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