Beginning Landscape Quilting Part One
Two of Nancy Zieman’s favorite hobbies were gardening and sewing. A little over 20 years ago, she was introduced to a quilting technique by Natalie Sewell, nationally known landscape quilt artist. Natalie and Nancy became fast friends and scheduled two–three quilting dates each year. During this three-part series on Sewing With Nancy, Nancy and Natalie simplify the Landscape Quilting process so that everyone interested can enjoy the pleasure of creating outdoor scenes in fabric.
How to Create a Garden Scene with Fabric
A great beginner’s project is to create a close-up garden scene from fabric. Natalie’s design, Summer Flowers, is the featured quilt during the TV program. It was used as an example for choosing fabric, messy and fussy cutting, as well as designing with raw-edge appliqué.
The book, Beginning Landscape Quilting, is a step-by-step guide for designing simple scenes. We’re confident that you’ll have great success.
First, start with an inspirational photo. Nancy and Natalie show how to study the photo, which will help in the fabric selection process.
Watch online and follow along in the book and see exactly how to create a garden scene. Below are pages from Beginning Landscape Quilting featuring the steps to create a garden scene. It’s a direct step-by-step guide, leaving no question about what to do.
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We will share a few of Nancy’s and Natalie’s Landscape quilts. Irises in my Garden is one of Nancy’s early landscape quilts.
How to Create Ground Cover
The next landscape quilting topic focuses on ground cover. We’re certain your eye focuses on the Dancing Maple in Natalie’s quilt by the same name. The lively and spirited tree is the star of the design. Yet, without the interesting ground cover, the depth and dimension in the quilt would not be as impactful. If your inspiration photo features ground cover, Nancy and Natalie share the tricks of choosing fabric and designing that all-important landscape quilt element.
You’ll learn that the inspirational photo is a starting point. Nancy’s and Natalie’s quilts rarely, if ever, look like the inspiration. That’s not the point!
Dogwood by Natalie is another showcase quilt. You almost feel as if you could walk right into the woods!
Nancy’s design, If Trees Were Teal, is more impressionist than realistic.
How to Create Background Tree Foliage
By now you should realize that you’re learning to use fabric as paint and scissors as your paintbrush to capture nature in a wall hanging. Natalie’s Autumn Birches design combines many techniques already explained, with the exception of background tree foliage. Next learn the importance of the scale of fabric prints and the importance of really bad messy cutting to give the impression of distant trees. (Learn how to do really bad messy cutting when watching online.)
This inspirational photo gave Natalie an idea of what fabric to choose.
Here’s another showcase, September by Natalie:
Watch Beginning Landscape Quilting (Part One and Part Two) on Sewing With Nancy online.
Reminder to Pop In on the
I Sew For Fun Blog Hop
February 5–10
Wisconsin Public Television presents
Garden Expo
Feb. 9-11, 2018
Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center, Madison
The NZP Team will be taking a break from winter at the WPT Garden Expo this Saturday. We hope to see you there!
Happy Sewing,
Team Nancy Zieman
Nancy Zieman Productions, LLC.
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Ennis A
Yes because of Nancy’s inspiration, learning landscape quilting is on my to do list. It is so beautiful. Nancy will always be with us!! Thanks.
Cindy K
Fall would be my pick for a landscape quilt.
Phyliss Booe
Landscape quilting looks like a lot of fun to recreate beautiful photos for everyone to enjoy. Nancy is great at making everything look easy so we can channel our inner creativity. This is on my bucket list to try.
Deb M
I would choose winter…with deep, dark shadows and a hint of blue to the snow.
Betty Tolan
It would depend on the photos I would have to work ftom – summertime fliers or fall foliage
Peggy Shepherd
I was going to say spring or fall, but actually any of the seasons would be so much fun to try
Carolyn S
Wow amazing
I would love to try this to create a lasting memory of some of the places I have visited
Jorene Leopard
I am entranced with the concept of landscape quilting and want to add this to my quilting knowledge and projects. I hope I win.
Susan T
A dew covered summer morning would be my first inspiration. I miss Nancy’s creativity and guidance so much.
Sandra Schroeder
Snowy winter scene with horses would be my inspiration choice….hope I win! Thanks
Carol Mindrup
Would love to learn all the in’s and out’s of making a realistic landscape quilt. The book and or cd would be a very treasured keepsake and remembrance of Nancy.
Clovis
The imagine of snow on the trees would be a great landscape quilt. On our trips to Bloomington, the trees looks so beautiful with the fresh snow on them.
Dorothy DELL
This is an art form I have admired for years. I love the look of wildflowers so that will be my choice to try once I retire and that time is coming up soon.
Pat howell
The view of the canyons and mountains from my summer hideaway
In New Mexico has my heart…the junipers, yuccas, and cacti along with the wildflowers and wildlife is a masterpiece. I would love to recreate this to enjoy all year round.
Pauline Donaldson
Since my favorite color is green, my season would be spring.
I can remember walking to my school bus stop and crossing a creek where the trees and plants were just coming back and starting to grow with the beautiful greens. I am a gardener so that also helps.
Diane Calvano
I’ve admired these quilts for so long and have been hesitant to try one. I’d love to do one for spring as I’m so tired of the ice and snow where I live.
Deej
A magnificent maple lives in my front yard that every fall becomes quite the showstopper. I wish to create a wall quilt inspired by this tree for when we move away. Winning Nancy’s book would definitely help me accomplish this.
Sally G
Sunny summer sunflower garden is my choice.
Kathryn E
I would love to create a spring landscape quilt. I love spring flowers, especially lilacs and tulips and hyacinths and everything spring.
Joyce P Schroeder
I would love to do an autumn landscape quilt. It’s my husband’s favorite time of year, and the warm colors of orange, red, brown and gold are so vibrant. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to learn this technique.
Karen
I love the cold and snow that winter brings but worry about the people that need to work and drive in it. With a landscape winter scene, I could still enjoy the beauty without the worry.
Marie Kozma
I imagine using some metallic and shimmer fabrics to capture the early morning sun on icy, dew covered pine branches in winter. How lovely this would be to enjoy all year! Add in a bird feeder attracting some forest friends and it’s magic for sure.
Beulah Caswell
Spring or summer with tall trees, water and flowers would be my choice. I remember watching this series when PBS still showed them!
Liz Baker
I love the sun shining on the snow that is in the trees just after a snowfall. That truly is magical!
Max
What a beautiful way to express the beauty around us.
Spring for refreshing after the winter months.
Shirley Clark
I was so fortunate to be able to attend a couple of Nancy’s lectures 4 years ago at a BabyLock event in Shreveport, LA.
She showed us the landscape quilting, and she made it look so easy! I will never forget how sweet and personable she was!
Denise Norton
I would combine spring and summer flowers to make my own fantasy,dreamy landscape world. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Carol Haverfield
My husband and I made a motor home trip to Alaska from Texas. Our trip of a lifetime and I’m greedy as I’d like to create several blocks to put into a memory quilt.
Carol H
I would love to make a memory quilt of the trip my husband and made by motor home from Texas to Alaska. That would involve several blocks as too much beauty for just one block.
Peggy V
I did one landscape quilt after watching Nancy and Natalie, now would like to do a snow scene.
Rebecca
I love the fall so I would want to do landscape of fall foliage.
Kathy Hopkins
I would like to try a Spring quilt.
Valerie Brown
I would really love to showcase magnolias and dogwoods in a landscape wall hanging (quilt). This is inspiring to watch and learn. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Melody D.
I’d have to choose fall to showcase since it is my absolute favorite time of the year with its colorful leaves and cool, crisp air!
Susan Spiers
I love the beginning of spring with a pine tree forest & beautiful dogwoods! Wonderful ideas – how fun!
Martha Hood
Love all the seasons listed, but think would start with the fall one, for one of my daughters, then think spring for other daughter. Have always loved the ideas, but was afraid to try them. Thanks for all the great ideas.
Darla Ebbeson
Love to do a spring landscape. Love to incorporate all the wonderful floral fabrics available to create an amazing English country garden.
Carol
I would choose Fall for all it’s glorious colors as I now live in a area where there are not very many deciduous trees and I so miss that spectacular show mother nature puts on!
Kathy Berlincourt
I have only been quilting for a year, gosh am I having fun! Nancy your blog posts have given me so much inspiration. I bet this book and DVD class are wonderful. My first project would be winter trees, my second spring flowers or my pond out back. Best of luck with your new book.
Donna Belisle
I love all landscape seasons, but especially fall when the maples show their glory and then there are a few ghostly birches here and there.
Bonnye
I love spring. The beautiful shades of green.
JoanneTillery
I think Spring would be my first, love green contrasting with colorful blooms.
Kathie R
I would choose either Spring, with all of the varied greens, or winter, which has options for whites, and blues. I live near the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, which provides so much inspiration – it would be a delight to capture some of that beauty!
Gail
I think I’d try fall or winter.
Pam D
I have been thinking of trying a landscape quilt for several months now, and actually looked at some of the video via youtube. I think I would be more confident if I could follow along in the book. Leaning toward an autumn scene.
Joanie
I loved the red maple tree quilt that Natalie made. I would start with an autumn quilt. The colors are so pretty in the fall.
I would love to try landscape quilting. Nancy and Natalie make it look so easy and so fun!
Carolyn Magnani
I love the colors of fall and trees are all seasons favorites.
Gaye Hayashida
I am a newbie to quilting and would love to learn how to do landscape quilting.
Marty
I’d like to create a quartet of the same scene shown in each of the four seasons.
judy
I love spring but think a good place to start would be fall or winter.
Linda Blakita
This is my next artistic goal. I have ever been able to paint or draw, but I am proficient in sewing and quilting. Also, as a gardener and lover of nature, I am anxious to express this side of my personality.
CL Anderson
Love the idea of fall colors and textures in a cozy-up quilt. There’s just something balancing about the transition of autumn. So peaceful and productive.
Rosemary Allen
I think I would have to choose fall since you could use so many vibrant colors for your palette.
Sandra Runk
I would have to pick winter. I love evergreens in the snow.
Lynda A
I would love to do yellow daffadils that pop up in the early spring. They always bring hope and joy that spring is here.
Kathy Upton
I sitting here in my home…so cold…..and thinking about spring….so I would pick springtime. 🙂 Thank you for a chance to win.
Kathy Buisker
I would make a spring or summer landscape piece since these are my favorite seasons.
Amy W
Thank You for this Giveaway.
My Favorite Season for a Landscape Quilt would be Summer.
I would include a Lake with a canoe or row boat, not a motor boat. There would be large BirchBark Trees with small flowers along the path surrounding the lake. Very much like the one I used to visit in Maine for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Laurie Devers
I would very much like to learn landscape quilting. I think I would start with fall and its glorious colors. Thank you for another opportunity to win!
Gail Beam
Thank you for the new give a way. I think fall would be my pick.
Cathy Popp
All Nancy’s landscape quilts are beautiful, I would love to make some too. So sad she is gone.
Sara
Pick me! PLEASE! I live out in the woods and would LOVE to be able to do all 4 seasons of color – Spring for the dogwoods and redbud, Summer for all the greens in the crayon box, Autumn for the golds and red, and Winter for the cardinals on the snow covered junipers (it’s like living Christmas tree decorations!)
Julie Kill
I would LOVE to Win this Book! I have several family vacations that I would like to make into a wall quilt for my living room. I want to learn to make all four seasons!
Carol L.
This would be a fabulous stash busting project! My fabric stash contains colors for all four seasons! Thanks for the opportunity!
Kathleen Jarski
Spring of course!
Anne Z.
I would love to make a Spring Landscape Quilt depicting a woodland scene with trillium on the forest floor.
BevM
We have a 65 acre woodland. I love all the seasons, especially autumn.
April Martin
I love the flowers of spring- the iris, tulips
Clynn Altemus
I love all the seasons as they move from one to another. But most of all, spring is a new beginning. Plants that have been dormant take on new life, Seeds sprout, the woodland creatures reproduce, and I look toward all of the new things I can do. Spring is the season with the most hope.
Susan
I love the colours of fall and the trunks of birch trees. With these instructions I could actually try a landscape quilt.
Maggie Carver
I am new to quilting and with a friend’s help made a small landscape wall hanging and am fascinated with the technique. I hope I win the fabulous book and I love the Summer to Fall look. Thank you
CAROL
I LOVED WATCHING NANCY CREATE/TEACH MAKING A
LANDSCAPE OUT OF FABRIC. I WOULD LOVE THE BOOK AND
THINK OF HER OFTEN.
Donna Fecteau
i love the colors of autumn and the view out my kitchen window is beautiful that time of year. I’d like to capture that view and have it year round in a wall hanging.
lila
I would do autumn, or perhaps spring, but with a robin somewhere in the background
Ana Hoff
I am so excited to try something new and it looks like Landscape quilting is something I can do. Thank you for showing the steps and technique. I can’t wait to get started