights Jan Krentz 2 days (7/20 & 7/21) – Advanced Beginner to Intermediate The Harbor Lights quilt features sixteen 15 1/2" blocks based upon the traditional Harbor Lights or Signal lights block. Create the entire quilt from one block, or create a pseudo-border by simplifying the outer row of blocks. Add more blocks to increase the finished quilt size. Supply List Return to Class List.

9. Summer Salsa Jan Krentz 3 days (7/22 - 7/24) – Intermediate to Advanced Spice up the traditional Lone Star quilt with brilliant color and foundation pieced “extras” – blocks that fill the inset squares and compass-type corners. This class will cover design tips, offer suggestions for fabric placement and feature strip piecing and foundation piecing techniques. You can select fabrics in colors similar to the ones Jan has used, or feel free to create your own dazzling color palette! There will be advance preparation so that our class time will be very productive. Basic knowledge of rotary cutting, strip piecing, and foundation piecing is recommended. Supply List Return to Class List.

10. Transforming Still Life Katie Pasquini Masopust 5 days (7/20 - 7/24) – Intermediate to Advanced We will work from an all white still life, drawing it in many different ways to learn about value, shadows, texture, highlights and different kinds of perspective. This is a drawing class but don’t be afraid if you can’t draw, we will learn how to draw together by learning to really see through blind contour drawings. We will add color, exploring many different color schemes and their impact. Then the images will be projected onto the still life to create color, texture and drama. Several abstract drawings for quilts will be the end product of the first two days of class. In this 5 day class we will choose one of the designs, consider its color scheme and composition, enlarge the drawing and begin the quilt. Supply List Return to Class List.

11. Painting, Printing & Collage with Paper and Fabric Fran Skiles 5 days (7/20 - 7/24) – All levels Closed-waitlist available The essence of the work in these five days is learning and following a process of intuitive thinking. You will be building five collages, beginning with simple marks and shapes; each day building layers of paint, stitching, paper and silk. You will be building shapes, structure and texture into canvases using hand or machine stitching. We will work with and have demonstrations in simple silk-screen, painting, ink applications, resist, etc. and layering of photo transfers and other papers onto canvas. The finished product is always a surprise and changes many times. This is a process loaded with fun. You will learn to trust in the process and the outcome. Supply List Return to Class List.

12. Fusing Fun: Fast Fearless Art Quilts Laura Wasilowski 2 days (7/20 & 7/21) – Beginner to Intermediate Toss the templates and trash the rulers! Fusing is free form art making at its best. Working with fusible web on fabric, discover fusing techniques like free cutting, strip fusing, confetti collage, playing blocks, and improvisational assemblage. Because fusing is fast and free you quickly invent your own design language to explore. In this class you will create multiple pieces of fun, fast, free, fused fiber art and get loose, really loose. As an added bonus, learn tunes from the Chicago School of Fusing Glee Club and graduate with an advanced degree in Fusology. Supply List Return to Class List.

13. Fuse and Tell: Journal Quilts Laura Wasilowski 3 days (7/22 - 7/24) – Beginner to Intermediate Like a journal or photo album, quilts illustrate the stories of our lives. In this class, capture the essence of your own story and translate it into a fused art quilt. From the simple free-cutting of fabric to adapting your personal sketches or photos, your narrative quilt comes alive. Begin with basic fusing terms and practices then quickly move on to learn the many processes of converting your design source into fabric shapes. Whether your inspiration is an idea in your head, a sketch, or digital photo there is a fusing method to make the construction of your story easy. A computer, digital camera, and digital projector are provided to help you multiply or enlarge your designs. Tell your own story in cloth. Supply List Return to Class List.

14. Independent Studio No Instructor 2 days (7/20 & 7/21) – All levels A classroom space is provided for the independent studio. Participants work on individual quilting projects. Not suitable for dyeing. Return to Class List.

15. Independent Studio No Instructor 3 days (7/22 - 7/24) – All levels A classroom space is provided for the independent studio. Participants work on individual quilting projects. Not suitable for dyeing. Return to Class List.

Session ll: July 27 – July 31, 2009

16. Color, Texture, Line & Shape with Free-motion Bob Adams 5 days (7/27 - 7/31) – All levels/ Comfortable with sewing machine and free-motion sewing This class will enable you to explore using thread as a drawing tool. You will be encouraged to step out of your comfort zone in the following way; loosening up your approach to stitching; exploring the importance of thread and color selection; discovering unexpected or ‘weird’ color combinations that can surprise and delight you and exploring how color is affected by its environment and can be used to emphasize or neutralize shape. Supply List Return to Class List.

17. Art Quilts: Working in a Series Elizabeth Barton 5 days (7/27 - 7/31) – All levels Do you want to improve your work as an art quilter? The best way to develop a coherent body of work is to work in a series. This workshop focuses on the development of at least 6 related designs for quilts. The work of many artists (both fiber and painting) will be examined to reveal some of the many ways in which series are developed. Time-tested guidelines for strong compositions will be outlined, emphasized, exercised and practiced in learning how to evaluate a design with clear steps given so as to ensure a successful piece. You should leave the workshop with several designs planned, and one or more cut and pinned. Sewing machines are optional; if you love to sew in workshops, bring it and work on one piece. If you prefer to design and pin together several pieces, sewing them together later at home, that is fine also. And don't worry if you can’t draw!! Instead, a sense of humor and a willingness to explore possibilities are the main requirements. Supply List Return to Class List.

18. Collage + Cloth = Quilt Judi Blaydon 5 days (7/27 - 7/31) – Intermediate to Advanced The “Collage + Cloth = Quilt” process reveals design possibilities you might never have envisioned! It allows you to make initial design proposals with swatches of paper and discover a variety of options and solutions---by designing, experimentally, via a “work-wall on a small scale” Color Collage! Your ‘palette’ will be inspired by a collection of your own photographs, chosen because you are intrigued by content, colors, patterns and textures. Your initial ‘sketches’ will emerge as you play spontaneously with intuitive arrangements and overlays---until images and /or parts and fragments from those images lead to an abstract collage composition. The results may be powerful or subtle, lyrical or dramatic, symmetrical or not, suggestive of an elusive landscape [or not] ---and the process will produce unexpected and innovative design elements. You will begin by inventing 2 or 3 experimental collage proposals that can be assessed side-by-side, allowing you to enhance the strengths and diminish the weaknesses of each and make refinements and revisions quickly and easily. Your ‘master collage’ which will then become the ‘diagram’ and the ‘map’---the inspiration for your quilt. You will then enlarge the scale and move to the work-wall, determine the most eloquent and expressive fabrics and construct whatever ‘invented yardage’ is necessary for your quilt---a quilt that is certain to introduce new aspects and challenging directions to your quiltmaking. Supply List Return to Class List.

19. The Expressive Stitch Dorothy Caldwell Closed-waitlist available 5 days (7/27 - 7/31) – All levels In this workshop, you will examine "the stitch" based around the colorful tradition of Indian Kantha embroidery. Kantha embroidered quilts utilize the running stitch to form patterns, textures, and narrative imagery reflecting the lives and experiences of the makers. Slides, videos and actual examples will be used to bring this rich art form to life. You will learn the techniques involved in this tradition and then move on to expand your use of the stitch to develop personal imagery and your own unique vocabulary of marks. This workshop will have applications for quilters, stitchers, surface designers, and anyone who would like to experiment with a new way of drawing and markmaking. Supply List Return to Class List.

20. African Motifs in Design Rosalie Dace 2 days (7/27 & 7/28) – All levels Enjoy a rich array of African textiles made over the centuries, from Egyptian appliqué, to woven Kente cloth and contemporary printed and embellished work. After seeing slides and actual textiles, you may choose to work by hand or machine or both to make your own quilt top. Using an exciting African motif and design approach, you will learn new ways of breathing life, rhythm and color into your quilts. Tips and demonstrations on techniques will be given, and you may choose to enrich your work with embellishments. Supply List Return to Class List.

21. Quilt Jazz: Freedom in Quilt Making African Style Rosalie Dace 3 days (7/29 - 7/31) – Intermediate Closed-waitlist available If freedom and fun is what you need in your quiltmaking, this is the class for you. Learn to free yourself of all those tight restrictions that threaten to choke your creativity while you create a colorful and exuberant piece, without losing the essence of a quilt. After viewing slides and other visual material you will be guided in a sensitive, step-by-step method to breathe new life into your blocks, and put them together to make a stunning quilt top. Discussions will emphasize color, pattern-making, repetition and rhythm. Techniques will include free-hand cutting and machine piecing to make pieces fit. Your quiltmaking will never be the same again! Supply List Return to Class List.

22. Water Based Resists Jane Dunnewold Closed-waitlist available 5 days (7/27 - 7/31) – All levels (Some experience with fiber reactive dyes is recommended) Textile artists have used temporary resists to block dye and paint application for as long as textile printing has existed. This workshop explores several contemporary twists on the use of water-based resists. Participants will work with water soluble soy wax, commercial water soluble adhesives, and flour paste as means of blocking pattern temporarily so that coloration of the fabric can occur. Fiber reactive MX dyes are the colorant of choice and stencils, silk-screens and hand painted application of the resists will be the primary focus. Dyes and other shared supplies will be provided. A sewing machine is not required for this class. Supply List Return to Class List.

23. Printing with Found Objects Rayna Gillman 2 days (7/27 & 7/28) – All levels A fresh look at surface design as the starting point for an art quilt. We will stamp and screen print, using textile inks and such materials as freezer paper, newsprint, paper towels, and textured items from around the house or the hardware store. Working experimentally, you will come away with your own unique fabric to use in your work. Supply List Return to Class List.

24. Jump-starting the Art Quilt Rayna Gillman 3 days (7/29 - 7/31) – All levels Banish “blank design wall syndrome” with creativity exercises and play. Working quickly and intuitively on day 1, you’ll make 4 or 5 small studies and generate dozens of ideas for new pieces. On days 2 and 3 with ample time to explore and play, you may chose to expand a small study, continue working in a series, or try out more new ideas. Leave class with a new method of working, a way to express your personal vision, and the start of more work. Along the way, we’ll share ideas, brainstorm design solutions, and have ‘where do I go from here?’ critiques, so bring work-in-process, anything you're "stuck" on, or finished work to share. This process-oriented workshop takes a playful, “what if?” approach. We encourage you to use your intuition, to experiment, and to enjoy the results of ‘happy’ accidents. Supply List Return to Class List.

25. Studio with Teacher Anna Hergert 2 days (7/27 & 7/28) – All levels Bring a sketch, photo, idea, art quilt in progress, your fabrics and/or anything art quilt related. Participants will work on their own personal projects refining techniques, honing their knowledge of design while exploring new possibilities in a supportive environment. Informal demonstrations and short talks on a variety of subjects will be presented daily, at the participants’ request. It is Anna’s goal to provide a stress-free and productive work environment while making herself available for ongoing one-on-one consultations to open creative possibilities not previously realized. Return to Class List.

26. Studio with Teacher Anna Hergert 3 days (7/29 - 7/31) – All levels See description above. Return to Class List.

29. Shape Shifting Jane Sassaman Closed-waitlist available 5 days (7/27 - 7/31) – Intermediate to Advanced We all have innate preferences for certain colors, shapes and proportions, as well as natural attractions to certain symbols, images and icons. In this class we will study photographs and slides of a variety of historic and ethnic decorative objects to help uncover some of the motifs and symbols which may have powerful personal resonance. For example, you may be drawn to Buddhist mandalas or Mexican milagros. You may be attracted to the design of an Inuit mask or the pattern from an Art Nouveau vase or the shape of an Egyptian chair. Each student will select historic motifs and images which they will manipulate and reinterpret into a unique statement in fabric and thread. By lifting an image from one time and place to another the student will begin to exercise the power to recognize their personal touch-stones to imagination. The aim of the workshop is to nurture your intuitive skills. Students should have a desire to develop their own design language and unique visual symbols, plus an interest in the history of decorative design. Supply List Return to Class List.

30. Independent Studio No Instructor 2 days (7/27 & 7/28) – All levels A classroom space is provided for the independent studio. Participants work on individual quilting projects. Not suitable for dyeing. Return to Class List.

31. Independent Studio No Instructor 3 days (7/29 - 7/31) – All levels A classroom space is provided for the independent studio. Participants work on individual quilting projects. Not suitable for dyeing. Return to Class List.

Quilting by the Lake 2009 Classes