Tag: Quilt Classes

Heartland Quilts

August 16, 2019 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

Quilt retreat for the Heartland Quilters’ Guild included workshops and classes.

The quilts at this retreat workshop were unique and varied, even though each was made from the same pattern, Grace.

The Heartland Quilters’ Guild has a “Quilt Away” where the members retreat for days of classes, stitching, and fun. I was excited for the invitation to kick off their quilt retreat weekend with the Grace Quilt Class!

Each quilter used the same pattern, but the results were anything but similar!

First, it is tons of fun to watch quilts come to life during a class or workshop! It’s as if each quilt has a personality of it’s own. Ultimately, this is what happens when everyone chooses their own focus fabrics.

Without a doubt, the choice of focus fabric sets the “mood” for the quilt.

Prior to retreat, the quilters received details about what to bring to class, including fabrics. They began learning how to audition both sides of fabric and what to look for. At quilt retreat class, I guided them through the process. Once you know what to look for and how to do it, auditioning both sides of fabric is fun and easy!

Image of quilters at quilt retreat
Class at quilt retreat
Notice that empty wall? Not for long!

In essence, the combination of background fabrics add interest or “sparkle” to the overall quilt design.

While the method is about using the nuances of value, the unique results shown at this retreat are all about the fabrics and the “floral” designers (the quilters)!

Ohhhh, my favorite color…
Image of Quilt
This quilter used both sides of a brilliant panel!
Look at that stunning reverse side!

It seemed we had some actual floral arrangers in class! Man, they were good!

Each bouquet is different!

This class started the quilt retreat with a bang! Look at this line-up of unique Grace quilts!

The line-up!
Image of Grace Quilt Pattern used for class at the quilt retreat.
Grace Quilt Pattern

The Heartland Quilters’ Guild knows how to do quilt retreats!

Whether home or away, enjoy YOUR quilting journey!

Image of Quilt in Window

Tying Up Loose Threads

July 30, 2019 /

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Table of contents

Fun with the Loose Threads quilt program began with an integrated trunk show and screen presentation.

The Loose Threads Quilt Guild of St. Peters, Missouri, is a fun group of quilters. I was honored to present my quilt program to this large turnout of enthusiastic members.

Image of Quilters at Loose Threads quilt program

We begin the Loose Threads quilt program with our “selfie” photos!

Loose Threads Quilt Program Group Photo

The group was so large, we needed three!

Image at Loose Threads quilt program
As my kids would tell you, selfies are not my forte.

With help from the membership, my Loose Threads quilt program began. The “quilt angels” hold up the quilts while viewing the screen.

First, I start the quilt program by inviting the Loose Threads guild members to ponder their own quilting journeys.

Next, we explore all the ways we are influenced in our journeys.

Finally, I share how my very curvy quilting journey has been like a train ride of surprise destinations.

At the conclusion of the program, the Lil’ Susie quilt pattern was debuted.

Image of Lil' Susie Pattern

The next day, the Grace class began.

Take a peek at just a few of their “Grace” class projects in progress:

Notice how the focus fabric makes all the difference? Each one has it’s own personality.

Image of Class Project

In classes, in addition to making a cute little quilt top, the quilters’ play with their fabrics, learning the nuances of value and how it relates to both sides of the focus fabric and what’s surrounding it.

(I had to get her matching machine and bouquet!)

Once their fabrics are chosen, it’s all about building their bouquets!

Now, take a look at this creative gal – who just happens to be the gal who inspired me many, many years ago to join my local quilt guild. Vickie brought an old window pane to build her “Grace” bouquet!

Image of Quilter Working

Isn’t she fabulous?

Image of Quilt in Window
Notice how Vickie added a crocheted doily, a vintage hankie, and lace to her bouquet? She adapted her background fabrics to fit her window and then built her bouquet! Sew fun!

A happy shout-out to the Loose Threads Quilt Guild! Hope to see you lovely quilters again soon!

Image of Grace Quilt Pattern
Grace Quilt Pattern

Meet the Calico Needlers and visit Margie’s Sew Much Fun!

Meet the Twilight Stitchers Quilt Guild!

July 20, 2019 /

The Twilight Stitchers Quilt Guild of Blue Springs, Missouri hosted me as their program speaker and teacher.

Twilight Stitchers -their name is intriguing and their guild is a lot of fun! One of my many new friends, Vickie, made the trip extra special for me with her care for details and accommodations. Thanks, Vickie!

I love to see how other guilds operate.

Initially, the venue of the meeting can be a big variant from guild to guild. Also, the personality of the guild can be portrayed by how they run their meetings and what committees are reporting (involvement in the community, etc). Lastly, how the guild members interact with one another contributes to the enthusiasm and fun of a guild meeting.

It’s fun to note new ideas like “Quilt Angels” (an appreciative title for the members who sacrifice seeing the fronts of a speaker’s quilts because they’ve volunteered to hold the quilts for the guild to see).

A special thank you to my Quilt Angels for the night!

To begin, here are some pics from our opening selfies – they appear to be a rowdy group!

Image of Twilight Stitchers Quilt Guild Selfie
Image of Twilight Stitchers Quilt Guild

The “Grace” quilt class the following day was exciting. I give LOTS of pre-class guidance for choosing fabrics to bring and I was so delighted to see that they were all well prepared AND sew creative!

Classroom Set-up for the Grace Quilt Class

In this class, each quilter brings one or several unique focus fabrics. First, they learn how to audition and choose a focus fabric. Secondly, they audition background fabrics and accents strips from the variety they’ve brought to class. Oftentimes, quilters will share opinions and fabric with their surrounding quilters! (“I thought this would look good in my quilt, but it would work really well in yours!”)

To summarize, you can see in these photos that they chose varied fabrics. As a result, their bouquets were unique, even presenting the quilters’ personalities! In addition, one quilter used men’s’ ties and other out-of-the-box fabrics and was going to design her own vase to fit her bouquet!

Image of Quilters with Projects
Image of Three Twilight Quilters with Quilts
Image of Quilter's Bouquet
Image of Vickie's Bouquet
Image of Hydrangea Bouquet
Image of Couple's Bouquet
Image of Two Quilters

I wish I’d gotten a pic of my first husband/wife duo – but she slipped off before I could snag her pic – busy lady. Their quilts have “related” but different focus fabrics and will hang together in their home! Hope they’ll share them with us using…wait for it…#usebothsides !!!! Yes, they all learned about hashtags during the program!

Image of Quilt in Progress

Now that you’ve looked at the focus fabrics (bouquets), scroll back up to note the clever background fabrics they chose!

I hope to get to see the Twilight Stitchers again soon! You just never know where quilters will cross paths! See Quilts at the Beach to see how I bumped into a quilter, from Warrensburg, Missouri (a hop, skip, and a jump from Blue Springs) at Pensacola Beach!

A hearty THANKS to my new friend in Blue Springs!

image of quilt pattern taught at Twilight Stitchers
Grace Quilt Pattern

See “Grace” Quilt Pattern at my Etsy shop: Creative Bee Studios #usebothsides

Image of Wall Hanging Quilts

Home Sweet Home

June 10, 2019 /

Travel with me, back to my home town, to teach a class of wall hanging quilts!

Early on, the Memory Maker Quilt Guild of Perryville, Missouri invited me to teach a class of wall hanging quilts. I was trilled to drive down memory lane, where I had memorized every crack in the sidewalks around my neighborhood.

First, the quilters chose from a variety of patterns that finished as 36″ square quilts. You’ll see in photos below that they picked a variety of patterns, including the bee, butterfly, seahorse, and even the cauldron.

Quilters learned how to audition both beautiful sides of their fabrics by using value as their guide.

Learn more about VALUE here.

Their unique focus fabric choices reflected their maker’s style in the finished wall hanging quilts.

In addition, the stitchers used fusible applique and broderie perse techniques for these patterns.

After making their fabric selections and cutting and piecing the background fabrics, the students began the fusible applique and broderie perse phase of class.

A softy for nostalgia, I like to drive down my old bike-riding routes and good, ole Church Street.

Whether we were riding bikes or just playing outside all day long, I enjoyed a carefree childhood. I remember taking turns rolling down our terrace, wrapped in a quilt (what was my mom thinking?), playing “Penelope Pitstop” (only Peppermint Patti would understand), and putting on plays and magic shows in our yards. Those are some of the warm memories of my childhood.

Karla

We had a great turn-out of quilters and I couldn’t have been more happy with their creativeness when using my patterns. See just a few of their wall hanging quilts below.

Image of wall hanging quilt
Belle Quilt Pattern
Image of dragonfly wall hanging quilt
Martha’s “Lilly”
Image of Phoebee Quilt
Phoebee

Use Both Sides Category at Memory Maker Quilt Guild’s Show

Imagine my delight to learn they were having a Use BOTH Sides category of their class quilts in their next quilt show!

Image of wall hanging quilts being hung in quilt show.
Quilt show setup, view from my booth!

Setting up a booth as a vendor, I was even more delighted to see them hang their class quilts right across from my booth!

Image of "Sally" Quilt
Image of "Belle" Quilt

Similiarly, for my home town guild to arrange a whole quilt show category on my behalf was quite an honor! Below, you see many of the class wall hanging quilts entered into the judging.

Whether it means anything to anyone else in the world, this means the world to me.

Image of Quilters at Show

My thanks to the members of Memory Makers Quilt Guild. Hope you enjoy seeing their very creative quilts from class.

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Creative Bee Studios patterns have been featured in AQ Magazine, Hancock’s of Paducah, Nancy’s Notions, Connecting Threads and quilt shops across America.

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Image of Bear Quilt

Winter Quilts

January 7, 2019 /

I love nothing better than seeing quilts in nature! You’ve seen “Summer Quilting” (click HERE) to see quilts both poolside and on the beach), so I thought it’d be only fair to share some winter-themed quilts and a few with nature.

First up is a McKenna Ryan quilt pattern. I purchased the kit from Missouri Star Quilt Company several years ago – the year of the bear in our yard (Click HERE to read “It’s a Bear Out There” and see the markings). This bear was supposed to have a red cap and scarf, but I changed it up by using the wool from a sweater which was in my late mother-in-law’s stash. It makes the quilt more special for me and I feel I can keep the quilt on display throughout the winter.

Next is quilt is called Winter Blessings and was kit I purchased from Shabby Fabrics. It was so fast and easy to put together – I highly recommend their kits if that’s what you like. Everything was labeled and organized beautifully. It was kinda like a paint-by-number, only a lot more fun and waaaaay better outcome!

Image of Winter Quilt

The next photo shows just a bit of a quilt (with a Buttercup bomb) that I made long ago in my second-ever quilt class. It was supposed to be bed-size and I actually thought I would finish it my first day in class! I only got it to the throw-size stage (and not during that class), but it’s a favorite!

Here is my latest version of JOY Quilt Pattern. I used a Hoffman panel for the tree (front side) and gifts (reverse side) on a scrappy, snowy background. See all my patterns in my Etsy Shop HERE.

Image of JOY Quilt Hanging
JOY Quilt Pattern

Snow makes a lovely background for quilt photography.

Image of Bed Runner in Snow
Image of Quilt on Swing
This is a Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt called Grand Illusion.
Image of Water Colours Quilt in the snow.
Water Colours

Hope you are enjoying some warm stitching time during these short winter days.

Traveling Quilts

May 30, 2018 /

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Table of contents

Traveling with quilts is part of my life.

Technically, I’ve had one traveling quilt in an actual show that toured the AQS circuit for a year. That was exciting!

Mostly, I’m talking about taking quilts with me when I travel.

First, do you travel with quilts? Guilty! I take quilts on vacations, retreats, and even short hotel stays. I like to have them around for warmth and beauty. Maybe I’ll take one along to bind, to photograph, or to just enjoy.

Putting my own quilt on a strange bed makes me feel more relaxed.

Image of Car Sign
Click Here for Website

This wasn’t my idea, though. A long time ago, I roomed with a friend at quilt retreat who always brought one of her quilts along. I loved seeing which quilt she’d bring to decorate her bed. When I started bringing quilts, I found I rested easier the first night, because I’d claimed that bed as my own with my signature quilt. I decided Donna had a great idea; I never apologized again for packing a quilt!

Traveling quilts hit the guild meeting circuit!

I have the pleasure from time to time to share my story and quilts with quilt guilds during their membership meetings. These trips usually require about 50 quilts. In addition to the large trunk show, I integrate a power point presentation to make sure everyone has a front row seat. It’s lots of fun. Most especially, I like meeting all the new quilters and watching how each guild operates.

One such pleasure was with the PUPS (Pickin’ Up the Pieces) Quilt Guild in Cordova, Tennessee (near Memphis).

I find it fascinating to see the differences between different quilting groups. Size alone can change the dynamics of a group. Meeting location is another factor. Personalities of the members can change how a guild operates. What seems to be constant, though, among all guilds is that the love of quilting, creating, and discovering new opportunities outweighs any of the challenges brought to a group of women (with a sprinkling of men).

Below are a few memories from my visit with the PUPS guild.

Show and Tell

Image of Traveling Quilts
Image of Show and Tell Quilts

The large auditorium allowed the quilts to be on display on the floor!

As you can see in the photos, this was a fantastic way to get a close-up view of each work of art! And just look at those fantastic quilts!

Interestingly, the guild had a master list of projects that the members had registered earlier in the year. When a show and tell item from that list was completed, that quilter got credit for the completion and was entered into a drawing for retreat funds (money)! How cool is THAT?

Look at all this SHOW AND TELL from only 22 members present!!! I really liked being able to go around and look at each quilt closely during the break!  However, I did later find out that this particular meeting was their LAST CHANCE to complete those projects and that may have contributed to their prolific quilting!

Talk about traveling quilts! These quilters put on one heck of a show and tell!

Image of QuiltsImage of Patterns

Block-of-the-Month

Myself having been in charge of Block-of-the-Month for my guild in the past, I was surprised when their quilters showed up with their blocks dutifully completed for that month and laid them in a pile on a table. This guild had a different way of handling their BOM program. The PUPS gals collect those blocks and make them up into quilts for their community. It’s a really nice way to help the community while quilters  learn new techniques.

Virtual Retreats

I thought this sounded like loads of fun! You just pick a weekend (pretty far in advance for planning purposes). Choose your projects, your favorite jammies, and snacks and have your own retreats at home – but shared with pictures and videos on the guild Facebook page!

Prep for traveling with quilts.

Finally, though I try to be over-prepared, I’m always a bit nervous before giving a presentation. While everything went off without a hitch, I was thankful that I didn’t know who they had just hosted! Thankfully, I didn’t know before I got to town that I had SUCH BIG SHOES to fill.

Marie Bostwick had spoken the month before. Had I known that, I would’ve driven there a month earlier! Thankfully, it didn’t sink in until the next day that I was following that awesomeness. I’m pretty sure Marie and I would be besties, if she actually knew me!

You’ve got competition, Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman! (Click here to learn how to have Ree as your best friend!)

A big shout-out and thank-you to the PUPS Quilt Guild for their hospitality!

Wondering about the 50 quilts? Click here for my Etsy Shop!

Image of traveling quilts
Sally Quilt Pattern

Enjoy traveling with your quilts and enjoy your quilting journey!

Check out Spooky Quilts-A-Brewing for some bubbly quilt class fun!

Visit Home Sweet Home to see class projects on display where I was raised!

See Heartland Quilts for more class projects.

Image of Cat on Quilt

The Quilting Forecast

February 19, 2018 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

An interesting quilting forecast abounds when raindrops on Rose, quilted umbrellas,  and Mary Poppins connect.

This quilting forecast is looking good. Fortunately, rain doesn’t usually dampen a quilter’s spirits. In fact, a little forced inside time can do wonders for sewing production, right?

Traveling to my home town to introduce my patterns to the local guild, I am careful to keep the raindrops off of Rose! I’ll be teaching a large workshop for the Memory Makers Quilt Guild soon. This is their first look at what’s ahead!

The Quilting Class Forecast

Image of Quilt
Rose Quilt Pattern

Six or more quilt designs are the choices for the large workshop.

The quilters get to choose from a number of designs, including Phoebee, Belle, Lilly, Rose, Kate, and Emily. The quilting forecast for this group is creativity!

The Memory Makers may have a small membership, but they are large on participation and creativity.

A memory maker for me.

Born and raised in this small town, I have fond memories of simpler times. We rode bikes all over town (sans highway 61- not allowed). I worked summers at the swimming pool, start as “bag girl”, becoming a life guard, and even managing the pool one summer. As teenagers we “rode around”. There were homecoming snake dances around the square in route to the big bonfires. The cracked sidewalks and uneven pavement I rode over and over seem etched in my mind.

Moreover, I am honored and fortunate I can go back to my home town to share my quilts with friends.

However, with the wet weather forecast for this week, I’ll be doing my best to keep the raindrops off of Rose and all her friends!

Umbrella Table Runner

It seems fitting to break out the umbrella table runner today with the forecast of a rainy week ahead. This quilting forecast is CUTE!

Image of Quilted Table Runer

Undoubtedly, this is a fast, fun project. We are talking about a single background fabric, just a few cuts of scrap Kaffe Fasset fabric, and the Accuquilt umbrella die! Coupled with pebbled quilting and you’ve got a perfect table runner for a wet forecast. See Raindrops on Roses to see a few of my favorite things from the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah.

Furthermore, umbrellas always remind me of a favorite book, movie, and musical:

Mary Poppins, of course! Like shifts in the wind, the music, the magic, and the meaning of this beloved story is a favorite. The umbrellas in the runner above seem like they could be pulled right out of Mary’s carpet bag!

Quits and Musicals

Our youngest daughter, Jacquelyn, played the role of Mrs. Banks in her final college show. Apart from the Mary Poppins show, I’ve made a number of quilts to commemorate her various roles in musical theatre. One such quilt was for her role as Laurey in OKLAHOMA!, shown below.

Image of Quilt
See OKLAHOMA! Backroads in South Dakota.

Click HERE to see  “Sweet Dreams…of You” and the quilt commemorating Jacq’s role as the legendary Patsy Cline and  Click HERE to see “One…Singular Sensation” which features a fantastic quilt binding tip and Jacq’s role as Cassie in A Chorus Line.

SHOP more than 50 quilt patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

Image of Halloween Quilt

Spooky Quilts A-Brewing

October 31, 2017 /

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Table of contents

Creativity abounds in these Halloween quilts made by workshops and by pattern customers!

View the variety of background and focus fabrics used in these Halloween quilts.

Creative Cauldrons

First, each quilter chose a focus fabric for their individual cauldrons, auditioning BOTH sides of the fabric.

There are lots of fun Halloween fabrics on the market every year. When choosing one for your cauldron, be sure to audition BOTH sides! You learn how in the Something’s Brewing quilt pattern.

Image of Cauldron QuiltsImage of Cauldron Quilt

These quilters use BOTH spooky sides to stir up trouble!

While the focus fabric is key, background fabrics play a key role in providing interest and sparkle to the quilts. Secondly, these cauldron creators auditioned their possible background fabrics. Variety of fabric genre adds interest to the background. The accent strips are used to pull your eye through the quilt.

If the value is right, use it in your Halloween quilts!

I encourage students to check their values when auditioning fabrics, but be bold with their choices!

If you like a fabric and the value is right, use it! Don’t worry if it’s a little wild or out of your norm.

Karla
Image of Halloween Quilt

As well as checking the values of the backgrounds fabrics, students watch how those fabrics work with their focus fabric. Notice that the lower half is a lighter value and the cauldron really stand out.

Black and White Image of Cauldron

Quilt-makers of these Halloween quilts evaluate the value of their background fabrics as they relate to the front AND back of their focus fabrics using black and white pictures.

image of show quilts
Something’s Brewing from Memory Makers class in their quilt show.

SHOP Something’s Brewing  Quilt Pattern.

Bubble-making is easy when you use Accuquilt or Scan N Cut to make them! Here is the sheet from bubbles made in record time – less than 7 minutes–on the Scan N Cut!

Image of Cut Fabric

Learn more about the Something’s Brewing Wall Hanging.

See Sweet Pumpkin Applique Pillow for another fun fall project!

Need a yummy meal for busy crafting days? See A Delicious Quilting-Day Soup for You!

Image of butterfly quilt

Colorful Wings – Three New Quilt Patterns

August 15, 2017 /

Introducing three quilt designs using BOTH sides of your focus fabric.

It all started with Phoebee (See Designing Quilts by Chance) and yardage of a Hoffmann Digital Spectrum print named Crystalia Rainbow.

Classes starting in September. Patterns available now.

After being inspired at quilt market (See Six Favorites from Quilt Market), I knew I wanted to mix lots of different fabric types to make a bee quilt. While I thought the shape of the bee would be “in the mix”, the background is actually where I used a variety of styles of fabrics:

chicken wire fabric from the 90’s, inherited from my mother-in-law, Pat, (love)

modern word fabric,

batiks,

and pieces of selvage…

with a few accent strips of color.

Patterns available in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CreativeBeeStudios

My Crystalia fabric became my bee. Her flowers I made from the “wrong” (such a harsh word) side of the same fabric.

I guess you could call the flower technique a “modern broderie perse” (thank you, Kelly). They are made with simple, fusible applique and are cut without fussing about the edges – in fact, I encourage letting background show through as it ties the two sides of the fabric together in the quilt.

In my classes and in my patterns, I point out that all reverse sides of fabric are not alike — audition your front AND back sides with your background fabrics.

The best way for me to describe a good reverse side is to say that it should “sing” just as much as the front, just with lesser value.

Image of Bee Quilt

Phoebee

One thing I liked most about Phoebee was that she seemed to be getting her life and beauty from the flowers. Thanks to the hubby for her name–which in Greek actually is spelled with two “e’s” at the end and means “bright, pure”.

Image of Class FlyerNext came Belle. She’s a French butterfly. Belle means “beautiful” (I NEVER got that about Beauty and the Beast – blush).

I found Belle’s fabric, Estate Gardens by Andover at my local quilt shop, The Golden Needle. I used similar neutrals in her background, but stayed with different shades of gray (some reversed) for the accent strips. Her binding is made with the reverse side out.

Note: I like to mix all shades of neutrals – white whites, beiges, off-whites- and all types of fabrics like tiny prints with batiks and novelties.

Image of butterfly quilt

Last but not least, meet Lily.

Lily is a sweet dragonfly made from Tree of Life fabric by Chong A Hwang for Timeless Treasures, also found at my local quilt shop.  Her background accent strips are in aqua because a) that’s my favorite color and b) I wanted to connect her to the water locales dragonflies love.Image of dragonfly quilt

Visit my Etsy page or The Golden Needle for patterns. If you are interested in weekend or evening classes, let me know in the comments below.

Next up is a review of value, very helpful for auditioning fabrics for Colorful Wings quilts! Don’t miss a post – sign up below for email notification! Thanks so much for following.  Karla

 

 

 

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