Meet the Art Birds

A year ago we ran a Beginning Art Quilts class which was a great success. The gals had so much fun they didn't want to stop! So we formed a monthly Art Quilt club that ended up being named the Art Birds. Each month the members teach each other a new technique and show off the wonderful new pieces of art cloth they've made. It is incredibly inspiring! In February they spent the day working on stamping and stenciling fabrics.

The emphasis was on simply learning new techniques, not creating a specific end product. The group finds this both challenging and liberating at the same time! As quilters in general, it seems that we too often get caught up in the mentality of having to account for all the materials and time we invest in our avocation. Meaning we think everything thing we touch needs to end up in some sort of quilted product. But, the way to grow and develop as any style of quilter involves being willing to take chances on new things - experimenting. The photo on the left demonstrates this. Joan was working on layering images on her fabric. The question frequently asked is, "Well, what are you going to use if for?" The answer should be "I'm using it to learn something new." Take a chance today. Try something new, and don't plan to use whatever it is for anything other than learning!

posted by Angela