Student Work
|
For more than 25 years, Dena Dale Crain taught quiltmakers around the world to move beyond traditional patterns and develop their own artistic voice. The quilts shown here were created by students in workshops ranging from introductory design explorations to advanced art quilting studies. Their remarkable diversity reflects not imitation, but the growth of each maker’s individual vision.
To protect the privacy of participants, individual quilts are not attributed. |
Crystal Quilts
Inspired by the geometry and symmetry found in natural crystal formations, this workshop explored the relationship between reflection, repetition, and visual balance. Students learned to create complex designs from simple units, using carefully controlled color and value relationships to generate surprising depth and movement. Each quilt emerged as a unique expression of the maker’s personal artistic vision.
|
|
|
|
|
"This class took me away from using only purchased patterns. It has been a joy to learn how to make a quilt that is a reflection of my talents from first rough draft of an idea and design to finishing stitches. What a challenge!!"
— Former Student
|
Darned Quilts
Richly textured surfaces, shifting color relationships, and unexpected design choices combine to create quilts that delight and challenge the eye. The resulting works are playful, sophisticated, and often surprisingly difficult to interpret at first glance.
|
|
|
|
|
"This was a fun class with a low-stress quotient. I learned some new techniques and a simple way to design and construct a complicated-looking quilt. As usual, Dena's material is articulate, well organized, and complete. She shares her knowledge and experience generously. She responds to questions thoroughly and thoughtfully."
— Former Student
|
Designer Pinwheels
Beginning with the familiar pinwheel as a point of departure, students discovered how a traditional quilt block could be transformed through scale, color, rotation, layering, and inventive construction. The workshop encouraged experimentation and creative problem-solving, producing quilts that range from playful and dynamic to sophisticated studies of movement and visual energy.
|
|
|
|
|
"Designer Pinwheels is a great class for those who enjoy a challenge. The class taught me how to create movement and interest in a quilt. Dena did an outstanding job of coaxing us to dig deep and try something new, bring out the best in all the students."
— Former Student
|
Learn more about this design approach in the accompanying ebook.
Goodbye to the Grid
This workshop challenged students to move beyond working within the predictable structure of blocks and grids by exploring asymmetrical composition, curved forms, interrupted structures, and more expressive approaches to design. The resulting quilts reveal the freedom, complexity, and visual excitement that emerge when traditional boundaries are set aside.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"I enjoyed the class very much. I didn't really know what to expect from the class, but I had vague notions that I needed more information on design in order to make landscape quilts. Well, the class exceeded my wildest imaginings. It doesn't really deal with landscape quilts, but I learned a lot of basic design principles, and I learned about a completely new way of designing art quilts. I have never done an art quilt before, and now I am hooked."
— Former Student
|
Reflections
Symmetry, repetition, and mirrored forms have fascinated artists throughout history. In this workshop, students investigated reflective design principles and the visual relationships created through repetition and balance. By combining geometric structure with creative interpretation, participants produced quilts that are both visually harmonious and richly individual.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"I learned lots of new things – an excellent class! Dena did an outstanding job. She provided great guidance which made it possible for me to complete a project that I was happy with. I learned so much from her, I plan to take all her classes."
— Former Student
|
Structured Fabrics
Through layering, cutting, and the creative use of pre-constructed fabrics as active design elements, participants learned to identify and manipulate underlying visual structures. The resulting works demonstrate how thoughtful design can emerge from the fabric itself, creating art that is visually rich, highly individual, and uniquely personal.
|
|
|
|
"I thoroughly enjoyed the class, and learned a lot of new things. The class was better than I expected, because the work was tailored to the individual talents and ways of working, and was not the usual lesson where you follow instructions closely and that's it. You must put something of yourself in it, and while it is difficult because it takes you out of your comfort zone, in the long run it is much more rewarding."
— Former Student
|