Some Comments from Europe on the Quilt Composition Issue

 Hello quilters and readers,

The following email came from Marianne in Belgium. She has some comments, from the European side of the quilting world. With her permission I am printing them below.

I really wanted to comment on this particular blog post because you are touching on a couple of subjects that a friend and I have been discussing frequently.

1 The "quilting-to-death" syndrome that seems to have taken over every quilt in every quilt show
2 The lack of coherence in so-called art quilts as well as traditional quilts

I have for years collected patchwork techniques so I can put together a patchwork top, I can appliqué by hand by machine revers appliqué as well etc.  I can do digitized quilt designs free-motion quilt (if I have to, LOL) BUT where do we go to find good classes in composition? Learning composition should surely go along with all the other techniques and tools we collect but it is so difficult to find composition classes.

I live in Europe and here they are even fewer and further apart than they seem to be in the US. Sure we can do a British City and Guild qualification online but that only provides you with design techniques NOT composition as such (or the one I took part in did not, it was all about ticking boxes in the log-book). Design techniques are all very well (and certainly needed don't get me wrong) but if you are not capable of judging the designs you come up with because you lack the knowledge to do so then you either do not exhibit (that's me) or you end up entering disjointed pieces of work or do what previous ribbon winners have done hence all the quilts are over quilted in designs that have nothing whatsoever to do with the top they are quilted on.

IMHO what is needed is for good classes (online and live) where we beginners can learn the ABC of composition because without that you will continue to get copies of, copies of previous ribbon winners. (Maybe some judges should be sent to art school too?).

Thank you very much for taking on this subject! I do not have a blog so cannot link to your post but will send links to various quilters I know.

Marianne Gadeberg
Belgium

This is Ann again. We do need to have more information on design and composition for everyone. There are books out there on the subject. Go to your public libraries and look under "art and design." Also there is quite a bit of design info on the web too. It is worth your time to read a little on the topic. If you have a good suggestion for a book or website, please comment in the comment section.

My personal experience with design and color classes has been that they are quite dull.  There are some excellent  instructors out there, but to be honest, it is hard to fill this kind of workshop! Technique classes are easier to fill.

For me experience is the best teacher. When making quilts you will find, with trial and error what works best. One of my favorite things to do is make small quilts. How small? Let's say anywhere from 6 x 6 inches to placemat size. Make a lot of them, experimenting with shape, color, fabric, and thread. Allow yourself the freedom to play and make mistakes.  This is the best way--for me.

When you get stuck somewhere, try getting a second opinion from a friend, and work through the problem. You must try and be flexible and open minded and think of solutions that may not have been in your original idea. Look through books and magazines to see what other quilters have done in similar situations. Even for me, sometimes it takes quite some time to work through a challenge.

I'm going to go and play on a brand new design, which has taken me 3 weeks to solve my problems. At last I've found the solution!  More on this, at a later time.

Ann

Questions and Thoughts on a Recent Quilt Show.......

I recently went to a quilt show which was nationally advertised, juried and judged.

It is a fact that the show organizers can only exhibit quilts that have been entered. The quality of a show is always limited by its entries.  As my friend and I walked through the show we were stunned by what we saw. There are many words to describe the majority of the quilts hanging, none of which are positive. In an attempt at extreme self control, I would call the quilts "unfortunate."

It was equally disturbing to me that the judges chose to award the works that had the most quilting and stitching; regardless of the quality or appropriateness of those stitches to the whole work. When I see this happening in the quilt world I wonder, what is going on? What is causing the poor design in so many quilts? Why don't the judges consider the quilt as a whole; the composition, the colors, fabrics used, as well as the effectiveness and quality of the quilting to the chosen design? It seems they are not looking at the whole picture.

All of this results in much soul searching in my part. Why am I disliking so much of the new work that is out there? Am I on the wrong track? I feel like my visual aesthetic is not in sync with the quilt world.

Celebration of Life by Ann Fahl

Lately, I've been pleased by the work I've been producing. I have a new piece hanging in my living room (you'll have to wait to see it), that I hope to keep for my entire life. It makes me feel so good to look at it. Yet I know when it is entered in the shows next year, it will not hang well with the rest of the competition.

What is driving this new direction in the quilt world?  Is it strictly commercialism? This has bothered me for a long time. Everyone jumps on the new tool, the latest book, or hot new technique that is out there. What has happened to the love of quilting?  Why not just make a quilt because you want to? Quilts can be made with simple tools: just fabric, scissors, thread and a needle. Why have we gotten so far off the track?

As quilters we are so lucky to be sewing at this time in history. There are so many beautiful fabrics and thread from which to choose. The internet provides us with information on technique and products.....it is heaven. We should be producing interesting, wonderful creative pieces with strong visual impact. Instead...........

Is it the economic times we live in? The world's economy is in a big slump and this affects our emotional and physical well being. Perhaps we just aren't making good design and color choices as a result of our financial situation and personal stress.

Symphony of Color II by Ann Fahl

Let's take a long look at our inner quilting selves. What do we want to accomplish in our lifetime of quilting? Let's try to create better, more original work, quilts that come from the heart.  Rushing through the process and adding yet another quilt to your stack isn't the best motivator for making good work. I like to enjoy and savor each step of the quilting process. The end result is a more satisfying quilt for the maker and the viewer.

All of us working together can make a stronger positive impact on the quilting world, we can make higher quality quilts for the generation that follows.

Ann Fahl

For more comments visit Diane Gaudynski's latest blog

More Tea and Daffodils

Below you will find the second half of my thoughts on my quilt, Tea and Daffodils.

After all the fusing was complete, next came the detail on the cup and saucer. Instead of adding a tea bag with a string and tag, I opted for just a simple decorative stitch on the saucer and cup, to give it a hint of roundness.  After several tries, I was pleased with the lemon slice which I embroidered with lots of yellow thread.

I covered the chocolate chips with dark brown thread and added circles around each chip to make the tasty lumpy look to the surface. About this time, I went out and purchased a bag of chocolate chip cookies and shared them with my husband!

The stems of the daffodils were next, with just a light touch up of green thread.I used monofilament thread to lightly zigzag the the edges of the vase. Last of all, it was time to embroider the flower heads. I saved the best for last. This embroidery was done in no time it all. It took much longer to draw each blossom, choose the fabrics then cut out and fuse all the little parts for each.

A view of the wrong side of the bouquet, will give you a good look at how much stitching was on the flowers.  I use The Bottom Line thread in the bobbin, a light weight thread, great for the bobbin, that comes in lots of colors. It is possible to pack lots of yardage in the bobbin.

Last of all came the quilting. This is the part where I feel I'm dancing on the surface. I used lots of little loops and flowers in the background. I have several variegated blue Rainbow threads that were perfect for the upper portion. My favorite variegated thread created lots of leaves, flowers and stars in the red background. The only unquilted part remaining was the cup and saucer. How should I quilt it? The first thing that came to mind was concentric circles around both pieces. Somehow, that didn't feel right. So I doodled with a pencil on paper, and decided to use radiating lines instead. This was the right solution, they look great.

I used a black/blue stripe and a red with yellow stripe fabric for the binding--and I'm done. Hope you'll enjoy it. Can you smell the warm chocolate chip cookies?

You may also go to my website for another look in my Salmagundi Gallery

Ann

Tea and Daffodils--As Promised

The Vermont Quilt Festival is over, and I've returned home. This was my
first time to teach there. Burlington VT is really beautiful. The quilters up in New England are very lucky to have such a great show and conference in the area. I was fortunate to teach in a Janome sponsored classroom, and the first time that their brand new Horizon machine was used in a classroom! Now I'm home, rested and ready to get back to my studio.

At last here is my new little daffodil quilt, shown in stages of its development!

April and May were wonderful months for daffodils and narcisis in my yard. I picked large bouquets of them for my dining table and living room. After a long winter the color and fresh scent makes me feel so good. One day while I was having tea, the idea for this quilt struck me, so I got started as soon as I could.

Above is the background. The angle on the right side is to give the impression that there is a table top. Next it is time to make a vase full of flowers. I took a closeup photo of an arrangement on the table and that's what I used to create the flowers. Working a little each day on the flowers, it took me 4 or 5 days to get all the flower heads fused together. The stems are great. I used bright green cotton, and shaded them with Inktense Pencils.

The vase was a sheer iridescent piece of Polyester fabric. It created a great glass vase. Just what I needed.

I knew that a tea cup was going to be sitting on the table but what else should I have?  There should be 3 things included in my composition. So I talked about it with a friend at coffee the next morning. We came up with the idea of using several cookies. The idea worked for me.

Here are the cookie shapes cut out of paper for a pattern
.

Next comes the cup and saucer. I love the contrast with the yellow flowers and the blue background. Now the cookies don't seem to work, so I put a napkin under them, to make them more visible.

A week has gone by and something is wrong, and I'm not happy with the composition.  Finally the solution for the problem comes to me. The cup and saucer are larger than the cookies. So I pulled them to the front, and put the cookies toward the back. At last it works. Now everything is fused together and time to do the embroidery.

I added a fallen yellow petal laying at the base of the vase.

I'll show you the finished photos next time.

Ann

My First Commission--Some Ann Fahl History

Today I thought I'd share my very first quilt commission with you.I made it for my aunt when she redecorated her living room in soft green with red accents. In the early 1980's, I was fascinated with stained glass applique. I found a pattern in a magazine, I'm sorry I don't know which one. I made the four blocks, hand quilted them and mounted them on wood stretcher strips. I don't know what the reason for the stretcher strips was, perhaps so it looked more like a large painting. The fabrics include muslin, commercial prints, taffeta and silk-look fabrics. Mounted it is 31 x 32 inches.

At the time, I think my aunt paid me $70 for my work. I was thrilled.

Several summers ago, she redecorated again, and asked me if I wanted it back! I didn't even remember it, because it had been so long ago. So now it hangs in my studio, to remind me of my humble beginnings. Actually, I like the simplicity of the piece. The only thing I'd do differently now, is to quilt it much more heavily and bind it.

So here it is for all the world to see. I have never shown it to anyone before, as it was made before I took slides or photos of my work. Now that I again own it, I can show it to you.



The quilting is finished on my new daffodol quilt. It has been lots of fun at each step of the creation, to see my idea come to life. I allowed myself several breaks from the quilting, and sat out on my deck, hoping to see my little hummingbirds come to the feeder. I was treated to four visits. The colorful male came 3 times and the female just once. They are checking me out by first sitting in a tree about 10 feet from the feeder. I must think of some names for these beautiful little creatures. How about Gertrude and Heathcliff of Red Skelton fame?

Ann