Shooting Quilting Arts TV… and a new Quilting Arts Workshop!

With “Fall Color” on the set of Quilting Arts TV

This week, I’ve been in Cleveland, Ohio, shooting three episodes for Series 1300 of Quilting Arts TV. The show airs on many public TV stations around the country; Series 1300 should air in spring 2014. The whole season will be released on DVD eventually, so if you want to watch, and your public TV station doesn’t carry it, don’t despair!

I also shot a Quilting Arts Workshop on essential finishing techniques (more on that later). This is the fourth time I’ve shot Workshops and TV segments for Quilting Arts; you can see me in Series 500 (2009), Series 700 (2010), and series 900 (2011). My workshops on DVD are:
 

Dynamic Quilt Design: Paint Meets Stitch (2011)

 Master Machine Stitching: Thread Sketching Beyond the Basics (2010)

Master Machine Quilting: Free-Motion Stitching and Thread Sketching (2009)

The night before, I got out all my “step outs” (all the pieces/steps that I have to demonstrate for each of the TV segments, and the chapters in the DVD). I put them out on the bed in my hotel room and practiced, practiced, practiced. 

The next morning it was off bright and early for makeup. A lot of makeup. Probably about 10 times what I normally wear. At the end of the day, I made a mad dash for the sink; my washcloth was completely beige. I kid you not. 

Michelle May, a fellow North Carolinian, was also shooting TV segments on Wednesday. She makes beautiful folk-art quilts and wall hangings, designs patterns (many feature rabbits!) and has a new book coming out in October called Fabled Fusions. 

First I shot a segment about my work in progress, “We All Swim Together,” which will be a large art quilt covered in fish. Before each segment, we arranged everything on the set:

Then I talked everything through with Pokey Bolton, the founder of Quilting Arts magazine, Chief Creative Officer at Quilts, Inc., and amazing host of Quilting Arts TV; and Kathie Stull, the fabulous producer from KS Inc. Productions. 

We took a bunch of publicity photos, including this one, before shooting each segment. The TV segments are so fun to shoot, because they are just like a conversation with Pokey; lots of questions and answers. She guides you through, and it is easy as pie!

After a change of outfits, I shot a segment on how to make a stenciled passport cover or notebook cover. And got another publicity shot with Pokey.

Then I changed again, and shot a segment on how my experience with The Sketchbook Challenge is opening up new ways of thinking about fiber art. And yes, I got another publicity shot with Pokey.

Jeanne Cook Delpit is Director of National Events at Bernina of America, Inc. She has been a wonderful help to me each year I’ve shot TV segments and DVDs for Quilting Arts. I have two Bernina sewing machines, and adore them. She helped me learn the basics of a Bernina machine I’d never used before so I’d be comfortable using it on set, and always had positive words and a big smile. We took a selfie in the green room:

It is fun to watch what is happening on set while you are waiting to go on. Here is Jeanne videoing a TV segment on the green room TV (I think this is Vivika on set with Pokey):

By early afternoon, we were done with shooting the TV segments, and the artists who would be shooting on Thursday had arrived and were setting up in the green room. Here are Catherine Redford (love her modern hexagon, coiled runners and bowls, and African Folklore quilts) and Cheryl Sleboda (who had some fun quilts that lit up with LED lights and some that were heat-sensitive; you’ll have to watch her segments to learn more!)

And Julia C. Wood (author of Quick and Easy Hexie Quilts): 

 

By about 3 p.m., all of the TV segments were done, and it was time to shoot the Workshop, which will be released as a DVD or video download. It features essential finishing techniques to have in your repertoire. I had to be wired for a microphone, which was pinned inside my collar, with a wire running down under my shirt and around to the back, where there was a battery pack; and with an earpiece, so I could hear the producer telling me how much time I had been talking, and if I needed to move my hands so the cameras could shoot what I was doing. Here, a crew member wires me up:

This is what it looks like when you look out from the set. Very bright, hot lights, and a bunch of guys with cameras on every side!

 

 

 

From this room next to the set, the producers and editors can see the shots from all the cameras:

 

If you’ve been following my blog or my Facebook posts, now you know why I’ve been creating so many chickens (“New Zealand Chook”) and sheep (“Suffolk Sheep”) lately.

 

Before each “chapter” in the Workshop, I set up my step-outs and tools in a logical order, and Jeanne helped get the Bernina ready to roll with whatever foot and thread I needed.

I quickly walked through what I had planned to say and do, and made necessary changes with Vivika, Helen and Kathie.  

After I was headed for the parking lot (and on to a big glass of wine and a nice dinner!), I realized I hadn’t gotten any shots of Vivika Hansen deNegre, Quilting Arts editor, and Helen Gregory, editorial director for Interweave’s Quilt, Paper & Sewing Group. What fabulous women; I simply couldn’t have gotten through the day without their help and support. Thank you!

Oh, and one more funny story! As I was shooting the final chapter of the Workshop, I pricked my finger on a pin. I kept on talking and demonstrating, and pressing a seam open, as blood started to run down my finger. That’s what they had instructed me to do… just keep going until they told me to stop, no matter what. Just as it was about to drip onto the fabric, the producer yelled “cut!” and they ran out and got me a bandage. I had to shoot the rest of the chapter with it on my finger. I wonder if anyone will spot it when they watch?

Back at the hotel with my injured finger.

Opah

The Opah is the latest fish to be painted on my art quilt “We All Swim Together.”

OPAH
Latin Name: Lampris guttatus and Lampris immaculatus
Habitat: One species is found in tropical to temperate waters of most oceans. The other is limited to  34th parallel of the Southern Ocean.
Depth: deep water
6.5' and 650 pounds; the larger species is guttatus.
Notes: Color can range from an orangey-red all over, with dark orange-red fins, to a silver gray body with orange-red fins. The flesh is similar lightly flavored, similar to salmon, and nearly as pricey. It is used in sushi and sashimi.

To read more about this art quilt, click on the label “We All Swim Together” below.

Sketchbook Challenge Blog Hop

 

As many of you know, I am one of the host artists for The Sketchbook Challenge, a blog that aims to inspire and encourage aspiring artists to work in a sketchbook. For the next 21 days, we will be celebrating this month’s “Houses and Hideaways” theme with a blog hop!

Each day, beginning Monday, you’ll find a new post on The Sketchbook Challenge blog related to the theme. It will also include a link to the artist’s own blog, where you’ll find tutorials, videos, studio tours, exciting give-aways, and more. We are going to have lots of fun!

Here’s the lineup:

September 9 – Gina Lee Kim http://ginaleekim.blogspot.com/
September 10 – Jacqueline Newbold http://djnewbold.blogspot.com/
September 11 – Sue Bleiweiss http://www.suebleiweiss.com/blog
September 12 – Jackie Bowcutt http://stitchworks-jackie.blogspot.com/
Sept 13 – Kristin La Flamme http://kristinlaflamme.com/musings
Sept 14 – Jane Davies http://janedavies-collagejourneys.blogspot.com/
Sept 15 – Lyric Kinard http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com/
Sept 16 – Terry Grant http://www.andsewitgoes.blogspot.com/
Sept 17 – Carol Sloan http://www.carolbsloan.blogspot.com/
Sept 18 – Leslie Jenison http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com/
Sept 19 – Leslie Riley http://www.lesleyriley.com/weblog/
Sept 20 – Traci Bunkers https://www.tracibunkers.com/blog/
Sept 21 – Lynn Krawczyk http://fibraartysta.blogspot.com/
Sept 22 – Desiree Habicht http://myclothesline.blogspot.com
Sept 23 – Jamie Fingal http://jamiefingaldesigns.blogspot.com/
Sept 24 – Mary Beth Shaw http://mbshaw.blogspot.com/
September 25 – Kari McKnight-Holbrook http://backporchartessa.blogspot.com/
Sept 26 – Deborah Boschert http://deborahsjournal.blogspot.com/
Sept 27 – Susan Brubaker Knapp http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/
Sept 28 – Laura Cater Woods http://www.cater-woods.com/weblog/
Sept 29 – Jane LaFazio http://janeville.blogspot.com/

Big Chicken quilted!

“New Zealand Chook #4”
Copyright Susan Brubaker Knapp, 2013

Hooray! “New Zealand Chook #4” (a.k.a. “Big Chicken”) is threadsketched and quilted!

I really like the graphic pop-arty feel of this, and the bold colors. I added a little extra batting in the bottom of some of the feather sections to make them have a lot of texture. I did not quilt the comb, though, and it is a pretty big area; I hope it won’t sag without quilting. I heavily threadsketched it with a small meander, imitating the lumpy texture on the comb. It puffs out really nicely without quilting, and I didn’t want to quilt it flat. 

Now all that is left to do is to face it and add hanging sleeves for the slats. If you have never faced a quilt, I have a downloadable PDF tutorial on my blog, and on my website here. I recommend the non-mitered facing for beginners. It is much easier than the mitered version, and looks just as good.

I have a “Suffolk Sheep” painted and ready to stitch that is the same size; I think they will make great companion pieces, hanging side by side.  

Dear readers, I hope you are not getting too tired of looking at all these chickens and sheep. There is a reason for this madness; all will be revealed in a few months. 

“Never Enough”

I am calling this little piece “Never Enough.” If you are a quilter, or sewer, or crafter, you will know exactly what I mean. 

“What’s for Dinner?” is in Quilting Arts Gifts

I have a Halloween project in Quilting Arts Gifts 2013-2014; it has just come out. It includes several projects for Halloween, and many more for the holidays and winter season. 

I call my runner “What’s for Dinner?” (my husband came up with the name, which I think is perfect!) but they simply called it “Halloween Table Runner.” Perhaps they thought my name too gruesome even for Halloween?

There are more than 30 seasonal projects in this issue. You can find it on newsstands, quilt shops, or at the Quilting Arts online shop for $14.99.  

I can’t wait for Halloween; it is my favorite holiday, and my birthday, to boot! Here are some close-up photos of my runner:

GIVE-AWAY!

To start the celebration, I’m giving away a copy of the magazine. Leave a comment after this post and tell me which holiday is your favorite, and why. I’ll pull one name at random at noon, Monday, Sept. 2. 

Note #1: International readers are welcome to participate in this giveaway.

Note #2: If your comment does not show up right away, please don’t freak out. I now have to moderate/approve all comments, because I was getting a ton of Japanese porn spammers leaving comments on my blog! I’m a busy person, so it might now show up for a while, but I’ll approve it as soon as I can. I promise. 

We have a winner: BillieBee (billiemick) has won the magazine. Thanks for participating, everyone!

Suffolk Sheep #4 – better photos

I am always amazed at the difference it makes when I take the time to photograph my work outside, in natural light. This photo shows the same piece I posted about last night. I finished it after dark, so I took some photos inside, under an Ott light, which simulates daylight. Here is that photo: 

Isn’t the difference incredible? Even if the Ott light gets close to the real colors in the piece, it still produces a flat look. By shooting outside, in daylight, but either very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon, I can get much nicer subtle shadows that show off the indentations from the quilting. Can you see how much more dimension the two photos below have because they were shot outside?

Good lighting and good photography in general are very important if you want to enter your quilts in big quilt shows. If you talk to people who have screened and juried these shows, they will tell you amazing stories about out-of-focus shots, distorted shots, or photos with visible people/hands/feet showing. If you send in these photos, you usually don’t stand a chance of getting in.

When I was working on my book, I needed to be able to take good photos whether it was day or night, cloudy or bright. So I borrowed high-quality lights from my friend, Patrick Schneider, who is a professional photographer. I set up a mini photo studio inside my house, and I worked with C&T Publishing’s photography team to get better results. It made all the difference in the world. All the how-to photos were consistent, with good color balance and lighting. 

If you don’t have the time/money/patience/desire to set up a photo studio in your home, or if you don’t have the money to pay a professional photographer, here are five basic tips:

1. Shoot your piece outside, in early morning or late evenings, when shadows are longest.
2. Some people advise shooting on a cloudy day, but I get the best results when the sky is clear. 
3. Put your pieces flat on the ground, and use a ladder or step-stool, if needed, to get high enough that you can shoot straight down. (Very large quilts require a different approach, like hanging them on the side of a building, or off a deck railing.)
4. Place your quilt on a neutral-color sheet, or some other background that will not be distracting.
5. Consider your camera. Some camera’s lenses tend to distort the image, creating “fisheye” bulges. I have one camera I bought specifically because it was advertised as not doing this, and I do get much better results with it.

If you want to learn more, check out the fabulous information on Holly Knott’s website.  I also highly recommend Gloria Hansen’s book Digital Essentials for people who want to know how to save, resize, or manipulate their digital images, or prepare images to submit to quilt shows.

Suffolk Sheep #4, threadsketched and quilted

I think I’m done threadsketching and quilting Suffolk Sheep #4. I think I am. But I’m not sure. I think I’ll sleep on it. I also need to photograph it outside in natural light; these photos were taken very quickly, and inside, and they are still kind of flat.

One sheep down, three to go (#1, 2, and 3).

Suffolk Sheep #4 in progress

I have been threadsketching Suffolk Sheep #4. I started at Lake Norman Quilt Festival, where I was featured artist this weekend, and needed something to demonstrate. She is coming along nicely, but still needs a lot of thread to bring her to life. 

I took these photos outside this morning, and it is a dreary day, so there are no shadows – not good conditions for photographing fiber art – and it looks flatter than it is in real life. I’ll keep stitching, and will post photos when she is done – in the next few days, I hope! 

I am working on two large versions of this sheep, and two smaller ones. It is interesting how they all have their own personalities, as I painted them slightly differently!

Wanna be my (Facebook) friend?

If you are on Facebook, and would like to be friends, please look me up here and send me a request! If you’d just like to follow my fiber-art-related pursuits – and not hear about my kids or my recipes, look me up here. 

One of the things I like to post on Facebook are photos I take while walking my dog (most mornings). I do the same route each day, so I challenge myself to take a photo of something new and beautiful to post. I call it “beauty on my morning walk.” These are some of the photos I’ve taken – and shared on Facebook – recently:

Quilt! Knit! Stitch! August 14-16, 2014

International Quilt Festival has just announced that it will be holding “an entirely new show” in Portland, Oregon next summer: Quilt! Knit! Stitch! is scheduled for August 14-16. Sounds like fun! And Portland is a great city.

There’s not much information up about the event yet, but check back on the Quilts, Inc. website here later for more information. No, I’m not teaching there; I'm just passing on the info!

Lake Norman Quilters 2013 show

My exhibition at the show

I had a wonderful time at the Lake Norman Quilters’ quilt show this Friday and Saturday, where I was featured artist.  I got caught up with a lot of old friends, met some Facebook friends and blog followers face to face for the first time, and made some new friends. 

View from above

Display of red-and-white quilts

View from above

Some of the more than 200 quilts on display

The raffle quilt

Susan Dunne-Lederhouse demonstrates spinning

The spinning wheel turning

Many thanks to my special “minions” who helped me set up my booth on Thursday. I truly could not have done it without you!

ARTQUILTSfreezeframe

 
I’m pleased to announce that my piece, “Heirloom Pumpkins,” has been selected for the PAQA-South (Professional Art Quilters Alliance-South) annual Members’ Exhibit, ARTQUILTSfreezeframe. The show will showcase fiber art based on photography, revealing how artists find inspiration in photography and how they interpret that inspiration in their art quilts.

The Artists Reception is Sept. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m.; it is open to the public, and many of the artists will be there. (Unfortunately, I won’t, as I’ll be teaching in Massachusetts that day.) 

The exhibit runs Sept. 26 through Oct. 20 in Cary, NC (see details below). Each piece of fiber art will be shown with the photo that inspired it. It will feature 43 quilts created by 30 PAQA-South members, an expert group of professional fiber artists from across the United States who come together to promote innovative fiber and quilting arts. 

To learn more about PAQA-South or to join online, please visit www.paqa-south.org.  Sample photographs of previous shows and member artists’ works are available on the website.

WANT TO GO?

ARTQUILTSfreezeframe

Sept. 26 – Oct. 20, 2013 

Page Walker Arts & History Center

111 Ambassador Loop

Cary, North Carolina

(919) 460-4963
www.townofcary.org under Parks and Recreation

My photo, on which Heirloom Pumpkins was based.