Mission

Our lectures and workshops will be tailored to meet your needs by providing individualized instruction to get you to a completed quilt. Let's make quilting fun!

Lectures

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Gyleen is absolutely passionate about quilting! Color enlivens all her work, and she is perhaps best known for her sense of color along with her technical design ability. She lectures on color and value in quilting to make the complex so simple. All lectures are supported by a trunk show of quilts.

The Art of Color Blending: Explore what the mind sees but the eyes cannot. Gain insight on how to read each fabric's color to successfully use 50 plus fabrics within one quilt.

From a Point of View: An analysis of little quilts and bed quilts. Why some work and some don't. Learn how to entertain the eye with little quilts and make a big impact with big quilts.

Make Mine with Scraps: Focus on traditional utility quilts. Learn to harmonize exchange and friendship blocks.

The Shape of Things to Come: Step outside the "square" to evaluate the mechanics of pyramid, diamond and hexagon quilts. The simplicity and elegance of the one patch.

Bits and Pieces, Putting It All Together: Explore the finer points of quilt construction. Discussion of design, balance, flatness, bindings in the art of quilting. Learn the unpublished tricks of the trade.

Workshops

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All workshops require a pattern. Workshop patterns maybe purchased by quilt shops or individuals. To purchase a workshop pattern, send a note through the Contact Me page. Discounts available to quilt shops.

Contact Me for Workshop Dates!

See some of my students' work!

Central to Gyleen's success as a quilter is her willingness to jump right into a project. Gyleen suggests that you just grab some fabric and SEW IT! Small projects lend themselves easily to this approach since they don't require much fabric. It really isn't necessary to develop a precise plan or to spend two weeks choosing the "perfect" fabrics. Let's go with the flow and make a beautiful quilt.

Pyramids in Colour: Learn to colour blend and piece perfect pyramids while making and exquisite charm quilt. This charm quilt is designed for 3" charms. Continue the tradition of collecting charms and trading with friends; or consider this is a great opportunity to catalog your fabric collection.

Humble Tumbler: Create a simple yet elegant charm wall hanging (~25" X 31"), using a Humble Tumbler. Learn the value of colour and balance while paper piecing this high impact wall hanging. The quilt uses 3 ½" charms cut from 2 expanded colour groups.

Garden Log Cabin: Produce six miniature quilts from one easy technique and experiment with different log cabin layouts. Make garden log cabin blocks the fun and easy way; using 1" strips. Quick piecing method keeps logs random and blocks square! Build confidence using all tones of colour in one quilt.

Batik Interlocking Star Tessellation: Geometric and fun using scrappy or planned fabric collections. Great for hand-dyed and batiks. Learn the technique of using simple shapes to make an interlocking design. Easy to piece using Gyleen's map technique. Looks visually challenging.

Beyond the Amish Nine Patch: A nine patch quilt with a small twist. Very traditional in pattern yet not really Amish. Learn to match up all those seams, quick cutting plus piecing techniques, and how colour can make a difference. Great quilt for solids, hand-dyes or scrappy fabric and has possibilities for appliqué and "big stitching".

Going in Circles: Very similar to the Drunkard's Path with an extra curve. Learn two techniques to achieve perfect "stress-free" curves without piecing. Experiment with different layouts to produce an unique design. Wall hanging (25" x 25") uses 16 fabrics from 4 colour groups.

Calypso : Pull out the scrap box and odds and ends, sort and cut. Finished quilt is less than 50" square. A cadre of techniques used, ie paper piecing, strip piecing, fused appliqué and half square triangles. Learn hand buttonhole and Sashiko stitching for a quick finish.

Cobblestone Path: A wonderful and high impact wall hanging (42" x 42") designed for stress-free stitching. The cobblestone block has simpler piecing than a nine-patch yet looks like a square in a square. This scrappy quilt works well using contemporary, traditional or reproduction fabrics.

Around the World in a Day: Easy and fun charm Trip Around the World using "color blending" techniques. This quick trip uses 1 1/2" square charms making piecing a snap and provides an understanding of color impact on a small scale. Start collecting charms and swapping with friends; or consider a slight reduction of your scrap box. You will need 300 charms and any color goes, but skip the solids.

Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend: Simply stated, you can never have too many diamonds. The diamond shape is so simplistic yet produces such elegant results. This wall hanging is comprised of 4-patch diamonds set with pyramids. Sounds hard but really isn’t when using a strippy layout. You can grow this wall hanging into a full size bed quilt.

Stripper’s Mystery: So what do you get when you combine 20 strips of fabric with one absolutely fantastic focus fabric? You are the only one that knows and this is your mystery to solve. The layouts are fun, fast and endless. The quilts range from 25” to 50”. You can chose ½ square triangles, 16 patches, Chinese coins or pyramids (to name a few) to solve the mystery. So get out your Sherlock Homes attitude and begin the Stripper’s Mystery.

Got Fabric? Make a Quilt of the Century: Remember the bathroom tile floor of the 60's that was made with little squares and octagons? You got the picture. This quilt uses just two simple shapes to make an old fashion favorite. It's called "Quilt of the Century" or "Melon Patch" but I call it pure fun for fabric collectors. Wall hanging or lap quilt is your choice just cut 6 ½" squares and bring (1) accent fabric. Learn how to set in squares quickly and accurately or achieve the same look with triangles. The choice is yours.

It Takes Seven Sisters: Nothing is more stunning than twenty brilliant stars made from diamonds. "Seven Sisters" is what makes this quilt sparkle. The power in the sparkle is created by using 20 great fabrics from a narrow color pallete. For this workshop, you can choose to make either a tumbling block charm quilt or a seven sisters star quilt. Both quilts use the same template and technique. Come ready to relax and chat; you are not expected to finish this in class since there is no speed sewing. This beauty takes time to complete.

Spinning Wheels: I'm sure you had plenty of days when you felt just like that. Well now you'll have something to show for your effort. This is an almost stress free workshop that uses the "Tri-Recs" tool by EZ. If you like the technique this wall hanging could grow into a beautiful lap quilt. Use your scraps or batiks or reproduction fabric; any choice will spin this wheel just fine. Pattern fee: $5. Supplies: Sewing machine, basic sewing notions with neutral thread, straight pins, rotary cutting supplies and iron.

Fun with Crazy Ann: This block can be found in antique and eclectic scrap quilts during the 30s and 40s. Once you see it, you tend to see it everywhere. My rendition reminds me of summer’s heat and slurping Tootie Fruitie water ice. Get excited and use the boldest of your stash! The blocks will be made using Triangles on a Roll paper and is Fat Quarter friendly.

Lemoyne Star: Oh boy, don’t even think you’re doing “y” seams. We’re going to get pass this fear and move forward with ease using my “proven” technique. It will be painless, I promise. The blocks finish to 7” and are set with alternating squares and the whole thing is on point. The Lemoyne Star angles are 45 degrees and you’ll learn to use a special ruler. Once you mastered this quilt, doing the Carpenter’s Wheel is a piece of cake, if we have time, I’ll shown you how.

Spider Hexagon: Old fashion and striking is all I can say about this graphic quilt. It combines the best of the 60 degree angle shapes. Got scraps and bits of fabric? Cut from the whole scrap box and a few larger pieces from your stash. You can get to a large quilt in a hurry and it will look like you took years. Learn to use the Super 60 ruler.

What was I thinking? This is a compelling question. We've all been there and are repeat visitors. Let's just start by saying its about using "It's too beautiful to cut fabric", getting rid of "How long ago did I buy this fabric" and mixing in a dash of "Its my favorite and I'm running out." All of these ingredients leads to a lovely 68" x 80" quilt that's super easy to sew and incorporates two dynamic blocks: Checkerboard and Cobblestones. Uses approximately a total of 5 yards of assorted pieces of fabric.

FPI Publishing Workshops

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Something to Say: The Art of Writing Haiku Poems for middle school through adults. Join the fun and put your thoughts into a single breath of just seventeen syllables. The program is interactive and you'll be Haiku master in just 45 minutes. Program supports the Poetry and Patchwork book.

The Inside Scoop of Writing a Picture Book for middle school. Ever wonder what it takes to write a picture book? Students start by creating three pictures then linking them together to form an original story. Add the cover and back drawings and it's done, just like that. The program takes about 45 minutes but more time is better. Program supports The Dream book.

Dyeing to Know: How that Color Wheel Really Works for elementary through high school. This is a great workshop for hands on learning in creating the color wheel. Students will experiment with food coloring to learn the formulas to get to all twelve steps of the color wheel. Its a little art mixed in with science. Program supports The Dream book.

The Dream and Other Thoughts for elementary school. The program consists of a 45 minute presentation and discussion of The Dream book. Studies have shown that children that are read to learn to read and will be life time readers. Program supports The Dream book.