Papillon

“Papillon” by Susan Brubaker Knapp – 20" x 13.75" (2010)

This is Papillon, a piece I made in early 2010 when I pitched my idea for a book to C&T Publishing. My concept was to teach art quilters about how to take better photos, drawing on the basic principles of design and composition, and then, how to turn them into beautiful pieces of art made with fabric and thread. I envisioned a book with lots of ideas for teaching yourself to be a better, more artistic photographer. And with lots of projects, including some with fused applique, some with non-traditional materials, and some that showed how to take realistic photos and interpret them in an abstract way.

That book, Point, Click, Quilt! Turn Your Photos into Fabulous Fabric Art, is coming out in July! So I thought I’d start sharing some of the projects you’ll find inside.

I took the photo on which this piece is based (below) at the butterfly garden at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga several years ago. When I started working on interpreting this photo in fabric, I spent hours searching for greenish-yellow butterflies online, hoping to find out the exact species. Eventually I went back and looked at other photos I’d taken that day, and I realized that the butterfly was actually just white and black, and that all the color was simply the colors in the leaves and foliage that was coming through the semi-transparent wings!

Original photo by Susan Brubaker Knapp

Most of my projects have a lot of thread sketching on them, and this piece is no exception:

Detail shot of Papillon

I used a web of light-colored thread, thread sketched in horizontal and vertical lines along the edges of the black spots on the wings, to make them a bit hazier, the way they appeared in the photo. 

If you look at the photo and then the finished piece, you can also see that I chose to take out the background foliage. I thought it distracted from the strong lines and colors in the butterfly, and that a deep blue sky would make the butterfly more of a focal point. I used to try to interpret every detail in a photo very literally. Now I understand that removing, adding or changing elements in a photo is part of my artistic process.

If you would like to get more information about when my book is available, just e-mail me at susan@bluemoonriver.com and let me know. I’ll add you to my mailing list and let you know when you can order it.

Learn how to make great pet portraits with Faith Cleary

My friend Faith Cleary’s new DVD/digital download with Quilting Arts is now out! It’s called “Pet Picture Quilts Made Easy,” and on it, Faith teaches how to take a photo of your pet and recreate it as a piece of art. She shows how to add texture, dimension, and fun backgrounds using fabric, batting and thread. Faith spends time talking about how to choose the right photo, as well as the fabrics and threads that will make your piece look the most realistic. Then she shows how to add the eyes, nose, and fur, and demonstrates how to thread sketch to accent your pet’s features.

I think Faith’s work is so charming! Take a look at what she did here, starting with this cute kitty photo:

This is the finished piece based on that photo:

“Monte Hall” is set in an antique window frame

Obviously, Faith is a big animal lover! Here she is with her dog Barkley at a Blessing of the Animals at her church:

I asked Faith to share a little bit about herself and her art.
 
Q. I imagine that you must be a pet lover. Have animals always been a big part of your life? What animals share your home now? 
A.  I grew up with dogs and love them. Being the mom of two curious boys, I have had guinea pigs, rabbits, turtles, hamsters and cats. Currently, I live with three labradors (Dash, Waggles and Tulip) and a french bulldog (Barkley). In fact, I wrote about Barkley in my pet column, “Paws and Effect” in the summer 2011 issue of Studios magazine. He is quite a clown! 

Q. Can you explain a little bit about your technique?  
A. I do thread sketched pet portraits. I use an appliqué technique for the animal's features and body. Then I thread sketch over the appliqué pieces to create realistic fur and facial expressions. It is a simple technique to learn with amazing results! 

Q. Do you teach or speak at guilds or shops? If so, where can people take your classes in person?  
A. Yes. I love teaching for guilds and quilt shops. It is great fun to hear stories about
people's pets and then to see the pet come to life with thread sketching is very gratifying! To contact me for teaching availability, please go to www.dolceamico.com. 

Q. The backgrounds on some of your portraits are so fun! Why do you add these? 
A. I like to think of backgrounds as the place to tell your pet's story. It is the place to be creative and have a blast. I also love showing people how to embellish, frame and finish their pieces. There are so many unique possibilities - for example, I framed a cat in an antique church window frame - it is one of my favorite pieces. 

Sexy Beast Cologne Model

Q. If you had to give your students one piece of advice about making a portrait of their pet, what would it be?  
A. When making a portrait of a pet, the eyes are the critical element that brings life to the animal. The eyes are simple to do, but it is imperative to get the highlights just right.

You can see a bit of Faith’s DVD here:

Donna Downey’s “Inspired Artist Workshop”

Donna Downey hams it up for the camera

I needed a little get-away today, so I went with some friends to Donna Downey’s “Inspired Artist Workshop” in Concord, near Charlotte, N.C.  Inspired is a four-day immersion in cross-genre art and crafting. Students get three full days of workshops. Featured artist instructors are Tracie Lampe, Lolly Chessie, Suzi Blu, Patriciaa Baldwin Seggebruch, Becky Nunn and Alisa Burke. My friend Susan Edmonson is teaching some workshops, too!

Donna’s display

I didn’t have time to attend the workshop; I just went to shop! Donna had some of the stuff she sells at her shop set up in a beautiful display. And at the Market Fair, there were eight more vendors offering a great variety of mixed media supplies.

Donna’s darling little purses

DETAILS:

May 11-14
Embassy Suites
5400 John Q. Hammons Drive NW
Concord NC, North Carolina 28027

http://donnadowney.com/index.php/inspired-artists-workshops

DONNA DOWNEY STUDIOS

501 South Old Statesville Road
Huntersville, NC 28078
704.948.4627

Finishing an art quilt with a non-mitred facing

Front of the a quilt finished using a non-mitred facing
“Snow Shadows” by Susan Brubaker Knapp

I taught two workshops on Wholecloth Painting to members of the Charlotte Quilters’ Guild this week. Each time I teach a class on an art quilt method, I inevitably get questions about my finishing techniques. So I decided to get my act together and do a few more tutorials on the subject.

Over the past few years, I have started finishing most of my art quilts using one of three methods; a non-mitred facing, a mitred facing, or a pillowcase turn. I now have directions for each of these techniques in PDF format available on my blog. (Look in the column on the right-hand side, under the “Free Stuff” heading, then click on the PDF you want to download.) I have tried to provide clear, easy-t0-follow instructions, with lots of photos. 

To download a PDF now, click on the links below:

Non-mitred facing

Mitred facing

Pillowcase turn

In this post, I’ll show you how to do a non-mitred facing. There are many methods for facing a quilt. This one is a combination of methods I have learned from others, and is the one that is the easiest facing technique for beginners. 

Non-mitred facing

1. Quilt your quilt, and then, as you would with a traditional quilt, trim through the top, batting and backing, squaring up the corners, so that the backing and batting are even with the edge of the quilt.

2. Measure the top of your quilt and cut two 2"-wide facing strips this length. Measure the side of your quilt, and cut two 2"-wide facing strips this length minus 2".  (For example, if your quilt is 15" wide by 20" long, cut two facing strips 2" x 15" and two facing strips 2" x 18".)

3. On one long edge of each of the four facing strips, turn under ¼" toward the wrong side of the fabric, and press. Pin the unfolded edge of the top strip to the raw edge of the top of the quilt, right sides together:

4. Put the walking foot on your machine. Starting at the top of the short end of the strip, and with a ¼" seam, stitch down to ¼" away from the corner, pivot, stitch the length of the side to ¼" away from the corner, pivot, and stitch up to the top of the other short side. Backstitch at the start and stop.

Clip corners close to stitched line:

5. Stitch the bottom strip on the opposite side of the quilt next, in the same manner:

6. Place one of the side strips along one side of the quilt, with the unfolded edge of the strip next to the raw edge of the quilt, right sides together. Center the strip along the edge, and pin: 

This strip should overlap the facing strips you have already sewn on, but should not extend all the way to the corners:

7. Stitch a ¼" seam the length of the strip, back-stitching at the start and end. Your seam should align with the seam for the top and bottom strips:

8. Fold back the two side facing strips and press. From the front side, stitch along the edges about 1/8" from the seam, through the facing and the seam allowance, and back-stitching at the start and end. This seam, often used in garment construction, will help the facing turn more easily to the back:

9. Fold back the top and bottom strips, and use a blunt-tipped tool to push out corners. From the front side, stitch along the edges about 1/8” from the seam, through the facing and the seam allowance. It is impossible to stitch around the corners; simply stitch up as far into the corners as you can.

10. Bring the facing strips around to the back and pin so that the side strips are tucked underneath the top and bottom facing strips, with their raw edges hidden. This usually requires heavy pinning:

 The facing strips should not show from the front; a small bit of the front of the quilt should show on the back of the piece:

11. Hand stitch the facing in place along the inner, folded edge of the facing strips on the back. You should only be stitching through the facing strips, backing fabric, and batting. Make sure not to stitch through the front of the quilt. 

12. This technique creates a nicely finished piece that looks more like a piece of art than a quilt: 

Back of the finished quilt

Front of the finished quilt
“Snow Shadows” by Susan Brubaker Knapp

The PDF with the instructions is free; feel free to print it out and use it, and it share it with others. I just ask that you keep my name, website and blog addresses on the directions when you do so. Thanks!

Great new free project from Kaye England

Kaye’s free project for May

The Aurifil Designer of the Month for May is Kaye England. On the Aurifil blog you can read an interview with her, and download the beautiful free project (above) that she designed. I just love traditional quilts with black backgrounds; the bright colors just pop off that black! 

Kaye and a friend

Kaye grew up on a farm in Glasgow, Kentucky, and now lives in Indiana. She designs fabrics for Wilmington Prints, and heads her own publishing company. You can see all of Kaye’s patterns, books, DVDs and fabrics on her website.

Pat Sloan interviewed Kaye on her online radio show February 7; you can download it and listen to on your computer here.

Remember, if you make the project, load a photo to the Aurifil Flickr group. That puts you in the running to win an Aurifil thread prize. One winner is selected each month. 

Aurifil’s fan page on Facebook is:

https://www.facebook.com/aurifil.quilt.thread

GIVEAWAY!

Each month this year, I’m going to be giving away a pack of Aurifil minispools (like the one shown above) when the new project is announced. Just leave me a comment here to tell me what you think of Kaye's project. I'll pull a name at random on Wednesday, June 1 at noon EST. The sampler pack includes great colors in different weights. 

UPDATE: Tisme won the thread. Try to win again this month!

Seriously, what are you afraid of?

Afraid of free-motion stitching and thread sketching? There’s no need to be! Let me explain the basics and tell you why there’s nothing to fear. I’m giving a presentation on my thread sketching methods tonight at the Charlotte Quilters’ Guild. It includes a slideshow, followed by a question-and-answer session and a trunk show of lots of my recent work, including pieces I did for my 2010 series of articles for Quilting Arts magazine, my two Quilting Arts DVDs, and my new book, Point, Click, Quilt!

I’d love it if you’d come! 

Charlotte Quilters Guild
Wednesday, May 4 at 7 p.m.
Avondale Presbyterian Church
2821 Park Road, Charlotte 


There are still a few spots left in the two workshops I’m teaching Friday and Saturday (May 6 and 7) on Wholecloth Painting. If you are interested, please e-mail Debbie Langsam at dmlangsa@uncc.edu to get details. 

Cheri’s leaves

Detail shot of work by Cheri Rose Bergeron of Bridgewater Corners, Vermont

I just had to share with you the work of one of the wonderful people who took my “Tyvek Explorations” class through joggles.com last year. This is by Cheri Rose Bergeron of Bridgewater Corners, Vermont. Isn’t it beautiful? I just love the rich, dark reds and oranges. I bet she has leaves just like this in the fall where she lives. And isn’t her machine quilting fabulous?

Here is a shot of the entire piece:

by Cheri Rose Bergeron of Bridgewater Corners, Vermont

 

 

It is always so satisfying to hear from people who have taken one of my classes, and to see what they have done with what they’ve learned!

Book review and give-away: “Fanciful Stitches, Colorful Quilts” by Laura Wasilowski

“Lighthouse” by Laura Wasilowski

 

If you’ve never had the opportunity to meet Laura Wasilowski in person, you’ve missed a lot of fun. At presentations to guilds, she sings, laughs, jokes and puns her way through her lecture, and everyone leaves feeling a lot happier. 

Her new book, Fanciful Stitches, Colorful Quilts , is filled with the same sense of joy and playfulness. It contains 11 whimsical fused art quilt projects, as well as plentiful information on her techniques for creating these cheerful little works of art. 

Step by step, Laura teaches how to:

• choose fusible web, fabrics and batting
• iron the fusible web to fabric
• cut fused fabrics
• transfer patterns using the fusible web’s release paper
• build your quilt top
• prepare the quilt top for stitching
• choose the right tools and materials for hand stitching
• pick the right size embroidery needle.

I was intrigued with Laura’s interesting method of transferring patterns onto the fused fabric. Her technique is something I’d never heard about before, and it is a very nifty trick! Here are some other things I learned:

• Laura creates some of her curved pieces by cutting them on the bias of the fabric, then curving them gently as she fuses them down to the background.  
• She uses a stiff interfacing (like Timtex for fast2fuse), layered with batting, in her quilts. The stitching is done only through the batting, which is fused to the quilt top before you embroider.

The quilts in the book are hand stitched with cotton embroidery thread, using simple stitches. If you’ve never done embroidery before, don’t worry. There are detailed stitch diagrams in the book. Laura also provides good basic information on how to decide what, where and how to stitch. Then she shows how to use accent and detail stitches, outline and linear stitches, and pattern stitches to really bring the composition to life.

Once you know all about fusing, constructing your quilt and stitching, there are 11 darling projects to practice on. Here is “Houseboat,” one of my favorites:

“Houseboat” by Laura Wasilowski

And at the end of the book, you’ll find all the patterns for the shapes you'll need. Laura also shares her methods for a wrapped binding. In this process, you wrap the quilt top around the pre-cut stiff interfacing, and add the backing. Laura’s method makes it possible to have fun wavy edges, a trademark of her style. 

GIVE-AWAY Details: Leave a comment on this post telling me what you like best about Laura’s work for a chance to win. I’ll draw a winner at noon on Wednesday, May 4. THE FINE PRINT: With apologies to my readers in other countries: I’m sorry, but at the request of the publisher, this giveaway is for U.S. residents only. SORRY: Comments are closed. The winner is Elaine in Olympia, Washington. Thanks, everyone!

You’ll also want to check out these blogs tomorrow and Wednesday, since they are giving away copies of Laura’s book, too:

Frieda Anderson May 3
Connecting Threads May 4

Quilt Expo en Beaujolais

Ooooooh la la! Très fantastique!

I was very pleased to see my piece, Lepidoptera, featured on the cover of the program for Quilt Expo en Beaujolais, where it was exhibited in Graves sur Anse, France, earlier this month in SAQA’s Art Meets Science exhibition. The exhibition will travel next to the Visions Art Museum in San Diego, California Feb. 3-April 22, 2012, and then to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, June 11 through Sept. 14, 2012.

Win Laura Wasilowski’s new book

Laura Wasilowski has a new book! Fanciful Stitches, Colorful Quilts contains 11 whimsical fused art quilt projects… I got a sneak peek, and I’m going to review the book and give away a copy (courtesy of C&T Publishing) on May 2. Want more chances to win? Just check in on each of the bloggers on the dates listed below:

Annie Smith April 19
Melody Johnson April 23
Jane Moxey April 24
Lyric Kinard April 25
Judy Coates Perez April 26
Linda Teufel April 28
Jane LaFazio April 29 
Susan Brubaker Knapp May 2
Frieda Anderson May 3
Connecting Threads May 4

REMEMBER TO COME BACK ON MAY 2 to read the review and leave a comment on the May 2 post for a chance to win!

THE FINE PRINT: With apologies to my readers in other countries: I’m sorry, but this giveaway is for U.S. residents only.

Such a sweet gift

Each year, the members of Fiber Art Options (a Charlotte area group of fiber artists) pull names out of a hat and make a small gift for that person. Today, I received this lovely piece from my friend Debbie Langsam. It is a photo of me with my mother in 1964, altered in Photoshop and printed on fabric, then quilted. The poem is a favorite of both my mother and me. You can see the original photo and read the poem in my earlier post. 

Debbie is such a kind and generous person, and I am deeply touched by this very personal gift. Thank you so much, Debbie!

P.S. Debbie and her husband Joal run Barking Dog Chocolatiers, and donate all the profits of their delicious chocolates to charity. So if your sweet tooth is calling, consider an order! I can tell you from experience that you won’t be sorry.

The Amazing Easter Egg Hunt

I don't know about you, but I love hunting Easter eggs. Why should kids have all the fun? This year, the hunt is even sweeter, because Aurifil, AccuQuilt and The Quilt Show are giving away more than $1,500 in prizes! Here’s how it works:

1. Like Aurifil’s Facebook page and find the egg with the first part of the code. 
2. Like AccuQuilt’s Facebook page and find the egg with the second part of the code. 
3. Like The Quilt Show’s Facebook page and find the egg with the third part of the code. 
4. Go to accuquilt.com/egghunt, and enter the full code for your chance to win.

Here are the fabulous prizes:

An AccuQuilt GO! Baby Fabric Cutter plus 10 GO! Baby-compatible dies of your choice, and two cutting mats. A $400 value.

An Aurifil Variety Suitcase Pack that includes 216 spools of fabulous Aurifil thread. An $820 value.

A one-year membership to thequiltshow.com, a Series 7 DVD, and a 24" monitor. A $300 value.

Winners will be notified by e-mail on Monday, April 25. You better get hopping!

A lovely link to the past

This is my grandmother Helen McDanel Brubaker’s sewing basket. That’s a photo of her, about 1918, with it. I never got to meet Helen, as she died before I was born. Last week, when I was in Colorado Springs to shoot The Quilt Show, my cousin Carole gave it to me.

Me with Carole (right)

I was so happy to have it, as I have very few of Helen’s things (because of a long and sad story I will not share with you here that involves my step-grandmother). How nice to feel that link, through needle and thread, to her.

I had not seen Carole since the death of our grandfather in 1978, when I was 14! We passed a few hours examining each other’s faces for the Brubaker family resemblance, eating lunch and talking about the work Carole has been doing on our shared Brubaker genealogy. 

Here’s something fun she discovered: One of our great-great-great-great-great grandfathers was Robert Philson, born in 1759 in northern Ireland (most likely his ancestors came from Scotland). He came to America with his uncle, and they kept a store in Berlin, Bedford County, Pennsylvania.

In 1794, Philson was arrested for his involvement in the Whiskey Rebellion, an uprising of farmers protesting a tax on whiskey by the fledgling U.S. government. At that time, rye was widely grown, and apparently it was more profitable to make it into whiskey than to transport the grain itself. One of the reasons that the Whiskey Rebellion is considered important in American history is because it helped to define one of the basic principals of our democracy: that a citizen could disagree with his or her government and not have it considered an act of treason.

Philson was eventually acquitted, and served as associate judge of Somerset County for twenty years, and also served as a one-term congressman during the 16th United States Congress. He was commissioned a brigadier general of the Second Brigade, Tenth Division, Pennsylvania militia in 1800, and served as a brigadier general in the War of 1812.

Filming “The Quilt Show”

I have been in Colorado Springs area this week to shoot an episode of "The Quilt Show" with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. What a thrill to be on set with two quilters whose work I respect so much! “The Quilt Show” is an online TV show that can be viewed through the Internet by subscription. The shows feature fun interviews with all kinds of quilters and fiber artists, as well as lessons and information, and some great free stuff. 

I figured you might enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at my day. Ricky and Alex shoot some episodes on a set with a live studio audience, and some “on location.” On Tuesday, we were in the beautiful home of the very hospitable and kind Dee Dee and Hugh Eaton. Dee Dee is a quilter, and her husband Hugh is famous for having helped to start The Weather Channel. They live in Palmer Lake, just outside of Monument, Colorado (a short drive from Colorado Springs).

Here is the crew getting set up to shoot the interview portion of the show:

Ricky threw his signature hat down on one of my quilts:

C&T Publishing had kindly provided copies of both of my books, Appliqué Petal Party (2009) and Point, Click, Quilt! (coming out in July):

Actually, this is just a mock-up of my book (the cover glued to the front of another C&T title), since my book has not gone to press yet. Here is the producer, Shelly Heesacker (below) holding the mock-up. Shelly produces segments for Oprah, and she was fabulous to work with, and a lot of fun.

Make-up on, quilts up, Ricky and Alex comfortably installed on the sofa in the Eaton’s family room, me squirming in an armchair, cameras rolling! We sat down to review with the crew how the interview portion of the show would run.

The crew was BUSY!

Ricky was pretty serious most of the time, but was always good for a funny comment when we needed to loosen up.

About half way through the interview segment the director yelled “CUT!” Apparently my neck was bright red. Scarlet, in fact. This is something that happens to me a lot when I am excited or nervous. (When I was little, the boys used to have competitions to see who could make me blush the worst. I would turn purple.) So it was off to the powder room for some heavy makeup and powder by Lilo Bowman, the show’s coordinator (and a quilter!):

Okay, back on the set. Doesn't my neck look fabulous?

After that segment was shot, we moved to another room for the how-to parts of the show. Alex told me a funny story while I pressed the step-outs for the segment on creating bias vines that I shot with her:

Step outs are how you show all the different parts of the process you are demonstrating. (On a cooking show, they will show the ingredients, then some of them mixed together, then the batter in the pan, then the pan going into the oven, then the baked cake, then the iced and finished cake. Same concept here.) Lilo and I ran through the step outs together:

Ricky found a piano and of course Shelly and I had to join in:

We even shot a little bit of me singing with Ricky as a lead-in to my segment with Alex. I have not sung much since high school (I starred in a few of my high school musicals), except in the shower, so I hope I sounded all right!

Then it was back to work. Roll cameras!

Alex and Ricky made shooting these how-to segments really fun and easy. Before each one, we set up all the equipment, step-outs, and the things we would use or talk about:

Ricky patiently gave me a little lesson on how to use a high-end Bernina that has some features I was not familiar with because I don't have them on the Bernina I use at home. And yes, I had to free-motion thread sketch standing up!

Here is Ricky with the producer, director and crew watching me thread sketch to see if the camera was capturing everything from the correct angle:

And then we discussed how to shoot it to make it look clearer:

Yes! It looked okay after a few adjustments!

Here’s how we ended up shooting that part:

This is a shot of me holding one of the projects (Nestling) that I demonstrated, which will be available from The Quilt Show as a free project when my show airs. I don’t know yet when that will be, but it will be part of the next season, which starts later this summer and runs through the end of this year, I think! Stay tuned and I’ll tell you the details once I get them.

And here’s a nice surprise! Katie Pasquini Masopust was shooting that afternoon, so I got to see her again. We first met while she was closing up her term as SAQA president, at the Studio Art Quilt Associates conference a few years ago. You can tell from my big smile that I am also really happy to be finished shooting! What a great day!