Celebrating 51 Years of Star Trek

Today is the 51st Anniversary
of the Very First Episode of Star Trek!
Congratulations to the host of artists
who have contributed to this adventure
for the last half-century. 

Last year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary, I got a tattoo on my wrist of good ol' NCC-1701,

but it's so teeny it's hard to photograph.

This year, I made these blocks!!!

Anyone who's known me for more than a half an hour knows that I'm a pretty serious Trekkie. (I have double majors in TNG and TOS, with a minor in VOY. I am proficient with DS9, but it's an area I'm working on. Sooner or later I will get to ENT, and I'M ENTIRELY BESIDE MYSELF WITH EXCITEMENT ABOUT DISCOVERY!)

Star Trek has been a source of inspiration, and comfort, and fun for me since before I can remember, and making these blocks was a total delight.

When I finished piecing the block in the original classic-looking colorway (above with the whites and blues), I decided that I had gone invested too much time and energy to stop there, and a 2nd colorway just had to happen. This one should actually fit into the "2 Palette" quilt I started in 2014.

Rainbow colorway!

These tiny pieces are crazy even for me.

(the one to the left of the dime - it's so teeny you might miss it)

I love this total mess on the back! 

Weirdly, my Star Trek fabric stash is not as impressive as you might think - I'm actually really selective in this department.

As always, thanks for reading!

Happy Star Trek Anniversary, and Live Long and Prosper!

-Reyna de Courcy

Class Announcement: Intro to EPP with 'Lucy Boston' blocks! Gotham Quilts! (9/19)

I am once again teaching

a beginner-level English Paper Piecing class at Gotham Quilts!

We'll again be jumping in with 'Lucy Boston' quilt blocks.

The class is one 3-hour session

on Tuesday, September 19th

Students can sign up for either the afternoon session, 2:00-5:00pm

OR

the evening session, 6:00-9:00pm

This class is an introduction to English Paper Piecing, a traditional technique for hand-piecing quilt tops that dates back as far as the 1770's. This technique is simple to learn, addictive, portable, and can be used to piece an unlimited variety of designs. Students will learn the basic technique, and also experiment with different tricks and styles to find the way of working that is most fun for the individual. We will be learning the famous (and beginner-friendly) Lucy Boston quilt design (sometimes known as Patchwork of the Crosses).

Notes on experience level:

This class is designed for beginners, but any students interested in sharpening their E.P.P. skills, or exploring this fabulous Lucy Boston design are welcome. 

Details:

Again, this is a one-session class

held on Tuesday September 19th

Afternoon option will be 2:00-5:00pm

Evening option will be 6:00-9:00pm

Class will be held at 

Gotham Quilts

40 West 37th Street

(between 5th & 6th avenues)

To sign up

CLICK HERE

for the class page on the Gotham website.

Supplies:

Here's a list of things you'll need for class. 

- Precut paper pieces: 1" Honeycombs, "Small Pack" (not to be confused with regular hexagons OR elongated hexagons)

- Precut paper pieces: 1" Squares, 'Small Pack"

- Straight pins

- Needles for hand sewing (I recommend applique sharps)

- Fabric scissors (small ones are nice for this)

- Non-fancy thread for basting (whatever you've got lying around)

- Thread for piecing (I recommend 50 weight cotton in colors that either match the fabric you'd like to use or slightly duller. Medium greys are especially handy.)

- Fabric: quilting weight cotton - at least 1/8 yard of at least 4 fabrics that look nice together, and then 1/4 yard of one solid that will serve as a background.

- Notes on Fabric and Thread

More details and inspirations for fabric and thread selection will be discussed in class, and there will be time to shop! The selection at Gotham Quilts is great for this project. If you already have a bunch of thread and scraps and fat quarters and random fun fabrics that you'd like to use, go ahead and bring as many as you don't mind carrying! The more the merrier! I especially recommend bringing fabrics with interesting prints that repeat often, and stripes are tons of fun with this design. 

And that's everything I can think of to tell you about this class!

Let me know if you have any questions!

As always, thanks for reading!!!

All the best, 

Reyna

WHY could I not have reached down and removed that stray thread?! :)

"Balls!" Class comes to Gotham Quilts! (soon!)

I'm happy to announce that I will be once again teaching 

'BALLS!' class!

this time it will be at the wonderful

Gotham Quilts in NYC!

In this two-session class, students will learn the easy-to-master technique of 

English Paper Piecing, and get started by making balls.!

This is an ideal class for TRUE BEGINNERS, 

but experienced EPP-ers interested in exploring spherical projects 

are more than welcome. 

The balls can become toys, tree ornaments, accent pillows, 

pincushions, juggling balls, sachets, and more.

The class is TWO sessions:

Sunday afternoons, 1-4pm

January 8th and 15th

In case you are new to all this, English Paper Piecing is a traditional technique for hand-piecing quilt tops that dates back as far as the 1770's. It's simple to learn, addictive, portable, and can be used to piece an infinite variety of quilt designs. It's basically one of my favorite things to do - all of my work that I've posted on this blog was created with this technique. 

EPP especially great if you need a portable project to work on in your spare moments, if you have a schedule that involves random down-time, or if you have a commute where you don't have to drive. I get most of my work done on the subway!

Although experienced EPP-ers will have plenty to do, this class is ideal for folks who are brand-new to EPP, and even those who have never before lifted a needle. It is a relatively simple technique, so I will be demonstrating a variety of options, tips, and tricks, so that students can decide what style of working suits them best. 

And we'll be making balls! It's so much fun!

Students will have 8 different ball designs to choose from, depending on how big and how ornate they'd like their project to be.

Here are some ball projects I've made recently.

Some halloween balls - decorative orbs - highly tossable. 

Halloween balls with a rainbow "Bucky" ball.

Holiday ornaments.

This is a great big "Squareburst" ball (a rhombicosidodecahedron if you want to get technical).

Some triangle balls I made for Donna: one is a pincushion, one is a lavender bag, and one is an ornament.

Star Trek balls (the little one is a pincushion for my mom)

Where The Wild Things Are balls for my sister, Alisha. 

DETAILS:

Once again, the class will be TWO sessions,

Sunday afternoons, 1-4pm

January 8th and 15th

both sessions will be held at

Gotham Quilts

40 W 37th St, Ste 603, NYC

(btn 5th and 6th avenues)

To sign up, 

CLICK HERE

for the class page on the Gotham website

Here's a list of the supplies you'll need for class (almost everything is available at Gotham):

TOOLS:

- Students will need to purchase the “Balls!” Paper Piece Kit 

(This kit will contain all the paper pieces you’ll need and will be available on the first day of class)

- Straight pins 

- Needles for hand sewing (I recommend appliqué sharps) 

- Fabric scissors (small ones are nice for this) 

- Non-fancy thread for basting (whatever you’ve got laying around) 

- Filling (stuffing will happen in the second class, and we will discuss options at the end of the first class - cotton or polyester stuffing, dried lavender and pellets are all good options depending on what your ball wants to be when it grows up). 

FABRIC AND THREAD:

If you have a bunch of thread and scraps and fat quarters and random fun fabrics in your stash, go ahead and bring as many as you don’t mind carrying! The more the merrier! If you do not have a stash like that, fabric and thread color selection will be discussed in class, and there will be time to shop, but ultimately you will want 1/4 yard of at least 2 fabrics that look nice together. 

- For fabric, quilting weight cotton is recommended, but pretty much anything that isn’t stretchy is fine. (Small-scale novelty prints are lots of fun for this!)

- For piecing thread, I recommend 50 weight cotton in colors that either match the fabric you’d like to use, or are slightly duller. (Medium-dark greys are especially handy.)

And that's everything I can think of to tell you about this class!

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks for reading!

All the best,

Reyna