Every Monday on my youtube channel I give a mini art lecture where I talking art, design and technique. Below are all the videos from April.

Unlocking the Best Critique Partner: Use this seldom-used tool, the histogram to guide you in your art making.

Levels and Curves, what’s the difference and how it can help improve your digital artwork.

The word “hue” is a fancy word that often confuses people but what it means is simply put.

Tools and tricks to find mistakes in your work fast and easy! Redesign your workflow with these tips.

The histogram is a seldom-used tool but the more deeply you understand it the better you can revamp your illustration process and make better work. The histogram can be made visible by clicking “histogram” underneath the WINDOW option at the top of photoshop. This tool can be life-changing, to get better results when trying to create mood and contrasts.

Histograms are graphs that represent all the values in your picture. Selecting a certain part of your picture with the lasso tool will also show you the value range within that specific area you select.

Histograms that mound up on the left side of the image are considered low-key. These pieces may have a dramatic, dark mood. In the example below I show a low key piece at the histogram that represents all the values.

If the histogram mounds up on the right side, like in the image below, it is a high key piece. These pieces may have a happy or even ethereal mood.

Most pieces can be spilt between high and low key and create an array of moods. Paying attention to the histogram can help us nail the mood we are going for. If our values get muddy, the histogram will tell us.

Looking for more ways to keep your eyes fresh while painting? Check out this video where I outline ways to spot mistakes in your work: How to Spot Mistakes in your work

Every Monday I create a Mini Lecture on a variety of topics for artists. Below I’ve included all my lectures from March so you can check them out in one place. If you’d like to follow along every week, subscribe to my channel!

How to Draw Children: LINK

What is an Occulsion Shadow: LINK

What is Tint and Shade: LINK

Color Saturation Explained: LINK

What does “Hue” mean: LINK

LINKS TO YOUTUBE VIDEOS:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Bonus Variations

In Part 5, we pull this quilt together with a binding and FINISH!

Sewing on the binding…. It’s my favorite part of the quilting process. It may seem like a big task (and it is) but it does go quickly. I like to sit on the couch using the quilt as a blanket.

To begin, you're going to have to square off your quilt again.

It’s called the Organic Quilt so rounded corners are a must! Plus, I love rounded corners, I find them easier to work with and look more modern. Everybody in the year 2022 has a tube of Clorox wipes and it makes a great template for a rounded corner using a water-soluble pen or disappearing ink. I draw around the curve and cut along the line. Don’t overthink this!

To create a binding we need to create strips of fabric that we can sew together that will fit all the way around the circumference of the quilt with some extra (I do about 2 feet extra but I’m an anxious sewer.) The strips need to be cut at two and a half inches.

You may want to cut your strips to the longest part of the fabric that you have. Now if you have a short ruler you might find it easier to do the other way and certainly, I've made quilts and seen quilts that have strips of all different sizes that come together to make the binding and it's very unnoticeable - no stress!

Once you’ve cut your strips. Sew all your strips together to create one long strip. Then, using your iron fold your strips in half and press. Not so bad right?

Now, to attach the binding in the middle of our quilt so pick any side and go in the middle (It doesn't have to be exact!) You won’t be putting attaching your binding at the top of your strip, give yourself some room to attach it later. This is where that extra two feet come in handy.

You’ll line the strip up from raw edge to raw edge. In the illustration below you can see how I left about a foot of overhang and I will begin sewing at the arrow on the dotted line. Use clips to help you secure the fabric while you sew. (Recommendations in my store)

Don’t be intimidated by going around a corner. Use clips and go slow. If you need to turn your wheel by hand that works!

Attaching your two ends of binding can be a little tricky. I have a loose approach to it that has always worked for me and it’s easier to show via my video.

The last step to finishing the quilt is to fold the binding around to the other side and sew by hand. Yes, by hand! This is my favorite part of the quilting process! While you're working on this you can sit on your couch using your quilt as a blanket sewing one stitch at a time. To start the stitch I cut a length of thread, thread my needle, and tie a knot at the end.

I put the needle right into the stitch line and through the edge of the binding. Next, I insert the needle directly below where the thread just came out at the stitch line. Sit back and repeat! If this feels weird to you try changing the direction you are stitching. I stitch right to left.

Treat the rounded corners just as you have on the straight edges. Use your clips to secure and take it a little bit at a time. You'll do this around your quilt until your unique organic quilt is finished!

If you've made the organic quilt or are having any troubles reach out to me on Twitter Instagram or Facebook! I’d love to see your creation! Tag me! @kirbifagan

If you enjoyed making the Organic Quilt and want to try more improv quilting watch my BONUS video with ideas for variations on the Organic Quilt!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Bonus Variations

Supplies

In Part 4, we will create a quilt sandwich and begin sewing the layers together.

Step One: Now the quilt top is done. You likely have some rough edges, we will need to trim this off. Do you get nervous cutting your quilt? Cutting fabric is a skill and does take practice so be patient and be brave! As a rule of thumb, I always let the bulk of my fabric hang to my right and the scrap side (the stuff we don’t need at my left.) My ruler ALWAYS goes in my left hand and my rotary cutter in my right. This helps me keep my flow. If you are left-handed you can switch sides. If you stick to this rule cutting will feel more intuitive.

Use the longest ruler you have, a heat pen, or a water-soluble pen to help you if you’d like to draw a line on your quilt to guide you.

Step Two: Now it’s time to make that quilt sandwich.

Place your backing fabric face down and your batting on top of that. The backing and the batting should be the same size and several inches larger than your quilt. You may have to sew fabrics together to make your backing big enough. Spoiler alert - it won’t be noticeable While it can feel like a waste of fabric at the moment, this is a shortcut you don’t want to take, believe me. Your quilt will likely shift some when you quilt. On top of the batting place and center your quilt.

Pin you sandwich together. Curved pins work especially great. I place my pins about a hand print apart. This will help your quilt from shifting while you sew. Also, basting spray is an awesome alternative. If your quilt is really big or this is your first quilt, you may want to do both!

Quilt basting spray link amazon

Quilt your sandwich using a walking foot. Follow the curves of your fabric. I quilted along either side of the seams of my waves as a guide. In places where I had a larger stripe, I sewed extra lines as needed.

Psssst! I had a few stripes that really shifted, it was pretty visable as the fabric was pulling. So I sewed a few more lines through it and after it was washed it wrinkles of course and it covers up these mistakes. Woopsie! In Part five, we will put on the binding and finish this project!

Sewing on the binding. It’s my favorite part of the qiulting process. It may seem like a big task (and it is) but it does go quickly. I like to sit on the couch using the quilt as a blanket.