What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 I'm so excited to share a wonderful opportunity with you! Mod Maker Zone (aka Catherine and I!) are hosting a creativity retreat....

Remix and Stitch Lab

Remix and Stitch lab will be a five day immersive retreat where together we will explore our creative voices and processes. There will be some sewing (improv quilting!), paper crafting, weaving and even improv comedy! 

We're so happy that mixed media artist, Dori Patrick, will be joining us as a workshop teacher. I know you'll love Dori! Every time I interact with her I feel like sunshine has entered the room ...

That all said, my creative side is slowly but surely coming back to life.  I've had this idea baking in the back of my brain for ...

Curves II,  Nina-Marie Sayre Improved pieced to a planned pattern

Improv Surface Design with a little bit  of Improv Piecing,

That can be very freeing or a little scary ...

Hard at Work

You know sometimes all you want to do is sew and boy, have I done that.  Taking Improvisational

 I was looking back at previous posts (and when I say "back" I mean wayyyyyy back) and I realized that

So here is how to design a representational block when you can't draw but you know how to use a laptop, pencil and tracing paper.

1.  Come up with an Idea.  Since these blocks are ...

Our Classroom at Marc Adams School of Woodworking and Time Honor Crafts

Okay, let me start by saying, this is not this clown's first rodeo.  When I get ready for a 5-day design class, I normally have a plan in mind of how it's going to go.  This week with Timna Tarr's Stitched Mosaic was no different.  Since I took this exact same class last year, I thought no problem.  You pick a pretty picture - you edit - you place fabrics - you sew - you get your pretty picture in fabric.  Right?

Well, apparently not.

It started off pretty ...

 Since I started working full-time back in 2012, Thursday nights have always been my blog night.  This mostly works out well, unless an emergency pops up like today.  So I thought I would steal an idea from my favorite blog, Ask A Manager, and rerun a post that was hidden in the archives.  Since back in 2009 hardly anybody was reading, I thought what the heck!  

Praise Hands for Sacred Threads 2009

The moment when you realize you've let things get too complicated

I've been three weeks ...

I've been busy. With my gifted studio space I am making good use of it. There's no wi-fi, so I tend to just work and not stop to make videos or write posts, etc.  As a result I've been less visible than usual, which has been a good thing to do from time to time. Regroup, rethink, reprioritize, and in general concentrate on what I like, what I want and less on what I think I "should" be doing. Painting has taken me back to beginner status.  I'm just figuring things out, testing out the materials ...

A little humor first thing in the morning is like a little gift of joy.  So I was thrilled when my friend sent me this video.  Too funny and exactly the sort of thing my mother used to send to me.  She would have loved this.  This one's for you Mom.  Please know this is silly and meant to be funny.  If you don't find it so, move right along. [video width="848" height="480" mp4="https://arianezurcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_0500.mp4"][/video] In other news, my new workshop line up for 2022 is up ...

There are diversions and then there are DIVERSIONS!  Organizing can be one of those.  I finished the BIG piece I’ve been working on and instead of leaping into something new, I got sidetracked with organizing.  Organizing my work space, it’s pretty small so it takes some doing to spend more than a few hours on […]

 I would love to say that I've accomplished more this week, but  'Tis the Season and all that!!  All I can say is the house is nearly decorated so at least it's looking festive around here.

I did finally finish up my value studies with these last two.  I took the suggestion of my critique partner and tried some with the point of the ray going underneath of the circle.  Also, I wanted to try making the lightest parts of the curve on the outer edges which I definitely think adds depth.  I can see how the ideas ...

I’m not feeling great.  I should probably just end this post right here.  But, no, I’ll soldier on. Not because this post is important, it’s not, but because it represents all the things on my to do list and so much that is just life. No one needs to hear my laundry list of “woes”, […]

A Work Table of a Quilter?

About 10 years ago, Elizabeth Barton asked me to make value studies of the design I had chosen to do in her class.  No problem.....How many?

8

I beg your pardon?  Did you say 8? OMGosh!  Are you crazy? I sew.  I do not spend time coloring ... in greys!

I’m just about finished with my big improvisational stitching piece that I’ve been working on for the last 7 months or so, and it’s bittersweet.  It always feels like a tiny death.  There’s sadness and a kind of grieving that happens.  Sometimes I just leave it up on my design wall and look at it […]

 Last week I explained how I create an idea from the very beginning.  This week I actually put it into practice.  With the Sacred Threads Art Show deadline 7 weeks away, I really need to get my act together.  Of course, after the year I've had, sometimes I forget where my act actually is so I can get it together.  Luckily I found some creativity I had squirred away for a rainy day and the design is well on its way.  

Red and Orange Streak, OKeefe

Yesterday I released a new Youtube Video with the same title. Go check it out! There are a few other key factors to interpretive hand stitching, improvisational hand stitching, expressionist hand stitching or whatever else you might want to call it.  I think all of these are good descriptors of my process when taking a […]