STRIP-PIECING & RESTRUCTURING
• Length: 5 days
• Level: Beginning to Intermediate
• Sewing Machine used
DESCRIPTION
Note: This 5-day class contains different groups of design exercises from The Best of Strip-Piecing I and II. (All of Nancy Crow’s workshops are based on composition and sequentially progress from beginning to very advanced composition).
This 5-day class begins with Design Exercises for creating “simple strip-pieced fabrics” in color and value that will then be used in a medium size composition; as students compose this initial composition they will be challenged to work intuitively.
Next, students will begin working with their large palettes of colors, cutting out, designing, and sewing a wide variety of exciting strip-pieced fabrics base on “FABRIC DESCRIPTIONS.” After finishing these fabrics, students will be given new Design Exercises in which they are introduced to the concept of “restructuring;” students will begin the process of thinking about how fabrics can be cut-up and re-combined/restructured into new fabrics or small compositions or studies.
Design exercises will progress from simple to more complex, resulting in a series of sewn-together quilt tops (known as compositions). Strip-piecing is a way of creating a “fabric vocabulary” out of existing fabrics that have been cut selvage to selvage. It is an invaluable way to learn more about color, value usage, and proportions in a very fluid manner. Students will work freehand without the use of a ruler.
Since students will be pinning work as it progresses onto the wall, they should bring at least 2 boxes of good ball-head pins including silk pins. All exercises will be done in direct machine-piecing technique. Please come with an open, sponge-like mind with no agendas, ready for growth and for risk-taking.
Presentation: (optional)
If possible, each student should bring 10-20 slides or 3-8 actual quilts or their own laptop with a digital presentation and be prepared to make a short (3-5 minutes maximum) articulate presentation about their work and be ready to discuss and explain their goals. The Crow Timber Frame Barn provides use of a slide projector and a digital projector, but cannot provide a laptop or desktop computer. Participants may be able to share another participant's computer for digital presentations.
SUPPLIES
Sewing Machine
Needles/Bobbins
Digital Camera and Printer
Scissors/Thread/Rulers
Swing Arm Lamp
24” x 36” Cutting Mat
4’ x 8’ Batting/Flannel (White) on which to pin work (optional)
Extra Large Rotary Cutter and Blades
Iron/Iron Cleaner (Optional as Barn has irons)
Ball-Head Pins (very fine and regular size)
Small Water Spray Bottle for Ironing
Glue to Adhere Snapshots into Sketchbook
Multiple Outlet Power Strip/Adaptors
Packing Tape if shipping boxes (plus return labels)
Optional Books:
> CROSSROADS, 2007, Breckling Press (new catalog from one of Nancy’s exhibitions) - available at Crow Barn
> NANCY CROW, 2006, Breckling Press (new book covering Nancy's work from 1989-2005) - available at Crow Barn
Unfortunately, the following titles are out of print, but your local library may have them or order on Amazon.com.
GRADATIONS: FROM THE STUDIO OF NANCY CROW, Quilt House Publishing
NANCY CROW: WORK IN TRANSITION, American Quilters’ Society
NANCY CROW: QUILTS AND INFLUENCES, American Quilters’ Society
NANCY CROW: IMPROVISATIONAL QUILTS, C&T Publishing
Fabrics:
4 yards each of:
• SOLID BLACK and SOLID WHITE
(Pimatex by Robert Kaufman is wonderful quality)
1 yard or more each of:
• SOLID OPAQUE COLORS
(wide range in light, medium, dark values so you can be free to work - commercial and/or hand-dyed reds, blues, greens, browns, teals, yellows, oranges, rust, pinks, etc.)
• GRAPHIC (high contrast) PRINTS, STRIPES, PLAIDS, CHECKS, BATIKS, PAINTED FABRICS
• GRAYS (wide range in light, medium, dark – 6 to 9 different grays)
• TANS (wide range in light, medium, dark)
• OFF-WHITES...warm white, cold white, cream
• Bring whatever suits you!!!
• We will use everything listed above so do not decide to leave anything out!
• Do not bring fat quarters. We will be cutting strips selvage to selvage.
• Do not bring marbled fabrics.
• Bring enough variety so you are not hamstrung!
• Please wash and shrink all fabrics!
NOTES REGARDING FABRIC SUPPLY LIST
Yes, the rumor is true!!! Yes, I do ask that each student bring lots of fabrics. My personal theory embraces the belief that one will be freer to be creative if one has many fabric choices available in class. After 25+ years of teaching, I consider each class I teach to be on a graduate level and therefore I expect students to arrive prepared with all necessary supplies. In that regard, I have outlined those fabrics we will use in this class. For some students, my fabric supply list will seem overwhelming in quantity and variety, while for other students, the selection they bring will never be good enough.
About solid colors--the more shades you have to work with, the more you will learn about how to work with color. Color is Joyous!!! Color does not cause pain!!! Take DELIGHT in color!!!
Working in color does not mean only using BOLD colors or HOT colors; working in color means learning to be versatile in all types of colors.
Overall during the class, we will use many solid colors, but still.... please bring the requested prints. When choosing both solid colors and prints to bring to class, be sure to bring both warm and cool tones.
I caution you to not bring mostly middle value solids, rather bring a wide variety, including:
• Light values
• Medium light values
• Medium values
• Medium dark values
• Dark values
Any color can be warm or cold.
Warm tones: Any colors that are mixed with yellow and which have a glow coming off the surface.
Cold tones: Any colors that are mixed with black and which have a dullness and subdued nature.
Many students arrive with their own hand-dyed solids or stacks they have purchased from other dyers. By all means, bring hand-dyed if you want.
But flat solids (dyed commercially) are equally acceptable.
I usually work with flat colors or my own subtly dyed flat colors. My own palette includes approximately 500 shades.
I cannot specifically tell you to only bring 1 yard cuts of each color because I know we will be using at least a yard of some to many colors depending on each student’s color preferences. If you bring a yard of each – say 5 blues, 5 reds, 5 yellows, 5 greens, etc. but one each in light values, medium light values, medium values, medium dark values, & dark values, that would be better than not having enough. So bring 1 yard of as many colors as you can afford and shorter lengths for the rest. Remember, we will be working selvage to selvage.
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