For April, Heather Jones will be our guest speaker and she’ll be holding two workshops while she is here; one on Friday and one on Saturday, April 15th and 16th.   Today, we are opening the workshop to the public with continued special pricing for members. Members invite your friends for this special opportunity with Heather!

Workshop 1: Marrakech: Large Scale Piecing Looking for a project to showcase your favorite prints?  This is it.  In this workshop, you’ll use Heather’s Marrakech quilt to learn the technique of creating “stitch and flip” components to build large scale sections of the pattern that are the perfect place to focus on large prints.  You will also learn how to successfully manage large cuts of fabric and pattern pieces, in addition to tips and tricks on fabric selection, cutting, and construction methods for working in this manner.  A discussion of the roots of large scale piecing, the effect of reducing design elements, and the simplification of the overall design of a quilt will also be included.  Note: This project works beautifully with solid fabrics as wells as prints.  

Students will learn how to increase the scale of quilt blocks using graph paper and simple math, how to manage large cuts of fabric and large pattern pieces, how to work with large areas of negative space, and cutting and construction methods for working in this manner.   Workshop will be held Friday, April 15th, 10am – 4:30pm (with 30 minutes for lunch) at Roeland Park Community Center, Room 6.  Cost is $85 for Guild Members, Non-Members $95. Students will need to purchase the pattern separately from Heather for $10.  

Supplies needed are:

  • Fabric 1: 1/2 yard (navy floral)
  • Fabric 2: 1/4 yard (coral floral)
  • Fabric 3: 1 yard (lavender floral)
  • Fabric 4: 1 yard (aqua print)
  • Fabric 5: 3/4 yard (blue geometric)
  • Fabric 6: 1/2 yard (blue floral)
  • Fabric 7: 5 yards (for background and borders)
  • Sewing machine, coordinating thread, pins, basic sewing supplies, 6″ x 24″  quilting ruler, rotary cutter, cutting mat, marking tool, blue painters tape or masking tape, permanent marker
  • To finish the quilt (outside of class) you will need: 5 yards of backing fabric, 5/8 yards of binding fabric, full sized batting

Sign up for Marrakeck: Large Scale Piecing or Speak Easy: Building Patchwork Letters here.    

Workshop 2: Speak Easy: Building Patchwork Letters In this workshop, learn how to create patchwork letters to spell out anything you’d like.  Using Heather’s West Chester pattern from her book, “Quilt Local: Finding Inspiration in the Everyday,” and the supplemental letters only available in this class, you will learn how to work with small pieces of fabric without the need for foundation piecing to create an entire alphabet and set of numerals.  We will also discuss how to incorporate negative space in your design to create a finished quilt top.  

Students will learn how to work with small pieces of fabric without the need for foundation piecing, to create precisely pieced strips, and how to work with negative spaces as a design element.  

Workshop will be held Saturday, April 16th, 10am – 4:30pm (with 30 minutes for lunch) at Roeland Park Community Center, Room 6. Cost is $85 for Guild Members, Non-Members $95. Students will need to purchase Heather’s book Quilt Local: Finding Inspiration in the Everyday and there will also be a $5 fee (paid to Heather at the workshop) for a supplemental pattern.  The guild will provide information closer to the meeting date if the book will available to sell at the meeting.   Supplies needed are:

  • Fabric for letters: 1 yard (solid, print, or a combination of the two)
  • Fabric for the background: 2 yards (solids)
  • Sewing machine, coordinating thread, pins, basic sewing supplies, 6″ x 24″  quilting ruler, rotary cutter, cutting mat, marking tool, blue painters tape or masking tape, permanent marker
  • Note: More of both fabrics may be needed to finish the quilt after class.

Sign up for Marrakeck: Large Scale Piecing or Speak Easy: Building Patchwork Letters here.   Not a member but want to join? Please join on our Membership page!