I’m thrilled to share that I will have a solo exhibit of my work, The Art of Sarah Ann Smith … so far, at the Mancuso Quilt show, World Quilt New England, from August 15 to 17, 2019, in Springfield, Massachusetts! Now that it is listed here on their special exhibits page, it is official!

Most of the quilts on display will be those that were in my Rising Stars exhibit in Houston in Fall 2017, except those that are sold or are in a touring exhibit. This exhibit will also have at least one or two new works (to be determined). I’m pleased that I will be able to help hang the exhibit. I may be able to stay over night or come down on the 17th to be at the exhibit and give gallery tours. Stay tuned for more info as we approach August.

If you’d like a sneak peek, you can check it out in my book of the same name, The Art of Sarah Ann Smith … so far on Blurb. The book is available as a hard copy or PDF.

I hope you’ll get to see my quilts and that I might even get to meet some of you at the show!

Bindings and Pipings and Facings, Oh My! class in Houston 2018:  Truth in teaching: this is usually what my teacher’s table looks like: a hot mess!

I LOVE teaching this class!  I LOVE that EVERYONE gets how to achieve a perfect mitered corner no matter what width your binding!  I LOVE showing students how to use Susan K. Cleveland’s Piping Hot Binding tool–students come into class thinking “I’ll try it but don’t think I’ll ever use it” and leave with the tool in hand planning how they CAN use it because it rocks!   Then I teach my perfect facings for art quilts which by the way is also how you can do perfect prairie point “bindings” etc.   I LOVE that this class has something for everyone:  traditional, modern, art, contemporary, whatever you do, it works.   I also LOVED that this class more than any I have ever taught immediately embraced the idea of taking notes ON their class samples:  that way the notes don’t get lost, what you need to remember about how YOU sew and what to do to improve is right there on the sample.

YES! They got it! Put the notes ON the sample to remember how to get is JUST right!

One older quilter in the class was BEAMING when she left–she was so delighted as she had never done a corner, let alone a piped corner, this good. I think I will remember her smile forever–THIS is why I teach this class!

Doesn’t the pink bandana fabric look great as piping?

More notes, during the “perfect corners” part of the class in the morning

Midday/right after lunch we get to the piping (do the precise and time-consuming stuff first). LOVE Susan K. Cleveland’s Piping Hot Bindings tool. Available here.  It may be available at larger online sites, but I like buying things direct from the creator–Susan’s website is Pieces be With You (in the link).  I wrote my own instructions for the class handouts (without looking at Susan’s), but her more in depth instructions are worth every penny!   

The best part of Festival is FRIENDS–Linda Cooper

The absolute BEST PART of International Quilt Festival is FRIENDS!   Over the summer I learned that Linda, a BFF from my life on San Juan Island, would have a quilt in a special exhibit and was coming to Festival.  On Tuesday she showed up at my classroom door at lunch break with her friend from SJI.   They decided on the spot to take my Bindings class on Friday, their last full day at Festival (pitter patter, tear in my eye)!   It was like the intervening 14 years since I left the island evaporated.

She and Barbara managed to get the stuff to make the quilt sandwiches (class prep) and amongst the three of us came up with the requisite thread, scissors, rotary cutters, etc. to use.

Class….the lunchtime lull.  Thank you Kathy Spier for being my “Teacher’s Pet”—so much fun, met Suzy Webster when she took one of my classes a couple years ago.  This year her mom took Bindings, and we all had lunch together!   Like I said, the BEST PART of Festival is friends, old ones and making new ones!

Time permitting, we even get into some fun alternative edge treatments…couched yarn is perfect for postcards and small works

And miraculously, I remembered Linda and I needed to get a photo before she packed up for the day!

Old friends reunited!

Machine Quilting Forum 2018–here’s my station (the middle panel was blank as it was the de facto projector screen.  THANK YOU SO MUCH to Janome America and Greg Sanford for making sure I had a machine on which to demo!   LOVE MY JANOME!

The day began with “leisurely speed dating” for machine quilters at the Thursday morning Machine Quilting Forum.  For those who have never had the pleasure of attending, the 3-hour session begins with all the attendees sitting for the better part of an hour as the six instructors each got 8 minutes to introduce themselves and what they do.   Then, each of the teachers decamps to their station.  Attendees are assigned to one of six groups, one for each station.  For 15 minutes or so, the teacher gives his/her talk and/or demo, then the bell rings, and folks move to the next station until they’ve visited all six.  I absolutely love this session.  I remember before I started teaching they also used to have an Applique Forum and remember going “Oh I’d like to take a class from that teacher (or perhaps not),” learning HOW to PRESENT to a class (Karen Kay Buckley was so kind 15 or so years ago answering my questions before I bought my projector), and so on.  It’s also great for guilds wanting to book teachers–great preview!

The cast of happy quilters, with the teachers in the front row. If you look in the far back corner, that’s my spot

I talked about thread coloring and actually demonstrated machine quilting on this little piece which, if I get my act together, will be a SAQA or IQA donation next year.  It’s a rose hip:

Work in Progress–free-motion quilting demo and nesting threads

Then it was off to the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon and lecture by Pam Holland, then a (DRUM ROLL, sneak announcement here) taping a quick 3-minute promo with Ricky Tims because (SHRIEK check off the bucket list item) I’m going to be taping a segment for The Quilt Show in April!!!!   Should air sometime in the second half of next year!  Then a couple hours to see quilts, then dinner with friends.

Here I am, with thanks to the guard who took my picture, next to my Lilies of the Valley quilt.

I was absolutely enchanted with the portion of the Power of Women exhibit that was the 2 x 8 foot sheer panels of art cloth.  Here are the four sides.  Alas, instead of signage near the artwork, the info was in a binder on a table so I didn’t get details.   If you are one of the artists, please let me know which piece is yours and I’ll update this post.

Side 1

Side 2; I know the one on the far right is by Lyric Kinard.

Side 3

Side 4

This updated “traditional” quilt stopped me in my tracks…details in the second photo:

Then it was off to dinner with friends and fellow teachers Jenny K. Lyon, Deborah Boschert and Cindy Grisdela, at Ninfa’s on Navigation.  No Houston is complete with at least one (hopefully more) trip to Ninfa’s!

First off, Happy US Thanksgiving to one all around the world–this was written ahead and scheduled to post because (a) not everyone is in the US and (b) sometimes we need some R&R from the feasting and festivities!

My second full day at International Quilt Festival 2018 I got to teach one of my “Quilting the Garden” workshops, Collage the Garden.  Along with Thread-Coloring the Garden, the two classes can be combined into a two-to-five day workshop–any guilds or retreats out there interested????   My students were, of course, brilliant!    They had a choice of either the tiger lily or water lily in the class–I love when students take my patterns and projects and completely make them their own.   Like yesterday’s post, I’ll have TONS of pictures including some from Preview night on the show floor. Taught students how to pattern, how to use my favorite Mistyfuse, how to get the fabric to do some of the work for you!

These are the two class samples…you can see how well the students did!  One had a *very* hard time letting go from the traditional quilty-applique “thou must do it thus and so exactly” but she finally threw caution to the winds and did a great job–so proud of her!

and here you can see the actual student work:

Way to go!

Learning how to pattern

fabulous fabric choice….let the fabric do a bunch of the work for you. The placements of the darks is spot on.

and the water lily–love how she went deeper darker in the center with reference photo right there to guide her choices

students hard at play!

an ochre/yellow version

Flower nearly complete

And auditioning a background

Another great fabric choice, and love how the trees fabric changes once cut up and placed into the background

WOW!

The students were wonderful—LOVED having a FULL Class…the collective energy helped everyone!

Then there was preview night…drum roll:  gotta love that little red dot indicating my Autumn on Blueberry Lane sold…AND it was hanging next to my dear friend Deborah Boschert’s ladders and trees quilt, which ALSO sold!

Mine on left, Deborah Boshert’s ladders on right…and both sold!

Love it when I spot someone looking closely at my work, this time it is the Pink Oyster Mushrooms quilt

And part of the Power of Women exhibit….my Lilies of the valley is on the bottom tier on the right side. LOVED this particular part of the exhibit!

I’ll be back with more on Festival 2018 in the coming days!

Interested in trying your hand at art quilts? Not sure where to start? This class has proved a perennial favorite at IQF Houston (and elsewhere)–sign up soon!  

Yes, registration is OPEN for classes for International Quilt Festival Houston 2018, including my four classes.  Over the next week, I’ll recap my four classes (well, three full day classes and the Machine Quilting Forum).  I hope to see some of you  in those classes!

On Tuesday, the day between Quilt Market (open to the trade only) and Quilt Festival (open to anyone who pays admission), I’ll be teaching Birch Pond Seasons.  The wonderful thing about this workshop is that you can bring a photo of your own favorite pond or hills and morph my pattern into your special place!   The class is always full or almost full–I’m hoping that with it scheduled on Tuesday I’ll be able to entice some Market-goers to stay over for a workshop.

Here’s the summer version:

Summer version

And autumn:

Autumn at Birch Pond

You’ll learn basics of fusing, working from a pattern without having to cut a bazillion pattern pieces, working a bit more free-form and improvisationally, how to “strip fuse,” fusing easy-melt fabrics like synthetic sheers, fabric selection, and time-permitting in the afternoon we’ll talk about quilting.  The class includes a kit fee that covers handouts, pattern sheet, a full package of white Mistyfuse, and a few tidbits.  You bring a range of fabrics but not a ton of any one fabric (maybe a fat quarter for sky and half that for the pond)…a range of fabrics is more important than a lot of any one thing.

Here is a blogpost about students taking this class some years ago.  This post will give you a feel for the class.

If you click here to get to my classes page, scroll down to Birch Pond Seasons class and you can click on the link for the PDF Class supply list, too.

Sign up before it fills!  If you have questions, just leave a comment or contact me via the Contact page (link up top).  Here’s the link to IQF enrollment   again.  See you there!