Inspired by Art
SCTMQG Guild Member’s Only
Presenter: David Owen Hastings
Starting with a favorite work of art, develop your own unique modern quilt design. Be inspired by shapes, colors, structure, or the feeling you get and design a block or whole quilt with an eye on modern minimalism.
MODERN QUILT DESIGN, INSPIRED BY CLASSIC ART
6 hours: Bring your own photo of a work of art, and we will explore the many ways you can take inspiration from it to develop your own quilt block or full quilt design. We will break down the image to its most basic elements, create a rough drawing, then start building a test block using improv techniques. David will demonstrate sewing curves without pins, and without fear. A PDF materials and supplies list will be emailed in advance.
This workshop is a 6-hour live-stream event, conducted on Zoom, consisting of live instruction (no recording, please). You should have the current version of Zoom installed on your computer or laptop. Guidance for getting started will be sent in advance of the workshop.
ZOOM WORKSHOP DETAILS
Experiment with different elemental geometric shapes, including gentle curves
Explore spare, simple compositions for a modern look
Think about figure and ground
Consider the sewing lines as a key design element
Select one work of art, and bring 1-2 photocopies of it to class
Break the artwork down into elemental blocks
Assess which blocks work well, and choose one to translate into fabric
Discuss color and value choices and decide on a palette
Map out pieces for one composition
Cut out fabric pieces improv style
Audition colors and placement
Build composition improv style, trying out multiple fabrics, stepping back to assess the effect of each
How do I quilt it? See a demo of how to add texture and surface design with walking foot quilting.
Watch a demo of facing a quilt for a modern look and joining finished quilt blocks
MAterials List
2–3 photos of works of art that you like: painting, print, photography, drawing or sculpture… it’s up to you. It doesn’t have to be a Japanese artwork or artist. Be inspired by shapes, colors, structure, or the feeling you get when looking at the artwork. I have supplied examples of Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) if you would like to use them. Please have color hard copies of the images you like best.
8-10 fabrics, in a range of values, patterns, and textures. Fat quarters work great for this project. Fabrics that read as a solid are easier to work with than strong patterns. Bring at least one solid dark fabric, and one solid white or off-white. You will select a few fabrics to use, but you will want a range to choose from. You do not need to match the colors of your artwork, but feel free to be inspired by the colors you see.
Standard cotton quilt batting for a design wall, about 24" x 24". Tape this up so you can experiment with your composition, and step back to see the results. Have your phone/camera handy to take pictures of your progress!
Cotton sewing thread for piecing in a neutral color, like medium grey. I prefer 50 wt. thread.
TOOLS/EQUIPMENT
Domestic sewing machine with quarter-inch seam allowance foot, or standard foot
Fresh machine sewing needle: 80/12
Rotary cutter
Scissors for paper and fabric shears
Seam ripper
Cutting mat
Quilting ruler
Fabric marking pen
Black Sharpie and a pencil with eraser
Pins
Smart phone with camera, or digital camera
Iron and ironing board
2 pieces of white letter size paper
For more about David, please visit www.davidowenhastings.com or follow @davidowenhastings on Instagram.