QUILTFEST 2000 Workshops

Create a beautiful landscape using a photo of a “special place.” Find your personal, stylized version of reality. Fracture the finished drawing to create different shapes for color choices and add a surrealistic quality. Work with a stabilizer or foundation, blind machine appliqué, machine satin/straight quilting in a quilt-as-you-go format. Easy techniques that create a complex looking landscape.

Supplies: Sewing machine (zig-zag), darning foot or ‘Big Foot’, pins, thread to match fabrics, monofilament thread, paper and fabric scissors, pencil, fabric pencils, ruler, tracing paper, compass, spray starch, glue stick, masking and Scotch tape, black ‘fine’ point permanent marker, and extension cord. Irons and ironing surfaces will be provided. The following will be available to use or purchase in class: stiletto, one acetate sheet, Sulky Totally Stable, and photo mount. Bring an 8" x 10" (or larger) color photo of a landscape or 8" x 10" picture from a magazine, book, or calendar. Bring fabrics that relate to the picture or photo, ie. fabrics that look like leaves, rocks, clouds, without being leaves, rocks, and clouds. Optional: Desk/OTT light.

Create illusions of movement, texture, dimension, and depth in your quilts. Express yourself through quilting’s “third dimension.” This class will take you beyond imitating traditional hand quilting, allowing you to discover hidden creativity as you explore new stitching techniques. Prerequisite: machine quilting experience or is familiar with the layering, pinning, and marking techniques from “Heirloom Machine Quilting” book by Harriet Hargrave.

Supplies: Sewing machine in good working order; extra sewing machine needles size 80/12; extra empty bobbin; a darning foot or ‘Big Foot’ that fits your machine (this is a MUST); #1 safety pins; wash-out marking pen (blue fine line is best); cotton thread 3 ply #50: one ecru or white, one black, one bright or dark color; 8" square Sulky’s Solvy; 7/8 yd. of muslin cut into six 15" x 15" squares; and 1/2 yd. of cotton batting cut into three 15" x 15" squares. Optional: Machine quilting and/or machine embroidery needles, a machine table or tray/plate.

Your’re guaranteed an “A+” in this workshop where you will create a unique wall hanging (detail at left) using a simple, traditional block. The secret to success is a gradation technique where the blocks are gradually shaded from light to dark.

Supplies: Sewing machine with extra needles, extension cord, medium gray or taupe thread (have your bobbin ready), rotary cutter and mat, ruler with 1/8" markings, scissors, pins, seam ripper, a 14" x 14" piece of fleece, cotton batting or flannel to layout your design. Fabric: 1/4 yd of 14 different fabrics—uniform sized pieces work best (have all pieces cut either 9" x 42" or 18" x 22"). You will work with two basic color families, for example: pink and green, red and blue, etc. You will need seven of each color shaded from light to dark. Fabrics of similar scale work well, but feel free to experiment. Bring extra fabrics if you would like.

Forget the glue sticks, the freezer paper, and the starch. Learn how easy needleturn applique can be by learning this straight forward method as well as triple-fold bias, pointy points, and the secret of perfect hearts.

Supplies: White basting thread; fabric scissors; fine lead mechanical pencil; *Canary Yellow Prismacolor pencil #PC916, no substitution; *Dixon wash out marker, green or blue, sharpened (*pencils available in class from teacher). Optional: Thimble, needle threader, and desk/OTT light. Kit Fee: $10 payable to teacher in class, includes all fabrics, pre-cut templates, needles, pins, and YLI silk thread.

How about learning to do a simple three-fold bias, pointy points, and circles that are actually round? Rid yourself of those lumps and bumps on edges and curves forever with this hands-on applique techniques class.

Supplies: White basting thread, fine lead mechanical pencil, sharp fabric scissors. Optional: Thimble, needle threader, and desk/OTT light. Kit Fee: $10 payable to teacher in class, includes all fabrics, pre-cut templates, needles, applique pins, and YLI silk thread.

Color and texture, warm and cool, reflective and absorbing, all the properties and moods of color in fabric will be explored using actual fabric swatches to design a color wheel and color study wall hanging. Learn to use color more freely, following what looks right to you, not what the text tells you it should be. A more emotional way to work with color. The color swatches consist of all types of fabrics, from cottons and blends to satins and lamé, everything!

Supplies: 1/2 yd of fabric to use as a pin-up surface (muslin, batting, felt, etc.), pins, and glue stick. Fabric squares: go through your stash and cut two 2-1/2" squares of each color (you will personally use at least 100 squares). One set of squares will be for you and the other set will be added to the group pile. Use fabrics of all colors and content. The one with the most squares wins a door prize! Four border strips: one black, one white, and two different greys, each 2-1/2" wide, cut selvage to selvage (approx. 42–45"). Optional: Binoculars, reducing lens, or door peep hole; and desk/OTT light.

Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Attic Windows, Dresden Plate, Ozark Tiles, and other favorites, all served up with a new twist. They’re folded! Easy and quick folding methods will make you look again at these old favorites as well as some new patterns to try. You’ll enjoy this fast-paced class packed with possibilities.

Supplies: Sewing machine, regular piecing foot, applique foot, scissors, rotary cutter, small cutting mat, Scotch tape or stapler, pencil, straight pins, and notebook binder. Fabric Kit Fee: $5 payable to the teacher in class.

Fascinated by scherenschnitte—papercut designs? Scissor cutting needleturn is this old German art reproduced in fabric. Learn to create this beautiful and intricate Baltimore Album Quilt design, dated 1847–1848. Applique experience required

Supplies: Two pieces of fabric with good contrast, one red and one white, each 15" x 15", washed, dried, and ironed; five safety pins; small sharp scissors which cuts accurately to the tip, fine lead mechanical pencil; pencil sharpener; Canary Yellow Prismacolor pencil #PC916, no substitution (available from teacher in class); Optional: Thimble, needle threader, and desk/OTT light. Kit Fee: $5 payable to the teacher in class, includes one spool of red YLI Silk thread, needles and applique pins.

Supplies: 1/2 yd. all cotton unbleached muslin, washed, dried and ironed; white basting thread; larger longer needle for basting; thimble; Dixon wash out marker, green or blue, sharpened (available in class from teacher); pencil sharpener; fabric cutting scissors; small sharp blunt-nosed quilting scissors; and 14" quilting hoop. Optional: Needle threader and desk/OTT light. Kit Fee: $10 payable to the teacher in class, includes batting, needles and quilting thread.