Quilting Designs and Illustrator – and a GIVEAWAY!
October 17th, 2010 | 
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The high school I work at is the arts magnet high school for the city. The kids have some amazing opportunities in both performing and visual arts. Imagine taking a class three times a week in all the Adobe programs – all updated, where you don’t have to worry about buying the programs, getting updates, and making sure your computer always works, plus hands-on instruction rather than learning yourself. Can you say “jealous?”
I think back to learning Pagemill waaaaayyyyy back when I was just starting my website in 1998…I still know a little code from teaching myself. Everything I’ve done has been self-taught, so I love the opportunities the kids have. About two weeks ago I walked to the end of the hallway to discover a new exhibit of student work, using Illustrator – a program I just haven’t had time to explore. The kids had to recreate some organic shapes (the pen tool makes me nuts….) and use some filters to develop their piece even further. All I could think of was what cool quilts these would make. There is glare (and the remains of some graffiti) on the showcase window, but I think you can get a good idea of what the kids are doing.
What I like about this is the blossoms. I am thinking they would look good in free-motion on a solid area of a quilt. See my dilemma below the pictures…….
Now, speaking of quilting designs….I need some help. I have two “older” quilts that I am requilting. I took the stitches out of one while in the hospital, and I’m working on the other one. I need suggestions as to quilting. I have grown beyond stippling, but I am still having trouble with actual designs that will work with the patterns. Here’s the first – four traditional blocks with marbled stars in a neon paint.
You can see all the old quilting. When I get all the invisible thread out, I’m going to soak it in warm water to see if I can make the lines disappear. But what should I do for quilting?
Here’s the other – a log cabin table runner done with marbled fabrics. What do you think? Just stitch in the ditch??
Leave me comments on the blog, and I’ll do a giveaway for the best suggestions for each – some digital note cards based on marbled patterns. Come on, help me out!!
Posted in Adobe, art, art class, artist, creativity, design, digital art, drawing, graphic design, quilting, quilts, student art | 
Tags: Adobe Illustrator, quilting designs
The quilt with the stars has the green blocks where you could really showcase some quilting though the only thing I can think of right now is to quilt stars that are similar to the ones in the traditional blocks.
The log cabins would do well with something curvy like baptist fans or concentric circles centered on each block echoing out.
Thanks, Jill. I hadn’t thought about duplicating the stars in the solid green, and I like the idea of the circles in the log cabins, maybe in some variegated threads. We’ll see!
I would have to say that the final stitching for a quilt is the most important and most difficult to decide. I hand stitch and so my designs are not elaborate but time consuming and I usually sit and wait on a piece until…. aha! I know exactly what will work.
For the log cabin quilt piece, I think that it is busy enough and too much quilting would be lost and accomplish nothing, so I would suggest a swirl radiating outwards in each square might work nicely and a wider space between the lines than each log.
Your star quilt is trickier because you have several different things happening and I think I’d need a little more time studying it to decide what would work well (the previous stitch lines are throwing me off too)
Hi Mimi – thanks for the suggestions. You’re the second one to suggest circles, and I really like your idea ofchanging the spacing between each of the lines. I am curious to see what you come up with for the star quilt…..I’m still pulling out stitches!
What a wonderful exhibit these future artists have shared…the colors are wondeful…oh to be able to have an art class like this when I was in high school. I love the idea of adding the circles maybe with a contrasting thread..just an idea. Thank you for visiting my blog post with the newest little baby…Lyndon gave us quite a scare when he was ill and in the hospital. Small miracles like holding an infants hand reassure me that we are here to give Love to one another. Art is our language. Imagine and Live in peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
Their art is wonderful, I agree. I love that the kids are being exposed to absolutely wonderful art, artists, and new directions with technology. And enjoy that little baby!!