Monday, December 7, 2015

Start Out Your Year in Napa: the Craft Napa blog hop stop!




I hope you are as excited about the upcoming Craft Napa retreat as I am!  I will be teaching all three days, but if I wasn't I would be taking workshops alongside you.  I'm delighted to be teaching with so many wonderful and inspiring instructors.  What a perfect way to jumpstart the creativity for 2016, right?


I've decided to offer these three workshops:
"Intro to Improvisational Piecing: Quilt Design with a Modern Spirit"
"Sweet Little Somethings: Mixed Media Paper & Fabric Collage"
and "Geltastic & Printalicious"

I thought I would show you a bit about all three of them, so come on!

Intro To Improv was inspired by my desire to figure out what people might do with those stacks of die-cut fabric, usually called "Layer Cakes".  I wondered if I could come up with something interesting.
This was the first quilt I constructed, called "Fifty Shades of Groovy".
This quilt was juried into the inaugural QuiltCon show in 2013.

I had so much fun making this quilt that I proceeded to make many more using this basic technique.  Each quilt has its own "personality", and I learned some new tricks along the way which I will share with you in this workshop.  It is a really fun process and is perfect if you are a beginning quilt maker or if you have some serious skills.  As long as you can use a rotary cutter/ruler and know the basic stuff about using a sewing machine, you are good to go!

Here is the most-recent quilt using the same general technique.
This quilt is called "Thoroughly Mondrian Millie" and is queen-sized.

Truly, the possibilities are endless so come explore this fun improv class with me.  Most students get the basic central "unit" constructed in the 6-hour workshop.  

And guess what?  We will have our own beautiful stable of Bernina sewing machines to use all day long!  What?   How great is that?! 

Geltastic & Printalicious is a fun and fabulous way to do some mark-making/printing in a few different ways.  First, we will craft our own unique stamps using fun foam.  We will use the stamps in two ways:  gelatin mono printing and stamping!  We might even make a few rubbings using these same stamps.  Versatile, aren't they?! 

I love using this set of techniques to make all sorts of tags, cards, and more.

Gelatin printing is great when used with stencils, too!




Oh, I use all sorts of crazy tools to make marks.  Come play with me and I'll show you!  I'm writing about this one 2nd because I think these could be used in the third and final workshop.....

Sweet Little Somethings is a very lovely, meditative workshop that I think you will enjoy.  I am one of those people that needs to be doing something with my hands when I have down-time.  I love to have a little project to stitch on when I am in an airplane, the rare times I am a passenger in a car, etc..  I love to stitch!   I combine that with my habit of collecting little bits of ephemera along the path of my travels.  Combining the textures of cloth, paper, and stitch is so much fun and I will show you several approaches I use to do this.  
We will create some basic substrates and use part of the day to simply stitch (using Bernina sewing machines and hand-embroidery, so bring both types of thread!).  What could be better?  Plus, you will have some groovy tidbits to continue working on in your hotel rooms or while you are hanging out with all your new friends during the evenings of the event.

Here are a few things I have made in the spirit of this workshop:






and machine stitching.....

And wait!  There's more!

 CRAFT NAPA is being sponsored by BERNINA and Meissner Sewing and Vacuum Centers.   https://www.meissnersewing.com 

 http://www.bernina.com/en-US


·        Deadline for comments is December 10th at midnight PST.  The grand prize is a $500 Gift Certificate from eQuilter!
Please leave a comment on my blog (and all the others!) to be eligible for the drawing.  Pokey will draw the winner from all blog comments after midnight of December 10th.


Please be sure to visit all the other participants!  Here's the blog hop list:
Nov 30 – Jane LaFazio – http://janeville.blogspot.com/
Dec 1 – Lynn Krawczyk – http://smudgeddesignstudio.com/blog/
Dec 2 – Judy Coates Perez - http://www.judycoatesperez.com/
Dec 3 – Jenny K. Lyon - http://quiltskipper.com/blog/
Dec 4 – Jamie Fingal -  http://JamieFingalDesigns.blogspot.com/
Dec 5 – Melanie Testa – http://melanietesta.com/blog/
Dec 6 – Elizabeth St. Hilaire - http://www.paperpaintings.com/
Dec 7 – YOU ARE HERE! - http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com/
Dec 8 – Carrie Bloomston - http://www.carriebloomston.com/blog/
Dec 9 – Cheryl Sleboda – http://blog.muppin.com
Dec 10 – Pokey Bolton - http://pokeysponderings.com/

75 comments:

  1. I love the clever names you've used for your improv quilts! And so many creative classes! Very inspirational! See you in January!

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  2. Thanks for the extra sneak peeks at your classes. How does one decide?

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  3. Thanks for the extra sneak peeks at your classes. How does one decide?

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  4. I hope you can teach a local class on sweet little something. I'd ready to try mixed media but need a little jump start. Maybe when the studio is ready?

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  5. I would love to take your class, it sounds like so much fun! It just isn't in the cards right now. Thanks for the fun post.

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  6. Such beautiful, enthusiastic work! Thank you for the opportunity!

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  7. Such beautiful, enthusiastic work! Thank you for the opportunity!

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  8. The gelatin printing is something that I'd like to try sometime.

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  9. I'm signed up for the piecing class - very excited. See you in January!

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  10. I like the way you use non-conventional items in your printing of fabrics.

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  11. Love, love, love all these projects! Really must get my act together to make something inspired by these.

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  12. Great ideas. Love the quilt with the pictures. That is a very different, interesting way of making a memory quilt!

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    1. I think you are onto something....but actually that quilt was constructed with commercial prints! I like where you are going....

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  13. I love little projects with big impact. You're really hitting the mark. Can't wait to see your work in person at Craft Napa.

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  14. Wonderful ideas....can't wait to win!

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  15. My friend Judy Tucker is going...lucky duck

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  16. The gelatin looks interesting. I'd like to try it. I like incorporating embroidery and beads in my quilting.

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    1. It is so much fun! It would flow beautifully with the embroidery and beading. I love using bits I have printed in my small collaged pieces.

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  17. So exciting. Can't wait to learn some of these fun techniques. Thanks for the blog.

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  18. Love your fifty shades quilt - very modern!!!

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    1. Thanks! This pattern is so versatile. I still have a handful of ideas for it and I'm always surprised at what my students come up with.

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  19. Your art is amazing! I would love to be able to join you in Napa, or just be able to see your work in person!

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  20. Looks like a lot of fun to be had...wish I could make it. :(

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  21. Hi Leslie, See you at Craft Napa

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  22. Can't wait. Am in need of some creative energy!

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    Replies
    1. I cannot wait to see you there, my dear friend! Woo Hoo!

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  23. Your classes sound fun! I can't attend the workshops this year, we have a new granddaughter arriving about that time. So maybe next year. Thanks for the chance to win!

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    1. Next year! Next year! Next year! You have your priorities in the right place: a new grand babe! How exciting! Congrats to the entire family.

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  24. I love "Thoroughly Mondrian Millie" - it's the perfect use of focus fabric.

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  25. I wish I could take all of the classes, they all sound so wonderful. East coast me is meeting my west coast sister for a class at Craft Napa and we are so excited for the adventure together. Looking forward to meeting everyone there.

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    1. I look forward to meeting you there, too! How wonderful that you are meeting your sis for a retreat together! I love that idea.

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  26. I'm so disappointed to not be able to make it to Craft Napa. Your classes sound like fun! I love the play on words for your quilt names!

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    1. Thanks. There will be other events in the future and I hope you can make it to one of them!

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  27. Love your poppy. Nice use of color and line.

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    1. Thanks so much. That was a "free-hand" embroidery. I love doing that.

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  28. Clever class ideas. Glad some crafty ideas are offered. Best works to all who attend and the teachers.

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    1. Thanks so much. If you are in Sonoma county, you should drop in for an event or two!

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  29. Great ideas! Wish I could attend.

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  30. You inspire me! See you at Craft Napa!

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  31. Great class ideas. So inspirational. Looking forward to January in Napa!

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  32. Hoping to be one of those last minute sign ups at Craft Napa! Love your work!
    Thanks for the chance to win.

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  33. These classes all sound great! I'll be shivering in the northeast while you all are enjoying wine country! Thanks for a chance to win!

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  34. These classes all sound great! I'll be shivering in the northeast while you all are enjoying wine country! Thanks for a chance to win!

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  35. I would love to take all 3 of your classes! So Creative!

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  36. This sounds like a great event. Hopefully I can attend another one in the future!

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  37. I hope to someday take a class from you as I just love your work!!! Thanks so much for sharing your ideas and energy!

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  38. I hope to someday take a class from you as I just love your work!!! Thanks so much for sharing your ideas and energy!

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  39. The art of improv has eluded me so far. -- soparkaveataoldotcom

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