Dancing with the Wall--An Irene Rodrick Workshop--post 1

Auditioning the triangles

Goal number 17 on my January list was to attend an Irene Rodrick workshop. Our Portland Modern Quilt Guild sponsored the Zoom workshop. It's been years since I've taken a workshop from a national teacher. It was the first time that I've taken a Zoom workshop.

Progress at the end of four hours

The title of the workshop was Dancing with the Wall. The idea is to design your quilt from the center out. We were to start with two colors of fabric. Once we placed a component on the wall unless we were adding to it or altering it in some way, we didn't move it.

I tried freehand piecing curves. I liked it. I liked making curvy lines, skinny lines and beads. Irene defined Improv as unplanned. I could wrap my head around that definition. While in class, my goal was to give each element a try. If I had an issue, I could always ask Irene for help.

At the end of the first four hours, I was enjoying the process and actually having fun. By the beginning of the second day, I had mapped out how large I wanted to make my piece. I often use selvages to mark the dimensions I want my quilt to be. I had placed  a couple more components in the piece. I had started piecing a large component. 

Sans the black equals progress at the end
of eight class hours.

A focus of the second day was to help us learn how to engineer the components so that we could sew them together. Because I've pieced backs with bits, chunks and slabs of leftover fabrics and leftover blocks, I wasn't concerned about filling my space so I could envision how to engineer the stitching.

Progress at the end of Saturday

I spent the day making more blocks or pieces. It was great to see other people's creations. I was not happy with my fabric choices. As my fabrics were too close in value. I knew this when I started. Had the weather been cooperative, I would have purchased another piece to go with one of these. The supply list said two yards of two
contrasting fabrics.

I've been purchasing solid fabrics in one yard pieces. I had a white, a black or a yellow; but, I wasn't into a color combination that could be made with those fabrics. I figured after class I would add more color and make a project that I liked.

After class, I auditioned black as another color. I liked the effect the black gave. I do plan to use lime green in two small places and a lame gold in one other spot. My small modern group has issued a challenge using lime green, gold, and skinny lines in some way.

This week, I've played or as Irene would say, danced with the wall a little bit more. I've made components and auditioned some background fabrics. I've a ways to go yet, but, I'm making progress. The upper left bare corner will likely be solid black. I'm waiting for inspiration to hit for the other bare area.

I'm liking the piece better with the addition of the black fabric. If you want to learn more about the process I used, check out Irene's book, "Dancing with the Wall." I'm linking this post to Cynthia at Oh Scrap/Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework.