I love going to classes because I am always inspired by teachers to stretch myself creatively or technically.  At the AQS Des Moines show I was thrilled to be able to take a class with Judy Woodworth on Backfills, the designs which we put around the main quilting motifs.  I was amazed to see her work also up in a special exhibit with the show.  It is rare to be able to see, in person, how a quilter has grown in their art over many years.  Judy is an innovator in so many different techniques–her works include piecing, applique, whole cloth, paint, crystals, embroidery to name just a few.  In fact, I was the lucky winner of the above small quilt which was made by Judy for a class sample.  Thank you Judy!!

In the class we learned how to form various backfill designs and how to stitch them out.  (I won the class sample too, it was my lucky day!)   One thing I took away from the class was to not limit myself to the typical backfill–such as pebbles, McTavishing, or stippling. The sky is truly the limit.   Judy uses all kinds of designs as backfill–feathers, spiral roses, etc.  She also taught us to make a spiral feather flower (for lack of a more succinct name) which I am practicing so it may appear in a quilt soon!! (One of those is mine, can you tell which one?)