Presentation Topics (45 minutes – 1 hour)
Contact me at johnniemckenzie@att.net for availability and price per session. Many sessions are free.
From
cotton fields to art quilts, from necessity to the pure joy of quilting
My Art Quilt Process:
presenting the finished piece
Telling Your Story:
How
to unleash your creativity and tell your story in fabric, creativity
techniques,
design considerations, material options, etc.
Workshops/Classes
Meraki Color Pops Quilt Stories (6 hours)
Meraki is a Greek word meaning doing what
you do with passion and leaving a part of you in your effort. It could be any
task, but especially those that come from our passion for arts and crafts. In
this class you will create a “color pop” that will illustrate something
important to you, a small quilt that will contain a little bit of you. You will
complete three creativity exercises to learn how to tell your quilt story. The
skills taught for embellishing your color pop are couching, beading, and
decorative stitching.
Materials Required for Class: A materials list will
be sent to you when you register.
Original Designs with no Piecing (6 hours)
Materials Required for Class: A materials list will
be sent to you when you register.
Easy-Fast Paper Piecing (6
hours)
Paper
piecing offers many benefits such as precision piecing (perfect points), the
ability to sew tiny pieces accurately, the ability to sew fabric cut on the
bias without stretching, make extremely complex blocks, and avoid cutting block
components with templates.
You will learn the value of the number sequence on patterns and how paper piecing and traditional piecing work together, how to prepare fabric for the most accurate sewing, and how to choose the best thread and needle are also covered. You will create at least two different blocks (palm leaf and tulip), trim seams and components, remove the paper quickly and easily, and press the block for final assembly. This class includes printed paper pattern pieces for the entire wall quilt/table topper shown in the top left graphic. A materials and tools list will be sent to you when you register.
Materials Required for Class: A materials list will
be sent to you when you register.
EQ (Electric Quilt) for Every Day Use
(6 hours)
You don’t have to be a quilt or pattern designer to benefit greatly
from EQ. In this class, you will learn how it can help you make routine,
everyday quilting a lot easier. I will cover:
·
How to start a new project and organize your
files
·
The interface and tools
·
The language of graphic software, e.g., nodes,
segments, grid, etc.
·
The vast EQ resources such as blocks, fabrics,
etc.
·
How to use the Sketchbook to save your blocks
and quilts
·
How to create a quilt, print block patterns, and
calculate yardage
·
How to create a new block, trace an image, and edit
blocks
Class Materials Required: Laptop with EQ installed, mouse, mouse pad
Make It Modern in EQ (4 hours)
This class is for those who are
comfortable with EQ and who want to create quilts in the modern style using the
fundamentals of traditional blocks. You will learn the basics of what makes a
quilt modern, how to modify your favorite traditional blocks to “modernize”
them, and use a custom quilt design to create your own, original modern quilt,
table runner, or wall hanging.
Class Materials Required: Laptop with EQ installed, mouse, mouse pad
Fabric Slashing (6 hours)
In this class, students will create an original design and
make a pillow ready for an insert. Think about what a great gift this would
make for someone special.
Materials Required for Class: A materials list will
be sent to you when you register.
Four Ways to Bind a Quilt (3 hours)
The binding speaks loudly or
softly, depending on what design element you choose for it to play. This class
covers four ways to “finish” your quilt: traditional binding (WOF strips and
bias), facing, yarn, and cord. You will finish a sample quilt sandwich in all
four ways and learn when to you which to get the design effect you want.
Materials Required for Class: A materials list will
be sent to you when you register.
Temperature Quilts – A full Year or an Annual Celebration (6 hours)
I have always loved watching the weather
patterns around me. As Paul Simon sings:
I get the news I need on the weather report
Oh, I can gather all the news I need on the weather report
Hey, I’ve got nothing to do today but smile
De-doh-n-doh-de-doh
And here I am the only living boy in New York
Like
the song, a temperature quilt always brings a smile to my face. However, many of
us don’t want to create 365 blocks as the year moves forward, even one day at a
time. So in this class you will have a choice to use current and future weather
data or create a quilt using historical data. And you can choose to create a
“special event” quilt using historical weather data for a particular date over
multiple years, for example, a temperature quilt depicting the weather on a
child’s birthday or first day of school. You will learn:
·
Where to find historical climate data or capture
current data
·
What climate data to include such as high and
low temperatures, precipitation, wind velocity, humidity, etc.
·
How to create a range of values based on the
data
·
How to view the data to make color and fabric
choices
·
How many colors to use
·
How to choose a block and quilt structure. The
instructor will demonstrate 12 block choices that range from a simple one-seam
goose to a bit more complex with curved piecing. Some blocks that can be easily
fused will also be included. The instructor will provide patterns for each
block demonstrated.
·
How to create your construction “road map”
Once you choose your block, I will provide the pattern for
you in the size you choose. I will provide demos and tips on make the blocks I
present.
Coloring Your World Creative Workshop (2
days)
Imagine yourself on the space station looking down at your community, your state, your country, your world. What colors define your life on Planet Earth? Do you have a favorite poem, book, painting, or photograph that illustrates how you see your environment, in the past, in the future? Whatever your inspiration, it’s worth capturing in a quilt. The three-dimensional image in this pattern is a natural for interpreting your passion for the world around you.
This is a two-session workshop. Vision, Design, and Construction is the first session. The second session is Bringing Life to Your World. I recommend the sessions be scheduled 1 week apart to allow students to complete the majority of the piecing. A materials and tools list will be emailed to you after registration.
Session 1: Vision, Design, and Construction (6 Hours)
Skill Level: Experienced
Quilter to Advanced
What’s Provided: Pattern (ready to paper piece and
original for your future use)
In the first session, you will explore your vision of your
world and bring your inspiration to life, plan the construction and materials
(fabrics and embellishments), and you will practice embellishing techniques
using provided quilt sandwiches.
The quilt is a three-dimensional globe composed of
easy-to-piece Darting Birds blocks. Paper piecing skills are helpful. In this
first session you will make a sample component with provided fabric to make
sure you are comfortable with the piecing method.
A sewing machine and basic sewing tools are required for
this session. A detailed materials and tools list will be sent to you well in
advance of the session.
Session 2: Bringing Your World to Life (6 Hours)
Skill Level: Walking Foot and
Free Motion Quilting Experience Helpful
What’s Provided: Assorted embellishments and threads.
In this session, you will focus on finishing the piecing of the top, making the quilt sandwich and begin quilting using straight stitching with a walking foot, couching and decorative stitching. You will also learn to use different types of thread, including metallic threads. I created this workshop out of my passion to express my love, joy, fear, and sorrow for our planet as it faces the climate crisis. The three quilts above were inspired by the following poem:
We Walk
When meadow grass tickles bare toes
and sea jewels dot crystal beaches,
When canyon rims
smile with show girl lips
and ancient hardwood arms soothe souls,
When knobby-kneed
trees stand proud
and orchids cling to their bark,
When skies fill
with migration melodies
and snow-covered peaks glisten from afar,
With hearts
filled with joy and reverence,
We walk.
and salty fingers touch our sidewalks,
When geographies
of hope are ravaged
and farmlands lie barren,
When white blooms
pockmark the oceans
and whale songs go unsung,
When Earth’s last
salvation slowly slips away
and the parade of extinction gains speed,
With hearts
filled with sadness and fear,
We walk.
When the sun stalls over head
and leaves curl in retreat,
When riverbeds
refuse footprints
and winds slice to the bone,
When only tears
quench thirst
and bird songs are but memories,
When there is no
spring, no summer, no winter, no fall
and rivers have no direction,
With hearts
filled with rage and regret,
We walk.
1 comment:
Johnnie is a great teacher! I learned to paper piece with her and she made it so easy! Her method is foolproof and easy to follow. I will continue to attend her classes.
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