EMPTY SPOOLS SEMINAR 2025 Why YOU Should Attend

 One of the most magical, memorable and important learning opportunities for quilters is EMPTY SPOOLS SEMINARS in Pacific Grove CA. I have been to many BIG events: 26 years of Quilt Festival in Houston, many times to AQS in Paducah, taught at Road To California twice—that’s a big show on the west coast. While all of these are great, NONE of these compare to Empty Spools Seminars. 

For detailed information on why I loved this SO MUCH this past March, 2024, read both my blogs about it:

The Overall Experience

My Fantastic Students

March 30, 2025-April 4, 2025 I will be teaching one of my MOST FAVORITE CLASSES: Two For One

Students LOVE this class and I always want to make another one as soon as I get home from teaching it. Eight fabrics from light to dark create two blocks, one Light, one Dark. It is so fun to try to find the matching pairs when the quilt is done. This is the Perfect 5 Day class, you will sew and sew and learn and laugh.

We need a few more students in this class so I am urging you to seriously consider joining us at this most magical place. It will change you as a quiltmaker going forward, for the better. It is easy to fly to Monterey and transportation from the airport to the Asilomar Conference Center is also easy by taxi or ride share. 

Find all the Registration Information HERE

If you have any questions I can answer to help you decide to join me here in March 2025, please ask away.  Don’t miss this opportunity of a lifetime.

Let’s quilt!

Barbara 

A Little Look

Students in Two-for-One had a good time and are well in their way to making great quilts. 

Here are a few photos from the second class where they learned how to assemble the blocks:

I was happy to see how much sewing they all did in the week between session 1 and 2. A great group of students.

The only problem for me in teaching this class is I always want to make another one. So far, I have made 2 queen size, one twin size and two Teeny-Tiny size--using 1" cut strips instead of 2". 

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

Traveling to Teach

Recently, I was pleased to be invited back to lecture/teach for the Cumberland Valley Quilters Association (CVQA) in Franklin, TN.  A short two hour drive up the road for me, I remembered my 2018 visit there fondly so was happy to return. They have been meeting by ZOOM and were excited to gather together again.

A few quilts on display: 

Easy technical set-up, the only real challenge: 

About 75 women attended the morning lecture and it went very well. "Time Management for Quilters" is always well-received and I often hear from people weeks or months later to say they learned some tips that have made them more productive., which is the point of this lecture--using the time you have to maximize your creativity. 

The next day 10 women met in a large room for the Western Sun workshop. Lots of space, and the rain held off until machines and supplies were in place. A sampling of the students' progress:

I had a wonderful surprise during the lunch break when Jeanette showed me her Two-For-One mini size block quilt she made in a class with me a few years. back. She had seen the quilt when I visited her guild four years ago and then drove down to Huntsville to take the class from me at  local shop. Look at this:

Those are HALF INCH FINISHED SQUARES! Amazingly beautiful. Usually taught with 2" strips, this mini version uses 1" strips. The size difference is really something. Great job, Jeanette--thank you for much for bringing it!

As the weather was supposed to be "severe thunderstorms" between there and home Wednesday after the workshop ended, I opted to stay another night at the Drury Plaza Hotel--a very nice place. My king-size  Western Sun got it's first outing on this trip:

I had awoken each morning with a stuffy head, typical for hotel room nights. Thursday I was also really tired, not unusual while teaching either. The two hour trip home was easy on a beautiful sunny Spring day. But when I got home I was exhausted so immediately took a two-hour nap. Woke up coughing. You know where this is going, right? No better Friday morning, I took a home test for Covid and was positive. 

I immediately let the guild know so they could notify their members. Checked with my doctor for recommendations for treatment--just a Z-pac for me as I am not at risk for severe complications. Trying to stay away from my husband so he stays well isn't easy. Time will tell.

Fully vaccinated, first booster gotten last September, my antibody counts were very high when checked last September. So I was surprised. Fairly mild symptoms, the worst of which are body aches and a  wracking cough. By Saturday I felt somewhat better but still just wanted to lay around, nap in the afternoon and just plain take it easy. 

As much as we want the virus to be a thing of the past, that seems less likely as time goes on. The variants may keep this virus around much longer than originally thought.  As soon as I can get the second booster, I will. 

Take care of yourself so we can quilt.

Barbara

MY JOURNEY--QUILT # 9

 

Another quilt from the Special Exhibit My Joyful Journey, part of the Virtual Quilt Festival, December 3-5, 2020.

QUILT # 9: Purple Plus!, 78" x 102", machine pieced, quilted by Lin Hayden, 2001:

The Story: Each block uses eight fabrics to create both a light and dark block, using all eight, shaded from dark to light or light to dark. I have made several of these. It is a very popular workshop I enjoy teaching. Every quilt is different depending on fabric selection.

Here is a detail shot of the second one of these I made, almost twins:

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Road to California--2018

Quilts hung in the Atrium at "Road" tell you exactly what show you are at. These quilts are from  the Long Beach Modern Quilt Guild--it's a special honor for a guild to be invited to hang their quilts in the Atrium:

Road to California is a big quilt show held annually in Ontario, CA. For those of us East of the Mississippi, this show is not one we are very familiar with, although it's been in business for more than 20 years. This show is to the West, what Paducah is to the East. More than 40,000 visitors come from all 50 states and several foreign countries. There is big prize money so the quilts entered in the judged show are top-notch. More than 230 vendors make shopping easy. Classes are taught for a week by 50 well-known, and a few not-so-well known teachers.

Here is a link to the Show Guide: 2018 Show Guide. I took very few photos. Here is the Best of Show, Fractal by Claudia Pfeil, of Germany, $10,000:

At Preview Wednesday night, I made a point of finding and photographing this quilt, made by my friend Sarah Ann Smith, of Maine. It won First Place, Naturescape, $1000, and Sarah was eager to see it hanging:

The other quilt I wanted to see up close was this stunner by the amazing Sherry Reynolds--we made a point of finding each other for a quick hug Wednesday at Preview, which was packed, even though it is only for the quilts, vendors are not open that night. Eternal Beauty won a Special Award, Outstanding Large Quilt, $5000:

Now for my story. When I booked airfare last Summer, it seemed reasonable to fly from Nashville to Phoenix to Ontario, 2 flights, not 3 if I flew from Huntsville, and "safe" winter cities. Who knew Nashville would have a snow/ice storm overnight before my flight:

Lights from inside appear to be outside but you get the idea. My husband dropped me off just after 6 a.m., we had stayed at a nearby hotel. He then endured a 4 hour treacherous drive home to increasing snow and ice, a trip that should have taken 2 hours.  Once we were de-iced, a step you don't want them to skip, we made it to Phoenix an hour late. Two hour layover made that no problem for me. I landed in Ontario in the early afternoon local time to this:

I was there to teach four full days of classes and my wonderful roommate, Pepper Cory, invited me to come in a day early. Good thing because Wednesday travel from AL,  TN, GA, MS, TX, you name any city in the South, and there were problems.  Wednesday I walked across the street from the hotel to the Ontario Convention Center and saw this, flowers in bloom in January:

CLASSES: My Thursday and Friday classes were full with 20 students each. Many teams, mother/daughter, sisters, friends who reconnect at this show every year--it really is a destination event for quilters.

Thursday Antique Rose Star by Machine:

Wow--what fun fabrics!

Thrilled to have the young Lacey in class--we must encourage younger quilters 

Stripes add interest

Student alternated tip/center units--wonderful!

Traditional, love the plaid

Friday Smitten--this class filled in 4 days.

 We start with an easy block:

Elegant fabrics

Love words on fabrics

Bright and clean colors

Second block with more pieces. Love the bright orange background

Second block has more pieces and steps. Great fabrics!

Traditional Fabrics work too

Merci with her Day of the Dead blocks--she kept pedal to the metal all day to get four large blocks done

Saturday and Sunday: Two-For-One. Funny story--I was surprised anyone would sign up for a two all-day class at a big show with a teacher they never heard of, but 15 people did. It is my most popular class and one I love to teach. At the show I was told by the show operator they had made a mistake--the cost was $155 but the first students were only charged the $80 one-day fee. They decided to make lemonade from lemons and announced this was TRULY a two-for-one, take two days for the price of one. The class was close to full and all was well. And we had fun:

Cindy with beautiful batiks

Mary and Lorna Pumphrey from Arkansas, great traditional colors

Yvette and Yvonne, or is it? They saved me with cough drops and Throat Coat

Diana with a fun selection of fabric

Julie from Houston, wonderful Fossil Fern Fabrics

Funny story: This student took her machine back to the hotel Saturday night to sew. The machine plug got stuck, firmly, in the lamp base, no one, including maintenance, could remove it. So she just brought the lamp to class Sunday, minus the shade and bulbs. Quilters are clever:

Lovely fabrics

Traditional fabrics work too

Beautiful Metallics that might become a one-block wallhanging or table topper

Teaching was wonderful--and the evaluations blew me away, really. Some were suitable for framing. In each class someone said I spoke too fast--I guess my Yankee comes out at times. I'll be more aware of that going forward.

Getting sick was terrible--Saturday morning I woke up coughing and got by with cough drops and Throat Coat tea from students. I did a 2 hour Roundabout presentation on Saturday night when I should have been resting my voice. Sunday more coughing. Managed to fly home Monday without too much coughing and saw my doctor Tuesday and Wednesday and Friday. Lots of meds, four shots, finally feeling better today, a full week later, though I am definitely not well enough to be around anyone--I postponed two classes this week already.

So long to Ontario, CA:

Ontario, CA airport

The best view of all:

My own Bed

Let's Quilt!

Barbara