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Beginning Free Motion Quilting – Yes, You Can!

 4 hours, $40.00 (plus 1/2 hour working lunch) 10:00 – 2:30, June 3, Saturday

Now what? Your quilt top is done…send it out or quilt it yourself? You can free-motion your own quilt top, no fancy domestic or long-arm machine needed! You CAN do it all yourself – it just takes some practice! From thread choice, basic supplies, setting up your machine, to learning basic FMQ patterns, you will learn the happy sounds of your machine as you practice six basic patterns on fat-quarter sandwiches: straight lines (without a ruler or walking foot), various size stipples, pebbles, grid work, a leaf/vine shape, and a basic feather (if time).

You supply:

• • sewing machine in working order, ability to lower feed dogs, instruction manual (I can’t stress enough how you need familiarity with your machine and lowering the feed-dogs)
  • free-motion (or darning) foot; NEW #80 or #90 machine needles (#90 might be easier)
  • a selection of threads, from “old and cheap” to “fancy and expensive” (cotton and polys are welcome)
  • low-loft cotton batting in fat quarter size for two quilt sandwiches
  • 4 fat quarters, one for the top and one for the bottom of two quilt sandwiches (not fancy fabrics, just for practice, and muslin is fine – tone-on-tone or solid color is best for getting started)
  • scrap paper and pencil or pen to practice designs
  • scissors and straight pins or safety pins for basting
  • marking tools (fabric marker or chalk)
  • ruler for marking grid lines on the fat quarters

• • optional: a machine extension table (you will be happier with one….)
  • optional: Machingers quilting gloves

Intermediate Free Motion Quilting – Of Course You Can!

4 hours, $40.00 (plus 1/2 hour working lunch) 10:00 – 2:30, July 8, Saturday

The sewing machine is working, you’ve been practicing your beginning patterns…. but you’re ready for more. Now’s the time for new free motion quilting patterns. Yes – you can do variations of feathers…and spirals…and gridded patterns…and new leaves…and variations of flowers (roses, peonies, and apple blossoms) and variations on cathedral windows. Everything builds on the straight/curved/circular patterns we learned in the first class. If there’s time, experiment with bobbin work. Feel free to bring a finished quilt top and we can discuss quilting pattern for the quilt.

Prerequisite: Beginning Free Motion Class (February 11) OR practice on some basic free motion skills, and availability to put your feed dogs down on your sewing machine.

Put your two quilt sandwiches together before coming to class.

You supply:

• • sewing machine in working order, ability to lower feed dogs, instruction manual (I can’t stress enough how you need familiarity with your machine and lowering the feed-dogs)
  • free-motion (or darning) foot; NEW #80 or #90 machine needles (#90 might be easier)
  • a selection of good threads (cotton and polys are welcome, solid and variegated also welcome – you get different “looks” with the different threads)
  • low-loft cotton batting in fat quarter size for two quilt sandwiches; bring a small piece of different type batting – wool, cotton blend, higher loft – see the difference it can make in your machine quilting
  • 4 fat quarters, one for the top and one for the bottom of two quilt sandwiches (not fancy fabrics, just for practice, and muslin is fine – tone-on-tone or solid color is best for getting started)
  • scrap paper and pencil or pen, pins/safety pins
  • scissors
  • marking tools (fabric marker or chalk)
  • ruler for marking grid lines on the fat quarters

• • optional: a machine extension table (you will be happier with one….)
  • optional: Machingers quilting gloves

 

Expanding Your Free Motion Skills – Whole Cloth and Beginning Thread Painting

4 hours, $40.00 (plus 1/2 hour working lunch) 10:00 – 2:30, August 12, Saturday

You will begin a small whole cloth quilt, AND/OR plan your free-motion quilting for a completed quilt top, AND/OR experiment with thread painting on a small cloth panel of your choice.

Creating your own whole cloth quilt top: start with a fat quarter size – choose some tone-on-tone fabric and a variety of threads for the top. We will look at various methods for getting the quilt top ready for quilting. Bring a good bobbin thread – I prefer The Bottom Line from Superior Threads.

Quilting an existing top: bring something like a wall hanging you have completed, along with batting and backing fabric. Choose threads and batting, as well as a good bobbin thread.

You supply:

sewing machine in working order, ability to lower feed dogs

free-motion (or darning) foot

#80 or 90 machine needles

a selection of threads – use “good threads,” not the $1.00 threads from some of the                         stores – the amount of work you are doing deserves good thread!

scissors, mat, rotary cutter, and ruler

scrap paper and pencil or pen

marking tools

optional: a machine extension table

 

Beginning Marbling

4 hours, $60.00 class fee, supply fee $25.00

            (minimum 5 students, maximum 10)

            Learn the ancient art of marbling by creating cotton fabrics using traditional marbling patterns. You will learn 5 basic patterns (stone, freeform, chevron, nonpareil, bouquet) and create pieces of marbled cotton suitable for a small sampler. This class is an overview of the process, using existing supplies, with fabric that is already prepared for you.

Supply Fee: $25.00

1/3 yard pima cotton, 1yard Offray ribbon, carrageenan, alum, paints, combs, brushes,  drying racks, soda ash, pins, toothpicks

Student Needs to Supply:

cookie tray or roaster pan (at least 10 inches in width, and a half-inch in depth),

sheets of newspaper (no color) for drying fabric, notebook for notes and diagrams, ruler  and pencil, rags/paper towels, small plastic tub for carrying wet fabrics,   gloves

Wear old clothes!

 

Advanced Marbling

4 hours, $60.00  class fee, supply fee $25.00         

(minimum 5 students, maximum 10)

Learn the recipes needed for the carrageenan bath and pretreatments. Make the combs and rakes you will to marble any time you wish. Learn advanced marbling patterns (wave, clamshell, wing, feathers, cable, fountain, cascade) and experiment with paint and pattern on cotton and silk.

Supply Fee: $25.00

1/2 yard pima cotton, carrageenan, alum, 1/2 yard 10 mm silk, paints, combs, brushes, drying racks, soda ash, balsa wood, popsicle sticks, box cutter, awl

Student Needs to Supply:

cookie tray or roaster pan (at least 10 inches in width, and a half-inch in depth),

sheets of newspaper (no color) for drying fabric, notebook for notes and diagrams, ruler  and pencil, rags/paper towels, small plastic tub for carrying wet fabrics, gloves, masking tape (at least 1 inch wide, wider is better), Elmer’s glue, straight pins and/or t-pins (no glass heads), rubber bands

Wear old clothes!

 

 

You will create a small whole cloth quilt – or you can begin free motion quilting on an already completed quilt top – your choice!

Creating your own whole cloth quilt top: start with a fat quarter size – choose some tone-on-tone fabric and a variety of threads for the top. We will look at various methods for getting the quilt top ready for quilting. Bring a good bobbin thread – I prefer The Bottom Line from Superior Threads.

Quilting an existing top: bring something like a wall hanging you have completed, along with batting and backing fabric. Choose threads and batting, as well as a good bobbin thread.

You supply:

sewing machine in working order, ability to lower feed dogs

free-motion (or darning) foot

#80 or 90 machine needles

a selection of threads – use “good threads,” not the $1.00 threads from some of the                         stores – the amount of work you are doing deserves good thread!

scissors, mat, rotary cutter, and ruler

scrap paper and pencil or pen

marking tools

optional: a machine extension table
 

 

 

 

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