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?! :)

Hexatopia at Drop Forge & Tool

Hello! 

My big news today, is that I am once again going to be teaching Hexatopia, this time at a very cool artplace in Hudson NY called Drop Forge & Tool!

Founded and run by two of my favorite people ever, Katherine Daugherty and Michael Hoch, Drop Forge & Tool is all about maker workshops and creative residencies.

I was lucky enough to be there for their first big event - an open house with performances by The Bengsons. (If you don't know their music, drop everything and listen right now. Here, just watch this video of their song 'Bells'. You'll thank me.)

Here's me and Tahli hanging signs just before the party got started.  (We made the signs. Very proud. They're still hanging in the entrance of the residency apartment.)

Me and Tahli hanging signs for the DF&T open house - still under construction

 It's a really big place. There's room for something like 80 artists to stay in residence (hyperbole), and a workshop space in the attic where all sorts of art-magic is just bound to happen (understatement).

Here's the attic workspace still under construction:

DF&T workspace (under construction)

And here's a view from the street. You can tell from the snow that these pictures were taken a while ago. The place was still very much in-the-works at the time, and I think there are still bits and pieces getting worked on still, but it is up and running!

DF&T (under construction)

Apparently it's going to be a different color next time I visit.

Last time I went to visit, it was as an actor / theatre artist type person with a company called Agnes Table. Here's us at Drop Forge. We got the wheels rolling on a few different vague projects. (The best ones start vague.)

Agnes Table at DF&T: Reyna de Courcy, Sarah Wiggin, Michael Hoch, & Jason Lambert

So, now I'm going back to teach some workshops!

First, I'm teaching a beginning English Paper Piecing class. (Tues 5/5 - 6-9pm).
We're going to learn the basic technique, talk about different styles of working, and tools - then we're going to go over Grandmother's Flower Garden, Patchwork of the Crosses, & how to make a (3D) soccer ball.

And then I'll be diving into teaching Hexatopia (3 sessions Wednesdays 5/6, 5/20, & 6/3 - 6-9pm).

If you happen to be in the Hudson, NY area, and you're interested in taking the class, there are more details here, AND other cool workshops coming up!

When last I taught this class, I made a blog entry with lots of details about what the Hexatopia class is all about. Obviously, allllll the logistical details are all different, but if you're considering taking the class, you might find it informative.

In the meantime, here are some of the blocks I've been making!

This one I finished just moments ago.

Rotational symmetry w this great Japanese fabric I found at Cool Cottons in Portland OR.

Rotational symmetry might, in fact, be the theme of the rest of this post:

Lost of green with fussy blackbirds

Classic Whirlagig with white birds. (You don't think the colors look too much like traffic-type things, do you?)

This next one I've been calling 'Live Long & Prosper' because I was working on it when I heard the news that Leonard Nimoy had passed away. One day I would like to design a block specifically with him in mind, but for now, this will have to do. I used surface-of-the-moon fabric for the outside, and bright stars for the inside.

Live Long & Prosper

Thank you so much for reading!

All the best, 

Reyna

Los Angeles Adventures

I'm extremely pleased to announce that the play I worked on at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago last winter, 'Luna Gale' is going up at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles! If you happen to be in town, tix are on sale, and previews start tonight!

It's an absolutely amazing script by Rebecca Gilman, directed by the totally tubular Bob Falls, and I'm thrilled to be reunited with the entire original Chicago cast.

People ask me what it's about, and I'm terrible at summaries, but this video they put together really gets at the heart of it:

I'm going to be walking out the door to go do our first preview in less than an hour - what a strange feeling! We did the play for over a month when it was at the Goodman last winter, and we've had three weeks (2 in Chicago, and 1 here in LA) to get it back on it's feet, so I think it is definitely ready for this first preview audience. I'm so proud of the play, and I'm so proud to be working with all these brilliant people, I really am having a wonderful time, but it's a demanding and complicated play - these last few hours before curtain are like looking down at whitewater rapids just before pushing your raft into the water.

But, backing up a little....

FIRST, before I left NY, I had to pack up a bunch of blocks for me to sew while I'm away! I brought my entire thread collection... I'm picky about colors. :)

packing blocks for LA

I won't be back in NYC (where all my supplies and stash is) until the beginning of January - I designed, cut, and packed up 18 blocks - all ready for piecing - I think that will be plenty! So many sandwich bags!

THEN, I got on a plane and flew away from NYC...

TTFN NYC!

Next stop was Chicago, where we rehearsed for 2 weeks.

OMW to rehearsal, back at the Good ol' Goodman

So great to be reunited with the team - these people are amazing! (Yes, I do get paid every time I use the word 'amazing'.)

Lunch with the cast (counter-clockwise from L): Jordan Baker, Colin Sphar, Richard Theiriot, Melissa DuPrey (picture-taker front and center), Erik Hellman, me, and Mary Beth Fisher

THEN, we got on a plane, and flew to ridiculous Southern California

ridiculous LA - Marina del Rey

While everyone I know is freezing their fingers off in NY and Chicago, we're parading around in shorts. (Actually, I failed to pack shorts because the idea of shorts in November... I just didn't believe.)

obligatory selfie at the beach

We're staying at these apartments that are literally 5 minutes (walking) to the beach... and this is what the walk looks like...

going to catch sunset at the pier

Our venue, the Kirk Douglas Theatre, used to be an old movie theatre! Check out how cool it looks!

Kirk Douglas Theatre

Check out the adorable box office out front!

Kirk Douglas old school box office

And it lights up like some sort of magical ice palace at night... I'll get more pictures of it's nighttime look soon.

Kirk Douglas by night - our amazing director, Bob Falls took this picture.

Bringing it all back to quilting..

I've been so busy with all the traveling and rehearsal and whatnot, I've so far only completed 1 of the 18 blocks that I've packed.

New block: Appropriately sunshiny colors for my first week in California!

So, now it's getting to be about time for me to walk out the door and go do this crazy show!

(I always like to be way early.)

Wish me broken legs!

And thanks for reading!

All the best,

Reyna

Astronomical Quilt at the Houston Festival

For those of you who are just tuning in,

during her time on the International Space Station,
Astronaut Karen Nyberg hand-peiced a very cool star block...

... and then invited all of us quilters everywhere to contribute our own star-themed blocks to be combined with hers into a big global community space quilt to be displayed at the International Quilt Festival in Houston! (<3 <3 <3 <3 <3) If you haven't yet, you must watch the video invite.

In the end
the project received 2,260 blocks! 
They had to make 28 panels to fit them all!
How fabulous is THAT!

To my extreme delight, they chose to put my block in the main panel (of the 28)
just a few blocks over from Karen Nyberg's! (When I found this out, I pretty much squealed and ran around my apartment like a little kid.)

Here's Astronaut Nyberg at the festival with the finished piece!

Astronaut Karen Nyberg with the completed Astronomical Quilt!

This picture makes me grin so big, I can't even deal with it! :) 

Astronaut Nyberg's block is the red white and blue one in the center, and mine is just to the right..
well, mine looks like this:

more deets/pictures here

I really wish I could've gone to visit the festival, and seen all 28 panels, but sadly that just wasn't in the cards for me. 

Luckily, my friends Emily Klainberg and Deborah Bingham were in attendance, and were kind enough to send me some pictures! (Thanks so much you guys!!!)

There's my block! And there's Astronaut Nyberg's!!!

all-over star quilting in the mix

Furthermore

the festival posted a gallery on the website of 48 of the Astronomical Blocks along with the correspondence that accompanied them. There are some really amazing letters and stories - you gotta check it out! I can't recommend enough!

Here are a few of my favorites:

This one is by Ilana Spanier. 

The seven points commemorate the 7 astronauts of the Columbia Space Shuttle.

Astronomical Block by Ilana Spanier

This one is by Dana Saxon, PhD, it's the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram! So cool!

Astronomical Block by Dana Saxon, PhD

This next one is by Marianne LaFarge. I love the view of Spain!

Astronomical Block by Marianne LaFarge

And this last one is by Jan Meredith in honour of her father who worked on instrumentation on Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.

Astronomical Block by Jan Meredith

There are really a lot more. You've just gotta check out the gallery and read the letters. Very cool. 

Once again, I'm so glad that I got to contribute to this project. 

Space exploration and the amazing explorers who do the exploring are a great source of inspiration to me. When I made my block, I felt like I was writing a thank-you letter for that, and I'm sure that's true for most, if not all, of the 2,260 quilters who participated. 

Thanks for reading!

All the best,

Reyna

Astronaut-Quilter Karen Nyberg sewing aboard the ISS <3

6 Completed Blocks: Eggs, Moths, Owls etc

Well, the last 2 months have been so busy, I have several post that I've been meaning to make, but just haven't had any spare time. Now that I've got a minute, I can't decide where to start, so I'm going to keep it simple for now and share the 6 blocks that I've completed since my last post - all in the new palette I talked about last time.

I'm especially proud of this first block.

'String of Pearls' - 61 pieces, edges finishing at 3.75",
designed specifically for this egg print with the Reverse Window Shopping technique 

I've been calling it 'String of Pearls' and I think of Marge Simpson every time.

The block design was inspired by this egg print - I used the Reverse Window Shopping technique to single out individual eggs.

Martha Negley Westwood Egg Linen

Ended up being 61 pieces. Yikes! It took forever, but I enjoyed the process!

'String of Pearls' with Eggs, detail

And then after that I needed a break so I went with something nice and simple.

This next one makes me think of the windows at my friend Jim's historic farm house in New Hampshire.

Jim's Windows - setting the table

So I'm nicknaming it 'Jim's Windows'.

'Jim's Windows' in lavender and grey

(I'm currently working on designing a block in honour of his diningroom table - more on that soon.)

This next one I made as part of my 2nd round of the Hexatopia class at the City Quilter (more on THAT soon! so behind on my posts!)

And then this one I made with the Reverse Window Shopping Technique, isolating these Tim Holtz moths.

Moths - designed with the Reverse Window Shopping technique

Last, but not least is one that my sister Tahli nicknamed for me,
it's called 'Ancient Alien Technology'

'Ancient Alien Technology'

It's one that I'm really looking forward to trying with different prints.

That's all for now, but hopefully in the near future I'll be posting with follow-up about Karen Nyberg's Astronomical Quilt, as well as news of my current out-of-town adventures in Chicago and Los Angeles, and a loonnnng overdue post about my 2nd round teaching Hexatopia at the CQ.

Thanks for reading!
All the best,
Reyna