Quilting 101: 9+2 is a 10... Really

I thought it might be fun to teach you a snappy little 'basic' trick. Think polymer clay checkerboard cane... on serious steroids! We all know checkerboards, right? Extrude some solid colored clay, stack, reduce & have a good time, right? And don't get me wrong, I adore checkerboards, maybe more than many, because I only work in large pieces. Checkerboards are great eye candy between primary cane designs & final borders. But, checkerboards do have several 'down sides'. Let's take a peek.

1st, we are somewhat locked in on color - use solids OR for a smidge of creativity... we can 'marble' our color to a degree - but solids are the Only way we have any design control. 2nd, when you are only covering a teansie area, our cane doesn't need to be 'perfectly precise', but on a slightly larger piece like a bracelet, imperfections are obvious. And the the larger our pieces, whether a box, canister or even a larger jar or vase...  the more glaring those slight imperfections. The cane above looks fine, but would be a travesty on a larger piece. Another consideration, although some are blessed with that awesome $250- slicer, most of us are slicing the good old fashioned way. The larger our piece, the more essential it is that we have slices that are of the exact (or at least extremely close) same thickness, otherwise simply smoothing our piece will 'warp' our design.  Quilting is all about absolute precision & control in every aspect of our design - with the added joy of simplicity.

The formal name of this little ditty is a 9 Patch, what the quilting world calls a simple basic checkerboard. We simply roll our sheet through the pasta machine, so ALL of our work is the exact same thickness. Instead of being limited to just solid colors, we do surface work to assure every single centimeter has lovely design, when we choose. I LOVE working in faux Batiks, & have some great ways to reproduce them to share with you... tomorrow. So, 2 big obstacles are overcome, easy cheesy & fun playtime. Now, how does this compare to conditioning, extruding, reducing & imperfect slicing?

1: Set out selected decorated sheets.

2: Cut horizontal strips in desired thickness. ( Often times, I will use 1/8" to 1/4", 

    depending on size of piece being covered.

3: Lay your strips 1 next to another, following the color charts. I will use 4 strips 

    instead of 3 ONLY for 2 colored 9's. 

4: Make vertical cuts equal in distance to horizontal cuts. IF strips are 1/8" tall, then 

    they should also be 1/8" wide.

5: Lift sections of 3 pieces together at once & set these together in groups of 3 per 

    line for 9 pieces total. 

6: That's it, a few slices, set slices in a line, a few slices & set together in groups of 9.

    These entire process takes 2 minutes IF you needed to mist your workspace 1st.

 2 Color checkerboard like you see in this photo.

Checkerboard with 3 or more colors

Ok, we've got a lot of checkerboards, what shall we do with them, beyond 'usual' border type work? Well, you can build 'squares with a few more simple slices that match the height & width of the 9 patch. For example, IF your 9's strips are 1/8" high, then your height & width for 'squares' are 3/8"h x 3/8"w. The REAL fun is selecting the color combo's you will use. Here's a few ideas for some interesting ways to mix em' up a bit. As with ALL clay, it's just a justartig point, our creativity decides our path, right?

   Play with your colors, adds to the fun as well as your layout.

 To shake it up a bit more, add a few extra strips & rotate the 2 blocks. Easy cheesy - looking even better!

Here we can alternate 9's with faux ceramic tiles. Photo is from Connie Kresin's website...
Freemotion by the River . You should follow her, you will learn so much about color & shape from her, she's fabulous!  This design is on my 'To Do list' to play with.

Or we can use a few to build 1 new 'block' as a focal point OR simplify to add borders to a completely different design.

So, when is 9 + 2  a Total 10?

Sorry for taking the long scenic route here. I wanted you to have a bit of 'foundation' before the Really REAL fun begins. Now, you are sitting at your table with a plain old sorry to say 'somewhat common' 9's checkerboard & you want an easy way to amp that beauty up? Simply cut it 2 times, 2 simple sweeps of your blade, like so...

I like to set my 9's on glass over a graph that has all cuts marked so I don't even have to measure. It takes an extra 30 seconds & is instant stunning. And, when you are arranging several together, as with our Kaleidoscopes, wonderful complex designs appear. And. playing with color placement changes the finished look in the same way.

Duty beckons for now. But when I return, I'll bring a cool way to combine our canes with strips in 1 of my all time favorite ways... & I'll leave you with a taste of our next 9's lesson... by adding a few more cuts. 

Have a wonderful day!

ClayPlay Liz

Quilting in Clay - Part 2

   I have been up to my elbows in alligators here  in my personal life. I'm not sure even 36 hours in a day would be quite enough. I've had to 'steal' studio time the last few weeks, treasuring my quiet creative moments. Isn't it just the sweetest comfort, to step away from the chaos & hustle-bustle of life & just get lost in our 'playtime'? To be honest, returning to the blog has been a worrisome burden, a 2 edged sword of sorts. My pc is cluttered with over 700 gigs of goodies to post, so there is certainly a lot to share with you & an urgency to get it off my hard drive.  But... (don't we just hate the ''but'?) I feel anxious - like I should be 'teaching you' as I am posting.  I realized this is actually pretty silly. First & foremost, ANY 7 year old can 'quilt in clay' with the same precision as any adult. I promise you, it's so easy it defies reason!  In a nutshell...

1: Select your object you will be 'covering'. This technique ISN't recommended for small
    1" pendants, although I'm certain some of you may try. I pick up assorted items, from
    small tins & medium sized glass & ceramic canisters to medium sized cool wood
    boxes. And my all-time Favorites, large to mammoth sized clay pots & uniquely
    shaped yard jars.  Cover your item in a BASE of medium thickness Sculpey Original.
    It is a fraction of the price of the other clays out there & you will need the softness of
    Sculpey to keep adding to your piece Without conditioning.
    NOTE: IF your piece is porous, seal with a base coat of PVA white glue.

2: Decide on the design (pattern) you will be using. I will, most often - either Combine 2
    different patterns to create an entirely New pattern that looks incredibly complex, but
    of course; isn't - OR will mix my pattern with solids for the easiest designs yet. Isn't it
    odd, many times the easiest is the most stunning!
 
3: Create your sheets. This can be done by either covering your sheet with canes you've
    built OR utilizing attractive surface techniques. The magic IS in your sheet-work,
    making certain your sheets are the same thickness. A uniform thickness in your piece
    will be important, & there's nothing to it with your pasta machine. 

4: Decide on the SCALE you will be working on. I work in anything from 1/8" to 1/2",
    but most often find that 1/4" is perfect.

5: Using 1/4" as a sample... cut your sheet into 1/4" HIGH strips horizontally. IF you are
    using squares - next cut VERTICAL lines every 1/4". For 1/2 square triangles... simply
    cut some DIAGONAL lines & now you have perfect triangles. We'll look at diamonds,
    60* & even 10* in another post.

    NOTE: I keep 'cheat sheet' grids for virtually ALL the different patterns I work in that
    I will be posting to share with you. Don't fret thinking you are going to have to 'reLearn'
    that basically useless geometry & algebra to enjoy your clay playtime! Simply mark
    your 'grids' onto a piece of poster-board, cover with glass & after you are done with it,
    drop it back in the stack of handy grids that store easily.

    NOTE 2 - ANY time we are doing a 'landscape' OR a pattern that requires a template
    to keep it simple & easy (& Fun), I will post that also. You can print it 'to scale' on your
    regular printer & I purchased 1 package of 'Quilters Template Plastic', a literal lifetime
    supply from Amazon for $10- bucks. You only need 1 (yes One) for any given unique
    shape & size & reuse it... forever.

6: You can EITHER apply your individual cut pieces to the item you are covering OR (as
    I often do) lay out an EXTRA piece of paper thin Sculpey to build your block (or several
    blocks) on & apply the 1 piece of designed clay to your focal piece.

  Bottom line is, ALL I have to show you is 1 single block & you will get it. EVERY pattern that I post  initially will have Complete diagrams for both cutting & assembling. I do have designs that instantly stole my heart that I will be posting also, but not until you've been walked through some complete 'how-to' designs 1st. You will find, once you get the gist of quilting, you'll be able to look at even the most seemingly complex designs & will instantly 'get' how to recreate it.

   My emphasis will be on what I see as an experienced 'quilter in clay' the most critical areas of this art form. Not only the design (pattern we will be using)... but even more so... the color schemes we will be using to design with. Color WILL make or break our artwork. I will walk you through some Really Awesome (those 2 words should be in caps, I believe) new products - & some old products that aren't really being used by clayers - as well as some COOL new techniques. With these, you can create even what appears to be the most expensive  Batiks on the market today. And believe me... you are in for a grand 'creative' time.

   And, the reason I'm NOT going to feel like I 'need' to teach you... we are joined on this little playground by some of THE top recognized teachers in the PC community. I have every confidence others will be jumping at the fun of quilting in clay... & look forward to seeing what everyone will be adding to make this a wonderful growing area of play... just like caning. And, before I forget... for those that will jump in right away...

~~   DON'T mix those left-over sheets into mud piles... I have a technique to teach you (I'll call Scrappies) that will be to clay quilters what Stroppel Canes are to caners...  just as beautiful & easy cheesy!

So, there is NO 'don't use my concepts'. I invite you to play till you drop, bring in your own artistic vision & SHARE your socks off. Whether you are sharing your own tuts that you sell, creating pieces to sell that use my ideas OR you are the 1st to publish a book to introduce this technique to a hungry growing market... good for you! I hope you make a bucket of money. I'm about the art, about creating & about FUN! The more people that can walk away from life's burdens, if only for a few minutes here or there to really relax & enjoy Creating... the more happy people there will be in the world.

Happy Claying,
ClayPlay Liz

Disclaimer: I KNOW I don't have to say this... but IF you want to allow your 7 yr old (or 'youth' in general) to play in clay... be certain they aren't allowed to use ANY tools or instruments that are beyond their ability to use Safely. ... as if that needed to be said. Hahaa... now my legal counsel is a happy camper  :D

  

Quilting in Clay: Part 1 - Precision Personified

We all enjoy creating canes and slabs, but what do we do with them once they are created? Or an even more trying question, some of my favorite techniques are creating sheets of crackled clay or inked sheets that mimic batiks - what pray tell do we do with these? My solution was 'quilting' in clay. NOT as is currently recognized - ie: create a cane from extruded clays... but instead using my sheets to create quilt designs.

The process is so easy it's insane. After deciding on a pattern, use a ruler (or pattern grid - more on that later) & slice your sheet, applying pieces in proper order on top of a soft layer of Sculpey Original. As I look at the photo above, initially the pattern looks very complex and I honestly wouldn't know where to begin to build canes to duplicate this pattern. And, quite honestly, IF I could sort out what canes to build, I doubt I have the skill to build them in a way that absolute precision could be maintained. But, for the above pattern, a simple long slice creates strips. a few more long slices creates squares and triangles - easy cheesy done. And IF you find you enjoy this technique, you will master looking at quilts with an understanding of how they are assembled.

Are you ready to create artwork like this?

I will be adding NEW Categories, the 1st will be Quilting: Flat. Quilting: Flat will refer to a solid non broken finish (as opposed to dimensional work) & will be geometric in nature, differentiating from the landscape category. There will also be sub-categories that will be added. 1st is Basic... this will include the easy cheesy patterns of basic geometric shapes as above. It will include simple strips, squares & triangles. Here are a few more of the types of designs you will find patterns for in the Basic sub-category.

  

The next sub-category will be 'Complex'. This will include patterns that have parallelograms, isosceles triangles and (more important) curves or circles. I have pattern grids for the 1st 2 but usually cut a card stock pattern for the curves. These are still relatively easy, but do require a bit more thought. Here are a few samples of the types of patterns that would be considered 'Complex'...

Now, it's time to introduce you to Judy Niemeyer. Judy is to the quilting community what Carol Simmons of http://carolsimmonsdesigns.com   is to polymer clay. Let me preface with IF you aren't familiar with the pure genius of Carol Simmons, you need to follow her blog. IF I had to pick just 1 teacher & that would be the only voice I could hear, Carol would be my mentor. Fortunately, there are more generous teachers within the polymer community than there are minutes in a day... do be certain to grab a front row seat IF she teaches in your area. Judy Neimeyer, like Carol & Captain Kirk take their artistic genres to levels others never imagined. With Judy, she was the 1st to combine the brilliance of color use with an awesome blend of landscapes meets traditional quilting. My next sub-category will simply be 'Niemeyer'. Although not every work pattern will be her... she is the heart of this art form & it will be easy for me to remember. Fortunately for us... we work in clay & can reproduce one of her designs on a large piece in a matter of days... whereas her designs in a full quilt can take well over a year. For som intense eye candy, be sure to stroll around her site http://www.quiltworx.com   Note that I will be sharing a really cool trick for quickly & easily creating 'spears' - her trademark use of triangles... that makes recreating her type of designs a breeze. 

Now, for the 4th sub-category - I will call this 'Backgrounds'. True quilting combines connecting pieces to create the over-all pattern, but then sews a background pattern into the pieces. These are easy to integrate into our designs which take our art pieces to a whole new level. I am also guilty of turning background pattern designs into the focal point artwork. Take a peak at a few, they are just beautiful... and easy cheesy!

And now for the 5th & final sub-category... I will call it 'Links'. ANY patterns that make me think of inter-locking chain links, whether they be borders, large patterns or Celtic knot-work.Here are a few samples, although I'm sure you get it.

So, there is the gist of Quilting: Flat & the associated categories. When ever I post to Any quilting category, I'll be placing everything I need to do it in clay, including patterns - often including variations in pattern & photos, so we can just hit the table & do it. I've begun restructuring menus to include quilting sites & artists that will be added to the left hand menus. You should blow around online a bit, the inspiration within the quilting community is incredible & quilters are great about sharing patterns & ideas.

This is specially pertinent for me, because I often integrate fabric into my clay work. Just remember, until I do full tutorials on integrating fabric, a few points to remember:
1 - Working over Sculpey Original or a similar Soft clay is where the magic begins
2 - Glue coat between fabric & clay. Elmer's All-Purpose is ok
     Gorilla IF water resist is needed
3 - IF using over vase that will have water OR doing full window art tapestry
     where condensation or moisture is an issue (tut forth coming)...
     be certain to waterproof fabric. (tut forth coming for that too)

So much to post, so little time.
Hope you get to play in your clay today!
ClayPlay Liz

P/s: Here's a pdf link to the photos in the slideshow - enjoy. 
Slideshow Quilt Photos