Monday, April 29, 2019

QSDS lost a friend and teacher in April. Bob Adams was one of those heroic figures
who taught art to junior high kids, introducing them to the joys of art. Bob first came to
QSDS while the symposium was at the Josephinum, taking a machine quilting class
with Caryl Bryer Fallert.
Bob mastered machine quilting, focusing on both its use as a texture and as a way to
subtly change the colors moving across a surface. He taught this and a variety of
surface design techniques many times at QSDS. Bob’s work has been juried into Quilt
National and a host of other gallery shows.
We can’t think of Bob without thinking about his wife Natalie. They were college
sweethearts who truly were best friends. They celebrated their 50 th wedding anniversary
while at QSDS. It was heart-warming to see how much they enjoyed and delighted in
each other’s company. We all should hope for such a wonderful relationship.

Monday, March 25, 2019

Rosalie’s Inspiration

What inspires you? Rosalie Dace is starting with two different types of inspiration for her 2019 QSDS classes.

When you go on a trip or walk around your town, do you find yourself shooting photos of interesting windows and doors? Rosalie’s 5-day class “Looking In, Looking Out” will encourage you to start with windows and doors as your inspiration.

There are so many ways to approach this, ways that go well beyond creating a realistic image of a particular window or door. That’s what Rosalie does in her work:
You’ll find yourself thinking about the shapes and structural elements, or contemplating how things look from the inside as opposed to the outside. So many ways to interpret this...

I’ll bet you sometimes buy a piece of piece of fabric and then wait till it tells you what to do with it. In Rosalie’s weekend class, “Kuba Connections,” focuses on a traditional African cloth, but students will use it purely as design inspiration, pulling the shapes, colors and drama from this traditional fabric.


Read all about Rosalie and her classes here:



Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Teacher Spotlight: Deborah Fell

Deborah is a hard-working fiber artist who has recently been recognized for one of her
most emotionally moving quilts. At the most recent Visions show, she was awarded the
Quilts Japan Prize. This means Deborah will be visiting Japan soon!
Often one to incorporate social justice themes into her work, Deborah’s award-winning
quilt, “A Place to Lay My Head” was inspired by her musings about the difficult,
dangerous travels of refugees, who often have nothing but the clothes on their backs.
In it, you can see many of the techniques that Deborah uses, the ones she will share
with her students during the first week of QSDS 2019, where she will teach a five day
and a two day class. Are you intrigued by the textures and layers? Would you like to try
working in a collage style, incorporating painting, printing and even paper? Well,
Deborah can guide you into this fascinating world of mixed media fiber art. Check out
her classes, #6 and #12, here:http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2019.html

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Teacher Spotlight: Kevin Womack

Kevin Womack is back by popular demand to teach during the second week of 2019 QSDS. And no wonder—he has a gift for encouraging students to have fun while learning good, effective techniques. Kevin has mastered a wide variety of surface design skills but continues to explore new ones.
 Can you see a certain similarity between his hand dyed shirt and one of the artworks he created in Debbie Griffing’s class last year?? Hey, it’s a great reminder that everyone strives to develop their own very personal set of marks!
Kevin’s five day class will give everyone the luxury of enough time to start with procion dyes and later move into adding other layers of patterning with both dyes and paints. Get ready to experiment with colorful Parfait dyeing, soy wax batik and more.
 For the weekend class, the focus will be on what can be done with paint (no time consuming washing-out of dyes!) It’s always a surprise to see what Kevin brings to be used as mark-making tools, items the rest of us would never think of using with paints. What could be more fun than having the chance to play around under the guidance of an expert, without messing up your own house? Learn more about Kevin and classes #20 and #25 here:

Monday, January 7, 2019

Teacher Spotlight: Rosalie Dace

Rosalie, whose home is in Durban, South Africa, gets the prize for traveling the farthest to teach at QSDS. She is a “Jill of All Trades,” with a skill set that includes all methods of piecing, applique and embroidery, so you will often find her students approaching their designs using a variety of techniques. On the other hand, digital presentations can still confound Rosalie, who carries lots of flash drives just in case!
Windows and doors have always been an inspiration for artists. They are the starting point for her 5-day class, “Looking In, Looking Out.” Whether you choose to work somewhat realistically, or start with a structure then see where it leads you, this is sure to be a great class.
Kuba cloth, one of the traditional textiles woven in the Congo, is the inspiration for “Kuba Connections,” Rosalie’s weekend class. Last year, Rosalie found this wonderful example for sale from Becky Hancock, one of the QSDS vendors.
These very graphic woven textiles are the perfect starting point for a pieced design. Rosalie’s knowledge of African textiles and culture is vast.


During the first seven days of QSDS, Rosalie will be the mentor for Independent Study. Are you on a roll with a series of artworks, or ready to launch into a new quilt idea that has been in your head? Don’t need to learn any new techniques? Then Independent Study may be perfect for you. Rosalie will lead morning discussions, individual and group critiques. There is a reason why so many QSDS “alumni” continue to relish focusing on their own work, and enjoy the camaraderie that can come with it.
Read more about Rosalie and our other classes at:http://www.qsds.com/aboutqsds.html