As a teacher of quiltmaking, it is my goal to provide an experience that allows the student to create a product that reflects her own individuality and ideas. Drafting, use of color, value, texture and proportion are incorporated into instruction along with a variety of construction techniques. Use of original and traditional methods and patterns is always a part of class presentations, but my primary task in teaching is to impart skills, techniques, and encouragement that will facilitate the student’s confidence and freedom in creating her own methods of approach and style of design

MACHINE QUILTING

This class is an opportunity to become comfortable with ways to use your machine to quilt, texture, and embellish your quilting projects.  Students will become acquainted with ways to create textures and designs, ranging from traditional looks, simple stippling, and freestyle designs to trapunto.  Various methods of pattern transfer and opportunities to try different threads and tools such as quilter's gloves and hoops will be presented.  Several sampler pieces will be completed, as well as a small trapunto project. An opportunity to become comforatable with ways to use your machine to quilt, texture, and embellish your quilting projects.

 (Optional) Day 2 will provide the opportunity to begin quilting a piece of your choice and/or to expand on techniques with double needles, textures, and threads. Machines for this class must have the ability to drop the feed dogs.  A walking foot and an embroidery/darning (also called freestyle) foot are required.

FOCUS ON FABRIC

Create original wall art featuring a scenic or themed print of your choosing.

This class will provide you with ideas and techniques to create original wall art featuring a scenic or themed print of your choosing. The possibilities are endless and need not be complicated to be appealing.  Simple lines and complementary fabrics can add surprising drama or whimsy in framing or adding interest to your print.  Bring the fabrics you love but don't know what to do with, and see what happens!

CREATIVE FABRICATIONS

A three day workshop to ease you through the creation of an original piece of fabric art.

This three-day workshop will ease you through the creation of an original piece of fabric art.  Guidance will be provided in drafting a design that features a fabric or theme of your choosing.   A variety of techniques will be presented to facilitate construction of your piece at your level of expertise.  Stamping, painting, quilting, and embellishment options will be explored, and finishing techniques will be demonstrated.

ABCs OF QUILTMAKING

For all levels of quilters who want to learn or sharpen basic skills, or expand technical expertise. Something for everybody.

This set of classes can be taken singly or in combination.  It will offer beginners and those looking to refresh their skills an opportunity to learn the basic techniques for making quilts from start to finish.  Over three sessions, you will be guided through fabric selection, cutting and measuring, machine piecing, setting blocks, basic quilting, and binding. 

Each class will focus on specific areas, with additional individual instruction for projects of your choosing as time allows.

Students will have an opportunity to make a variety of blocks that can be arranged into a sampler quilt or several smaller items such as table runners, wallhangings, or pillowtops.

RIBBON FLIGHT

Ribbon accents flutter across your focal fabric in an easy introduction to paper piecing.

This is a great way to feature a focal or theme fabric as an all-over background with ribbon accents fluttering through.  It's an opportunity to learn and apply easy, basic paper-piecing techniques, and the blocks go together quickly.  Use only three fabrics, a focal fabric and two complements, or with a little extra planning, multiple complementary fabrics may be used.

STREAMERS

Whimsical “streamers” are easy and fast with template free rectangles

This whimsical pattern is made up of template-free rectangles and goes together quickly.  Use a themed or basic background and up to seven "streamer" accents.  Light or dark backgrounds, graded monochromatic fabrics, or lots of color and contrast--all work equally well, producing a variety of possibilities.  A great way to use up odds and ends, since each streamer requires very little of any one fabric.

AROUND THE SQUARE

This optical illusion is easier than it looks.

This optical illusion is easy and goes together quickly, using a combination of half-square triangles and rectangles.  The most dramatic 3-D effect comes from correct placement of fabric values (lights to darks), but single-fabric spiraling "squares" can be interesting, too.  This pattern is suitable for a wall hanging or large lap or small twin size quilt, but the size can be easily adjusted up or down. 

SHADOWBOXES

This variation on a log cabin block goes together quickly and easily, even for beginning quiltmakers, and it is an excellent way to feature a special or theme fabric.  Light or dark backgrounds create dramatically different effects, and many different layouts are possible.

Drop-In Quilt Clinic

Morning and afternoon sessions to get technical or design assistance and sewing time.

Three-Fold Quilt

Original pattern creates three columns of three-D diamonds.

Changing Views

With Janice White, learn Janice's original techniques to create a two-for-one art quilt.

Barefoot Quilt Festival

Jenkins Estate See over 200 quilts in the unique venue of the stables at Jenkins Estate, Aloha, OR. Quilts displayed include my own and student's and colleague's works, as well as many other contemporary and traditional quilters, several working on-site.

Art of Fabric Collage

Construct original art with fabric, paint, threads and imagination

FABRIC PAINTING AND PRINTING