A Woodland Walk to the Academy of Appliqué

We are always so excited when the Academy of Appliqué class catalog comes out, and this year is no exception. What is the Academy of Appliqué, you might ask? Well, it is one wonderful week in March, where many come not just to learn new skills, but they come from around the world to spend time with others who love this art form. It is a place where life-long friendships are formed, though one might only see that friend once a year at this special event. I (Kara) have even seen one of these friends while walking on the streets of Beaune, France! It is a small world, but the Academy brings that world together.

The conception of this year's projects has been in the making for quite a while, and the two blocks we will be teaching are only two of the thirteen in our Woodland Reverie quilt. This quilt will be a wander through the forest with a little bit of whimsy and fantasy thrown in. Our class will focus on techniques, along with an emphasis on using new fibers creatively. Our students will be able to choose one or both of the two blocks to work on in class, on their way to ultimately finishing the whole quilt! Each block can be done in either a light or dark background and many of the skills for both blocks will overlap. Without further ado, here are the blocks we will be teaching in detail. 

The Spring Block

A sweet robin tends to its eggs while surrounded by springtime, flowery, dogwood swags—there are even velvet pussy willows to evoke that essence of spring.

Light colorway

Dark colorway

A combination of six different fibers were used to create this realistic nest.

A slightly different look with the light background

Embroidery helps bring the robin to life.

Springtime flowers are the focus of the corner swags.

We will learn to make all these flowers with various types of ribbon.

You can learn to make perfect little pussy willows!

Autumn Block

A walk through the forest in autumn might give you a glimpse of the woodland treasures that garnish this woven wreath. 

The Fly Agaric takes center stage in this block!

Velvet mushrooms rest upon a felted, wool patch of moss.

Bias strips and tea-dyed sari silk yarn are woven together to create the wreath.

Some of the techniques learned will be stumpwork acorns, wired ribbon flowers, and split leaves.

A little sparkle with beads adds to the fantasy element in this block.

Embroidery gives dimension to this butterfly!

No matter which block you choose to make (maybe both!), you will learn a multitude of skills to put in your appliqué toolbox. So, how can you attend the Academy of Appliqué? Simply click on this link: Academy of Appliqué. This will take you directly to the website where you can find out all the information you will need to sign up. The catalog of classes is available now, and sign up for the classes opens on September 2nd. The classes fill up fast, so it is a good idea to make sure you are ready with your first choices as soon as registration opens. 

We hope you will choose to join us this year as we make these woodland blocks. Our class is usually full of laughter, fun, and chocolate—and not necessarily in that order! Stay tuned throughout the year as we will gradually reveal more blocks from Woodland Reverie!

Teri's Travels: A Museum, a Quilt Shop, and Dignity

A couple of weeks ago, I (Teri) shared my visit to the Quilters Hall of Fame in Marion, Indiana. We are still on the road—nearing home as I post this—but I saw so many amazing things during this trip that it may take quite a while to share them all! 

Our next quilt-related stop was in Chamberlain, South Dakota. This had not been one of our planned stops, but was I ever glad it made it into our itinerary. We originally planned to follow the Lewis and Clark Trail all the way to the coast, but they sadly missed the Badlands, so we opted to skip the North Dakota part of the route and travel straight west through South Dakota. Thus, our Pierre night shifted to Chamberlain. All that to say that while I had never heard of the town, it had much to offer!

We first visited the Atka Lakota Museum & Cultural Center and learned about the Northern Plains Indian Culture. The impressive collection of historical artifacts and contemporary art was probably my favorite part of the exhibit; I hope you will enjoy these as well.

An auspicious beginning: hanging just inside the gift shop were these fabulous, colorful star quilts.

Quillwork predates beadwork among the Lakota people and is highly esteemed. For an interesting description of how the porcupine quills are used to create such artwork, click here and here. 

More quilling for baby 

In the mid 1800s, Europeans brought beads into the area, and the art of beading became as prevalent as quilling—sometimes moreso. 

 The beaded design on these moccasins would be a lovely appliqué design.

  

I love dolls, and these buckskin dolls from 1890 caught my eye.

 

Again, I see inspiration for appliqué.

 This contemporary miniature quilt by Monty Fralick is called Signage.
 Again, note the star design. I was beginning to see a pattern.

The museum is an educational outreach of the St. Joseph's Indian School. The art of quilting was seen throughout the exhibit of the school's history, as well.

If you ever have an opportunity to drive through Chamberlain, SD, I would encourage you to stop at this fabulous museum! There are many things to learn and inspiring artifacts to view.

 

And right down the street, what should we find? Yes! A quilt shop!! And a charming one, at that.

 

I walked into the shop, greeted by precuts and bolts of color on my right, and a comfortable sitting area for the non-quilting companions to my left. 

  

You've got to love a quilt shop (owner) with a sense of humor!

As I was chatting with one of the owners of The Quilt Shop, Sonya Kroupa, she asked me if I had seen Dignity. She seemed so sure that I probably had, that when I confessed that I didn't know what she was talking about, she got most excited as she pulled postcards to show me and tell me about it. She gave me directions and assured me that it was a must-see. As I left, I took closer notice to the small wall hanging by the front door, with a framed photo next to it that matched the postcard I had just bought. 

Off we went to search for Dignity, a statue that I only knew from a picture postcard and an excited story, fully unprepared for the impact she would have. 

We could see her from the highway. 

As we approached, she literally took my breath away. She stands fifty feet tall, and you can see how she looms above the people standing beside her.

The plaque beneath her feet. 

I feel like an ant next to her! She is as magnificent as her name; everything—and more—that Sonya had promised at the quilt shop. 

“Dignity represents the courage, perseverance and wisdom of the Lakota and Dakota culture in South Dakota,” sculptor Lamphere said. “My hope is that the sculpture might serve as a symbol of respect and promise for the future.” To read more about this amazing statue, click here.

  

The star quilt she is holding is comprised of 128 diamonds, which move in the wind. At night, they are lit up by LED lights. I would love to have known about her the night before, so that I could have also seen her glowing in the evening sky, but I am so thankful that we happened upon Sonya's quilt shop, or I would have totally missed her. Thank you, Sonya!

So we travel through the Badlands, visit Mount Rushmore, and then go to the Crazy Horse Memorial. The first thing I see when we enter the visitor center are more star quilts. Why is this such a predominant pattern, and why am I surprised to see its prevalence here in South Dakota? I knew of the Lone Star and Bethlehem Star patterns, but these were simply called Star Quilts.

  

To sum it up, the star pattern symbolizes the Morning Star and giving a star quilt represents respect, honor, and admiration. The star design is reminiscent of the patterns on early buffalo robes. During the mid to late 1800s, missionaries arrived in the area, teaching the craft of quilting. At about the same time, the overhunting of buffalo made it more difficult to obtain the hides for the buffalo robes. Ultimately, the star quilt replaced the buffalo robes as one of the most valued gifts among the Northern Plains Indians. 

So it is fitting that Dignity is holding a Star Quilt. 

My next quilty adventure checked off a bucket item list. I can't wait to tell you about it!

Note: I could share hours worth of links for you to read about Lakota Star Quilts, but I will give you just a few, in case you are as intrigued as I was.

• Native Report: Gwen Westerman
• History of the Star Quilt
• What is the Cultural Significance of Native American Star Quilts?
• Owinja—Star Quilt

Christmas in July and a Free Pattern!

Christmas in July is an advertising gimmick that we can be subjected to around this time of year, but for quilters, it's a good reminder to get going on all those Christmas projects! This July, I (Kara) am jumping on that early Christmas bandwagon and teaching a wool ornament at the USO. For 77 years, the United Service Organization has been helping the U.S. military and their families, so it is an honor to be able to help in a small way. We will be making a variation of the tree ornament that we posted this past December—Christmas Markets and a Free Pattern.

The USO version

The tree from last Christmas

We have a full class of ladies who are ready to get a jump on the holidays and learn some wool appliqué in the process. The tree will be the first in a series of ornaments that will be taught, and I thought it would be fun to share the next ornament with you!

The dirndl is quintessentially German and is worn mostly in Bavaria, although you will see ladies in dirndls at most Oktoberfest celebrations around the country. Given that we are here in Germany, it seemed like a good idea to design an ornament that people could create that would remind them of their time here.

Fusing helps keep these small pieces manageable, but staples would work as well. 
The pieces are fused onto a 3.25" background.

Stitching the sleeves down with one strand of matching floss. Matching sewing thread works as well.

All the pieces are stitched down with an appliqué stitch, with the exception of the blanket-stitched apron. 
The apron tie is chain stitched with Valdani pearl cotton.

All the accent stitching is finished! French knots and straight stitches for the bodice. straight stitches for the sleeves, lazy daisies and straight stitches for the bow, and a stem stitch for the apron trim.

The pinned ribbon hanger inserted between the front. 
The back square  is cut the same size as the front (3.25").

Blanket stitching secures the back and front.

The finished ornament hanging on a tree!

The first two ornaments in our USO series.

Now, a dirndl ornament may not appeal to everyone, but maybe you know someone who might appreciate a German-inspired gift. If you would like to make the ornament, just clink on the link below. I bet you can guess what the next ornament in the series will be!

Dirndl Ornament Pattern