Getting Started in Quilt Art

Description: This class will give you starting points for several different areas in Quilt Art. From finding inspiration and color coordinating, to straight piecing landscapes, applique and progressing to more advanced work of shading, shadows and threadwork. Develop a background, add your own ideas and get inspiration from others in the class. During the whole workshop you will make several small quilts that you can display as framed artwork or kept as a collection for reference. All your work will be unique and different from other students in the class, yet their work will give you added inspiration and creative ideas.

Quilt Size: various small quilts

Scheduled Class Lessons: 4 Start Date: 02-Oct-2010 Class Price: US$36	One-to-One Learning Lessons: 4 Start Date: You choose Price: US$72.00

Class Requirements:


Note: Do NOT get overwhelmed by the length of this list, it looks a lot however, most fabrics you will find in your stash as projects are small and only require small amounts. In most cases no more than a fat eighth is required, often much less. All exercises are optional, however the more experimenting you do during class time, the more you will get from the class.

General requirements:

Digital camera or method of taking photos to send photos into the academy, such as a photo camera as long as you know how to transfer it to the computer.
General quilting supplies such as rotary cutter, mat, scissors, pins, machine needles, thread for piecing etc
Pencil for drawing – preferably a mechanical pencil
Teflon sheet, parchment paper or baking paper
Lightbox may be useful
Sewing machine with free-motion/darning foot and walking foot or equivalent (dual feeds)
Stabilizer – heavy iron-on non-woven interfacing such as Pellon 808 craft fuse
Fusible webbing – I recommend either Wonder Under or Vliesofix. Non-paper backed fusible is also suitable for some exercises (this is discussed in lessons)
Small amount of cotton batting - excess from larger quilts is ideal. See individual exercises for actual amounts
Note book – preferably blank pages

Requirements for each exercise

Note: Unless otherwise stated, no more than a fat eighth is required

Lesson One

Exercise One:
Does not require fabric cutting, only access to your stash for fabric selecting. If you need to increase your stash, penny packs and jelly rolls will give you a good variety of color. Note: Fabrics selected may be used as one of your projects later in course.

Exercise Two:
ONE 5 1/2" Fabric motif or photo printed on fabric
ONE or TWO medium fabrics to match colors of printout/motif
ONE light fabric
ONE dark fabric
Any small embellishments or appliqués to enhance the printout/motif – optional

Lesson Two

Exercise One:
A minimum of FIVE fabrics ranging from light to dark, any colors (five fabrics works fine but nine fabrics are ideal). 2” strips are ideal, however either the lightest or darkest requires a 4” square

Exercise Two:
Freezer Paper – approximately 9” x 15”
FOUR landscape fabrics ranging from dark to light (your lightest may be sky color and your darkest may be water color)
ONE contrast fabric – needs to contrast the four landscapes fabrics. It will be used as tree trunks. See photo.

Lessons Three

Exercise One:
Two contrasting fabrics either light and dark fabrics or one floral and one plain fabric or two fabrics on opposite sides of the color wheel eg orange and blue. Requires one fabric to be 12” x 18” and other to be 12” x 22”. Actual size is not important however ensure that pieces are no less than 9” wide and one should be slightly longer than the other
Paper the size of your largest piece of fabric – optional (may use plain or freezer paper)
A third contrast fabric – optional (only small amount required)
Small scraps of fabric for applique. You need both light and dark fabrics that will contrast the background fabrics
Fusible webbing
– ONE piece the size of largest contrast fabric (non-paper fusible is ideal)
- small amount for applique and third contrast (requires tracing so paper backed fusible is better suited)
Sandwich sample for stitching practice made from 10” square of cotton batting, cotton fabric and stabilizer (see general requirements)

Exercise Two:
SEVEN fabrics in one color ranging from very dark to very light. Solids, one-color batiks, watercolors & hand-dyed fabrics work best. Avoid floral and busy fabrics. Example: If you are using a purple color range, fabrics can be various shades or tints of purple and even extend to very close colors on the color wheel such as blue-purple, however should not include colors outside this area.
ONE contrast fabric for background
A second background fabric slightly darker than the one above for shadow, small amount only – optional
Machine embroidery threads to match fabrics
Approximately 1/4 yd of fusible webbing
Batting and stabilizer slightly larger than background fabric

Lesson Four
Machine embroidery and other decorative threads - may include rayon, metallic etc
Yarn and cording thread – optional
Thread stand would be useful – optional
Fabric paints or aquarelle pencils/crayons – optional
Stretcher bars and staple gun – optional
Extra backing and batting for finishing off exercises may be required
Binding fabric for finishing off quilts may be required depending on method used to finish quilts

lesson one - fabric inspiration



lesson two - straight piecing



lesson three - shading