Claire Sherman Art

Ready for quilting

Posted on March 28, 2017 by admin

I’ve only been working on this for two days, but it’s now ready for quilting.

I inserted a 3/4 inch black strip, and decided it was done. First I tried a red strip, but didn’t like how it stole the focus from the one little blue square.

Posted in 12 x 12, Improvisational piecing, Work In Progress | Comments Off

A gift of black and white pieced strips

Posted on March 27, 2017 by admin

At my small quilt group/bee we were going through the group’s stash, and getting rid of fabric we were unlikely to use in the group’s projects. I took home a bag which included many pieced black and white strips. You could call them piano keys. They are leftovers from a quilt the group made of a cello. Here’s a not very good photo of it.

Here’s my pile of black and white strips.

I thought that I would make postcards out of them, but that was too small a format. Then I realized that April is almost here and I haven’t started my 12 x 12 yet. The black and white strips seemed to need some red.

I really like these thin red strips. They are only 3/4 of an inch wide.

I added the little blue and red squares, but it needed something else.

I sliced it diagonally and offset the two pieces.

Posted in 12 x 12 | Comments Off

Quilt top sewn together!

Posted on March 22, 2017 by admin

It’s now sewn together. It was rather tricky because some squares got turned around, and I had to rip them out and do them over. I started at the top and sewed four-patches, then sewed the four-patches together. But it’s nine squares across so each row had an extra square.

I might call it Flying Birds of Paradise. I’m still thinking about names for it. I’m also thinking about how to quilt it.

Here are some detail shots. I love the unexpected yellow triangles.

Posted in Improvisational piecing, liberated stars, Work In Progress | Tagged stitch and flip stars | 2 Comments

Mizrach quilting finished

Posted on March 17, 2017 by admin

I finally quilted the background. It now looks as if the background is pieced, but it’s not. I might sew some seed beads on this one, but otherwise it’s finished! Instead of a binding this one has a facing on the back. I’ve been so busy with the improv star that I haven’t even started my 12 x 12 for April.

Posted in 12 x 12, Mizrach, Work In Progress | Comments Off

Almost finished, almost ready to sew it together

Posted on March 15, 2017 by admin

I’m almost finished with the layout for this quilt. Any day now I’m going to start sewing the squares together. I’m having a great time adding more little triangles, but I think I should stop really soon.

I’m wondering what to name this quilt, since I already have one called “Improv Star.” Looking at it last night, I saw the stars as either flying birds or as the flower, bird of paradise. Maybe I should call it “Birds? Of Paradise.” Leave me a comment if you have a name for this quilt.

Posted in Improvisational piecing, liberated stars, Work In Progress | Comments Off

Breaking my own rules

Posted on March 13, 2017 by admin

I read somewhere, maybe from Kaffe Fassett that when designing a quilt, you should make up some rules to follow for that quilt. Then, to add surprise and make it more interesting, every so often, you should break the rules! For this quilt one of my rules is that the triangles are orange or red, and not the background yellow colors. I’m now breaking that rule in a few places. It’s pretty subtle, but definitely will make the quilt more interesting to look at. Yesterday I started breaking a different rule: that each square has no more than one triangle added to it. And then there’s the rule I’ve been breaking all along, that the background squares are yellow. I’ve been adding light orange background squares here and there from the beginning.

Posted in Improvisational piecing, liberated stars, Work In Progress | Tagged breaking the rules, Kaffe Fassett | Comments Off

Lots of progress on improv star!

Posted on March 13, 2017 by admin

I got more time to work on this today than I thought I would. See how much I accomplished!

I wanted to mention that one of the reasons why I don’t cut out all the squares at the beginning of a quilt is that my idea of which colors belong keeps changing. I also have no idea how many squares I will actually need, since I’m not working from a pattern. I enjoy making artistic decisions all throughout the quilting process. I almost never design a quilt on paper or on the computer and then make exactly that quilt. I would find that really boring, although I know people who do it that way.

Posted in Improvisational piecing, liberated stars, Work In Progress | Comments Off

Auditioning new fabric

Posted on March 11, 2017 by admin

I bought four new yellows at New Pieces. I’m auditioning them to see if they will play nicely with the colors already in this quilt. I’ve cut them into squares so that I can really see how they work. I decided that two of the four worked. Going from the left, the first and third fabrics are in. (The second fabric was too tan, and the fourth one was too bright a yellow, especially since it has white polka dots on it).

This is what it looks like now, at the end of the day. I’ve increased the size so that it’s nine squares across rather than eight. It’s Friday afternoon, and I need to stop now and make dinner. This weekend will be so busy that I may not sew again until Sunday evening.

Posted in Improvisational piecing, Work In Progress | Tagged New Pieces Quilt Store | Comments Off

New improv star quilt

Posted on March 9, 2017 by admin

I’m working on another star quilt. I’m making it about 3′ x 3′. This will be my entry in the Berkeley Public Library quilt show. It’s not due until late April, so I do have enough time to finish it. This quilt will be mainly “stitch and flip” stars. I’m trying to decide if the two fabrics at the bottom will work in this quilt, or if they stick out like a sore thumb. The star at the bottom right I’ve already decided to delete from this quilt.

The library quilt show will be up from May 1 through June 4 at the central/main Berkeley library, on the second floor.

Posted in Improvisational piecing, liberated stars, Quilt Shows, Work In Progress | Tagged Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley Public Library Quilt Show, improvisational quilting | Comments Off

The two classes I’m teaching!

Posted on March 5, 2017 by admin

Join me for two Lehrhaus classes:

Beginning Israeli Folk Dance, and \ or

Exploring the Hamsa- A Hands on Workshop

At the JCC East Bay-1414 Walnut St, Berkeley, CA

Preregistration required. Go to http://www.lehrhaus.org $36/$18 JCC members for either class.

Beginning Israeli Folk Dance– Sunday, March 19 from 11 AM – 1 PM

Come learn a variety of classic, easy to follow circle and line dances. Open to all, including adults, teens, and children ages 10 and up, with their parents, at the JCC East Bay, 1414 Walnut St, Berkeley, CA

Exploring the Hamsa: A Hands on Workshop-Sunday, April 23, 2 PM – 5 PM

A hamsa is a stylized hand for protection against the “evil eye,” frequently worn as jewelry. Made by both Jews and Muslims, hamsas are found all over the Middle East, but are older than either religion. Come learn about the folklore of hamsas and Jewish amulets, as we make them out of paper or fabric. Learn paper cutting techniques to make appliqués with fusible web backed fabric. No artistic talent or sewing is required to make stunning hamsa designs. The finished paper-cut hamsa can be framed, to hang on the wall, and a fabric hamsa can become a wall hanging, challah cover, or part of a quilt. $5 materials fee payable the day of the class.

If there is enough interest I will teach both of these again. Leave me a comment if you are interested in future classes.

Posted in Classes, hamsa | Tagged fusible applique, Judaica, Lehrhaus | Comments Off