Two New Workshops

Circlemania (formerly Scenic Road to California or Wandering Trail or Fearless Circles) (1-3days) (Wilde Kreise)

Quarter circles are endlessly fascinating, they can be pieced in rounds, off-center or traditionally, they can meander across the surface in an intuitive way with backgrounds from light to dark creating paths. We'll design with bigger blocks for dramatic effect and ease of sewing. The focus of my classes is in manipulating large-scale, printed and unusual fabrics but subtle effect are also possible. (Dance of the Blessed Spirits,  Quartet, Whirling Wheels, QC Rafflequilt 2006, Winter Solstice, Winter Solstice/Detail)

For the intermediate to advanced student. Templates optional.

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Striptrees or Divide and Conquer. (1-3 days)

  We will make a landscape with trees or blocks with shapes resembling letters or trees by cutting the fabric and inserting strips. In the first case we start with a light fabric (sky) and work from the the top down. If we do blocks we choose one or several fabrics as a background and again insert strips. You can write runes (old Nordic script) and piece your name or a message. You'll discover other possibilities while working intuitively in developing your own quilt.( Nightsong, Johannisnacht, Acid Rain, Letters from Nancy, At Sea, Flagfragments, Coppice)

For the intermediate to advanced student. No templates needed.
 
 

Workshops taught for many years
 

The Magic Square. (1-3 days)

With the "Magic Square" (Dance with Carol)(Spring)(Summer)( Harlequin's Somersault)(Pentimento) you can learn the use of big bold prints and other unusual fabrics. It is a deceptively simple block with a lot of possibilities.

With a square diagonally divided into four sections we will design many lovely quilts. We will work with kaleidoscope graph paper to explore the many possibilities with pencils or magic markers. Then we will glue fabric scraps in an intuitive manner. At last we will design and piece a wall hanging or quilt. (See "spring", Quilt National '97)

For the beginning to advanced student. Templates optional, but useful.
 
 

Letters To The World. (2-5 days)

We will design a quilt with a message.(Acid Rain)(Baghdad Burning) It can be a quilt celebrating an event  (Fourth of July Picnic)  or tell a story of healing and joy. The quilt can protest about the environment, domestic violence, war or any other horror that plagues our life. In "Soft Protest" and "Quilts That Heal", both shows at the New England Quilt Museum, these issues were addressed in a striking manner. Quilts are a powerful medium for expression. (See "Acid Rain", American Quilter, fall l992)

For the intermediate to advanced student.
 
 

Dancing Rings, Contemporary Double Wedding Ring Variation (2-5 days)

Pieced rings based on the classical Double Wedding Ring pattern are given a new, one-of-a-kind look.(Tarantella)(Chained Heart)(Arabesques)(Fourth of July Picnic)(Circles of Hope) The width of the rings are different which allows symmetrical or asymmetrical placement, the blocks are bigger which makes for easier sewing and the large rings leave enough room to play with the gorgeous fabrics now available. I will show you how to draft the pattern. We will each design a quilt and begin to piece a top. (See article in American Quilter, summer l996 and "Double Wedding Ring Quilts, New Quilts From An Old Favorite", Ed. Victoria Faoro. American Quilter's Society)

For the intermediate or advanced student. Templates needed.
 
 

Persian Miniatures or Small Treasures. (1 day workshop. For a longer workshop it will be combined with the "Small Towns" workshop.)

The glorious, patterned fabric now available will be intuitively pieced into small quilts that resemble Persian Miniatures.

We will discover the interplay of patterned fabric, the importance of color values and delight in chance relationships that make the pieces sing. The technique is a mixture of log cabin and crazy, we will not use templates. We can experiment more freely because the pieces are small and the investment of time and material is little. The knowledge gained can be applied to bigger quilts. It is wonderful way to use up tiny treasured scraps. The hanging can be machine quilted if so desired.(Persian Garden)(Garden Of My Beloved)(Teehaus by Verena Matter)(Daybreak by Judy House) (See Miniature Quilts, Issue 20, l995 and Quilting International, January 1991)

For the intermediate or advanced student. Not suitable for hand piecing. No templates.
 
 

Small Towns (1 - 2 days)

We will intuitively piece squares and rectangles together into strips, which we will then combine to make a small, charming town. There are no templates. The emphasis is on play with patterned fabrics and it is fun to find just the right material to add people, plants, gardens etc. to the town. We will make a small wall hanging, which we will machine quilt if there is enough time. I will also show slides for inspiration.(Small Town)(Hilltown by Jane Stockton)(Small Town by Ingrid Verhoolen)

For the intermediate or advanced student. Not suitable for hand piecing. No templates.
 
 

Contemporary Crazy Piecing With the Sewing Machine (1 to 5 days)

Learn my way of crazy piecing on the machine, which is fun, intuitive and can be done quickly. Crazy piecing is a game of chance and lends itself very well to contemporary or traditional interpretation. We will work on a Crazy Quilt wall hanging. We will discuss other techniques, how to design for crazy piecing, and how to incorporate crazy piecing into other designs.(Harlequin's Somersault)(Pentimento)(Requiem for an Ashtree)(Midnight Syllables)(Celebration)(Dance With Carol) (See article: Threads, Aug.Sept.'97)

For the intermediate or advanced student. Not suitable for hand piecing. Templates optional.
 
 

Lectures:

Stitched Journeys, (Slide Lecture)

My quilt making evolution in the last 28 years, from the first appliqued bicentennial quilt to my current work. My quilts represent real and imagined journeys.

Let Fabric Speak, (Slide Lecture)

A lecture on commercially printed fabrics and their use in contemporary quilts. I will talk about my own experience with this material as well.

Passions, Printed And Pieced, New (Slide Lecture)

A lecture of my work organized by technique. I'll show slides of the Persian Miniatures, Small Towns, Magic Squares, Crazy Piecing, Dancing Rings and Coffe Cups.
 
I cannot do trunkshows anymore.

General information:

The maximum I can teach in these workshops are 20 students. Most workshops can be taught from 1 to 5 days.

The price for 2008/9 is 450.- Dollars per day for a workshop, 270.- Dollars for the lecture plus the cost of the trip, room and board. I speak English, German and French.

My classes are process oriented; I will help students find their own creativity. All classes are original and based on my own work and experience.