Trapunto Class...

This raised-design trapunto pillow is the result of a class with teacher and quilt artist Mark Sherman. Our local guild, Country Road Quilters, brought Mark to the group with a lecture and trunk show, followed by a workshop. His prize-winning, show-stopping quilt "Wings and Feathers" is shown below. As with many quilts, pictures don't do it justice. You can't see and appreciate the crystals... it's loaded with them.. or the fine quilting and details. Plus he used his hand-dyed fabrics to create the quilt. You've probably seen this one at shows or on the AQS calendar. Spectacular!

Anyhow, we learned a lot about trapunto by machine. Mark's method is accessible to quiltmakers of all skill levels. That's because we used a machine walking foot to create the butterfly shape. And his class kit was filled with products that he has tested and found best. We began with two fat quarters of a solid-toned fabric, and marked the butterfly. Two layers of wool batting fill the shape, which is stitched and trimmed, then layered with the batting and backing. Washout products and adhesive spray made the project easy and manageable. I decided to practice my free-motion quilting skills and turn the piece into a pillow. My go-to place for quilting help is Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project. She offers video tutorials of designs like the "Bubble Wand" which I used for part of the project.

It was a most enjoyable and instructive class and lecture. I admire what Mark has achieved in just a decade of quilting, and his stories of his early experiences are entertaining. One of his earlier quilts is shown here. You can see more of his work on his website Remarkable Quilts. And Valerie, a classmate and blogger, also has an example of her project you can see here. She did a beautful job quilting it.