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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.
Free instructions to Gyleen’s Official Pieced Backs...visit Bernina’s online magazine, "Through the Needle", issue 7 for my "Baby’s Got Back!" article. Click here http://www.bernina.com/en-US/Experience/Through-the-Needle-Online/Through-the-Needle-Online-Issue-7.
The Quilt Show, I’m Episode 909. See the behind the scenes slide show taken during the actual taping of my episode #909 on The Quilt Show is http://www.thequiltshow.com/slideshows/909/index.php. Watch the full hour to learn the Butterfly Seam and how to use the Pineapple Tool.
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.
Engage:
Are you ready for love? It’s a Polygon Affair. Engaged combines 4 shapes (diamonds, pyramids, hexagons and cones) into one stunning quilt all cut from your stash. You will learn how to construct a “Butterfly Seam” for effortless stitching. It’s so easy…you’ll fall in love.
Feathered Star: How about those CURVES? Or should I say, those perfectly pieced curves! After this technique workshop you will never fear them again; we're going to take it one step at a time. Once that is mastered, we’re onto the wonderful pieced border. It's your choice to make a wall hanging or go for the full 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.
Trash to Treasure Pineapples: Okay isn’t it time to clear the clutter in your life? Oops, too much? What about using up all those bits and pieces stuff in nooks, crannies and boxes? Better? Let’s make an old fashion favorite pineapple quilt with a new and contemporary twist; sewn with perfection and totally random; and without paper piecing! This workshop turns trash to a treasured one of a kind pineapple quilt.
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.
Modern Mystery: It’s fast, it’s quick, it’s geometric and it’s free-style piecing with control. We will start with the thought of having fun and being in the moment. The technique is to use the Polygon2 Tool and Butterfly Seam to create a BOLD wall-hanging that shouts, “Modern” or “Contemporary”. This workshop is about you.
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. Make a wall hanging or lap quilt, the choice is yours. All you need is 6 ½" squares and one accent fabric. Learn how to do the Butterfly Seam to set-in squares quickly and accurately.
It Takes Seven Sisters: Nothing is more stunning than twenty brilliant stars made from diamonds. "Seven Sisters" block is what makes this quilt sparkle. The power in the sparkle is created by using 20 great fabrics from a narrow color palette. Assembly is not as hard as you think. In this workshop you will learn the Butterfly Seam for perfect set-in piecing. 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.
Carpenter's Wheel: Oh my stars and cubes! Fun shapes that all come together for this old time favorite. Learn to master the "Butterfly Seam", it's a snap...enjoy the magic of effortless precision piecing. The illusion of difficult made easy. Plan to finish this as a wall hanging or the center of a medallion quilt. Create the surprise of a perfectly pieced border, I promise!
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.
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.
Anything Goes Star Tessellation: This is an encore workshop turning the Batik Star Tessellation pattern into a full size bed quilt. Begin by using 2” strips for a 9” block to get you to that bed quilt in a hurry. Geometric and fun for this and that type of fabric; heck why not use your whole fabric collection. Feel free to mix in your batiks or homespun for added sparkle. Learn the technique of using simple shapes to make an interlocking design. Easy to piece with Gyleen’s map technique.
Glorified Nine Patch: Illusion at its best! But how do you get those curves? With straight lines of course. Go figure but it’s just that simple. You take two relatively high contrasting colors, you alternate two pieced “quilter friendly” blocks then float segments into the border and just like that you’re done! You will learn how to make pointy triangle segments with the Tri-Recs tool and how to artfully transition and color blend from one block to the next.
