Gulf States Quilting Association - Annual Seminar

REGISTRATION CLOSES SOON!

 JANUARY 31ST IS THE DEADLINE

REGISTER TODAY!

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The Gulf States Quilting Association Quilt Seminar 2017 will be held in New Orleans from March 15 - 18, 2017.

This is their 31st Education Seminar and registration is now open.

I am thrilled to be included as one of the instructors for this wonderful event.

Here are the classes I will be teaching:

Thursday, March 16: Give & Take Applique - Design Discoveries

Friday, March 17: Too Easy Stained Glass

Saturday, March 18: Machine Quilting with Decorative Stitches

Registration closes January 31, 2017, and classes fill quickly so don't delay your registration so you can get the class you want!

Will I see you there?

Patio Lanterns Quilt

This is the last quilt I made for International Quilt Market using Northcott's Stonehenge Gradation Brights fabrics. The pattern for this one will be available in early 2016.

 I longarm quilted the other quilts for Market (see my previous post here) but for this one I wanted to use some decorative machine stitches for the quilting.  Here's a closeup of one area of the quilt.

Machine Quilting with Decorative Stitches is one of the workshops I teach. See examples from this workshop here.

If you would like me to teach this workshop (or others) for your guild or shop, see details on my website.

Ripless Paper Piecing - a New Design

I have added a new design for my RiplessPaper Piecing workshop. I call this quilt Flight Path - imagine having perfect points every time and no 'ripping the paper off' . Great time saver and no wastebasket full of paper!

There are many ways to arrange the blocks in this quilt and you'll learn all about my 'ripless' method and how value is such an important element in all your quilts.

And here is a new image for Machine Quilting with Decorative Stitches. You'll want to see the 'closeup' of this quilt - all the stitching is done AFTER the quilt was layered with backing and batting. This gives the quilt amazing texture and you never need to use a stabilizer when you use your decorative stitches.

Here's a picture of this class taught in Kona in February.

There is still time to book me for a workshop in 2016 so tell your Guild's workshop coordinator about my website and have them get in touch. Hope to see YOU in my travels!

Report from Hawaii

I am back in the studio and almost feeling in the same Time Zone!  But I do miss 'Island Time' - the relaxed atmosphere, the sun and beaches, the golf course and no schedule to keep.

I had an amazing time at the Quilting on Beach Retreat. I taught 2 classes: Give and Take Appliqué Design Discoveries and Machine Quilting with Decorative Stitches.

Didn't get too many pictures from the first class - everyone was busy creating a wide range of designs. Here is a photo of some of the results - great work by enthusiastic students!

And here are pictures from the Decorative Stitches workshop. Students worked on one of my latest designs showcasing tropical flowers and leaves.

Here is my sample for the class. I had a blast choosing decorative stitches and threads for this piece - and they were all used for the quilting, including stitching around the appliqués.

Everyone had the opportunity to try a range of threads, they learned which needles to use with each thread and they sampled their stitches to get them 'just right'.  Our classroom was amazing - lots of space for each student, lots of ironing stations, full walls of windows on 2 sides (!), close to the beach - who could ask for more!

This is a new class to my repertoire so if you've been wondering how to use your decorative stitches in a new way, want to learn about threads, needles and more I'd love to travel to your shop or guild to lead you along the way to creating your own amazing design.  

Ask your Workshop Organizer to contact me for my teaching information.

Quilt Passions Retreat - Kona

Had a great time yesterday teaching my students about machine Quikting with decorative stitches. We sampled stitches first and then created a small quilt filled with tropical leaves and flowers. 

Great job everyone. 

Here is a close-up.  Sara (and her husband Glenn) hosted us at their home. She's on the right in this picture. 

QUILTING ON THE BEACH®

Winter is coming......and I'm sure you'll want a BREAK in February when the cold winds blow and snow or gray rainy days are in the forecast.  Why not JOIN ME in Hawaii for Quilting on the Beach.

Quilting on the Beach® 2015-Quilt Passions' 6th Annual Retreat

Saturday,February 7 through Saturday, February 14, 2015

I will be presenting 2 workshops:

Give & Take Applique Design Discoveries (2 days) - Feb. 8 & 9

Day one of this workshop will include learning the basic principles for the Give & Take Applique two-for-one technique, making a small Valentine project, and testing machine applique stitches to enhance your project. You will also learn my special tips for finishing small quilts and then create your own Give & Take Applique designs through a series of exercises with paper. I'll will work with each student to refine their designs and select one to make in fabric the second day. 

The excitement builds on day two as I show you how to turn your paper design into a pattern. You will test your design with practice fabric and then create a plan for your choice of project (such as a wall hanging, table or bed runner or lap quilt). After refining your design you will begin to create your unique Give & Take Applique masterpiece. 

Machine Quilting with Decorative Stitches (1 day) - Feb. 10

Did you buy that sewing machine with hundreds of stitches? Do you use them? Come to this class and learn how you can use decorative stitches to add interest and excitement to your machine quilting. Learn how to select the right stitches, choose needles and threads and make a set of samples for reference for all your future quilting projects.

Complete Brochure and Registration Form are HERE.

Book your Adventure TODAY!

Machine Quilting with Decorative Stitches

This is the most recent class I taught at Calico Cupboard here in Victoria. Students cut leaf shapes from fused fabrics, arranged them on a background and then played with lots of their machine decorative stitches.  Here are a few photos of the creative selections they made. 

Why not try some of YOUR machine's decorative stitches in your next fused project. Send me photos - love to see your work!

Machine Quilting with Decorative Stitches

Did you buy that sewing machine with hundreds of stitches? Do you use them? 

I definitely do - and for machine quilting.  This is a workshop I have been teaching for several years and last weekend I made a new sample for the class.  

I had pre-fused fabrics left from my Quilting Cruise to the Caribbean in 2012 to use for the leaves. I knew that fabric would come in handy!

It was fun to re-visit the fabrics we used on the cruise and select the ones for my sample. Then I re-visited my thread stash and selected ones that would contrast with my fabrics, tested threads and a variety of stitches before doing the final stitching on my small quilt.

I am teaching this workshop several times in the next few months. Perhaps I will see you in class.

April 11: Calico Cupboard Quilt Shop, Victoria, BC

April 28, Sunshine Coast Quilters Guild, Sechelt, BC