Jane Sassaman quilt artist, fabric designer, author and teacher

I am just back from a wonderful visit with the Friendship Star Quilter’s Guild in Germantown, Maryland.
Happily, I was able to fit in a quick visit to my favorite museum along the way, the American Visionary Museum in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.

But now that I am home again, it is time to focus on the next calendar event… Mother’s Day! My Mom has lots of pink and blue in her home, so we had one of my new prints matted and framed to match her decor. It turned out beautifully. Shhhhhhh… don’t tell her!

Even if your mom doesn’t have a coffee table stacked with Sassaman ephemera, she still might enjoy one of these limited edition fine art prints, too. Happy Mom’s Day to you all!

I am just back from a wonderful visit with the Friendship Star Quilter’s Guild in Germantown, Maryland.
Happily, I was able to fit in a quick visit to my favorite museum along the way, the American Visionary Museum in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.

But now that I am home again, it is time to focus on the next calendar event… Mother’s Day! My Mom has lots of pink and blue in her home, so we had one of my new prints matted and framed to match her decor. It turned out beautifully. Shhhhhhh… don’t tell her!

Even if your mom doesn’t have a coffee table stacked with Sassaman ephemera, she still might enjoy one of these limited edition fine art prints, too. Happy Mom’s Day to you all!

I have always admired the achingly beautiful “handiwork” and presentation bags from the Tudor and Stuart periods of English embroidery. They both have the same basic square design with draw strings and tassels.

The handiwork bags were meant to hold embroidery implements, supplies and unfinished projects. The bags themselves were embroidered by their owners. The presentation bags were the same format but they were much more elaborate. They were intended to contain an equally valuable gift, for example, a pair of exquisitely stitched and embellished gauntlet style gloves, which were a popular and symbolic present in 17th century England.

So I set out to make a 21st century version of these stunning bags. I began with a simple square of the Coleus fabric surrounded by strips of the Sprigs fabric, both from the Sunshine & Shadow line for FreeSpirit. I made two of these, one for each side. Then after adding batting and a white backing, I quilted two rows of heavy white stitching with 12 weight threads to add a little glow of light.

Then I quilted wavy lines with the feather stitch, also using 12 weight threads. I think these rows help to blend the fabrics together. Then  I hand stitched random flat sequins, a relaxing evening activity. This is another idea borrowed from the embroidery of the 1600’s. I just sequined one side for show and left the other side unadorned so it could rest comfortably next to the body.

Although this bag is too substantial for draw strings to be very effective, I added them as a decorative element. They are strung through loops of gross grain ribbon. This was also a wonderful excuse to add more tassels! The tassels were made with DMC pearl cotton and my favorite felt beads from the Art Girlz.

A zipper was added for security and finished with more felt beads. The ribbon loops are continued inside the bag and turned out to be perfect for storing your knitting needles, which also help to stablize the bag.

I chose a light Sprigs fabric for the lining, so it will be easy to find what you are looking for inside. There is a wide shoulder strap for portability. I think this bag looks nice enough to hang on the wall! It would make a handsome throw pillow, as well!

Also note that Craftcast with Alison Lee has just posted our podcast interview. I am a fan of several craft podcasts, which I listen to at the gym… makes working out easier to bear! I especially like Craftcast because her guests are accomplished fine craftsmen and women. You can download the shows or simply listen on demand. I know you will find lots to explore on her site.

I have always admired the achingly beautiful “handiwork” and presentation bags from the Tudor and Stuart periods of English embroidery. They both have the same basic square design with draw strings and tassels.

The handiwork bags were meant to hold embroidery implements, supplies and unfinished projects. The bags themselves were embroidered by their owners. The presentation bags were the same format but they were much more elaborate. They were intended to contain an equally valuable gift, for example, a pair of exquisitely stitched and embellished gauntlet style gloves, which were a popular and symbolic present in 17th century England.

So I set out to make a 21st century version of these stunning bags. I began with a simple square of the Coleus fabric surrounded by strips of the Sprigs fabric, both from the Sunshine & Shadow line for FreeSpirit. I made two of these, one for each side. Then after adding batting and a white backing, I quilted two rows of heavy white stitching with 12 weight threads to add a little glow of light.

Then I quilted wavy lines with the feather stitch, also using 12 weight threads. I think these rows help to blend the fabrics together. Then  I hand stitched random flat sequins, a relaxing evening activity. This is another idea borrowed from the embroidery of the 1600’s. I just sequined one side for show and left the other side unadorned so it could rest comfortably next to the body.

Although this bag is too substantial for draw strings to be very effective, I added them as a decorative element. They are strung through loops of gross grain ribbon. This was also a wonderful excuse to add more tassels! The tassels were made with DMC pearl cotton and my favorite felt beads from the Art Girlz.

A zipper was added for security and finished with more felt beads. The ribbon loops are continued inside the bag and turned out to be perfect for storing your knitting needles, which also help to stablize the bag.

I chose a light Sprigs fabric for the lining, so it will be easy to find what you are looking for inside. There is a wide shoulder strap for portability. I think this bag looks nice enough to hang on the wall! It would make a handsome throw pillow, as well!

Also note that Craftcast with Alison Lee has just posted our podcast interview. I am a fan of several craft podcasts, which I listen to at the gym… makes working out easier to bear! I especially like Craftcast because her guests are accomplished fine craftsmen and women. You can download the shows or simply listen on demand. I know you will find lots to explore on her site.

Jazz up your Easter Bonnet with this Yo-Yo Brooch, another cute idea from Melissa. I used to make fun of yo-yos, because they were so “old-fashioned”. But they have renewed potential in the new crafty world. Happy Holidays to all!

Jazz up your Easter Bonnet with this Yo-Yo Brooch, another cute idea from Melissa. I used to make fun of yo-yos, because they were so “old-fashioned”. But they have renewed potential in the new crafty world. Happy Holidays to all!

Since winter is fabric designing time, I try to limit my teaching schedule during the season. It takes a lot of concentration to design a line of fabric, which is usually 9 to 10 patterns in three colorways. Sometimes the muse is illusive and takes a while to settle in, but this year the ideas flowed smoothly and I was able to turn in my work ahead of schedule. This has left me with some delicious quality time to pursue some activities that have been on the waiting list for a long time.

First of all, I have developed a line of limited edition fine art prints based on some of my favorite textile designs. Each image is printed with archival inks on heavy 8.5″ by 11″ rag paper, signed and numbered. Perfect for framing, the matte finish and crisp graphic make a rich combination. I am thrilled to see this project come to fruition and hope to work on some larger prints in the future.

I am also taking lessons to learn Adobe Illustrator and Bernina Artista Embroidery software. It is often overwhelming and makes my head spin. But progress is being slowly made.

After all this computer work I was feeling the need to fondle some fabric and make an art quilt. This new piece is a continuation of the Totem Series. My mind has been in a symmetrical phase lately. I wanted this piece to be filled with characters from my landscape, beginning with seeds and salamanders.

With every photo you can see a bit of the designs evolution. I began by making the initial shapes in fabric. Even if a character is eventually weeded out of the composition, I know that it will not be wasted, it will just become the incentive for another piece in the future. The design grows and shifts as the shapes begin to converse.

The spring weather has also inspired the design. The snowdrops and crocus are up and the pointy little fingers of tulips and hostas are poking through the thick carpet of old oak leaves. This brought to mind some other favorite flowers in our summer garden, hence the gaillardias and sunflower.

Our canapy of oak trees is represented, as well as the constant buzzing of the bumble bees. It is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Each character finds their proper place and then it is time to add the details.

Above is the basic composition, so far.  Currently, I am assenbling and embroidering all the independent units before they can be appliqued to the background. But as long as the characters are unattached they can still change position, so there could be some more adjustments made. Below, with the magic of a Photoshop, you can see it with the eventual black border.

Each phase of working on a quilt is satisfying. Right now I have hours of stitching to look forward to, which is a luxury, indeed!

Since winter is fabric designing time, I try to limit my teaching schedule during the season. It takes a lot of concentration to design a line of fabric, which is usually 9 to 10 patterns in three colorways. Sometimes the muse is illusive and takes a while to settle in, but this year the ideas flowed smoothly and I was able to turn in my work ahead of schedule. This has left me with some delicious quality time to pursue some activities that have been on the waiting list for a long time.

First of all, I have developed a line of limited edition fine art prints based on some of my favorite textile designs. Each image is printed with archival inks on heavy 8.5″ by 11″ rag paper, signed and numbered. Perfect for framing, the matte finish and crisp graphic make a rich combination. I am thrilled to see this project come to fruition and hope to work on some larger prints in the future.

I am also taking lessons to learn Adobe Illustrator and Bernina Artista Embroidery software. It is often overwhelming and makes my head spin. But progress is being slowly made.

After all this computer work I was feeling the need to fondle some fabric and make an art quilt. This new piece is a continuation of the Totem Series. My mind has been in a symmetrical phase lately. I wanted this piece to be filled with characters from my landscape, beginning with seeds and salamanders.

With every photo you can see a bit of the designs evolution. I began by making the initial shapes in fabric. Even if a character is eventually weeded out of the composition, I know that it will not be wasted, it will just become the incentive for another piece in the future. The design grows and shifts as the shapes begin to converse.

The spring weather has also inspired the design. The snowdrops and crocus are up and the pointy little fingers of tulips and hostas are poking through the thick carpet of old oak leaves. This brought to mind some other favorite flowers in our summer garden, hence the gaillardias and sunflower.

Our canapy of oak trees is represented, as well as the constant buzzing of the bumble bees. It is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Each character finds their proper place and then it is time to add the details.

Above is the basic composition, so far.  Currently, I am assenbling and embroidering all the independent units before they can be appliqued to the background. But as long as the characters are unattached they can still change position, so there could be some more adjustments made. Below, with the magic of a Photoshop, you can see it with the eventual black border.

Each phase of working on a quilt is satisfying. Right now I have hours of stitching to look forward to, which is a luxury, indeed!

But the lions share of the time has been spent working on a new art quilt. After so much time with computers, I really needed to get up to my elbows in fabric. This quilt is part of the Totem series. I guess my brain has been in a symetrical mode lately. I began knowing that I wanted to use characters from my own environment, including seeds and salamanders.

The spring weather has also been an inspiration. The snowbells and crocus are up and the sharp little fingers of tulips and hostas are poking through the blankets of old oak leaves. So my imagination wandered over the garden to anticipate some favorite summer flowers and portray them in this new quilt.
This kind of collage is putting together a puzzle. The shapes get moved and nudged until they find their proper place and then the details get filled in. Below you see the basic composition pinned to the wall.

Below, through the magic of Photoshop, you can see an approximate version of the final layout with the anticipated black frame. This Illinois Album Quilt will measure around 65″ wide by 75″ high. But first I need to assemble and embroider the independent units before they can be appliqued to the background.

So I have lots of quality stitching time to look forward to!! That means many books on tape, too, so I’d better head for the library and stock up.