Surface Design with Shiva Paintstiks

Quiltworks Studio is now OPEN and we've already had our first workshop!!

Our first set of students spent a Saturday morning working on the first block of our Tweets & Twinkles Block of the Month and everyone seemed to have a great time!!

Our next workshop is this Saturday and I'm super excited because we are going to be designing our own fabrics usually Shiva Paintstiks!!

We are going to use lots of different techniques such as stenciling and rubbings.

If you can't join us on Saturday, but are curious about paintstiks, there are lots of instructional videos online that show you how to use these amazing products!

I'm hoping that we'll be able do a series of different workshops that focus on different products for surface design such as paintstiks, Inktense pencils and Tsukineko inks! Hope you'll be able to join us!

Follow our Quiltworks Facebook Group to get the most up-to-date info about our workshops and other events!

Quiltworks Studio - Opening SOON!!

Nellie and I are expanding Upper Canada Quiltworks Publishing to include a new studio space for workshops!! We have set up a classroom in her home and our open house is THIS SUNDAY!!!

Not just for quilters, our new studio space will be used to encourage creativity with paper, fabric, paint, journaling and much, much more!!
Here is the first list of workshops that will be available:

• January 28th - block of the Month #1
• February 11th - surface design with Shiva Paintstiks
• February 14th - stitcheries
• February 25th - block of the month #2
• February 28th - altered board books
• March 4th - art journaling
• March 7th - wool appliqué
• March 25th - block of the month #3
• April 22nd - block of the month #4
• May 13th - block of the month #5

We are also open to suggestions for workshops and are willing to host groups of friends who would like to learn something new OR just have some creative time as a group.

Join our Facebook page for updates and news and we hope to see you at our open house on Sunday!

52 Week UFO Challenge - Project #15 - Stencilled Leaf Wall Hanging

Stencilled Leaves with Shiva Paintsticks

Over a year ago, Nellie and I took a surface design course with Elaine Quehl. We learned lots of techniques, one of which was using freezer paper stencils with Shiva Paintsticks. 

My UFO featuring Shiva Paintsticks stencilling.

We traced the stencils from Elaine's patterns and then cut them with X-acto knives. Using a stencilling brush, I filled in the stencils with both gold and green painsticks, blending them in the middle.

Close up of one leaf. 

 I trimmed the stencilled piece first and then picked fabrics for the inner border and outer border.

Once the borders were on it was time to mount it on the Gammill for quilting.

Quilt top ready for quilting.

 Here is a close-up of some of the quilting on the leaves. I outlined each of the leaves and then did some nested tear drops in the background.

Close-up of quilting

Here is the finished wall hanging. Project #15 is all finished!

Unfortunately, when I was looking for fabrics for the borders for the quilt I discovered MORE unfinished objects. Now my total is up to 49!! Good thing I have been working away at these projects faster than I first planned - 15 projects in 2 1/2 months is pretty good!!