Reversible Fabric Bowls

Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced
May 19, 2023-1 Session (Friday)
10:00 am-4:30 pm
Instructor: Johnnie McKenzie
Class Fee: $40 non-members + $10 supply fee
                   $36 BRMAA members + $10 supply fee
 
These quick and easy bowls can be designed specifically for your décor, a special occasion or season, or for a special function such as holding guest towels or potpourri. You can make any size using the same technique. You can use one fabric on each side or fuse your favorite designs on the bowls. You will need a foot that allows you to do zigzag. Decorative stitches will work well to bring pizazz to your bowls.
Standard sewing/quilting tools, sewing machine and extension table, machine basics like cords and foot pedal, iron and ironing mat, cutting mat and 28mm rotary cutter, water soluble or heat erasable pens, 6.5"x12.5" quilting ruler, 2 pieces of fabric at least 20"x20" and scraps if you want to fuse designs on your bowl, thread coordinated with your fabric, pressure feet: free-motion foot, walking foot, stitch regulator and embroidery foot depending on your stitching choice. Stitch regulator is optional; bring if you are comfortable using it.  
Reversible Fabric Bowls (05/19/23)- Registration
Call (706) 632-2144 for questions regarding this course and registration.  Payment is required to register for BRMAA courses. You may pay via PayPal above, over the phone, or visit The Art Center located at 420 West Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513 to pay in person. 

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

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Johnnie F. McKenzie
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I began quilting at age four, hand piecing blocks from feed sacks, flour sacks, fertilizer sacks, worn out overalls, and scraps from our clothing. It was a great treat to go to town with my father to pick out the sacks that would be added to that year’s new quilts, quilts we made out of necessity since our farmhouse was heated only by fireplaces that were never lit at night. From those early choices, I began to leave a little bit of myself in every quilt I made.
My mother and I made quilts out of necessity. Our farmhouse was heated by fireplaces, so we needed a lot of bed covers. After the cotton fields were picked and the trailers full of cotton were taken to the gin, my mother and I picked scrap cotton that opened late or was just missed. We took the seeds out by hand, boiled it in a big cast iron pot outside on a day that was sunny and spread it out on sheets on the ground to dry. We would use a couple of old hairbrushes to spread and pat down the cotton to make batting. It was excruciatingly tough to quilt, especially with the excruciatingly thick thread available at that time.
After making traditional, function quilts for over 65 years, I began exploring nontraditional fiber techniques and my inspiration changed from choosing a pattern first to choosing a color, fabric, fiber, or message first. Many of my pieces are inspired by my love of nature, passion for a cultural or environmental issue, or an artist’s work that lit a spark in me. I often find a magic fabric that I put on my design wall for weeks until I hear the notes it wants to sing. In 2022, I began working with three-dimensional pieces that emulate ceramic structures putting quilting in a non-traditional light. I enjoy the glories of trial and error, failure and success. And I do not care if my socks don’t match.