High School Quilts

I had a busy week last week mailing out art work, tennis lessons, trip preparations and wrapping up my teaching at Branksome Hall.

I worked with a small group of students and finished up the quilt making that I started with the entire grade last month. The blocks were made and designed by all the grade 8 students.

First step- Place the blocks in a pleasing fashion.
Second step- Sew the rows together being attentive to the block intersections.

Since we were pressed for time, I suggested we make the quilts the "turn inside out" way instead of the traditional way that ends with a binding.

Third step- Lay your top, good side up over the batting and pin the two layers together using safety pins.
Fourth step- Cut the batting right up to the edge of the quilt.
Fifth step- Tape the back fabric, good side up, onto a table so there won't be any shifting when doing the next step.
Sixth step- Lay the top and batting combo, good side down, over the back fabric.
Seventh step- Pin all the way around using straight pins.
Eighth step- Sew around the edge leaving a gap at one end.
Ninth step- Trim backing.
Tenth step- Turn inside out through the gap you left.
Eleventh step- Add a top stitch all around the quilt which closes up the gap.
Last step- Tie the quilt using pearl cotton.

Lots of steps but the girls were so good at listening that it went pretty fast.

Originally the quilts were to be donated but now the school has decided to exhibit them as an installation at their other school Branksome Hall Asia on Jeju Island, South Korea.

The girls are very excited about that. They should be proud of their work!!

Quilting with Teenagers

I finished my 8-class contract teaching grade 8 students about quilting. It is the third year the art department of Branksome Hall hires me.

I taught the students how to make a simple 4 patch
and some half square triangles

I talked about fabric and design. I showed the students how to be accurate in their sewing.

The inside of your block can be crooked but the
outside should have 90 degree angles.
This makes it easier to sew all blocks together.
(mostly made with men's shirt fabric I bought in Verona)

Using the sewing machine in a safe way will be a skill the students will be able to tap into in their future, I am sure, even if they don't ever make another quilt.

Half square triangles can be used in a border.

Each student will be creating and designing their own block that relates to an art principle: Balance,  Contrast, Emphasis, Movement, Pattern and Unity. The blocks of the same principle will be made into a quilt. The 6 crib-size quilts will most likely be donated. To see quilts from past students click here.

Using simple squares one can create an interesting pattern.
(This quilt is mainly made with men's shirts.)

The art teacher liked some of my teaching aids, like my coloured photograph of a quilt and the exact same photograph in black and white. This explained the element of value very well.

Both photos were taken of a group quilt made at a Toronto Public Library
when I ran quilt program several years ago.

What was so gratifying was the interest of the students.

The values is what gives this quilt its movement.

Best moment... when the bell rang and no one moved, just kept sewing!

(the quilts in these pictures are the samples I brought in to show the students)

More Empty Bowls

I returned to teach quilting at Branksome Hall and noticed there were some bowls leftover from their fund drive, Empty Bowls.

It is such a good cause, I couldn't resist buying three more.

I think they would make great one-of-a-kind hostess gifts filled with a home-made appetizer.

Empty Bowls

I was at a Toronto high school, Branksome Hall, this week teaching in their art department.

The art teacher reminded the students about their fundraiser, Empty Bowls, with all moneys going to support The Daily Bread Food Bank.

The idea is to buy a bowl made by the students and get it filled with soup. What a great idea!

I liked this size and the colours and the carved-in textures on the bottom.

I couldn't stay for the soup but I was glad to buy a one-of-a-kind bowl made by one of the art students.

The bottom of the bowl is stamped with the date and
the school and the event's initials.

I will use it at my home when I entertain on the weekend.

I will be back at that school next week to teach Part 2 of my workshop.

The Younger Generation

I was at a Toronto high school 2 weeks ago giving a talk about quilting. The grade 8's heard some quilt history and saw some images of textile work from different countries and from different time periods.

Last week I was back imparting my knowledge of this craft to this younger generation. We made quilt blocks.

The students were enthusiastic and marvelled at the complicated designs one could create with a simple square or half square triangle.

tile floor in a train station, France.

I am glad I was invited to share this passion of mine. The universities in Italy are also teaching crafts to their students in order to ensure those skills continue and are not lost forever.

Teaching

I taught my last class for this term at a Toronto high school. Last week I taught the students Free Motion stitching. Today the grade 10 students saw a presentation about different effects one can achieve with Free Motion sewing.

Cathy Bredyk-Law's work, detail of Laurentian Hills,
a piece that was part of Tradition in Transition

I showed images of textile work from Canadian, French and Italian artists. All recent works.

Italian artist Maria Teresa Sansotta,
"Le Tue Rughe Le Mie Radici", detail

We talked about cut work,

His Twinkling Perch, detail,  by Francie V-
a great example of cut work

I introduced the addition of materials that are not fabric,

painted and melted tyvek
Birth detail

I showed them works that had image transfers,

detail of an old piece of mine

I also brought some of my works to show them as well as works by other artists.

Some traditional quilts and some contemporary fibre art.

It is a technique that will open up many possibilities for them as creators. I look forward to seeing their creations towards the end of the school year. It will be interesting to see how they integrated this sewing technique in their art work.

To Teach Or Not To Teach

There is a fine line between telling a student what to do and completely squashing a student’s discovery process.

Think about that.

I am aware of that statement when I teach a textile art class or a quilt class. I want to guide the students but never hinder them from exploring.

I want to teach them but never disturb their own creative process.

I am looking forward to teaching at Branksome Hall, art department, again this school year. They have hired me to do classes with the grade 10's and grade 8's.

To see posts from last year's classes click here.

(my photographs from Rodin's garden in Paris taken this summer.)

School Project

The culminating works from the grade 10 art class are hanging in the hallway at Branksome Hall. It was exciting for me to see how the students combined the sewing techniques I taught them with the other techniques they learned during the year with their art teachers.

detail,
free motion stitching on painted canvas and gel transfer

detail,
hand stitching, machine stitching, painted melted tyvek on canvas

detail, "Batophobia",
 hand stitching and free motion machine stitching
 were used on a photo transfer by this
 grade 10 student.

The students were very keen to use the product Sulky "Solvy", which is a soluble film that is dissolved in water after it is stitched and the maker is left only with the stitching. The cuff shown below is a good example. It was stitched free form.

The artist of the following piece, "Media Destruction", also used the same product but achieved a different effect.

One can also draw with thread when using the darning foot attachment on a sewing machine.

detail, Almost Free
 the car and the text were drawn free hand with thread. 

The art staff wants to have me back again next year but earlier in the year so the students will have more time to experiment and develop the sewing techniques.

detail, Around the World
I did help this student sew like a "real" quilter.
 Look at her matching corners! Impressive!!

Being Inspired

Today, I was at Branksome Hall again talking about my career and showing the girls from grade 10 my work.

Some older art students poked their heads in to see my textile work hanging in the class.

The grade 12 students are preparing their own show and I saw many of their pieces being photographed for documentation. I was inspired by their work!

"The Keys of Truth" by a grade 12 IB art student.
"This piece sets out to demonstrate how our generation
does not spend time informing ourselves on world issues
but instead focus on gossip in magazines or on line articles."
 M.S.
burnt newspaper, plastic computer keys, wire

work in progress by a grade 12 IB art student.
 embroidery on paper

I spoke of textile artists that inspire me and the teacher wrote their names on the board for the students to research.

The two art teachers thanked me for inspiring their students. Many have already started to think about their next project and have decided to use some of the techniques we talked about and practiced together.

Working with textile is something that brings me such joy and I was glad to share that passion with the students and spark something in them!

Grade 10 Art Students

The art department at the prestigious, private, girls school, Branksome Hall, in Toronto recently bought some sewing machines. I was invited to teach the grade 10 art students the versatile free-motion technique.

Branksome Hall in Toronto, BE REMARKABLE!

What a joy! The students were so interested and engaged and had a blast trying this new way of sewing! It looks easy but takes lots of control.

me in the art room

I am returning to show and speak about my textile art, do a few demos and help them with their textile art project.