This class is the most popular one I teach, and it's no wonder. Students start with a beautiful piece of hand dyed fabric and end up with their own unique quilt. The results are always fabulous!

Your opportunity to join in the fun starts on January 22, 2010.

Check out the student gallery to see their extraordinary results.

Full class details here. Class starts January 22, 2010! (This is a small class, so it tends to fill quickly.)

(At right) Blue with Bling
©2008 Chris MacLean

I've just completed a commission, Cosmo Duet #2, shown at left. While still in-progress, this quilt served as a demonstration on a TV interview. I had the interviewer and the other co-interviewee help me with it. That was fun!

You can read more about it and see in-progress photos on my blog. (December 26, 2009 and forward)

My students are amazing! And extremely creative! In my recent "Sticky Fingers" online class they got very inventive with their designs. Although I provided instructions for a basic cruciform design, most of them created something entirely different and unique.

A case in point is this collage shown at right, made by Anne Wise. She calls it Askance. I think her asymmetrical composition gives this piece a lot of energy.

You'll find more student results in the student gallery. I hope you'll take a look

(Sticky Fingers is a class about glued collage. This fast and easy technique is rather addicting!)

Do you photograph your quilts against a design wall, or similar support? If so, you know that it can be tricky to attach them without having the pins show. My solution is to use hand sewing needles instead of pins.

I use a thimble to push them in, of course. Mine has a little lip, so when I just touch the front of the quilt, I've pushed far enough.

When removing the quilt, I can usually get the needles to come too, if I pull gently. Or, since my design wall is free standing, I can push the needles all the way through to the back and extract them that way. With a mounted design wall, small pliers may be needed to retrieve the needles.

Since I assume this treatment is bad for my needles, I have a little package that I reserve exclusively for this task.

Do you have some unusual materials stashed in your quilting closet? I certainly do! Tooled leather, candy wrappers, upholstery samples - with the grommets still in place, and sari fabric. Yet, I forget about that stuff. So, recently, I did some excavating and came across a collection of orange fabrics. (Ones that I painted in hopes of a rich rust color.) They're not the sort of thing I typically use, which is exactly what I was looking for. I've started working with them and you can follow my progress on my blog.

Better yet, why not join me. What forgotten materials do you have languishing in the back corner of your closet?

- Sarasota, FL, January 17-18, Friendship Knot Quilters
- New Smyrna Beach, FL, February 2, Pelican Piecemakers' Quilt Guild
- Hudson, FL, March 18-20, West Pasco Quilt Guild

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