I’m teaching my hamsa class again, 7/23!

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I’m teaching my class Exploring the Hamsa again on July 23 in Berkeley from 10 AM – 1 PM. It will be at the new quilting studio, Hello Stitch. Here is a link to get you to the sign up page https://www.hellostitchstudio.com/product-page/exploring-the-hamsa. Here is what I wrote about the class there:

A hamsa is a stylized hand for protection against the “evil eye,” frequently worn as jewelry. Found throughout the Middle East, hamsas are traditionally made by both Jews and Muslims, but predate both religions. Come learn about the folklore of hamsas, as we make them out of paper or fabric. The basics of paper-cutting, a traditional Jewish folk art, will also be taught. The class will also cover techniques to make intricate fabric appliqués with that can be ironed onto a backing.

 

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 be a wall hanging or become part of a quilt.

 

This class is open to adults and children age 10 and up may participate as long as they are accompanied by an adult who is also in the class. Students will be working with exacto knives in the class.

Hello Stitch Studio

1708 University Ave. 

Berkeley , CA 94703

510-982-6549

Please sign up! It will be a lot of fun, with useful information.

hello@hellostitchstudio.com

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Another birthday postcard

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It’s another friend’s birthday. She likes to go bird watching. I looked through two boxes of fabric, looking for birds. This is what I found. I know that somewhere else I have Japanese crane fabric, but it wasn’t in these boxes. Here is the postcard I made for her.

I remember buying the owl fabric because my now 23 year old daughter had a thing about owls when she was little. There was a sculpture of one in a tree near her grandparents’ apartment to scare away other birds. Whenever we visited we had to take a little walk ” to see the owl.” However I didn’t buy this fabric when she was little, because I wasn’t quilting then. I bought it when I was in the midst of making the quilt she took with her when she left for her first year of college. Since only a few pieces of owl fabric made it into her quilt, there’s lots left for other projects.

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12 x 12 version of Axis Mundi

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Today I’m working on a 12 x 12 version of the quilt I made yesterday. I’m doing this so that I can work out how to quilt it on the smaller one. Also, this way I’ll have something to show tomorrow when my 12 x 12 group meets. Since I forgot to take photos of my process yesterday, I’m doing it now.

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Axis Mundi

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I just spent a weekend retreat with Joey Weisenberg, who teaches nigunim (songs without words), sometimes singing the same one for up to an hour. Its kind of like meditating only more fun. Something he said really struck me. The Hebrew word sulam means both ladder and a musical scale. I came home and started this quilt. The ladder in my quilt is made from fabric that looks like sheet music. I think l’m going to call this quilt Axis Mundi, which is the connection between heaven and earth. My next step on it is to make some land at the bottom from two different purple fabrics.

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Another 12 x 12

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I made this with more of the extra black and white strips. I’m going to cut a hole in the center- a hole in the shape of my favorite eight pointed star. Then it will become an amulet, once I figure out what to write in the center.

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A birthday postcard

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A friend of mine, whom I’ve known since childhood just had a birthday. I  gave her a quilted postcard with several Laurel Burch cats on it. I’ve been making a lot of postcards lately for EBHQ to sell at the the 2018 Voices in Cloth quilt show. I used fusible web to glue the cats to the background, and then zigzag stitched around each with monofilament.

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Library Quilt Show

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Yesterday there was a celebratory walk through of the quilts in the currant library show. Mine is the orange one. The show will be up through June 4th at the main/central Berkeley Public Library on the 2nd floor. This is the 36th annual show. I’ve lost count of how many of these shows I’ve had a quilt in, but it must be at least 10. The first library show I was in, was when the show was still at the North branch library. It was one of my really early quilts.CFS-111230 024KlimptThis quilt was inspired by Qustav Klimt’s paintings. The detail shows the 3D effect of the mini quilt within the bigger quilt.

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After attempting to quilt this quilt with my regular sewing machine’s foot, and running into problems, I bought a walking foot. I love quilting with the walking foot!

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Eight 12 x 12s finished or almost finished

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For the April meeting of my 12 x 12 group, we brought in everything we’ve done since we started in Sept. This is the half way point for the group. I’m fairly pleased with my progress. My goals for this year: Make a quilt every month, try new things/techniques, and explore making amulets.

 

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Flying Birds of Paradise

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Here it is, all quilted and ready for its debut in the Berkeley Public Library (main branch) Quilt show, opening May 1. It will be up until June 4, so there’s lots of time to see the show. It will be on the second floor, above the reference desk, and in the original lobby. Ask at the reference desk to borrow the catalog. Otherwise you won’t know who made the quilts, because the quilts only have a number.

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Accidental 12 x 12

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I wanted to audition quilting options for the quilt I’ve been working on. So I made a nine-patch version of the quilt. It just happened to be 12.5″ x 12.5″. So, after trimming it would be perfect for my 12 x 12 group, which meets in two weeks. That’s a good thing, because I might not have time to make another one.

I tried both free motion quilting and walking foot, and three different thread colors. I decided to use the walking foot with a dark yellow thread. The quilt is now quilted, but it’s too dark to get a good photo of it now. I’ll try to post one tomorrow.

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