Once again creativfestival in Toronto was an exciting event with a fabulous merchants mall and a wide variety on hands on and lecture/demo classes.
My classes were all lecture/demo with the exception of a new hand sewing class for children.
Timeless Traditional Quilt Blocks
Students are shown precision piecing techniques while learning how to construct a variety of traditional quilt blocks.
Pinning for success, half square triangle units, quarter square triangle units, accurate pressing, what makes them traditional and ways to use traditional quilt blocks were all covered in this fun, hour long presentation.
Stack, Cut, Sew and Go!
Stack some fat 1/4's or squares of your favorite fabrics, cut them into pieces, mix them up and sew them together.
What do you get?
Fabulous fast and fun quilt blocks, pillows, placemats and more.
Go modern with solid fabrics, add simple sashing strips for a stained glass effect or use traditional fabrics and decorative stitching for the appearance of Victorian crazy patch.
So many possibilities!
My Toronto students even got to see me piece a set of Halloween placemats from start to finish.
One Meter Challenge Quilt
How often have you ended up with a meter of glorious fabric in your stash only to end up stumped as to how to use it?
In this class students learned how to start with a meter of their favourite fabric, add a half meter of a coordinate or a collection of fat 1/4's and design a beautiful table topper, lap quilt, baby quilt or the start of something big.
No two alike!
Perfect Your 1/4 Inch Seam
Do your points and corners seem to get away from you?
Have you experienced blocks that seem to shrink or grow?
Did you know that as quilters we we measure, generous, scant and "Quilters" 1/4 inch allowances depending on the fabric used and the project that we are creating?
Easy to follow tips are given in this class so that your 1/4 inch seams will be perfect from now on.
Always popular!
Introduction to Free Motion Ruler Work (Domestic Machines)
This demo/lecture explores the correct way to set up your machine for Free Motion Ruler Work, what needle to use and how to work with these wonderful new tools to create smooth, detailed stitching designs with little or no marking required.
How Do I Quilt My Quilt
Many patterns and books finish with the phrase "Quilt As Desired" leaving today's quilter unsure of how to finish their project.
This ever popular class addresses the decision making process that quilters must go through to help them finish their quilts.
The choice of quilting design, batting, thread and needles as well as how to preview and mark their design are all covered in this fast paced seminar.
Make a Mini Stuffie
A mini stuffie makes a great little pal.
Hang them off your backpack, sit them on your desk, stash them on your bed, hang them off a keychain or give them as gifts.
In this beginners sewing class students (of all ages) leaned how to sew on a button, basic pinning techniques, how to do a whip stitch and fill their completed mini stuffies.
A tiny rabbit was the subject of this class with lots of trims, buttons, beads and pom poms available for personalization.
The students had so much fun creating ... a clown bunny, a skater bunny, a zombie bunny, a pretty bunny with headphones a funky rabbit (too mature to be a bunny) and more.
Thank you to Husqvarna Canada
A big thank you to Husqvarna Canada for loaning me the amazing Brilliance 75Q for my demonstrations.
This wonderful new machine handled every technique with ease.
It even has a built in ruler work setting!
This is a dream machine for any quilter!
A final note about sewing events and friendship
I feel so blessed to be able to see students who return year after year to take my classes.
You know who you are ... I love being part of your quilting experience and hearing what you're working on and how your year went.
I love the experience of meeting so many new students and hearing your stories.
This year your experiences and reasons for being at the show and wanting to quilt were especially touching.
Thank you for making me a part of your journey.
As always I enjoyed seeing many friends from the world of sewing.
I also had the pleasure of rooming with a new friend, Yvette Chilcott.
It was a pleasure to spend the evenings planning future classes with someone who is equally passionate about the future of the sewing industry.
