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Quilting Workshops

Quilting Workshops are a place for participants to gain new insight into the wonderful art of quilting.

 

My quilting workshops are design-oriented and focus on the individual: participants do not all make the same quilt!  In all
of my workshops, each participant receives one-on-one attention to develop and enhance their personal knowledge and skill-set.  I work with each student to help them expand their own creative abilities and push the boundaries of what they know about quilting,  Students will find that each workshop is a unique learning experience.

 

Room requirements:
Quilting workshops can be held in any room that has plenty of light and provides each student with a flat surface to work on.  Each student will need a chair, and table space that is equivalent to the size of a card table.  Additionally, there should be electrical outlets for each student’s sewing machine, and sufficient electrical outlets for each student to be able to iron.  An ironing station is recommended: 1 station/4 students.

Would you like me to send you a Workshop Booklet?

You can also download here.

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Applique Flowers and Leaves
Applique is a wonderful way to create and enhance a quilt.  In this workshop students will explore the delights of using applique as a basis for contemporary quilts.  This workshop has been designed for quilters with some quilting experience

 

Students will learn to:

  • Design and expland simple motifs

  • Use color to enhance an applique design

  • Embellish an applique design with ribbon, yarn, and beads

  • We will explore 3 different ways to applique motifs:  Needle Turn Applique, Raw Edge Machine Applique, and Turned Edge Machine Applique

 

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Bear Paws and Goose Tracks
I love using traditional blocks to make contemporary quilts! Participants will explore ways to modify these blocks to make their own quilt.

Topics include:

  • Piecing the original Bear Paw and Goose Tracks blocks

  • Modifying the original blocks

  • Developing secondary designs

  • Integrating other traditional blocks with the original blocks to new, unique blocks.

Curls and Swirls
This workshop has been designed for intermediate to advanced quilters.  It's the perfect workshop for students looking for a new way to design contemporary quilts.

 

 

Students will learn to:

  • Design and use circles and curves

  • Expan a basic circle design

  • Piece circles and curves

  • Using decorative stitching to enhance a quilt

I will work with each student on an individual basis, and help them to pick out fabric for their own amazing Curls and Swirls quilt.

 

Participants will learn to:

  • Design and piece the original Monkey Wrench block

  • Modify the appearance of the block through color variations

  • Develop secondary designs through block motif  placement

  • Modify and expand the block with squares and triangles

  • Embellish the block with decorative stitching

I will work with each student on an individual basis, and help them to pick out fabric for their own amazing Monkey Wrench quilt.

 

Monkey Wrench
Monkey Wrench is a versatile traditional block that is often overlooked.  Participants will explore new and creative ways to orient and use this block and will create amazing contemporary quilts.

 

 

Topics include:

  •  Piecing the original Dragonfly block

  •  Modifying the Dragonfly block

  •  Piecing the modified blocks using 3 different piecing methods:      Traditional, Template piecing, Paper piecing

  •  Developing secondary designs

  •  Planning a quilt.

I will work with each student on an individual basis, and help them to pick out fabric for their own amazing Dragonfly quilt.

 

Dragonflies
This workshop, which has been designed with an intermediate to advanced student in mind, is based upon my book "Dancing Dragonfly Quilts".  Participants will learn about the history of this traditional block and create their own unique project using this versatile block.

 

 

Participants will learn to:

  • Design and embellish circles and curves

  • Machine piece curves

  • Hand applique and machine applique curves

  • Enlarge and diminish curved patterns

  • Use decorative stitches to enhance the curved motifs

  • Use quilting to enhance the quilt

I will work with each student on an individual basis, and help them to pick out fabric for their own amazing Curves Ahead quilt.

 

Not Just Circles
Students often avoid circles and curves because they think that they are hard to piece and use in a quilt design.  Through a series of learning experiences, students will explore new and creative ways to use this motif and create amazing contemporary quilts.

 

 

Students will learn to design and make:​

  •  Radiating designs

  •  Contemporary designs

  • Piecing techniques

  •  Incorporating paper pieced and traditional designs in a quilt

I will work with each student on an individual basis, and help them to pick out fabric for their own amazing Paper pieced quilt.

 

Paper Pieced Delights
Wonderfully radiating traditional and contemporary designs are actually simple to do thanks to paper piecing.  Do you dislike paper-piercing? I will show you a quick, easy and fuss-free way to paper piece.

 

 

Paper Pieced Geometric Quilts

Many quilters don't enjoy paper piecing - but I will show them a way that will change the way that they look at the method of piecing.

 

Topics include:

  • Paper piecing techniques, including modified paper piecing

  • "Filler Square" designing and uses

  • Combining different size blocks

  • Simple repeat patterning

  • Incorporating decorative machine stitches into a quilt

I will work with each student on an individual basis, and help them to pick out fabric for their own amazing Paper Pieced Geometric quilt.

 

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Simply Squares and Rectangles
It is amazing how contemporary quilts can be designed using only squares and rectangles. In this workshop, we will explore many of the options.

Participants will explore:

  • Simple geometric designs: overlapping, negative space

  • Fabric choices: color interactions, patterns vs plain fabrics

  • Quilt construction using geometric motifs

  • Quilting a geometric quilt

 

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Southwestern Quilts
This workshop uses southwestern motifs to create wonderful contemporary wuilts. It's amazing what can be done with rectangles and triangles!

This workshop has been designed for quilters with a fair amount of quilting experience. We will be working with small pieces, which is challenging at first, but becomes easy once you get used to it.

Participants will explore:

  • Working with small pieces

  • Developing designs using Southwestern motifs

  • Choosing colors and fabrics that will enhance a design

  • Quilting a southwestern quilt

 

Square Dance

Discover the amazing possibilities of using squares to create geometric motifs as a basis for contemporary quilt designs.  Students will also learn to "make their own fabric and will never look at squares in the same way again. This workshop has been designed for advanced beginners and confident quilters looking for innovative ways to use leftover fabric.

Students will:

  •  "Make" their own fabric

  •  Explore color theory

  •  Use squares to explore some basic design concepts

  •  Explore woven lines and mazes

  •  Use decorative stitching to enhance a quilt

I will work with each student on an individual basis, and help them to pick out fabric for their own amazing Square Dance quilt.

 

Square Roots
Understanding 2-Dimensional Design allows a quilter to create exciting and unusual quilts. Emphasis is on each individual student's creative development.  This workshop has been designed for intermediate to advanced quilters

 

 

Participants will learn:

  • One, Two and Three point perspective

  • Designing Geometric Motifs

  • Piecing and enlarging geometric designs

  • Using decorative stitching to enhance a quilt

I will work with each student on an individual basis, and help them to pick out fabric for their own amazing Square Roots quilt.

 

Starry, Starry Night Sampler quilt
This workshop has been designed for advanced beginners through advanced quilters.  There are countless pieced star designs available to quilters.  We will explore star design as a basis for contemporary sampler quilts, and look beyond traditional block settings.

 

 

Students will:

  •  Design and piece a myriad of star motifs

  •  Expand a basic star block by adding squares and triangles

  •  Combine blocks of different sizes

  •  Design "filler" blocks

  •  Use decorative stitches to enhance a quilt

I will work with each student on an individual basis, and help them to pick out fabric for their own amazing Starry, Starry Night quilt.

What to do with Leftovers
Any quilter who has made more than one quilt has fabric scraps and perhaps an extra block or two hanging around.  this workshop will show quilters of all levels how to use "leftovers" to create eye-catching contemporary quilts.

Topics include:

  • Making fabric from scraps

  • Paper piecing

  • Working with Fabric Strips

  • Color Interactions

  • Quilting a Scrap Quilt

  • Embellishments: beads and yarns, decorative machine stitching, applique embellishments

 

Workshop Requirements: Each workshop is planned around a 2-day time-frame, but please note that these times are very flexible. Shorter workshops will give students an overview of the possibilities presented by the topic. Longer workshops will allow students to design their own quilts using the techniques explored.   Ironing stations (1 for every 3 quilters), and adequate table space for each quilter is a necessity.  As always, detailed information about each workshop and room requirements is available upon request.


Workshop Fees: $500/day (6-hour day), plus room (hotel/motel single occupancy), board and traveling expenses.

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Please contact me for workshop availability and more detailed workshop information,

or to send you a workshop booklet. You can also download a workshop booklet.

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