Firstly, thank you so much to improv-guru, Mr Nicholas Ball (aka @quiltsfromtheattic) for hosting our VIP Member Club for the past year. Nicholas's Butterfly Quilt project was a wonderful improv journey and our members were beyond excited as their butterflies 'took flight' in a unique learning experience!

 

The above video says it all, but if you don't have time to watch, here's a summary!

 

For our next yearly VIP Member Club content (running from 1st June 2024 through the end of May 2025), we are heading, 'Under The Sea', but this time, not with just one chosen artist at the helm, but SIX! Yes, we managed to pull together SIX wonderfully creative, inspiring, unique, in-demand quilters to deliver a year-long exploration (via recorded content and live interactive Zoom-Chats) of their quilt making processes, from beginning to end.

 

What is super-exciting and completely different to anything we've ever done before, is that the six artists involved, are all collaborating on one finished piece. How cool is that? As I write this, Victoria van der Laan and Sarah Hibbert have already completed their part of the quilt and Scott Culley is about to add his piecing. Russell Barratt, Jennie Pickett & Trudi Wood will already be keeping a keen eye on developments to date before they step into the fray with their own contributions later in this unique year-long project!

 

Through monthly video content in our private VIP Member Club members area and a live Zoom-Chat with each artist every other month, you will see our quilters open the quilt fresh from the postman's hands! They will give their opinion of how it looks for the very first time and they will then begin to explain their design process, how they are going to create the shapes to add to the previous quilters work, choose their fabrics, as well as use fabrics sent by the previous artist, make the piecing and attach it to the quilt. All this activity and then the part-assembled quilt is forwarded on to the next artist!... 

 

The aim is not only to teach you a myriad of techniques from collage to quilting, FPP to traditional piecing, improv shapes to using sustainable fabrics, this project is also a deep-dive into where to begin designing a quilt, how to put colour and shape together, where to take inspiration from, and perhaps, how to explore ideas, you wouldn't normally delve into. It's a totally unique opportunity to get creative, be inspired and learn from an incredible artist!

 

Scroll down to read the full course details!

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Here's what each of our artists has to say has to say about this exciting new VIP Member Club year:-

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Victoria van der Laan

I rarely make work with a known outcome so this VIP project is right up my alley! I'll bring you along as I work through some ideas on how to create an improv-pieced section of patchwork that evokes a seabed. I'll share several different piecing styles and techniques that I use in my textile sketching practice and will show you how I put everything together to create an abstract ocean floor that will serve as the bottom of the finished Under the Sea quilt. The thing I'm most excited about with this project is working with this amazing roster of artists to create a collaborative piece - we all bring such different perspectives and skills to the table!

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Sarah Hibbert

"I am so excited to be part of this great collaboration working ‘under the sea’ with the fellow ‘scuba drivers’ that Rachel has cherry picked for you.  I will be tangling myself up with seaweed and so much more in my sessions, working from simple paper cut-outs and transferring them through to gorgeous fabric shapes. Why don’t you jump in with us and have some fun."

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Scott Culley

"I want to demystify the FPP design process. I will show you how simple techniques can lead to large complex compositions. I will explain my process of designing from a selected image to creating a usable pattern. I will show you how to sew the same FPP pattern we just designed.  I hope people will see how easy the FPP process is and how wonderful the results can be."

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Russell Barratt

“I’m going to show how to use improv techniques to machine sew curves taking inspiration from sea waves and the swirling ocean currents. We’ll work intuitively giving you ideas to create your own unique panels. Using hand sewn needle turn appliqué and trapunto, I’ll take you through adding some bubbles and possibly fish or two! I’ll be showing you how I select fabric from my fabric/clothing scrap stash and encouraging you use fabrics you may already have.”

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Jennie Pickett

"I will be doing traditional piecing but with a twist with some wonky shapes, maybe I'll even throw in a curve or two! I will be talking about fabrics, how you can use scraps, prints and solids and how you can combine everything together. There will be some maths too! You might never have tried traditional piecing, this is your opportunity to learn about it, or if you have you can learn how to slant it towards improv quilting!"

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Trudi Wood

"I'm going to bringing the whole thing together! I'll be looking at the whole piece and assessing how we design the quilting, looking at the detail and how to take inspiration from elsewhere to inspire the quilting to show the detail! I'll guiding you through a whole variety of quilting techniques and different designs. It will be fascinating to look at a piece of work made by five very different types of artists and then use quilting that will tie the whole thing together."

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A few people have asked:-

Do I have to make the Under The Sea quilt?

Is there a pattern involved with this project?

Will I learn lots even if I don't make the Under The Sea quilt?

 

There is NO fixed pattern with this project and, NO, you don't have to make any of the quilt if you don't want to!

 

Our teachers want to teach you many different key elements of quilting and design inspiration, so we have decided to use a theme to illustrate these lessons. If you look at the 12 month schedule below you will see the sort of lessons you will experience. Our teachers will teach you and you can use whatever you learn on YOUR OWN CREATIVE JOURNEY - the choice is very much YOURS!