QUILT FESTIVAL HOUSTON 2023 -- MY CLASSES

 It's that great time of year when classes for International Quilt Festival are announced and Enrollment opens. Many classes FILL in the first week so those in the know are ready with their class selections and make sure they enroll as soon as Enrollment opens.

This year is special for me--I am TEACHING at Houston. Having worked in the Education Department for almost 25 years, I have known that someday I would change jobs from "Faculty Check-In Person" to FACULTY. This is the year.

I am teaching 3 of my favorite classes. 

Thursday November 2, 2023, 9-5, #411 WESTERN SUN:

Wild Western Sun  about 50" square 

This class teaches so many great techniques, like paper piecing, hand or machine applique and, as always in my classes, lots of tips and tricks for accurate precision piecing. 

What if you want to use Reproduction fabrics instead of brights? No problem:

My King size bed quilt, 110" square, 25 whole blocks, 12 half blocks, 4 quarter blocks

To see a recent class of Western Sun and find links to additional blogs about it see this Blog: Western Sun in TN

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2023 , 9-5, #507 ANTIQUE ROSE STAR: 

my top

Student Work--a baby quilt

Student work in beautiful fabrics

A small sample in bright contemporary fabrics--see how easy it is to put this together in class:

We will speed cut the shapes and learn how to piece this block quickly. It looks great in any kind of fabric, from Civil War Reproductions to Modern to Brights. And there are many ways to set this block. I think it is my most favorite class to teach.

For more student work see this Blog: Antique Rose Star

Saturday November 4, 2023, 9-5, #606 Disappearing Patchwork:

About 62" square, 16 total blocks

This started out as a challenge to myself to make a Neutral quilt. It was a stretch for me, but I was satisfied with the result. There are MANY WAYS to set the blocks, so it is fun to play with design ideas as the blocks get made.

How about we make it with Bright fabrics? Here is a quick sample I just created:

I also had a lot of fun quilting the neutral quilt. See some detail photos in this Blog: Disappearing Patchwork -- the Quilting

Find all the Class Catalog and Information here: Class Info Hub Houston 2023

Enrollment is due to begin Monday June 19, 2023. Be ready if you really want to take any of the classes--they do FILL FAST! 

I hope to see many of you in class. For years, I have been asked at Festival "When can I take a class from YOU HERE?" The answer to that question is NOW, THIS YEAR, 2023!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Antique Rose Star

Recently, I spent the day with 5 lovely quilters as they learned how to make Antique Rose Star blocks by machine.

This is a great class to teach because the technique for mastering this block is something new to most students. And when I see the A-HA moment in their eyes I know they get it!

Only one problem for me--I want come right home and make another one. 

This is a popular class I teach to lots of guilds--it has the advantage of being able include students who want to hand piece instead of machine piece--both can be part of the same class. 

The blocks each contain 72 Kite-shaped pieces, exactly the same shape and size. Here are my samples:

Hand quilted with big stitch, about 65" square

A Table Topper featuring just ONE block--about 36" wide

A much smaller version--these kites are 1.5" high finished

You can even make a table runner. This is a gift I received from my friend Sharon: 

Here are the blocks the students worked on in class:

Amanda

Sally

Sandy

Glenda

Shelley

I  have seen these made in bright, modern fabrics, in Daiwabo muted woven fabrics, in solids. It's  hard to make a bad one if you like your fabrics.

Great job, ladies! I look forward to seeing where you go from  here.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Exciting LOCAL Classes

 My Fall schedule is set with local  classes. Friends and students can take great classes, at home, without having to travel to away places and incur all those extra costs.

It's been a while and due to popular demand, I am teaching two of my MOST FAVORITE classes. These classes will not be taught again locally any time soon so sign up now or miss out.

TWO-FOR-ONE:

Queen Size, using 12 sets of fabrics

Twin Size, using 6 sets of fabrics

Want to learn the process but not ready to make a bed-size quilt? Using 1" strips, you get .5" squares and a Teeny Tiny Two For One: 

Teeny Tiny 2-4-1, made with 1" strips, 21" x 28" 

Sign up online at Southern Charm Quilting  then contact me for a detailed fabric selection guide. Class is 10 hours of instruction, over two Saturdays. Sure to be one of your most favorite quilts.

ANTIQUE ROSE STAR BY MACHINE: 

When you learn the "MAGIC METHOD" for the dreaded Y-Seam, you will be amazed how EASY this quilt is. Every time I teach it to quilters around the country I want to come home and make another. So far, I have made 3 in various sizes. Students have made beautiful quilts in class and you can too. 

Sign up at  Patches & Stitches once they announce the Fall Schedule. This class is one session, Saturday October 8, 9-3. You will learn so much and be on your way to an amazing quilt.

BLUEBERRY HILL: 

I needed a quilt for a man's gift and his favorite color is blue. When I saw this pattern on Instagram, I knew it was perfect. The pattern is really called Blueberry Kisses but since I have a professional relationship with this person, I made a change to the name. Find the pattern at Thimbles and Needles.   The designer has several great patterns. 

NOTE: for this class you will need to have purchased the PDF pattern download before coming to class and know where you put it on your device. Or print yourself a copy. 

Two color quilts are so wonderful for scrap quilts or even carefully planned quilts. Any two colors you like will work or, three colors, like Red, White and Blue, or Team colors--whatever you like will work great. All the blocks and sashing/cornerstones are made from 2.5" strips so your best Jelly Roll is a good candidate too. 

Sign up online at Southern Charm Quilting--this is the ONLY time this class will be offered because when the quilt is gifted, I won't have it any more. Don't miss out all you can learn in this class: the cutting, sewing and the pressing as well as so  much more.

I still love teaching BEGINNERS TO LEARN TO QUILT  and this Fall I have two offerings at local shops. If you know someone who wants to learn, PLEASE PASS THIS INFORMATION ON.

START QUILTLING--SOUP TO NUTS:

This day-time class is 18 hours of  instruction over 3 weeks, on Tuesdays starting September 20. The past students in this class have loved being able to learn and sew all day, then go home to work on their project until the next week's class. By the 3rd session they were all quilting their quilts! 

Sign up online  at Southern Charm Quilting today to be sure you get a spot. It's so much fun and I guarantee you will learn a lot.

QUILTMAKING 101:

My heart is in this class. I have taught beginners how to quilt at Patches & Stitches for almost 35 years,. That is almost two thousand students. The class has changed from completely hand made in the early years, to completely machine made today.  After this Fall offering the class will change yet again--it will no longer be offered at night and will be a different pattern. 

SO, if you took this class and loved it, please spread the word to friends who want to become as passionate about quilting as you are, take this class now or miss the chance:

Sign up at Patches & Stitches when the Fall schedule is announced. This  class will be 5 sessions, Tuesday September 20, 27, October 4, 11, and 18, 5:30-8 pm.

As usual, a lot of time and effort goes into offering these classes, both by the local shops and by the teachers  who offer them. If the classes don't fill, the classes won't be offered. Each class/shop has a minimum number of students required to make the class possible. So, don't delay--if you see a class you like, at any local shop, sign up right away so more classes will be offered in the future.

My traveling schedule makes it less likely I will teach lots of classes locally. I hope to see you in one of these, while we all  have the chance to learn, share and laugh together.

To see great STUDENT WORK from past offerings of these classes, use the SEARCH BOX above left--type in the name of the class to see previous posts about these quilts.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

PROGRESS ON PROJECTS

 I've been working on a several projects at the same time, my typical process. 

Whenever I teach Antique Rose Star by Machine, I come home eager to make more blocks myself. I have Kite templates in various sizes: 1.5", 2", 2.375", 3", 4" and 5". It was time to make one BIG block with the 5" Kite, as a table topper and as a visual when teaching. It took very little time to make this:

Front  34" across the middle

Back

These would make great gifts--I received one as a gift made from a 4" kite but always have to remember to take it when teaching. This one can live in my teaching bag for this class. 

No binding or batting--I used a fabric as the "inner layer" to provide a little stability. Finishing was the "pillow" method--layer top/back right sides together, put inner layer on the bottom, sew all around the outer edge, leaving a 3-4" opening to turn right side out. Slipstitch the opening closed then some minor straight line quilting and it's done!

Garden Party Down Under is more than half way done for 2022, the Block of the Month for www.thequiltshow.com. I love my complete quilt made last year to test the pattern, with help from the wonderful Sunday Sew and Sews. 

This year I am making parts to have visuals for demos and the LIVE broadcasts I do for The Quilt Show. I didn't want to make a second complete large quilt this year. So far, I have two wallhanging tops made. This most recent one uses blocks from Months 3-7:

50" square

Earlier, I decided Months 1 and 2 make a perfectly good wallhanging so this top is also done:

38" square

Eventually, I'll prepare backs and batting for both of these and quilt them.

Then there's the Neutral Quilt I've been working on. I wrote about this twice recently, find out more HERE  My first blocks were darker than I expected so I made four more, somewhat lighter, and will place them in the middle:

All the fabrics for the remaining 8 blocks are cut out and waiting. I sew a couple of these in between doing other things. It shouldn't take long to make those 8 blocks but I'm getting busy and will travel to Salt Lake City and Long Beach in this next month. So this will have to wait.

The newest start is getting all my extra attention now. It's a gift for a man who said his favorite color is blue. The pattern is from thimblesandneedles, an Australian designer. Patterns are available on Etsy:

Not all the parts are there yet but all the pieces are cut and ready to be used as Leaders/Enders while I work on other things. My plan is to push hard on this in the next two weeks so the top is done before I go to International Quilt Festival in Salt Lake City. Having it on the wall now makes it easier to work on it as time is available. I am debating whether the perimeter triangles will be various blues or various whites. I'm leaning toward blue.

What are you working on? 

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Asheville Quilt Guild

 I had a lovely trip to Asheville, NC recently to present a Lecture and Workshop to the Asheville Quilt Guild. 

Google said it was 5 driving hours but no, with stops and some slow traffic in places it was over 7 hours and we lost an hour going into the Eastern Time Zone. So I was very glad the decision was made months ago to go on Monday for the Tuesday evening Lecture and Wednesday Workshop.

Tuesday my husband and I went to Biltmore Village, with lots of shops, eateries and my favorite place, the Southern Highland Craft Guild Gallery: 

I love all the handmade items for sale, especially the jewelry, and bought myself a pair of earrings:

These handpainted silk scarves were so beautiful but way beyond my budget:

There were quilts, the tags were too high off the ground to read and I wasn't in the market to buy so didn't ask the prices:

Lots of wooden objects:

And Treenware, which I did buy a piece of as a gift: 

After meeting with a few board members for dinner, we got set up at  a great meeting place for the evening Lecture--A Quilter's Last Will and Testament. The A-B Tech center was such a nice meeting space and the young tech guy made it a breeze to connect my iPad with  PowerPoint to the big screens in the auditorium:

Set up for the Lecture

President Shelly addressing the guild

Members on the left

Members on the right

The lecture was very well received. Many came up to me at the end to tell me how much they appreciated the topic and how they now had ideas and a plan to prepare for when they are no longer the owner of all their STUFF. It was the first time I gave this lecture, based on the extremely popular blog I wrote on the topic a year ago: A Quilter's Last Will and Testament

The next day we met at a local church for the Workshop, Antique Rose Star by Machine. There were 11 students and a wonderful helper. Class went very well and everyone learned how to make one block. And a variety of ways to set those blocks, or make a table runner or other project. The secret to that dreaded Y-Seam is So Much Fun to teach. A few photos from the day:

Judy

Linda

Shelly

Melissa, who has a date with her stitch ripper when she gets home

The happy crowd at the end of the day

The best thing about driving to a job is having two bed quilts with me. Both my husband and I slept very well under these quilts, after throwing off the hotel duvets that are just too hot:

The next day we had another 7 hour drive home but picked up the hour we lost a few days before. We were blessed with great weather, about 20 degrees cooler in the mountains than at home. All in all, it was a good trip and I so appreciate the welcome and kindness of the Asheville Quilt Guild.

Let's quilt.

Barbara