Choosing Companions

I'd a lovely chat with someone who wanted to purchase fabric on my website. A first for me! Made me think on how I pick companions. My rule of thumb is that they either slide together and are 'seamless' or distinct from each other so that no matter how I combine the cuts, the piecing shows. So, show or no.
 

Flat Seams Good

A seam pressed flat will allow me to have all the images flat on the 'page' as opposed to the rise that comes from pressing to one side. An experiment learned long ago from a talented teacher. It gives me the greatest range of application when choosing the final quilting. Anyway, here's something never to be seen.
 

Detail Shot

Often a detail of the work is allowed when a piece is submitted for jurying into an exhibition. I try to make the details just as interesting compositionally as I would make the piece itself. But the main reason is to show, well, detail. Or how it was fabricated and finished. 
 

My Hot Mess

The second day of the Columns workshop had me searching for an example of blocks that had set in shapes. This pile from long ago surfaced. Its last configuration was awful, so I applied the columns rule, added a large piece for breathing, and this I'll keep. Moral: listen to your own directions.
 

Columns Sketched

I've done a few sketches for an upcoming class "Columns". I've got the two starters on top, the mix at bottom. The class is about composition using a columnar form. Another class "Make It and Break It" deals with improvisational piecing (as does Columns) but with adding a template to capture the design. Check my virtual classes if you're interested www.patpauly.com/virtualclasses
 

Full Moon for March

Worm moon, the nickname for this month's moon, has things coming out of the ground and emerging. Which is how we can feel after being closed up for so long. I'm ready for getting out, even if clouds cover tonight's full moon. 
 

Insanely Intricate

A rarity -- two images -- but necessary to show Judy Kirpich's work Memory Loss No.6 and how insanely pieced and quilted it is. The composition and structure of the piece is paramount, but, gee, the construction and finishing are pretty wow. This is part of Quilts=Art=Quilts.
 

I Forgot How Much I Loved Piecing

Today class felt great. What's more fun that a gathering where everyone is exploring and trying new compositions? As I demo, I end up with little sketches. This leftover bit I couldn't help by want to make six feet tall. Felt so good to sew again. And teach, too.

Float Your Shape, Sweetheart

As a piecer I'm always looking to set in a shape just where I want it, not necessarily where it is easiest to fit. I'm getting adept at plopping it down and then melting it in. See, I've got "ears" attached to this shape, and common cuts to set it in. Part of the "Line, Shape, Setting" class.

Skinny Line Study

A little study showing the fabrics I use for those skinny lines will travel with me to Napa this January. It replaces the one I once traveled with. Seems that other line study needed to keep traveling, so here's my new friend.

Line, Shape, Setting

I'm taking my own advice. I'll be at Craft Napa in California this January teaching how to cut shapes into any background and then piece in. I love what comes of that. I've got my start, now to see how it morphs. Oh, and line needs to show up, too.