At the conclusion of our Online 7923-04 Patchwork and Quilting Diploma Course, students who have satisfied all the syllabus requirements are awarded a certificate by the awarding body, City & Guilds of London. We would like to offer our congratulations too!
Catherine Nicholls
" Bones of the Salmon" combines Catherine's love of discharge techniques with spraying and stencilling. The hand dyed fabrics have been free motion quilted using words from Haida legends and additional messages printed to acetate and attached with stitch and natural shell buttons.

 

 

The russet coloured salmon on the right were screen printed using discharge paste onto black linen fabric.

 

 

Pages from Catherine's sketchbooks illustrate her thorough and methodical approach to the development of the design for her large quilt.

The effect of layering and transparency has been achieved by stencilling small pale leaves with Markal Paintstiks over discharged areas of the linen.
 

 

Catherine's miniature quilt assessment was inspired by beautiful, ancient stained glass windows. Some of the glass art was scanned into a computer and manipulated to create a mosaic design. English paper piecing was selected as the most effective way to create a painterly background with bias strip applique to represent the lead of the windows.
Examples of pages from one of Catherine's design research books.
Catherine's sketchbooks are as beautiful as the pieced and quilted items she designs!

 

 

For her 3D container, Catherine created a perspex box to hold a delicate appliqued and embroidered leaf and seedpod. The sides of the box have been decorated with Haida inspired designs.

 

The lid of the box shows more of the Maple leaf motifs.

Here you can see more examples of Catherine's sketchbook pages in which she explored the colours, lines, shapes and textures of her research subject.
Shapes from the research become inspiration for samples of a variety of techniques. Below we see a design in discharge with counterchange and on the right an applique in paper, fabric and plastic.
Mathematical sequences have informed some of the grid based exercises shown here.
Pattern and linear detail from a salmon tail have been used to pierce and punch a sketchbook page.
Catherine's research into Maple leaves lead her to collect and collage a wide range of visual items.
Free motion quilting has been used to contribute line and texture to the fabrics whilst at the same time conveying a story to the viewer.
Old maps have been used to create a fascinating background to a design idea.
Non conventional patchwork and quilting materials such as paper have been used as inserts in this example of fabric manipulation.

Printed, tessellating leaves have produced beautiful counterchange designs.

We hope you enjoyed seeing a small selection of Catherine's coursework!
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© Linda Kemshall 2006