Easy Dresden class this Saturday

The Dresden Plate quilt block is a classic. Whether you make it with traditional style fabrics, '30s reproduction prints, popular blenders, batiks or even hand-dyed fabrics, the geometric nature of this block lends itself to just about any taste and style.

I'm teaching a "So Easy Dresden" class this Saturday at Chattanooga Sewing Center.

My personal quilting aesthetic tends to employ a bold, bright color palette as you can see by these Dresden examples.

"Sidewalk Surprises" (detail)

My first quilt soiree with this 3D Dresden block, however, was with Blank Quilting Corp's black and white pre-cut strip set paired with Blank's popular Splash blender (I had a Splash fat quarter bundle to pull colors for the Dresden centers).

"Moon Garden" (detail)

This quilt is called "Moon Garden" and you can read about it in this post.

Dresden Star 3-D quilt block.

Isn't this a cool block? Those sharp star points are actually 3-dimensional. It looks complex, but it's really easy. All done by machine—piecing and appliqué. And the petals and points are accurately cut with reusable acrylic templates. I'm telling you… it's "sew" easy.

Wanna try it? I'm teaching a Sew Easy Dresden class this Saturday, November 15, at Chattanooga Sewing Center. Call (423) 899-3664 to see if there are any spaces available. (It was almost full 2 weeks ago.)

How about using a collection of festive prints and whipping up a little tree skirt in time for the holidays? One of my students made this one last year (so, so, sooo cute!). Once you make one Dresden block… you'll want to make 5 more!

Dresden Star tree skirt.

Join me for a fun project this Saturday!

Intro to Free-motion Quilting classes

Good morning, Glories! This is a close-up of my quilt, "Sidewalk Surprise." It's free-motion quilted. Did you know YOU CAN DO THIS on your HOME SEWING MACHINE? Yep, you absolutely can!

Intro to Free-Motion Quilting class.
You can do this on your home sewing machine!

When I show people this quilt, they are amazed that the quilting was done on a home sewing machine and not a big, long-arm, computerized quilting machine. Believe it. It was. Really… on a domestic sewing machine. [I use a Janome 6500.]

Wanna learn how? I've got three "Intro to Free-motion Quilting" classes [using your home sewing machine] coming up in October and November.

Dimensional appliqué and free-motion quilting: leaves and background fills

October 23-24, I'll be in Knoxville, TN at MidSouth Sewing. The "Intro to Free-motion Quilting on your home sewing machine" is on Thursday and on Friday, we'll be working on the Celebration Tree in my "Intro to Paper Piecing" class. Call [865] 249-6381 to register for these classes.

On Saturday, October 25, I'll be teaching "Intro to Free-motion Quilting on your home sewing machine" at Pins and Needles Quilt Shop in Chattanooga, TN. Call [423] 668-8734.

On Saturday, November 1, I'll be at Chattanooga Sewing for an "Intro to Free-motion Quilting on your home sewing machine" class. Call [423] 899-3664.

Below (left) is a close-up of the free-motion quilting on the back of Sidewalk Surprise. On the right is the Celebration Tree, the project in the Intro to Paper Piecing class. 

Both of these classes are geared for the BEGINNER! No prior free-motion quilting experience or paper piecing experience is necessary. In the free-motion class, I take you from Step 1 down this exciting and liberating path to getting your quilt tops quilted using your home sewing machine. I know you have a holiday project or two you need to get finished. 

Left: detail of free-motion quilting
Right: "Celebration Tree," Intro to Paper Piecing class

Please join me! I would like to meet you, spend time with you in class, and inspire you to finish those holiday projects and gifts. Call one of these great shops TODAY and sign up for a class.

"Make it Your Own!" with Free-motion Quilting

Free-Motion Quilting: Sew what ya know!

Throughout this spring and summer, I've had several opportunities to teach my Intro to Free-Motion Quilting class for shops and guilds in Tennessee. Truth be told, this is probably my favorite class to teach! 

For insight into my students' motivation and passion for quiltmaking, I ask why they are interested in learning free-motion quilting. Their responses help me to insure the class not only provides instruction on the mechanics of this free-form technique (and answers to basic nuts-and-bolts questions) but also offers inspiration and direction to help them achieve their personal and creative goals. 

Free-motion quilting class.
The Quilters Path, Mt. Juliet, TN.

At a recent free-motion class at The Quilters Path, the response to my question was emphatic. These quilters had an overwhelming desire to "make the entire project themself!" 

"Does that sound selfish?" they asked. "Not at all!" I replied.  Make it your own! ... yes, Yes, YES!

Practicing motifs and free-motion designs on paper.
Ready Set Sew in Chattanooga, TN

The quilting adds another layer of design to your composition. 

First-time feathers at Chattanooga Sewing
Chattanooga, TN

Your choice of thread color, thread weight and fiber content can support or enhance your design, change the color palette, modify or solidify the focal point.

Getting into the Free-Motion Groove!
Sew Notions, Jasper, TN

Execute your complete vision for your quilt. Each quiltmaker's voice is unique and each quilt has its own story to tell. Put your voice to your vision and make it all your own! You can do it.

Free-motion quilting with the Smoky Mountain Quilters and friends
at Kat Lovers Pur-fect Quilting, Knoxville, TN.

Thank you! to all my students—past, present, and future—for allowing me to offer inspiration, direction, and instill confidence for your free-motion quilting endeavors. The door to the possibilities that Fee-Motion Quilting has to offer is open to you!

Here are photos from several Intro to Free-Motion Quilting classes. Contact me if you'd like to have me teach this class at your shop or guild.

Photo slideshow created with Smilebox

More Bargello magic at Chattanooga Sewing

Bargello placemat class project.

I was invited to teach a special class on Bargello Quilting for the staff at Chattanooga Sewing Machine Center. We met in the classroom after closing, ordered in pizza, and had a fabulous sit-and-sew-and-chat session while they learned to make Bargello placemats.

The class project (left), with its waves of color superimposed on a geometrically influenced design was not—I was told (and much to my surprise)—the primary aspect of what drew the staff and customers to this project. It was the quilting!

Closeup of machine quilting on Bargello placemat.

While store customers loved the bright, saturated colors, the staff said there were many comments on how the quilting accentuated the movement and color placement on the placemats. Well, you just never know what catches people's eye, do you???

I provided kits with pre-cuts strips for this class, so the staff could just sit and enjoy the sewing after working all day. With a few slight variations in the kits (one wanted a few more brights to complement her dinnerware, and one wanted some golds and greens thrown in), the fabrics were mostly all the same. So, despite very similar fabric kits, here are the variations on a theme that resulted from the evening's class. The set of fabric strips is shown on the left of the composition.

The greens and golds in Linda's version contrast with the salmon pink and turquoise.

Linda's Bargello placemat.

Lisa's version has bands of lights and darks running through the center.

Lisa's Bargello placemat.

Michelle's version has the deep red and a bright pink flanking the center dark wave.

Michelle's Bargello placemat.

Notice the opposing placement of the zinger fabric in Sheri's version. 

Sheri's Bargello placemat.

I must say that is was a real pleasure having these women in a class together. Their sewing and piecing skills are top notch and they listen attentively to instructions and demonstrations. They were excited by the results they were getting and inspired to experiment with variations on the other three placemats.

Machine quilted Bargello placemat.

It will be interesting to see what each one chooses for the binding and how she decides to quilt her piece. My sample was quilted with a combination of straight line quilting and free-motion.


Thank you to Linda, Lisa, Sheri and Michelle for a fun evening! Can't wait to see your finished pieces. What do you want to do next??

Free-motion Quilting, stitching freestyle

Want to learn how to Free-motion Quilt? Come to my Intro to Free-Motion Quilting class and learn how to drop the feed dogs and start "thread drawing" with your sewing machine. It's fun and liberating.

Intro to Free-motion Quilting class

This is a beginner class, so you don't need any prior free-motion quilting experience. In class, we'll cover sewing machine set-up, threads, batting and continuous-line patterns you can use with traditional or contemporary style quilts.

All you need is a sewing machine (yes, you can quilt bigger quilts on your home sewing machine!) with the ability to drop or cover the feed dogs and a machine quilting (or darning) foot for your machine.

Call Chattanooga Sewing today at 899-3664 to register for my November 11 class. This is a 5-hour class. You will learn a lot and we have lots of fun!

Free-motion quilting class and "bonus gifts"

We welcomed beautiful spring-like weather last Saturday for my Free-motion Quilting class. The classroom was full with enthusiastic students and I was excited to be teaching one of my favorite aspects of the quiltmaking process—free-motion quilting.

We cover a lot of material in this class, including the steps prior to the actual quilting part of the process. Proper prep work, I believe, will make the quilting step more successful. ("Two hours to sharpen the axe and 1 hour to cut down the tree," don't ya know.)

An abbreviated trunk show of my work illustrates thread, fabric and quilting motif choices as well as where I find inspiration for the quilting patterns (a question I am often asked). Quilt sizes range from small wall hangings to lap and bed size quilts—all quilted on a domestic sewing machine.

The Bonuses

One of the things I love about teaching workshops—in addition to meeting so many interesting and creative people—are the "bonuses" that come when people share a bit of their lives and experiences with the class and me. Wanda brought in this quilt top for "show and tell" that she pieced from hand embroidered items made by her grandmother. When completed, it will be a cherished gift for a daughter.

The beautifully embroidered pillow cases and dresser scarves "illustrate her exquisite needlework skills," she said. The stitching that is less precise "... shows her determination and strong character" in her later years when physical problems began to set in. What a lovely tribute and a cherished memory.

A hand embroidered table linen pieced into a quilt block.

Another attendee, Judy, surprised me when shared the story of seeing the quilted altar cloth I made for my wedding that was entered into a regional quilt show. This was in my early quiltmaking days (we had our 10 year wedding anniversary last year!). It earned a first place ribbon in that show and also appeared in a feature article in PieceWork magazine (Sept/Oct 2003).  I am humbled and honored that my work had made such an impression and how sweet and thoughtful she was to relay this memory to the class. I had to dig through the archives to find a photo, but here is the piece to which she referred.

"Vous and nul Autre" ("You and no Other") by Veronica Hofman Ortega.
Original design. Hand and machine appliqued. Machine quilted.

At the request of our former pastor of St. Jude Church (Chattanooga), Fr. Bob Hofstetter, this art quilt now resides at Good Shepherd Church in Newport, TN.