Feathered Crystals Wholecloth-Part One

I just got home after completing my last traveling teaching engagement of the year in Elk Grove, CA. whew. As much as I enjoy traveling and teaching I look forward to this time when I can spend more time at home with family and of course in my sewing room! When I drive to an engagement I try to pack along my sewing machine for some uninterrupted time in my hotel room. I've been itching to get the green Dupioni silk wholecloth in my machine and bit the bullet and got it marked, basted and gridded before leaving.

As many years as I've been doing wholecloth quilting, it still amazes me what a quilter can do with a plain piece of fabric whether it is a piece of silk or a piece of muslin...and of course an old linen tablecloth! It almost seems magical watching the fabric transform into a quilt right underneath my needle.

I recently took two classes from Debbie D'Ewart (onestitchoff.blogspot.com)on no-mark backgrounds and feathering and finally have the confidence I need to do SOME of my quilting without lines. I had a blast adding free-form feathers to the crystal design in this piece and loved how it richened the design with more texture and movement.

I finally have the Classroom Collection of handbooks written and have tested them out on a number of students and small classes and so far so good...everyone is thrilled. Jenny will be coming over later this week to get it all set up on my website so that I may share with you too! I will have a special blog posting to let you know when it is up and running.

As I create some of my wholecloth teaching pieces (like this quilt) I will be creating step-by-step handbooks so that you too can create the same quilts and I will have pictures documenting the process.

I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving with family and friends. Kent and I are blessed to have our entire family together this year for the holidays and it is something that we are very thankful for. Have a blessed and safe holiday week.

Luv, Cindy