Lectures & Workshops Books & Patterns Bio/Contact Me Schedule

Lectures & Workshops

Magic Fabrics/Special Effects New!

Put simply, magic fabrics give a quilt light and life. Some suggest light coming from below the surface (luminosity) or bouncing across the surface (luster). Others imply that see-through colors overlap to create new color mixtures (transparency). What constitutes a magic fabric? I describe many as “shot with light.” They usually display variations in value—light areas among darker areas, or light-to-dark gradations—and they typically contain warm colors. Batiks, hand-dyes, and hand-painted fabrics have a dappled quality; some commercial fabrics appear to “smolder,” an illusion that lends depth and warmth to even the simplest quilts.
Twenty-four digital images (I provide the projector), numerous blocks, quilts, garments, and framed pieces. One hour. Fee: $450.

Color! Color! Color! (lecture)

This fast-paced lecture begins with a look at the three color characteristics common to all quilts and garments: value, temperature, and intensity. These terms sound academic, yet they, as much as color itself, are the key to making great quilts. Learn how to use the color wheel to create fresh, unexpected color combinations. Slides of quilts from nationally known quilters are followed by my quilts and a mini fashion show of my garments.
One hour. Slides, color wheel, quilts, and garments. Fee: $450.

Color for Your Home (lecture)
Based on the Sunset book, Color for Your Home.

Color is color, but it certainly behaves differently in a room than in a quilt! This lecture begins with a slide show that illustrates the basic color concepts of value, temperature, and intensity in room settings. Next, I offer strategies for building a color plan, from assessing your givens to "auditioning" paint, fabric, and flooring in a room. I bring lots of examples of resource materials, and there's plenty of time at the end for your decorating questions.
1 1/2 hours. Slides, color wheel, and decorating samples. Fee: $450.

Color! Color! Color! (workshop)

"You can do color!" is the premise of this one-day, no-sew workshop that combines short lecture segments with hands-on exercises. We begin with a discussion of color characteristics and the color wheel, then play with ways to create successful color schemes. Students put the theory into practice making four 9-inch mock blocks (cut and paste) based on these classic block patterns: Double Four Patch, Variable Star, Churn Dash, and Connecticut. (Speedy students often do more than four mock blocks.) We'll critique the blocks after each exercise, giving everyone the opportunity to see what works, what doesn't, and, just as important, why.

Learn to:

Six hours. Lecture, discussion, exercises, and critique; sample blocks, quilts, and garments. I provide a "library" of fabrics, arranged by color, for students to dip into for the exercises. Fee: $600. Lab fee: $3.

Color! Color! Color! (supply list)

To create the most pleasing color studies, you'll need a wide variety of fabrics in different colors, values, intensities, and patterns. Bring 1/4 yd. or larger cuts. If you bring scraps, each should be at least 9" x 9".

Bring beautiful fabric! Shop if necessary to have a good selection of great fabrics - you'll have much more fun and success with outstanding fabrics than with ordinary ones. (This is not the time to "use up" fabric you don't like.) Avoid high-contrast patterns, though; they can look chaotic when cut up. Bring patterned fabrics, such as Kaffe Fassett florals and geometrics, and stripes. I use many mottled or dappled fabrics, especially hand-dyed fabrics and batiks, because they add depth and luminosity to a quilt.

"Intensity" refers to the brilliance of a color. Try to include both intense (bright) and low-intensity (not-as-bright) fabrics. It's also very important to have a good mix of "values" (lights, mediums, and darks) in colors from all around the color wheel. Most of us have plenty of mediums and darks; lights are harder to come by. Don't go to extremes however; very light or very dark fabrics are difficult to make work.

There are twelve colors on the color wheel. Following is a list of the colors, with just a few common names in parentheses to help you visualize what they look like. (In reality, there are many versions of each color.) Try to bring at least one light, medium, and dark for each color, but don't worry if you can't.

Organize your fabrics by color. Be sure to come to class 15 minutes early to set up. We start right on time!

Luminosity (workshop) New!

Luminosity is perhaps the most dazzling of all the special effects you can achieve with the conscious use of color. The “recipe” is simple: When you surround a smaller area of warm, intense, medium-value color with a larger area of cool, low-intensity, dark-value color, you create the sensation of light and warmth coming from behind. In this workshop, you’ll make my quilt “Luminaria” using this concept. The day begins with a group evaluation of everyone’s fabrics (to ensure success), followed by hints for precise piecing and quilt assembly.
Six hours. Fee: $600.

Luminosity (supply list)

Happy Jacket (workshop)

The key to happiness in making this sweatshirt jacket is using the right fabrics for your sweatshirt. The class begins with a group evaluation of each student's fabrics to learn what will work, what won't, and why. (You should bring more than the number of fabrics indicated, to have a broad selection to choose from.) Once you settle on the fabrics, you'll cut an assortment of bias strips, glue-baste them to the sweatshirt foundation, and stitch close to the raw edges of each strip. You'll then surface-stitch your sweatshirt as much or as little as you like. Before the class ends, I'll show you how to make the chenille circles and attach the rick-rack and binding. (I'll have the rick-rack, from Rainbow Resource, available at the time of the class; see below.) See Gallery.
Six hours. Fee: $600.

Happy Jacket (supply list)

Note: Do not prewash your sweatshirt or your fabrics. Do remove the ribbing on the sweatshirt, and take it apart at the side and underarm seams so you can lay it flat.

Transparency (workshop)

Amaze your family! Fool your friends! They will be impressed when you show them a block or quilt that incorporates the illusion of transparent color. In this special effect, one color appears to lie over another, and where the two colors overlap, a third color is formed. It takes "just-right" fabrics for successful transparencies, but when it works, wow! We start with a crash course in color, then work three simple blocks, followed by three more challenging ones.
Six hours. Mini-lecture, exercises, critique, sample blocks. Fee: $600.

Transparency (supply list)

This is a cut-and-paste, no-sew class. I provide the mock-block handouts, plus a mini color wheel for reference. (If you have a color wheel you like, bring it.) You'll also need:

Bring a range of values for each of the twelve colors on the color wheel: for example, a light, medium, and dark fabric in yellow-green, blue-violet, red, etc. (Avoid very pale fabrics; they read as white.) You'll be creating transparencies that mix both value and color, so a broad range of fabrics is a must.

Also bring fabrics that contain several colors, such as the center fabric in the Nine Patch block shown here; this is the "mixed" color. To use a fabric like this, you'll need fabrics that look like the logical "sources" of the mixed color, such as the blue-green dot and the yellow batik in the outer squares of this block.

After we do three Nine Patch exercises, you'll do one of three other block designs. These are more challenging, but they have the potential to make a fantastic quilt. The second block shown here, "Connecticut," looks complicated but is surprisingly easy to achieve once you understand the concept. Click images for larger views.

Hint: Fabrics that are mottled or "shot with light" are wonderful for creating transparencies. Batiks and hand-dyes have the most potential, but any fabric that has the sensation of light coming from behind has possibilities.

Collage Vest (workshop)

Fabric collage and surface stitching combine to create a sophisticated vest that makes the most of color, pattern, and texture. The workshop begins with examples of harmonious (but not matching) fabrics for collage. Then the fun begins: you'll develop your composition on your foundation fabric, then pin the pieces and anchor the raw edges. I'll demonstrate surface stitching and go over the how-tos of finishing. My Kimono Collage Vest pattern will be available in class, or bring your own favorite pattern.
Six hours. Fee: $600.

Collage Vest (supply list)

You'll need enough to cut out your vest front and back pieces plus 1/3 yard. (You must cut the foundation pieces with an extra 1 1/2-2 inches on each edge.) Choose a fabric you like a lot because it becomes the inside of your vest. If you plan to buy my pattern, you'll need fabric to total approximately twice the measurement from the high point on your shoulder to your hip bone, plus the 1/3 yard.

Hint: Choose fabrics that contrast with each other. They may have a common color or a similar "feel," but if they are over-coordinated in color, your vest will look like one piece of fabric (and you will be disappointed!). Surface stitching has a tendency to blend and blur the differences, so when in doubt, opt for fabrics with more, rather than less, contrast in:

For your accent scraps, choose fabrics with more intense color.