Scared Stitchless (to Quilt Your Quilt) Introduction to Free Motion Quilting
Scared Stitchless! Are you scared stitchless to quilt your own quilts?!? This beginning free motion quilting class will prepare you with information and tips on choosing needles and threads, marking your quilt with stencils or grid work, batting choices, pinning your quilt sandwich, and more. Then dive in and practice free-motion grids, quilting loops, curves, and straight lines, and even writing your name while moving your quilt under the needle on your domestic sewing machine.
Objective of this Class: With your domestic sewing machine, you can create heirloom quilts. This beginner class will cover topics ranging from marking your quilt, batting choices, pinning your quilt, working with stencils, free motion fills, grid work, to alternate ways to transfer designs to your quilt tops. Learn to pin your quilt and prepare it for quilting. Then dive in and practice free-motion grid work, quilting loops, curves, and straight lines, all using your home sewing machine. Supply List: Things you will need for class. • Two (2) ~18” cotton quilt sandwiches—dark solids work well with light thread or light solids with dark thread. Fat quarters are a great size for these. • Roll of 2” wide Blue Tape or Packing Tape • Sewing Machine in good working order (with instruction manual). Must have a plexiglas surround for your machine (e.g., Sew-Steady table) or a small surround that comes with some machines. You must have room for your hands on both sides of the needle to move the quilt under the needle. • Free motion quilting foot or darning foot for machine and the ability to drop the feed-dogs. If unsure, bring all of the feet for your machine. No walking foot please. • Basic notions including small scissors or snips, seam ripper, pins, etc. • 1 pkg. Schmetz Microtex or Quilting machine needles size 70, 75 or 80 (a variety pack is great) • #1 Curved safety pins, 2 dozen or more • Blue water-soluble marking pen and/or white ceramic pencil (e.g., Bohin, SewLine or Fons & Porter) for marking designs. Chaco Liners are also a good option. Blue line for white/light fabrics, white for dark fabrics. • Threads for stitching: Contrasting thread for practice squares. Recommended threads are Aurifil 50 weight cotton or Glide 40 weight poly, or similar. • Your choice of something to give your fingers traction as you move the fabric sandwich under the needle. Suggestions include Machingers or Grabaroos quilting gloves, garden gloves with rubber nubs on fingertips, finger cots. An oil-free lotion with glycerin (Neutrogena makes several options) also gives nice traction when quilting.
Recommended Battings: 80/20 blend.
NOTE: Class begins with lecture/overview and pinning your practice sandwiches. Machines will be used after lunch as we get to the hands-on portion of the class.
| Skill Level: | Beginner |
| Skill Details: | |
| Instructor: | Liz Granberg-Jerome |
| Instructor Bio: | Elizabeth Granberg-Jerome?custom quilter, teacher, designer, and owner of Gypsy Dreamer Quilts, is a native Californian, who considers herself a Kansan after living here for over 30 years. She made the transition from a lifetime of sewing to becoming passionate about quilting while caring for her elderly father. Her quilts have a flavor all their own as she creates unique layouts and color play for one-of-a-kind quilts. Liz began her journey in quilting in 2006 and in 2010 attended a week-long quilt camp to learn free motion quilting so she could complete her quilts herself. Her first four years were spent quilting on her domestic sewing machine. In 2012, Liz purchased a HandiQuilter Sweet Sixteen sit-down and is still using Sassy as her primary quilting machine. Liz began teaching a variety of quilting classes in several shops in northeast Kansas in 2015. She was approached by 2017 Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival committee members and asked if she would be willing to teach free motion quilting on sit-down machines for beginners. Teaching four sold-out classes in three days, she was well on her way to making a name for herself in the region as a sought-after instructor for beginning free motion quilters. She taught again at the 2019 KCRQF with more happy students leaving with new skills. Known for her Hexified Panel Quilts, a variation of the One Block Wonder technique, she is always sure to explain during trunk shows that each quilt was quilted by herself on a sit-down quilter. As a guest quilt artist for Timeless Treasures Fabrics, several of her quilt samples have been used for social media blasts to promote new lines, as well as displayed as samples at Quilt Market. Two of her Hexified Panel Quilts were published in One Block Wonders of the World by Maxine Rosenthal and Linda A. Bardes (C&T, 2017) and five in One Block Wonder Panel Quilts by Maxine Rosenthal and Nancy Miller (C&T, 2021). Liz lives in Baldwin City, Kansas, with her husband Leslie, whom she met at a quilting retreat in 2016 when he attended her Hexified Panel Quilt workshop. Together they are creating works of art as they continue to stretch the boundaries of the original One Block Wonder technique. |
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