A few years ago James Dyment the curator at the Whistler House Museum in Lowell invited me to teach a class. The idea was to take a Whistler painting and reinterpret it in fabric as a quilt to celebrate both Whistler and the textile history in Lowell.
The first class was a great success and we have been partnering to repeat this idea every year.This year I chose an etching called Street at Saverne to teach as an exercise exploring value and perspective.
I create a pattern and discuss the design approach and techniques I used to create my sample quilt. Here is where the creativity begins! My students quickly start to adopt and reject fabrics, techniques, and ideas.
A little fabric trading, critiquing and advice keeps the class flowing. By the end of the day everyone has a pretty good idea of where they are going with their design and the way they want to finish their quilts.
I have seen some of the completed quilts and am excited to see them all showing together next month at the Whistler House during the Lowell Quilt Festival. I love the creativity and expression each quilt represents. Everyone created their own path to get to the finished piece.
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| Whistler's Street at Saverne etching |
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| Mary Walter's Street at Saverne quilt |
We all await the moment when the class gets back together to see the finished quilts hanging together for the first time! Then we enjoy the opening reception and reaction of the viewers as they experience the theme and the variety of the quilts we created.
I will post the class exhibit for everyone to enjoy but if you can see them in person please join us for the opening reception and the next dates for the next class Whistler Quilts class.
For info visit www.whistlerhouse.org. A special thanks to James and the Whistler House for organizing,supporting our classes, and exhibiting our quilts.
Happy Quilting,
