Monday, February 2, 2015

Four Letter Words

I taught a free pieced letters class at Quilted Threads on Saturday and if you can believe it, I forgot to take any pictures.

The second exercise is to make a four letter word out of multiple fabrics, like this word:


The thing that's tricky about it is how to tell the students what kind of fabrics to bring. I've tried several different ways, but so far nothing has really worked.

At class on Saturday, one student suggested I provide photos of four letter words so the students will understand the project and know what to bring.  That meant I had to make more four letter words.

So here's COZY (these letters are five inches tall).

and JAVA. (I didn't have time to add strips for the top and bottom before the game started.)

So having seen these, if I tell you we are going to make a four letter word with multiple fabrics and that I'd like you to bring 16 - 24 pieces of co-ordinating fabrics, would you know what to bring?

By the way, if you've noticed, each of these words includes a slightly more "complex" letter. This is by design. It's a roundabout way of getting students to attempt them.

5 comments:

Megan said...

I think having these pics would be of some help Lynne. In the end, however, students will learn by doing. It doesn't sound as though it's a project class - more of a technique class, and figuring out what kind of printed fabrics work best takes time and practice. That students don't take home a finished mini-quilt with the world's best ever four letter word on it isn't a disappointment.

I guess I'd describe the fabrics you've used as mainly tone-on-tone style of prints with the occasional 'zinger'/wild/attention-seeking print in a coordinated colour.

Perhaps you could email your students and ask them what descriptions they would suggest now that they've completed the class?

Megan
Sydney, Australia

Pat said...

I definitely think these examples would help. BTW, I love the way the fabric in the "C" follows a perfect "C" curve.

Anonymous said...

The approximate sizes for the fabric pieces would help, too.

Are NH quilters tromping out in the cold for a class really so timid that you have to trick them into trying the hard ones? I would think, as a longtime teacher, that once a few easy ones were done, they would relish the creative challenge. Unless there's only one way to make each one and they would have to be guessing. That could be intimidating.

Mystic Quilter said...

I agree that these pics you have just posted would be wonderful for the students to see. I love them. Wink is great with all the different fabrics but Java is my favourite purely because I have been there a few times and have a good collection of traditional batiks.

Mrs. Goodneedle said...

I wish I could have been there! I love this exercise... you're one smart teacher; well done!!