Free-motion quilting and May Day at the Folk School

I’ve just returned from an invigorating weekend teaching Intro to Free-Motion Quilting at John C. Campbell Folk School, and I’m still riding the wave of creativity and camaraderie that filled those three days. 

Students gather for a quilt turning show and tell in Intro to Free-motion Quilting class
at John C. Campbell Folk School early May.

I had an eager group—eight students plus my wonderful studio assistant—which made for an intimate, focused, and interactive learning environment. 

At the Folk School, we meet students where they are. Prior quilting experiences in this group ranged from walking foot quilting, straight line quilting, some free-motion experimentation, and a self-taught student who had been learning from books and online quilting resources. Everyone in the group, however, brought curiosity, openness, and a willingness to experiment—exactly what free-motion quilting calls for!

Free-motion quilting students in the spacious quilting studio, Louise Pitman Fiber Arts building.
A basted quilt from the demonstration is in the foreground. 

We dove right in on Friday evening with a presentation about quilting goals, terminology, basting tools, and then a demonstration on quilt basting. By the end of the evening, students had several quilt sandwiches ready to go for the next day’s hands-on practice.

Drawing in the sketchbooks

Alongside the free-motion machine work, we spent time with our sketchbooks doing drawing exercises—what I like to call “brain aerobics.” These exercises help train the brain, eyes, and hands to work together more fluidly. 

Pat intently concentrates on drawing in the sketchbook.

Christine (left) and Shannon with their contour drawings.

Pam practicing free-motions quilting motifs in the sketchbook.

Nancy (left) and Pam showing their contour drawings.

Roz is drawing inspiration from fabric collections.

Kathe finds inspiration for quilting motifs from a fabric collection.

It was exciting to see students loosen up, have fun, and discover their free-motion potential. The transition from the morning’s work to the quilting motifs they generated at the end of the day showed confidence and their command of new patterns and quilting possibilities.

Helen is wearing quilting gloves to help with moving the quilt sandwich.

Kathe practices the sketchbook drawings with the sewing machine.

Covering quilt-making concepts and topics

Throughout the weekend, we covered a wide range of foundational topics: battings, thread weights and thread fiber contents, needle selection, several classic quilting motifs, and even the often-overlooked but the important and meaningful detail of including quilt labels.

A published author among us

My studio assistant, Kim Deneault, is also a published author! She shared the story of her quilting book, Raggedy Reverse Appliqué, with the free-motion students and showed several project samples. 

Kim (left) talking to Pat about quilting projects.

Oh, you can definitely combine this reverse appliqué technique with free-motion quilting. Check out Kim’s book.

Raggedy Reverse Appliqué book by Kim Deneault with projects.

Show and Tell: a quilt turning

During my free-motion workshops, I share examples of my work which always sparks great discussion about design approaches, thread choices, and quilting techniques. 

Show and Tell of my quilts.

“Alone Together” improv quilt from a 2020 Guild Challenge.

One of the quilts, Paris Rendezvous, was a panel quilt that incorporated a soft circuit. LED lights turned on and blinked when a battery was inserted and the circuit was connected.

Talking about e-textiles and soft circuits in Paris Rendezvous, a machine quilted panel quilt.

As an instructor, it’s always a pleasure to open that window into my process and see how it resonates with the students.

Group discussion about thread choices, micro-fills, and decorative machine stitches.

A full May Day Saturday agenda

In early May in the foothills of the Appalachia mountains, the Folk School attendees were greeted with cool mornings, mid-morning sunshine, and those unforgettable Carolina blue skies. As if the classroom experience of learning free-motion quilting wasn’t a full enough schedule, the Folk School offered another layer of magic—the May Day celebration and an English Country Dance weekend. 

The May Day parade started in the Festival Barn, just outside the quilting studio.

The participants of the May Day parade assembled in the Festival Barn which is next to the quilting studio. We had a front row seat from our studio windows: large puppets, dancers, banners, and music.

The beginning of the May Day parade at the Festival Barn.

The weekend was jam-packed with a May Day parade, a May pole dance, and demonstrations by the dancing troupes. Lively, dancing and musical activities were held on Saturday in which students, instructors, and folk school staff were able to take part. It was a beautiful reminder of seasonal traditions and community spirit.

Evening dance performances at the Spring Dance weekend.

Morris dancers in the Community Room, Keith House.

Wrap up and group discussion

One of my favorite parts of the workshop is the rich dialogue that develops and comes out during our final workshop discussion. I like to know what information students found most helpful and anything they were surprised to learn.

Group discussion and recap of the workshop.

The discussion entailed these highlights:

• There was so much information, “I wish had taken more notes... on everything.”
• All the little tips: bringing up the bobbin thread at the end: when to change the needle; pull thread out of the machine at the bottom (at the needle); work bigger!
• loved the practice quilt sandwiches; didn’t have the pressure to work on a ‘real’ quilt top. I have extra quilt sandwiches to continue practicing at home.
• learned the continuous line process, how to link different motifs.
• learning about different threads and thread weights. “I’ve never sewn with 60 wt.”
• freedom to move in any direction.
• realized the value of the sketchbook.
• “if you can draw it, you can quilt it.”
• lots of inspiration from seeing [the instructor’s] quilts and samples.
• I must remind myself to “let it go!” There are no boundaries.
• some students found ideas for quilting the quilt tops they have waiting for to be quilted—an Irish Chain, a Quilts of Valor quilt tops, a collage quilt.

I’m always thrilled when students grasp the value of drawing in and using the sketchbook. I have several and bring a few to these classes with the corresponding quilts. There are so many advantages to working out designs on paper first!

An example of the relationship between the sketch and the final quilt.

Oftentimes during these group discussions, students pose insightful questions that lead to an unexpected, but valuable, tangent. One topic that surfaced was using hand quilting stencils to mark areas for free-motion quilting. This is the kind of collaborative exchange where even more learning happens—not just for students, but for me as well!

Group discussion: practice sandwiches with template markings.

Class participants received Certificates for completing the workshop.
Then, I share the “secret” for successful free-motion quilting.

Thank you!

My free-motion quilting weekend was, in every sense, a full and fulfilling weekend—learning, making, connecting, and celebrating. I’m thankful to each student for spending their time with me at the Folk School and bringing their enthusiasm and curiosity to the workshop. 

Intro to Free-motion Quilting, May 1-3 2026. John C. Campbell Folk School.

Thank you to Kim, our studio assistant, for bringing her quilt-making insight and another aspect [Raggedy Reverse Appliqué] to the workshop, for taking the myriad of photos, and helping everything run smoothly. 

Me with my studio assistant, Kim (right).

Incidentally, Sunday, May 3, the last day of the workshop, was National Textiles Day, which is especially fitting. Spending the day discussing fabrics, thread, and free-motion quilting techniques felt both meaningful and perfectly (although mostly serendipitously) timed.

Fiber Arts building and quilting studio at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Experiences like this are why teaching at the Folk School is so rewarding. There’s something special and magical about gathering in a place dedicated to craft, and being surrounded by people eager to learn and create. It was evident that the rich traditions of quilt-making will continue to live an active and healthy existence. 

Let’s continue to keep those needles moving and creativity flowing!

 

The 100 Day Stitch Book, my second Make Nine finish

There’s a particular satisfaction that comes not from speed, but from endurance—consistently staying with something day after day—until productivity culminates at 100 days and results in a soft, textured fabric book. That’s what finishing the 100 Day Stitch Book feels like. 

100 Day Stitch Book 2026

This is the second year I’ve participated in The 100 Day Stitch Book project, hosted by Ann Wood. (It’s becoming an annual thing for me!) I used a different collection of fabric scraps this year and also incorporated the yarn thrums from my 2025 crocheted Taos Wrap that I had collected in an ORT jar. [ORT = Odd Random Threads.] 

I also remembered the lessons I learned from assembling last year’s book—like creating front and back covers as part of the 20 book pages, stitching a title, date and author on them, and making these pages slightly larger to accommodate the book’s spine. 

Back cover page with my initials.

This year’s book also holds more weight—as a tragic incident that happened in the U.S. during the making of this book was interpreted in stitch on one of the pages. 

The practice of using what’s on hand 

Per Ann’s guidelines for the Stitch Book, the page compositions are made entirely from remnants—fabric scraps too small for other projects, bits of patchwork trimmed from previous makes, and my addition of the yarn tails from my crocheted wrap. 

Appliquéd fabric scraps, embroidery stitches, couched yarns.

The materials dictate the process: improvisational, intuitive, and mindful. I used several embroidery stitches—some of my go-to favorites, and some referenced from books and previous projects. Working the yarn bits into the compositions was my challenge this year. The yarns were couched, giving more dimension to the page compositions. Every page was a different adventure. 

Couched yarn thrums with French knots.

Couched yarn scraps and crocheted medallions stitched to the page.

The back sides of the pages are interesting, too. However, they can no longer be seen once the signatures and book are assembled. 

Back side of pages.

Back side of pages.

Back side of pages.

Back side of pages.

Marking time 

One engaging aspect of a 100 day project is how it becomes a record—not just of creative exploration, but of life as it unfolds. 

There is one page in this book that I will never look at casually. 

On January 24, 2026, I stitched in response to the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a VA hospital, who was shot by federal Border Patrol and ICE agents in Minneapolis, MN during an immigration enforcement protest. 

January 24, 2026, “Enough!”

I remember hearing the news—how shocking, unnerving, and heavy it felt. How unimaginably difficult to comprehend and process. I abandoned the current page I was working on that weekend and began stitching in response to that horrific event. Stitching that day wasn’t about technique or composition, it was about bearing witness. 

This page is not quiet. 

It stands out among all the other pages because it holds that moment: confusion, grief, anger, and a need to respond in protest through fabric and stitch. 

Left page is the back side of “Enough!”

One of the valuable things about slow stitching (and other art forms) is that it creates space to unleash feelings, to mark time, to work through confusing, frustrating, or sad times. It allows for a kind of reflection or response to the events of the day. 

Hand stitching the openings of the signatures.

The focus of the 100 Day Project: process 

As with all of my past 100 Day Projects, it’s about process and practice more than the end result. This stitch book is a continuation… an on-going promise to my art practice. 

Five signatures ready for the book assembly.

Make Nine 2026: fulfilling the Slow Stitching prompt

The 100 Day Stitch Book 2026 marks the second finish for my Make Nine 2026 list, fulfilling the Slow Stitching prompt.

Make Nine 2026 tracker, April 24, 2026.

I’m pleased with the result of this stitch book and look forward to making more fabric books soon.

“Slow Stitching” prompt from Make Nine 2026 tracker.

100 Day Stitch Book 2026

Junk journal recycling efforts for Earth Day

This Earth Day, April 22, I decided to turn the week’s recycling into something worth keeping. Making junk journals lets me do “creative recycling,” support sustainability, and practice my hand bookmaking skills—coptic binding, in particular. I’m also getting a jump on future journal projects, like Junk Journal July.

Two new junk journals made from recycled papers.

Using found materials 

The paper recycling box provides great fodder for my junk journals. What looks like a hot disheveled mess of cardboard, scrap papers, grocery bags, and old mailers, became colorful, handmade journals—full of character—by way of a little cutting, folding, waxed linen thread, and coptic binding. 

And, they didn’t cost me—or the planet—anything extra. 

A recycled paper bin that is geared toward junk journals.

Sifting through the boxes of recycled paper materials, I pull the sturdier boards for journal covers. The inside pages are a mix of papers—old catalogs, packaging, envelopes, etc. The cacophony of papers brings patterns, character, and a quirky imperfection to a journal that store-bought notebooks rarely match. Each journal is totally unique! 

Sorting various papers for book signatures.

The random marks, colors, torn edges and misprints serve as a start to a new story, or the first layer in a mixed media composition. Instead of facing a blank page, these pages have a little piece of rescued history—or a spark of inspiration—that a blank page doesn’t offer.  

Prepping a stack of folded signatures for book binding.

On the flip side, I also like to incorporate a sheet or two of conventional artist papers—drawing, mixed media, watercolor—for techniques and mediums that require a better surface to work on for a successful outcome. With this wide variety, the pages of my junk journals provide opportunity for any technique I’m inspired to try.

I incorporate a sheet or two of drawing paper, mixed media paper, or watercolor paper in my junk journals.

Making junk journals this way is a reminder that supporting sustainability doesn’t have to be complicated or require new materials. Sometimes it’s just about seeing potential in what otherwise is discarded. From sorting and choosing papers to the binding, these two journals took me about 3 days to complete. I like to attach a coordinating fabric closure to the journals. An added finishing detail.

These journals are about sustainability, individuality, embracing imperfection, and a lot about creativity. Creating something meaningful… one page at a time. 

Handmade, coptic bound journals.

Happy Earth Day!

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