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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. All workshops use
a Colourful Stitches’ pattern.
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.
Studio I: Perfectly pieced borders.
Choose from (4) different designs: Floating squares,
Pyramids, Wide triangles or Squares on point. Workshop
starts from your completed top (less border).
Studio II: Orphan blocks? Now what?
Design workshop to use orphan blocks, bring lots of
fabric choices, paper and pencil. We're designing
on the fly and moving outside the box. Little or no
sewing in class.
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.
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.
Tokyo Fans: Can’t you just
see these fan blades made from kimono fabric? That
was my first thought when getting this collection
of antique 1930’s blocks. Putting blocks in
a strippy setting is super simple yet so elegant.
This fan blocks are very adaptable, so why not try
hand-dyes, civil war and retro fabric collections.
Learn to do this all by machine to include machine
blanket stitch or zig-zag!
Wish
Upon a Star: Yikes! Believe it or not this
pattern uses templates but don’t let there scare
you! I know you haven’t used them in years and
neither had I until I wanted to make this quilt. The
templates are the fastest and most accurate way to
make the block. I promise you’ll pick up speed
in the sewing.
Me
and Mom Make Blue Berry Buckle: Nice size
blocks to learn the basic skill and end up with a
nine-patch quilt with a huge twist to elegance. The
challenge in the simplicity is to match all the seams
in the nine patches, to set them apart with a commanding
color and to trust unusual combinations in the pieced
border. Great quilt for solids, hand-dyed, batik,
sateen and the host of fabrics from your scrap bag.
Consider taking this workshop with your daughter,
granddaughter, neighbor’s daughter or any kid
you can find that wants to make a quilt!
Tootie
Fruitie: This block is called Crazy Ann and
can be found in antique and eclectic scrap quilts
during the 30s and 40s. Try pale or super saturated
colors and watch the pattern tessellate. My rendition
reminds me of summer’s heat and slurping Tootie
Fruitie water ice. Get excited and use the boldest
of your stash and learn how to use Triangles on a
Roll paper!
Jack
and the Bean Stalk: Yes, it’s a Jacob’s
Ladder block but the fun is in the border. Can you
make it perfectly pieced? Sure you can or will by
the end of this workshop! The techniques are easy
like 4-patches, half square triangles, sashing with
corner stones and of course, the perfectly pieced
square on point border. Come on, give it a try.
