Summer Workshops with Quilt Odyssey

Yes, I teach at TWO quilt venues in July. The beautiful part is that I can drive and stay in a hotel and not drag suitcases through an airport.

The Quilt Odyssey has their show in Hershey, PA (yes, THAT Hershey, where there is the smell of chocolate everywhere). The venue is beautiful and full of great chocolate distractions, but I try to keep my mind on quilting.

Here are the three workshops that I will be teaching, beginning with Spinning Waterwheels. I know you remember this quilt - I've blogged about it more than once. Let's see the original. I have since gifted this to one of my grandson's teachers. I know she loves it!

Original Spinning Waterwheels

This quilt appeared in my book, Paper Piecing Perfect Points (Martingale 2013). I sewed this many blocks because I sewed until I ran out of fabric! (That is my traditional method, btw). I decided to remake it in black, red and white and I sewed until I ran out of THOSE fabrics.

First the center - where I thought I was done. Silly girl! I still had more black and red print fabrics!

I call this my "When 4 Becomes 5 Blocks" setting. Same blocks as above. No sashing (I tried it and it didn't work). But, I had more fabrics so I decided to keep going.

When 4 Becomes 5 Block Setting

I added more blocks. Let me show you!

36 blocks in Spinning Waterwheels

Yes, that's a lot of paper piecing. No borders yet. Not quilted yet. Just something to teach from. I even had someone offer to buy it from me (when I was presenting a quilt trunk show last year). I told her she couldn't afford it!

Here is a small version of this pattern created by Sharon D. Love these greens!

Green Waterwheels by Sharon D.

You can join me in this class, Spinning Waterwheels, at the Quilt Odyssey on July 18 in Hershey, PA.  Students will receive patterns for the foundations and a multiple page, well illustrated pattern for the steps used in making the quilt.

Friday's class is the One Day Lone Star. Yes, you can piece this in one day. I teach two techniques for those setting squares and triangles. You can set them in with a y-seam or you can split them for straight seam sewing.

Here is the first one I made. I did not want to break up that floral print, so I set these in. But the 9-Patch diamonds are all rotary cut in strip-sets. The supply list has a planning chart so you can figure out how many strips you need and where the colors you choose are to appear.

Lone Star with set-in triangles and squares of an awesome print

Then I found another luscious fabric collection and made another quilt! You can see the split outside light blue squares and triangles. This makes everything SO easy!

Lone Star with split setting squares and triangles

Then I decided to add some bias strips because I saw a vintage quilt with that treatment. Believe me, this is harder when you've already sewn the quilt top! But, sometimes you have to rip-rip-rip in order to get what you want!

Bias strips to create some curves

And since I thought I gave away my samples when I moved last November, I started another sample! Of course, after making this star half, guess what? You're right! I found my teaching samples!

Half Lone Star using solids and Kona Snow

Click the links above to find the supply list with planning sheets.

My Saturday class is what I call Bird Song. It is a bit improvisational in that I combined some Cobblestone Blocks with a few of my 10" birdhouses and some spacer strips. The limitation to this is that I started with 16 fat quarters and when I ran out of the main fabric, I was done! I even got my borders out of my fat quarters.

Bird Song

The class pattern will include four different Birdhouses that a student can choose from. (I offer these in my Etsy shop in a 22 page pdf with 10 different birdhouses! She/he can select one or all and learn simple paper piecing. I only used one, but I did piece the other 3. Let me show you!

60s A-Frame: 7-1/2" x 10"

 Efficiency Birdhouse:

Efficiency Birdhouse: 5" x 10"

Room for One

Room for One Birdhouse: 6" x 10"

There are many other fantastic teachers and workshops available at the Quilt Odyssey 2019. If it's within driving distance, I hope to see you there!