Teacher Spotlight: Maria Shell

Maria Shell is really on a roll! Her quilt Uptown Rail Fence just won a third place prize at the Houston International Quilt Festival, she has an article in the Oct/Nov issue of Quilting Arts magazine, AND she has a new book out! Improv Patchwork: Dynamic Quilts Made With Line and Shape. It is beautifully laid out and full of useful tips.
Maria will teach two classes during the second week of QSDS 2018.  You will be amazed at what you can create with sets of strips and simple pieced shapes.

Whether you are an old hand at this art quilt game or quite new to quiltmaking, bring your sewing machine and spend some quality time learning from a teacher with lots of great ideas.
 Learn more about Maria's classes and our other instructors and classes at:
http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2018.html

Teacher Spotlight: Deborah Fell

Deborah knows a thing or two about both art and teaching.  Along with being a professional artist with a whole range of gallery shows and artist residencies under her belt, she was a public school teacher for many years.  She is an expert at creating a supportive and inspirational atmosphere for her students.
Deborah will teach two classes during the first week of QSDS 2018.  Come for her 5-day class and immerse yourself in the rewards of working on a series of small fabric collages.  Don't want to bring a sewing machine?  This is a chance to explore collage and mark-making via hand stitching, so a machine is not an absolute must!

On the weekend, Deborah will add paper and paints to the mix of fabrics and fibers. Bring your sewing machine and zoom along. Deborah has lots of techniques and good solid design advice to share. You are sure to go home energized and ready to continue on your creative journey.
Check out Deborah's full class descriptions and all of our other classes at:
http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2018.html

Teacher Spotlight - Seth Apter

We are delighted to have Seth Apter scheduled to teach two classes during the first week of 2018 QSDS! Seth is a mixed media artist whose artwork covers practically all the bases: collage, assemblage with found objects, altered books, books made from scratch and much more. Plus he has recently bought a sewing machine and is starting to explore adding more fabric and machine stitching.

Layers are his thing.  With five days or a weekend, (or even seven days) you'll have the luxury to really get into your art, experiment and explore some new techniques.  Come work in (or discover) your own personal style.  Seth is a calm and generous teacher who knows so much about art and design.

Seth is a multi-talented designer.  You may have seen his name on some of your design tools.  He designs stencils, rubber stamps, lines of paint and items for collage.  This is going to be a FUN week!
Check out his classes here: http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2018.html

Teacher Spotlight - Clare Murray-Adams

Clare is an art quilter who became interested in encaustics (the use of melted wax), for painting and collage.  She brings her fabric and sewing experience to this fascinating medium. During the second week of QSDS, Clare will teach two classes that carry encaustics into a less traditional direction.

The encaustic medium can be used as is, for a mysterious, cloudy look, or you can stencil or drip or paint with pigment to give it a completely different feel.
Clare brings the wax, the pigments and about a gazillion tools for adding texture!

Students will learn to dip fabrics and papers into the wax to create book pages and collages with paper, fabric, threads and found objects.  YES! You can sew through these!
Carry this even further and experiment with forming vessels and small 3-D sculptures.  Here are some small pieces created by her last group of students at QSDS.

If you are thinking about exploring encaustics, or are curious about adding other mediums to your textile pieces, then this is the perfect way to try it out and to learn from one of the best!

Clare's classes are #17 (5 days) and #22 (2 days) on the QSDS schedule.

Check them out and our other classes at:

http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2018.html

Expect the Unexpected!

When we sign up for classes at QSDS, we think we have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
The exciting part is, that you never know what will happen along the way!

Our fabulous vendors, Kristen Rodrigues (Fiber on a Whim) and Becky Hancock (St. Theresa Treasure Trove), set up their traveling shops offering an eye-popping assortment of goodies. 
Katrina, Becky's skeleton friend, sits in her finery, outside the door to welcome all visitors to the Vendor room.  She will even pose for pictures!

What could be a better inspiration for Susie Shie?  During Sessions 1 and 2 of QSDS, Susie was teaching an art journaling class.  Soon, Katrina the skeleton was recorded in...um...non-living color on the pages of Susie's sketchbook!

 

It just goes to show that we can all be open to all of the inspirations going on around us at QSDS.  Not just those in our own classrooms.  And, who knows... Maybe Katrina will even end up on one of Susie's quilts some day!

Check out all of our inspirational classes at:

http://www.qsds.com/

2017 QSDS Scholarship Auctions

Many thanks to all of those who donated and /or bid on mini quilts at our Friday night Reception & Auctions!
Each Friday night at QSDS we had wine, hors d oeuvres, and lots of laughs with all of the new and old friends that we had made during the week.
Cindy Brendzel and Susan Stevenson both donated mini quilts to the auction.  They ended up bidding on, and winning, each others quilts!!

The funds raised will provide scholarships to QSDS students in 2018!

Would you like to apply for a 2018 scholarship? Check out the application here:

http://www.qsds.com/aboutscholarship.html

What We Did at QSDS 2017

Another QSDS is behind us.  What did you miss if you weren't there?

The students in Rosalie Dace's class learned the importance of both line and shape in a composition.

Sue Benner's class painted and printed with thickened dye - and discovered that it takes at least two people to move a really large monoprint!

The Wednesday bus trip went first to the Ohio Craft Museum (where quilts by Shelley Baird and Mary Ann Tipple were among those on display) and then on to Athens, Ohio to see Quilt National 2017.

Registration for QSDS 2018 is now open, so go to qsds.com and check out our new and exciting classes!

QSDS Teacher Spotlight: Kevin Womack

If you have ever come to shop at the Tuesday evening Mini Bazaar that is held each week at QSDS, you know that there will be a crush of eager shoppers looking for the perfect length of fabric or T shirt. They all know that Kevin is a master dyer who knows all the ins and outs of surface design. Kevin’s quilts have been juried into many shows, including Quilt National and Visions. During the final weekend of QSDS, Kevin will share some of his tips and techniques when he teaches “Playing with Fabric Paints.”  This is a perfect time to experiment with silkscreens, Gelli plates, found objects and lots more. This class will be fun and freeing. You are sure to go home with some wonderful, very personal fabrics as well as a new set of skills.

Teacher Spotlight: Esterita Austin

Do you love pictorial art quilts but don't quite have confidence in your drawing and painting skills? Then Esterita's classes may be just right for you!
She has developed a unique method that  will allow you to create a beautiful painted image on sheer fabric. You may know Esterita from her earlier series of amazingly realistic and colorful portraits of people.  She definitely knows a thing or two about light and shading.  Why not try a landscape, a still life, or a favorite building and see where Esterita's guidance takes you?
Check out her Session 3 and Session 4 classes:
http://www.qsds.com/teachers2017.html

Tools of the Trade Tuesday: Cutting Tools

Everyone needs scissors, but, if you are doing lots and lots of strip piecing, a rotary cutter is your best friend!
The art of improvisational quilt piecing may not have developed if the rotary cutter hadn't been invented!
What kind do you prefer? A small one for cutting curves, a big one for slicing through several layers of cotton at a time, or an ergonomically friendly one with a safety feature, like the one shown here?
Bring your cutting tools to QSDS and use them in classes such as the ones taught by Rosale Dace and Judy Hooworth.  Pat Pauly's classes even have the word "improv" in the titles!
Check the classes out here: http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2017.html

Teacher Spotlight: Susan Shie

Drawing is a fundamental tool of any artist. Do you draw regularly? Do you WISH you did?
Susan Shie can take care of that! Bring a sketchbook and a few simple art supplies and you will be ready to spend five days or a weekend discovering how simple and freeing it can be to draw without worrying if you are doing it "the right way."
Susan has an MFA in painting and is known for her drawn and painted quilts. Her students love her freewheeling, encouraging approach. She stresses that everyone will find their own style, which will not necessarily be like her style of drawing.

Art journaling can be a great way to record the happenings in your life, as well as a way to develop ideas for your art.  Susan is a master of this.  Here she is working on a drawing about the DC Women's March in January:

And here are the finished pages:

This isn't just a way to learn a skill you'll use for the rest of your life, it's FUN!! Check our Susan's classes here:

http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2017.html

Tools of the Trade: Brushes!

Who doesn't love using brushes?  We use them for paint or thickened dye, to do shading. You can draw curving graceful lines, stencil, daub and splatter!

Do you keep your brushes clean or do you forget and then find them, rock-hard, on your work table?  

Are your brushes standing in containers, ready to go, or are they scattered somewhere under piles of papers and fabrics? 

You and your brushes would have a fine time at QSDS this summer in classes with Esterita Austin, Betty Busby or Kevin Womack! Check out their classes here:http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2017.html

Try Something Completely Different!!

Are you into mixed Media? Have you been thinking about branching out and working with more than just fabric? Then we have a great class for you! During Sessions 1 and 2 of QSDS, Jiyoung Chung will teach two classes in the traditional Korean art of Joomchi. But the results are far from traditional! Transform mulberry paper into a strong, flexible, fabric-like surface.  How did Jiyoung get those lovely, lacy holes in this sample?

Joomchi can be stitched by hand or machine or molded and coaxed into three-dimensional shapes! You can add yarns or trims to the surface, similarly to the way you do in felting.  Spend five days with Jiyoung or come for the weekend.  It is fun and inspiring, guaranteed to get you thinking about your art in a different way.  Check out Jiyoung's classes here:

http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2017.html

Tools of the Trade Tuesday: Beads!

Here is an accidental "bead smile" for everyone who loves beads. 
If you fall into this category, there are three classes at QSDS 2017 that you must check out! 
Lisa Binkley will be teaching two classes about beautifully intricate hand beading on fabric during sessions 1 and 2. 
 Becky Hancock will help you "Beadify" anything and everything in sight during her session 2, weekend class. Learn jewelry techniques, embellishing tips and be ready to laugh a lot!
So, gather up those beads and bring them to QSDS this summer!http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2017.html

Tools of the Trade Tuesday: Fabric

For so many of us, fabric is our main medium.  It holds the key to so many of the basic design considerations: color, value, pattern, texture.
We pile it, toss it, cut it, try different arrangements and, in the process, make a fine mess!
At QSDS there are lots of opportunities for focusing on compositions in fabric.  Pat Pauly will teach two classes, #19- The Play's the thing: Improv Sketches, and #25- Slash and Burn: Techniques for Improvisational Design in which you will expand your fabric/design vocabulary.

Or bring your fabric and explore your ideas with one or both of our Independent Study Mentors, Judy Hooworth and Rosalie Dace. Check out their classes here:   http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2017.html

Rosalie Dace; Teacher Extraordinaire!

Once in a while, you get to take a chance to take a class from a really great teacher. One who knows her stuff, comes prepared and skillfully fans the flame of inspiration. Rosalie Dace is one of those teachers.
This year at QSDS, she is teaching all four sessions! In her class #16,"Positively Line and Shape",
 http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2017.html#session3
she will help you focus on two of the most important design elements during this five day session.
If you only have a weekend free, join her popular "Dizzy Circles" class #22
http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2017.html#session4
Or if you are an artist that would just like to focus on a specific piece or series and are not particularly interested in taking another technique class, you should spend seven days in Rosalie's Independent Study during Sessions 1 and 2.
There is a reason why Rosalie comes back to QSDS every year and has so many repeat students.  I bet you'll become one too!

What Did You Miss At QSDS?

It’s time to start thinking about QSDS 2017!Last year, Betty Busby inspired her students with a potpourri of techniques. Just a day or two in, Genevieve Jezik, Barb Green and Pat Isaman had already created lots of fabrics and were ready to add more layers of surface design to them in the remaining three days. Betty’s class was so popular that we are offering it again this year. Check out the Betty's class #2, Multi Media Design here:

http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2017.htmlQSDS

QSDS is non-stop inspiration! On Wednesday afternoon, the bus trip included a visit to The Ross Museum where Eleanor McCain’s quilt was a popular photo op. This year, the bus will go to Athens, Ohio to see Quilt National 2017. Surely, you don’t want to miss that, do you?? If you are interested in taking classes and joining us at Quilt National, just go to: http://www.qsds.com/aboutqsds.html