Workshops & Lectures

available Lectures:
• Quilt National, Recent Developments
• Color in Contemporary Textiles
• The Body of Work - How Textile Artists Develop a Body of Work
• The Enduring Power of Hand Stitching

AppliquÉ & Reverse AppliquÉ Workshop

We will take a new look at appliqué and reverse appliqué and the potential of these techniques to address broad compositional issues, dispelling previous notions of traditional appliqué.  We will begin by doing some design work which focuses on positive and negative space.  We will explore the interaction and flow of the positive and negative, or figure and ground as they are also sometimes called.  Each participant will create a single design that they will execute in fabric in a number of different ways.

We will look at appliqué and reverse appliqué from different cultures such as Cuna Indian molas, Hmong flower cloths, Hawaiian quilts, North American Indian Ribbonwork, etc.  These historic and ethnographic examples will provide starting points for personal exploration.

As with most artwork, the edges of colors - the places where colors meet - are very important.  A sharp edge, a fuzzy edge, an indefinite edge – these small differences have a huge impact in how we interpret the subject and how the completed piece communicates to us.   The sewing techniques for doing appliqué can be chosen to create these different kinds of edges and we will explore the range from hand sewing to machine sewing to fusing as ways to accomplish appliqué.

Workshop participants can expect to learn design techniques that will enhance their own work, whether it is traditional or contemporary, appliquéd or pieced.  They will also learn some exciting new ways to use the layering of fabric to fulfill their own artistic expression.

Contact Anne for additional information about lecture or workshop availability.