I enjoy working with curves. I had the opportunity to take a workshop with Caryl Bryer Fallert at the BTQG fall workshops years ago, showing how to make "curved" pieces. We had just returned from a family vacation in Hawaii. Snorkeling and scuba diving in tropical waters and seeing dolphins, sea turtles, yellow Little Bitty Tang fish, etc. was a magical world for my son and grandson. I used Caryl's techniques, a free-motion sketch of a mermaid, and my interpretation of a whimsical Little Bitty Tang fish to capture the magic and wonder of the undersea world. I used free-motion quilting to illustrate some other underwater life, waves and motion of the water; green eyelash thread to help create the illusion of seaweed motion and light blue eyelash to emphasize the glimmer of light we noticed reflecting from above.

Caryl's technique of appli-piecing is still one of my favorite techniques to use when applicable. Caryl said you can't make a quilt without an overhead projector.  I'm sure what she meant was an art quilt. But I did like using the overhead, and purchased one.  You can design on an 8 1/2" or smaller, and then make it any size.  The original sketch of the background that I did in class was only about 2" inches big.  Then we used the overhead to project it larger. I have since tried other methods of enlarging my designs. I will elaborate on those techniques with the quilts that use them.

This workshop is the one that got me started on designing my own art quilts for wall hangings.  I have since taken three other workshops with Caryl and I’m glad I did.  Her work is very distinctive and beautiful, and now that she has re-married and is Caryl Bryer Fallert Gentry, she no longer does workshops.  She no longer lives in Paducah, where we could more easily take classes, if she were to offer them, but has moved to Pudget Sound. Even though I've taken other workshops with renowned quilters, she is the first one and the one responsible for "getting me hooked."

This was my second attempt at free-motion, and it isn't what it is today, but I had FUN!! I especially enjoyed  trying to free-motion thread paint a mermaid.  I'm surprised now that I tried it. I could have ruined it!  I didn't get that far on the appli-pieced background in class, since this was a one day workshop.  And I have a tendency to take forever to come up with an idea that I want, and then fine tune it before I start.  So, outside of class, I did have lots of time to figure out the appliqué and free-motion that I wanted to go into it. I learned a lot from this little quilt.