FALL Quilted Lizard Tales

A quarterly newsletter from Karen Eckmeier

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Quilted Lizard Tales

FALL 2020

PLAYFUL TECHNIQUES &

SURPRISINGLY SIMPLE DESIGNS

www.kareneckmeier.com

Welcome to my FALL newsletter,

Thank you for signing up to receive my quarterly newsletter, where I share new quilts and ideas with you, and hope to inspire you on your creative journey.

I took this photo of a walkway in Woodstock, NY

Lights, Camera, ZOOM!

Virtual lectures and workshops are quite fun! I can show so many more quilts and details virtually AND I can be on the west coast one day and then the east coast the next day, or even an international destination, which never could have happened before!

It's very exciting to be able to reach more quilt guilds in less time.
Let me know if you would like me to visit your guild.

karen@quilted-lizard.com

Student Show n' Tell
Some of my students in a recent zoom Accidental Landscapes: Beaches workshop from the Conejo Valley Quilters Guild (California), gave me permission to brag about their creations. The workshop was 6 hours. Most students got their borders on during that time and were ready to quilt. Every Beach scene was as unique and special as the person who created it. Bravo to all!

Featured Beach quilts are by Janet Hinderer, Julie Snow, Chris Cole, and Peggy Eichhorn (in that order). Thank you so much for sharing!!!

I never throw away leftover fabrics from making Accidental Landscapes, because they can be turned into post cards and bookmarks. These little cuties were made by Julie Snow.

Everyone was very happy about the virtual workshop. Students liked being able to work in the comfort of their own home and although we were gathered virtually we were TOGETHER, which is very important during these isolating times.

NEW Online Happy Villages Workshop
I made a brand new Happy Village for this online workshop.

In order to show the several steps involved requires making several villages at different stages.

Here I am collaging two villages at once: one will be used for the demo of adding rooftops, etc…and the other will continue with more details as seen in the first photo.

This workshop can be viewed on the Meander Guild site. It is offered in three parts. Part 3 will be available soon.

Oct. 5 - Introduction and Materials

Oct. 12 - Technique

Oct. 19 - Finishing and Creative Variations

Here is a special link for my Quilted Lizard Tales newsletter subscribers (and your friends too) which will take you to the home page of the Meander Guild, an international online quilt guild.

In order to view my workshop, you will need to join the guild. Membership is $14/month

https://shannon-brinkley.mykajabi.com/a/18367/XZKZgsJR

Once you join:

Go to View Course

Select Categories

Select “Quilt Making Styles”

and scroll down to Collage Quilting, where you will find my 3 part “Happy Villages” workshop.

Check out my “Accidental Landscape” 3 part demo while you are there.

Plus there are so many categories and interesting quilting subjects to pursue. I’m looking forward to taking many of the courses myself now that I have more time at home.

BONUS: Here is a link to a FREE color workshop:

https://shannon-brinkley.mykajabi.com/a/22112/XZKZgsJR

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

on KAREN ECKMEIER

with Shannon Brinkley, founder of Meander Guild - YouTube video

Here’s the link to Shannon’s interview with me, where we discuss:

My creative process (VERY laid back and improvisational)
How I design my quilts and my approach to color choices
Inspiration
How I help my students get out of their comfort zones to try something new

New Quilt (in process)

“Village Square” (approx. 45” x 45”)

New quilts in my Happy Villages series of collage quilts usually start out as a challenge to myself to try a new format, color palette, or theme. In this one, the borders were my inspiration. Kind of a backwards way to start!!!

In 2011, I had made a village that was not making me smile, so I literally demolished that village, and saved only the borders, because they still made me very happy. The borders are constructed with topstitched curves.

Now 9 years later and with extra time at home (due to the pandemic) I was ready to re-build that village in a different style. I decided to construct the new village so that it gradates in both color and size.

Beginning in the center with large dark shapes (reds and blues/6.5" squares originally),
then medium size and color shapes (oranges/5.5" squares originally),
and out to small light shapes (yellows/4.5"squares originally).

Now that the “mess” and total chaos have been created it is time for the roof tops.
Here are the first 3 rooftops.

Quite a few more rooftops and some windows have been added. As you can see I decided on black & white fabrics for high contrast. They also tie in the inner black & white stripe border.

Time to LIGHTLY glue the shapes. It’s important not to use too much glue, because you will definitely change your mind many times as to which pieces will stay and which will go. If you use too much glue, the piece cannot be removed easily and will rip, which means you have to cut another….

Speaking of changing my mind, notice the red/black building on the left was made slightly larger by adding more windows and making the first story roof smaller….a neighboring roof got tucked underneath to the left, a flag pole was added (5 star hotel!!!) etc….these renovations were easy because the pieces were still relatively loose.

NOTE: You can secure the pieces with more glue right before you add the tulle and baste, but not during the "creative process"

Auditioning tulle (very fine netting). This may be hard to see in the photo, but on the left is purple tulle and on the right is yellow tulle. I chose the purple tulle because it kept the dark blues/reds very rich (instead of “foggy”) and enhanced the yellows.

The tulle will cover only the village collage. The borders have topstitched edges, so do not need the tulle to keep the edges from fraying. I tucked the edge of the tulle underneath the black & white inner border.

I am still at the quilting stage, so will have more photos of the finished quilt with details in the Winter 2021 newsletter. I may even show you the original village that got demolished.

Student Spotlight

Kim Kellman took my Happy Villages workshop a few years ago in Maryland and agreed to share her finished Night Village with you all. She used a wonderful night time palette, complete with the reflection of the moon stitched in metallic thread.

Kim did some Zoom sewing with a friend and togehter they made a Twirl from my Wiggles & Waves book. Kim decided to make a few more Twirls, then added topstitched wiggles and waves to create this strong abstract piece.

Teaching Calendar

Please note that virtual Zoom lectures and workshops are for guild members only. Please contact the quilt guild to find out their guest policy.

2020 Calendar
*all new since SUMMER 2020 newsletter

*Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild, New Milford, CT Aug. 25 (ZOOM lecture: oops! My Edges are Showing)

*Conejo Valley Quilters, Thousand Oaks, CA Sept. 21 & 26 (9/21ZOOM lecture: Happy Villages & Accidental Landscapes/ 9/26 Zoom workshop: Beaches)

*Allatoona Quilters’ Guild, Acworth, GA Oct. 6 (ZOOM lecture: Wiggles & Waves)

*Block Party Quilters, Bellevue, WA Nov. 5 & 21 (11/5 ZOOM lecture: Happy Villages & Accidental Landscapes, 11/21 Zoom Happy Villages workshop)

*Hot Springs Village Quilt Guild, Hot Springs Village, AR Nov. 12 (ZOOM lecture: Wiggles & Waves)

*The Kanata Quilt Guild, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Dec. 10 (ZOOM Lecture: Happy Villages & Accidental Landscapes)

2021 Calendar
*new/updated/re-scheduled/or changed to Zoom format since SUMMER 2020 newsletter

Some of the following engagements may need to be switched to virtual zoom lectures and workshops, depending on the spread of the COVID-19 virus in 2021. We will decide together, which is the safest way to meet as the time gets closer.

All AQSweek shows have been cancelled for 2021

*Southford Falls Quilt Guild, Middlebury, CT Feb. 5-6 (ZOOM 2/5 lecture: oops! My Edges are Showing, eve 2/5 lecture, 2/6 workshop: TB)

*Pieced Together Quilters, Bridgewater, NJ February 24 (ZOOM Happy Villages workshop/oops! My Edges are Showing! eve. lecture)

*Berry Basket Quilters, Medford, NJ March 10 (ZOOM lecture TBD…possible workshop on a different date yet to be decided)

*Naragansett Bay Quilters, RI March 18-19 (ZOOM lecture and workshop TBD)

*Carquinez Strait Stitchers, CA March 20 (ZOOM 3 hour workshop: Mountain Views)

*Tompkins County Quilt Guild, Ithaca, NY May 14-16 (ZOOM tentatively, lecture and workshops TBD)

*Faithful Circle Quilters, Downers Grove, IL May 26-27 (Happy Villages & Accidental Landscapes lecture, workshop TBD)

Ninigret Quilters, Westerly, RI June 8-9 (oops! My Edges are Showing lecture and Color Twists & Leaves workshop)

Calico Cutters, West Chester, PA July 13/14 (oops! My Edges are Showing lecture/Happy Villages workshop)

The QuiltShow.com, August 27-31, DALLAS, TX

Demo with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims.

Re-scheduled once again. Exact date in August is yet to be decided. Show will be taped with a live studio audience and tickets will be available closer to the date.

(In 2012 I appeared on the QuiltShow, Episode #1109 “Fabulous Fabric Landscapes…By Accident”) http://thequiltshow.com

Annapolis Quilt Guild, MD September 13 (lecture and workshop TBD)

Calvert County Quilt Guild, Prince Frederick, MD Sept. 14 (lecture and workshop TBD)

Pax River Quilters, Lexington Park, MD Sept. 15 (evening lecture TBD/possibility of workshop during day)

Newtown Quilters Guild, Newtown, PA Sept. 21 (oops! My Edges are Showing lecture and Happy Villages workshop)

Sewing Friends Retreat, Lancaster, PA October 19-20 (Trunk Show (Tues Eve) and Accidental Landscape workshop (Wed) TBD)

Martin County Quilter’s, Inc, Stuart, FL Nov. 11-12 (Happy Villages & Accidental Landscapes lecture and Happy Villages workshop)

2022 Calendar

Q.U.I.L.T.S. Schenectady, NY Oct. 6-7 (lecture and workshop TBD)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
"Crying Baby" pumpkin carved by my son, the father of a 4 month old....need I say more?

Thank you for joining me!

Be safe and stay well

Karen

www.kareneckmeier.com

karen@quilted-lizard.com

Accidental Landscapes™: Surprisingly Simple Quilted Scenes

Wiggles & Waves: Free-Form Curves

Happy Villages™: Step into a Fabric Collage Adventure!

Wearable Waves: Delightful Designs for Quilted Jackets and Vests