Sunday 03 October 2021: Online Workshop (Making Cat Faces!)

Melissa Averinos - Sunday 03 October 2021 - 4.00pm to 7.00pm (BST)

Online Interactive Workshop: Making Cat Faces!

We're once again delighted to welcome another of our Stateside crafting gurus, namely Melissa Averinos, back into the CraftyMonkies fold; following on from her hugely successful & inspiring Faces class in July, this month Melissa turns her attention to Making Cat Faces!...

Melissa Averinos is an artist and quilter. She is the maker of My Brother’s Jeans (Best In Show at QuiltCon 2016) and Face #1 (Judge’s Choice QuiltCon 2015) and has designed fabric for Free Spirit, Andover, Hoffman and Wilmington Prints. Melissa is the author of several craft books, her most recent on the face collage technique taught here at CraftyMonkies in July(Making Faces In Fabric, C&T Publishing/Stash Books, 2018).

Introduction by Melissa:-

Hi! I simply can’t wait to hang out with you oncde again and make some cat faces! My teaching approach is lighthearted, fun and inclusive. I create a nurturing environment for people to let go of their preconceived ideas about whether they are artists or not, to create with childlike joy and release any need to do things ‘perfectly’.

You can totally do this! And it is just plain FUN. Also I will probably ask you to show your cats in our Zoom.

What You Will Learn in this Online Interactive Workshop:-

Please note: This is NOT a cat ‘portrait’ class, as we will be conjuring kitties from our imagination, rather than trying to capture the likeness of a particular cat (however perfect and precious they may be.)

Here’s how it will go down:

- First up, a fun and easy drawing lesson using simple shapes to create cat faces

Then we move on to play time with fabric, where I cover:

- Fabric selection

- Adhesive options

- Variations of shapes to cute to create cats with different personalities

- The benefits of working in multiples

Then I will talk about next steps for you to take with your work after class. (There is no sewing in this class because our time together is much better spent collaging the cat faces!). I will cover:-

- Benefits and drawbacks of different stabilizers

- Basic tips for how to stitch your collage, including thread colour choice

- Examples/inspiration of different ways/styles of stitching a collage and how they change the look of the piece (i use my samples of people face collages for this)

- Show and tell of examples of cat face collages to inspire you and show a range of takes on the technique

- Examples and suggestions for ways to use your collage panel after it’s stitched

Skill Level for this Online Interactive Workshop:

- Beginner to experienced quilters who are interested in exploring an art quilting technique presented in a modern way

- Beginner to experienced art quilters looking to have some cat-themed fun!

Fabric requirements for this Online Interactive Workshop:-

- The background and collage fabrics can be in any colors you like

- They should be solids and/or very small scale prints

- If they are prints, they should be low contrast, subtle tonal prints, or ‘blender’ fabrics*

- The idea here is that we don‘t want to be distracted by large, busy or contrasting prints

- If wrinkly fabric is going to annoy you, press in advance or have your iron and pressing surface accessible during class

BACKGROUND Fabric:

- You will need at least 4 fat quarters of quilting cotton (or roughly fat quarter size, exact measurements are not necessary)

- This is the fabric we will collage the kitty faces onto (so don’t bring your Precious for this!)

- Bring 2 light color, one medium and one dark

COLLAGE Fabrics:

- Assorted scraps in a range of sizes (you might use a one-inch piece on an eye or a an 8”x2” piece on the hair)

- As above, these should be low-contrast, small scale prints or solids

- Include lights, mediums and darks

- Include white and black

- If you aren’t a scrap saver, don’t worry! just bring some fat quarters that you don't mind cutting into.

* If this is stressing you out and you don’t understand what i mean, definitely DO NOT fret over it! Just bring a good variety of solids and all will be well.

Other Supplies/Equipment requirements for this Online Interactive Workshop:-

• Plain white printer paper - at least 20 sheets (yes: printer paper, not a notebook or a sketchbook. trust me!)
• Regular pencil
• Fabric scissors
• Small scissors (like embroidery scissors) if you have them
• Elmer’s washable glue stick (or similar)
• Optional - Tweezers!

Pattern Information relevant to this Online Interactive Workshop:-

No patterns needed!

Sizing Guide relevant to this Online Interactive Workshop:-

No sizing guide needed!

Additional Information relevant to this Online Interactive Workshop:-

Here is a little pep-talk from me to you!:-

I know learning a new thing can be intimidating, but you can totally do this. I show you super simple ways that anyone can use to make a kitty face in fabric! I love raw edge appliqué because it’s fast (compared to piecing) and it’s so forgiving! Don’t like what you did? Add some fabric on top. Like I always say about painting, if you don’t like it you can just put more over it and then you have the extra benefit of all that excellent texture!

This class is about making cat faces the way YOU make cat faces, which you will discover as you go! I’ll teach you the basic framework and then I will encourage you to let go of expectations and just PLAY - and show me your cats!...

​Tickets for this Online Interactive Workshop (via the Zoom platform) will be limited & allocated on a first-come/first-served basis! If applicable, any free pattern, or other information, relevant to this course will be forwarded to you after booking and approximately 5 days before the course date. The ticket price of £30.00 is based on ONE person attending this crafting class.

This CraftyMonkies Online Interactive Workshop is being broadcast from the United Kingdom and the class time given is based on British Summer Time (BST). We advise you check via Google Search (or similar) to see corresponding start-time in YOUR location!

Ordering MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT Online For Any Class/Workshop!

In light of the ongoing situation regards potential delays with supply of certain materials/fabrics/equipment from around the world due to the lasting impact of Covid-19, please ensure you book your place & order any materials/fabrics/equipment online in plenty of time ahead of course dates.

IMPORTANT!

Contrary to the information provided on our original posting for this Making Cat Faces workshop by Melissa, we regret to advise everyone that (wholly our error; apologies) this class is a live Zoom Workshop ONLY! We are NOT able to offer a recorded Pay-On-Demand video for sale after this event. 

If you have already bought a ticket for this workshop in the belief you would be able to watch it as a recording and you cannot attend the live broadcast (eg because you live in a distant time-zone or are otherwise unavailable at the time of the class), please email us via hello@craftymonkies.com and we will arrange a refund for you. Apologies again for this oversight on the part of CraftyMonkies and not Melissa - it was an administrational error on our part, as the class was never intended to be recorded. We trust you will be understanding of this honest mistake.