Friendship Star Quilters Guild

Monday, August 1st: Georgina & Richard Fries of Bellweather Dry Goods, Lecture, "The Magical Nine-Patch"

Georgina and Richard will show over 60 quilts and pass sample blocks around explaining the fun journey of the Nine-Patch and all the wonderful things you can do with it. Their company offers expert hand quilting and finishing by one of over 100 Amish and Mennonite women across the country. No Group Quilting.

Sunday, September 11: Becky Goldsmith, Workshop: "Applique with Attitude" Cancelled due to family emergency

What happens if instead of invisible stitches, you stitch with very visible stitches?  When you applique with attitude, your stitches not only hold your applique in place, they embellish it as well! You will learn the tricks of needleturn hand applique with perle cotton in this class for all skill levels. This 1-day class will focus on applique with attitude techniques, including a running stitch, a mock blanket stitch, and a serrated edge stitch. The techniques covered are making and using templates and overlays, how to do the actual needle turning, inner point, outer points, and curves - all with the stitches listed above.  I will provide the pattern. My red hot poker is appliqued on a blank tea towel. You can do the same or you can choose a fabric background and use your block in small quilt project. Supply List

This is a sample of the 4 Block Star pattern (made using blocks)

This is a sample of the On The Diagonal Star pattern (made using strips)

Sunday January 8: Betsy True, Workshop: “Designing from Nature Photographs”
In this full day class, students design and create a landscape of other nature-inspired quilt based on a photograph. Students will work from their own photographs or drawings. Students will create the basic drawing which will be used to create the quilt, create the quilt top using techniques which may include fusing, pieced backgrounds, adding yarns and other non standard materials, and discuss further finishing of the quilt (quilting, beading, and binding).
For a PDF of the gazebo quilt with it's accompanying photographs, click here. For a PDF of the koi quilt with it's accompanying photographaphs, click here.

Our class will focus first on making the blocks and then selecting a setting that is unique to each student, incorporating alternate blocks (plain squares, Four Patch or Nine Patch units, appliqué) if desired. Border possibilities are fun as we play with the cutouts from the blocks. The 6 hour workshop explores more setting options for the blocks, as well as look at other ways to split the block.

While this can be sewn with regular quilter's cottons, batiks are preferred for the curved pieces since the thread count is higher and can stand the handling and manipulation of fabrics. All blocks can be made from fat quarters, so it's easy to get the variety needed with minimal waste. This is a machine appliqué class using a basic zig zag, straight or decorative topstitch. Students get the most out of this class if they've worked with their machines ahead of time to practice a few stitches. Skill Level: all (Just must be comfortable with your sewing machine).

$5 Pattern fee includes: Multipage sewing instructions, color picture of quilt, templates, illustrated graphics.

Sunday March 4: Gyleen Fitzgerald, Workshop: "Trash to Treasure Pineapples"
Isn't it time to clear the clutter in your life? Oops, too much? What about using up all those bits and pieces stuffed in nooks, crannies and boxes? Better? Let's make an old fashioned 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. Note: Gyleen has successfully developed and marketed her own tool to make accurate pineapple blocks a pleasure to create.

Sunday and Monday May 6-7: Laura Wasilowski, Workshop: "Fusing Fun: Fast, Fearless Art Quilts"
The image of the painbrush may be used to promote the class but that is not what students will make. They will make their own art work. It's just an example of a fused art quilt. Toss the templates and trash the rulers! Fusing is free form art making at its best. Working with fusible web on fabric, discover fusing techniques like free cutting, strip fusing, confetti collage, playing blocks, and improvisational assemblage. The grand mystery of a woodcut quilt is also revealed (in the 4-5 day version of the class). Because fusing is fast and free you quickly invent your own design language to explore. In this class you will create multiple pieces of fun, fast, free, fused fiber art and get loose, really loose. As an added bonus, learn tunes from the Chicago School of Fusing Glee Club and graduate with an advanced degree in Fusology. (Sewing machine is optional.) Supply list and $20 kit fee

June 4 : Election and End of the Year Party
Come share it the fun at our last meeting with a quick election of our new board,the last Show & Tell before summer, and a chance to sit and visit with fellow members while enjoying a huge variety of goodies to eat.