I’ve had a bit of a break from my week-long online classes—the last was at the end of February—as I was back to in-person teaching during the last few months. This year I’ve got a nice balance of online vs. in-person class weeks this year—four of each. Click here for more information about attending one of my remaining 5-day online classes in 2024.
So after some travel here and there, it was nice to not have to pack and tote my clothing and classroom materials to and from airports, and instead, teach a great group of women from the comfort and ease of my studio. In the early on-line classes back in 2020 and ’21, I would still dress in my “teaching clothes” (which I thoroughly enjoy wearing), even though no one ever saw my funky leggings and hand-dyed socks. I’ve certainly relaxed into the Zoom concept, now paying special attention my funky jewelry to put me in that “teaching mindset” to encourage color and fun into the classroom.
This second online class of the year focused on intermediate and advanced students who were interested in delving into fabric collage portraiture—either to continue their learning or as a first-time subject—such as Joanna White’s husband’s portrait, detail above.
I’m proud to say they all did spectacularly, as you’ll see in both this post and next week’s Saturday post—three students and their work in each. Each person has sent us a nice write-up about their chosen subject, which we have included along with in-progress photos below. In a couple coincidental cases, subjects were self-portraits as ten- and eleven-year-olds with their pets!
At the end of each student’s section of their classroom collage project, you’ll find a gallery of previous work they shared for our after-class “happy hour” one evening that week. It was enjoyable to get to know these ladies a little better as they shared their fabric collage experiences.
Please click on any smaller images to see them larger and to scroll through each photo gallery.
Jackie Dalley
From Jackie:
My quilt is based on a photo that was taken of me when I was 11 years old, back in the 1960s, with our “pet” owl, Ichabod. I chose this photo because it encapsulates my family growing up–a mix of Dick and Jane wholesomeness and The Addam’s Family quirkiness. (We did live on Avenida Bizarro after all!.)
My mother was a bird enthusiast, to say the least. We had an aviary full of birds in our backyard, as well as many pet birds in the house–mynah birds, parakeets, cockatiels, a parrot, etc. When the local pet shop let her know that they had rescued a baby owl, she immediately volunteered to take it. My brother built another aviary for Ichabod and we had him as a pet for several months until we released him into the wild. When we had formal family photos taken, Ichabod had to be included, and so here he is on my shoulder!
I haven’t really chosen a name for my quilt yet. Still thinking on that one and taking suggestions!
Jackie Dalley Show and Share
LeahGrace Kayler
From LeahGrace:
The name of my quilt is 1964. This is me as a 10-year-old, posing for a photo. Peter Pan collars were in fashion, as were Siamese cats. I loved my cat, Suki, very much. I was a “tween,” not old enough to be a teenager, too old to be a little girl. I was awkward and unsure of who I was supposed to be. The “self” inside me was often hidden as unacceptable. In this photo, I see both the obedient child, doing her best to be what was wanted in this photo session, and the girl with the big smile (and teeth!) who put a lot of kindness into her world.
LeahGrace Kayler Show and Share
Joanna White
From Joanna:
“The Observer”. Needing a positive artistic challenge at a difficult time last summer, I searched for a way to make collage quilts of animals, and stumbled upon Susan‘s entrancing “Dixie Dingo Dreaming“ quilt. I was amazed by the beauty and virtuosity of her work and am particularly drawn to her whimsy. I studied her blogs and videos to find that everything she says made sense to me, so I then did three small quilts: my sister‘s dog, my friend’s father, and my cat. As a musician and music professor, I don’t have time to quilt during the school year, but I vowed take a class the next year from Susan, who is clearly a phenomenal teacher.
For this class, I chose my husband as a subject. He makes time to be in the natural world, taking beautiful bird and flower photos, so I took over a hundred pictures of him until I got one I felt captured the spark of his joy in that world.
Embarking on the project, I first searched for bird, flower, and nature fabrics that I might use in this project, some in obvious ways, and some in disguise. I had one idea to use the animal fur from a wild animal panel, which I cut up to paint the beard and hair in my husband‘s portrait. When I first asked Susan, if that would work, I think she was skeptical at first but she agreed I could at least try it, so that became a my entry. Susan is a perceptive teacher and the artists in the class were unbelievably inspiring. We got so much done in a week, but I still want to work on capturing the face before tackling the rest of the picture. I look forward to working on the quilt throughout this summer.
Joanna White Show and Share
Introducing a special summertime Thursday Night series—live from my studio!
Fascinating Fabric Collage Bugs and Butterflies Zoom Follow-Along
July 18 and 25, and August 8 and 15, 2024—7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Each session will last roughly 1-1/2 hours.
Price: $78
USE THIS LINK TO REGISTER
Included:
• Four presentations of instruction and demonstration
• Question and answer periods
• Free bug or butterfly pattern
• Recordings of all sessions sent to your email
• Materials list
Starting mid-July and for four Thursdays, I invite you to join me via Zoom to play with fabric and create a fascinating insect collage—patterns of beetles, butterflies, or a cicada specially designed for this class, will be available.
Blown away by these artistic ladies. Stunning results.