Are you following Gail Sheppard of Quilting Gail? Island Batik Ambassador since 2019, Gail is a prolific quilter and loves sharing her quilting journey. In addition to helping others along the way, she enjoys teaching at a local fabric store. She has done several trunk shows in the past year via Zoom and in person. Gail resides in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada with her husband.
We asked Gail a few questions about her creative process and here’s what she told us!
Island Batik: What sparked your interest in quilting, and how did your journey begin? Was there a particular quilt or moment that ignited your passion?
Gail: I grew up seeing a grandmother’s fan quilt on my parents’ bed. It was made for my parents by my grandmother. She lived across the country, so I was unable to get her to teach me. I made my first quilt when I was in my last year of high school. I had no idea what I was doing. Sadly, it met it’s demise several years later.
Where do you find inspiration for your quilt designs? Are there specific experiences, places, or memories that influence your work?
I have no idea where my inspiration comes from… Sometimes it’s from scrolling through the blocks on EQ8 and sometimes it just pops into my head!
Can you describe your creative process from concept to completion? How do you decide on colors, patterns, and fabrics?
My process: I start with an idea or design idea and usually follow it to completion. But I have no problems changing the design half way through, if it needs to be changed. As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am sent many fabric collections and they often make the colour decisions for me! At other times, I take random fabrics from various collections and put them together… It’s basically a “what goes today” sort-of attitude!
How do your quilts reflect your personal emotions or experiences? Do you find that quilting helps you process or express these emotions?
Even when I was working full time (sometimes 12 – 14 hour days), I would come home and quilt for 15 minutes. This has always helped me to de-stress and relax! I find quilting always calms me and helps to figure out solutions to my life’s problems.
What is the most challenging quilt you’ve ever made, and how did you overcome those challenges? What did you learn from that experience?
I think the most challenging quilt I made was a paper pieced quilt for the Island Batik Storm at Sea Blog Hop. I designed it in EQ and I had decided to have waves of colour. However, it was super challenging to keep the colours in order. There was lots of ripping and re-adjusting! I had to take it slow and be methodical with my process. But I LOVED the end result!!
How does your cultural background or heritage influence your quilting? Are there specific traditions or techniques you incorporate into your work?
Having a grandmother that quilted, even though she was never able to teach me, probably influenced my quilting. She always hand quilted and I did also for several years, until I learned to free motion on my domestic machine.
How has your quilting style evolved over the years? Can you identify key moments or pieces that marked significant changes in your approach?
I remember doing a mystery quilt at a local quilt store. All of a sudden, we had to make half-square triangles. I told the instructor that I couldn’t do them and would need to leave. She wouldn’t let me and quickly taught me how to do HST! It opened a whole new realm beyond log cabin and quilts with only straight seams! Then, I really started to grow as a quilter when I became an Island Batik ambassador. The monthly challenges are sometime extremely challenging for me, but I love the challenges and look forward to usually being somewhat successful with them.
If you could have any superpower to assist you in your quilting, what would it be and why?
I would love to have a superpower that constantly cleaned my sewing studio!!! I usually make a huge mess and it can take a long time to put it all in order. Especially since I often work on 3-5 projects at a time!
If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, on a quilt project, who would it be and what kind of quilt would you create together?
I would love to collaborate with Monet and make a water lilies quilt or Van Gogh and make something like Starry Starry Night… I also have a friend who is a fantastic painter and it would be fun to collaborate with her, but our visits are too short… but perhaps one day we’ll work together!
What are your future goals or dreams for your quilting? Are there new techniques, themes, or projects you’re excited to explore?
My goals are pretty simple. I want to keep making donation quilts, writing mystery quilt patterns and quilting. I recently heard of a new technique using scalloped edges for placemats, so I might give that a try and attempt to write my own pattern for it. I LOVE being an Island Batik Ambassador and would love to continue with the challenges and to promote Island Batik fabrics.
Be sure to follow Gail on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to her blog to see what she’s working on right now!
To see the whole 2024 Island Batik Ambassador team, please visit: https://islandbatik.com/2024-ambassadors/
Is there anything else you want to ask Gail? Leave us a comment below!