Workshops & Lectures

Bring your favorite photograph and we will make an exquisite quilt using your favorite fabrics! Learn how to use your fabrics and artistic license to create depth, shadows and reflections to depict a scene. Raw edge or turned edge applique will be taught so it is your choice how to construct your quilt or use a combination of methods. Adding paint to enhance will also be demonstrated. 2-5 days.

Ever wonder how original stunning quilts are created? How do the creators get their inspiration? In this class you will learn very simple ways to design stunning quilts which will be your own unique designs. This class will take you step by step through several easy, stress free techniques to help you create your own fantastic design even if you have never experimented with design before. We will also answer the question of how on earth will I ever piece my fabulous design and ensure that it hangs straight.

We will examine several different construction and piecing techniques, or you can fuse together if you prefer. We will also see numerous tools to use for drawing, different compasses, how to get that perfect circle and how to angle rays. We will also take a brief peek at several computer aids for designing your own quilts. If you have designs that you have roughed out on paper (and these can be very rough) and are unsure how to get them fully drawn or how to construct them successfully, please bring them. If you do not have any, no worries, as we will design several in class.

We will also discuss copyrights: why you may or may not want to have your original quilts copyrighted, cost, the process, and the best time to call the copyright office. This will be a fun & creative class! 1 to 3 day class.

Please contact Ann for information on longarm classes & pricing. Also, I teach classes for quilting on domestic sewing machines or mid-arms.

Create beautiful quilting designs to enhance your beautifully pieced quilt top, or to use for a whole cloth quilt! We will discuss in depth several drawing methods and thought processes to determine what would best enhance rather than hinder your beautiful quilt tops. This class will include an extensive trunk show, highlighting what to quilt in different situations. This class will apply whether you are quilting on a long arm, short arm, mid arm or home sewing machine. Please bring quilt tops if you are unsure what on earth to quilt on these. We will also discuss marking, with marks that must be removed and those that do not, and the use of registration lines rather than marking the entire top. Class will also include an in depth discussion of threads, and thread weights and how this affects the quilt appearance as well as thread tension as it relates to different thread weights. 1 Day Workshop.

Learn the basic McTavishing method, mini-McTavishing and Cyclone McTavishing on a home sewing machine, plus flames, paisleys and curls and swirls with a McTavishing twist. Enhance your quilts with these wonderful machine quilting techniques! If you stitch on a mid-arm or long arm machine the techniques are the same, and your class knowledge will easily transfer to your machine. I learned to McTavish on a domestic home sewing machine, but have since purchased a long arm machine, so I can address both situations and teach on either a domestic or long arm machine. One Day Class.

Ever wonder how to get those split points perfectly pieced as painlessly as possible? We will cover not only the actual piecing of these, but also the color selection process to make stunning points sing! Handout Fee. Please Note: The 8 point Mariner’s Compass will be the class project.

We will create samplers in this class of all the wonderful things you can do with machine quilting: swirls & curls, leaves, circles (3 ways to create these), flames, spirals, headbands/paisleys, spirals, & feathers, including how to join feathers smoothly. 1 Day Class.

Continue with more complex machine quilting to further enhance and perfect your skills! 1 Day Class.

Are your feathers floundering? Stitching absolutely straight lines a problem? Come to Feathers & Lines on Caroline to perfect your feathers and learn to stitch straight lines, as well as spirals! A fun machine quilting class with a beautiful project! In this class we will be machine quilting the original design quilt of mine entitled Caroline. Students must also purchase the pattern for Caroline. 1 Day Class.

Learn to master the feather use it to beautifully fill any quilting space! We will cover the three methods to make feathers and learn how to join feathers seamlessly so no stops and starts are noticeable. Fill circular areas with feathers, curvy spines with feathers, and straight lines with feathers!

We will also learn to make the beautiful pearls that so often are used to fill the double spines of feather designs. 1 Day Class.

A fun and exciting lecture to aid you in creating stunning quilts! Why make a ho hum quilt when it takes just as much time to make an awww…how did you do that quilt? Learn some easy to understand and simple principles to aid you in future color selection to make your quilts have pizzazz. Even traditional quilts can be enhanced with fantastic color selection! Lecture & Extensive Trunk Show.

Note: This lecture pairs nicely with Quilts With Pizzazz.

What weight of thread should I use?? 12 weight, 30 weight, 40 weight, 50 weight, or 100 weight silk? Why is this 30 weight a different size than that 30 weight? Untangle the confusion. This class will discuss not only the broad array of threads available but also explain why and when to use which type. We will also discuss different tension settings and tricks to make each run smoothly through your machine to produce that beautiful quilt. Bobbin work will also be discussed and/or demonstrated. Lecture & Extensive Trunk Show.