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Quilt Flap

Pepper at the Quilt Studio

Half-Day Classes

The 19th Century Pineapple Block (hand)

 

Utilizing narrow strips of fabric, this classic block is sewn by hand in class just as the Pineapple pattern was first made in the 1800's. It's a gentle introduction to hand sewing and a great project for using scraps, even those non-cotton fabrics you've been waiting to work into quilts.

 

Whip up a funny 6" house block! With the aid of a stencil, tear-away foundation, and machine sewing these charmers make up quickly. An excellent first-time foundation pieced pattern. One house comes in each kit ($5 for stencil and interfacing) and other houses available for purchase in class. One possible block from the Little Crazy Houses class--many others possible!

 

 

Students have a choice of one of two gentle curved patchwork patterns (both given in class). See a demo of template making, pinning for precision, and Japanese-style hand sewing. Great for the machine quilter who wants to expand her skills or for anyone who likes to relax and stitch.

 

Learn to stencil a miniature Reel block and embellish it with shading, outlining, and signing. See a demo of 'blush stenciling' technique and stencil several blocks in class. Kit for $5 includes stencil, brush, and paint. If you've admired stenciled quilts but never tried stenciling, this class will jumpstart your masterpiece. (All levels.)

 

Full-Day Classes

Mastering Quilt Marking (no machines needed)

Ever puzzled over what designs to mark on your quilt or been stumped by matching borders and corners? This is the class for you! See tracing of antique whole-cloth quilts, learn how judges evaluate quilting, how to cut a stencil, what tools work best for marking-an information-packed class that's a real confidence booster. Kit for $3 includes authentic Amish design quilting stencil and paper for marking experiments. Pepper's book Mastering Quilt Marking is optional but advisable. (most popular full-day class)

 

Come have fun learning to machine sew Drunkard's Path blocks in a 6" size. A relaxed scrap-bag attitude with colors and prints produces lovely results. Good as an introduction to machine sewing curves. See samples from Pepper's collection of Drunkard's Path quilts. Kit for $7 includes the 6" acrylic templates for rotary cutting. Pepper's book 65 Variations of the Drunkard's Path available in class.

 

The quilt Starry Night Sampler by Pepper was Oxmoor House's 1997 calendar quilt and sold over 150,000 copies. This class includes five foundation-pieced stars that build from novice to complex designs. Kit for $5 includes patterns and 1 yard tear-away foundation.

 

If you're the sort of quilter who hates piecing identical blocks, this is the class for you! You're never bored when creating with more than one pattern. Design and cut a wall hanging in class. See samples from Pepper's groundbreaking book on multi-pattern quilts called Crosspatch (now available as Multi-Block Quilts from Dover Publications.) A $2.50 materials fee for handouts.

 

Medallion quilts, first popular in England and colonial-era America, are making a comeback with modern quiltmakers. Starting with a central patchwork center (four Road to Oklahoma blocks), this classic quilt features both pieced and 'spacer' borders. With the aid of a to-scale graph of the original quilt, students make sample blocks from the center and both borders and can expect to leave class with at least four complete blocks and a game plan for finishing their own medallion masterpiece.

 

This easy to piece pattern was inspired by an antique quilt in Pepper's collection. The original quilt top, made in Swartz Creek, Pennsylvania sometime between 1900 and 1915, features pinwheels and four-patches in a dazzling array of period prints. This quilt is assembled in rows and you decide how big you want to make the quilt at any time during its construction. The Swartz Creek Scrap Quilt utilizes even tiny bits of fabric and you'll additionally learn basic color and design rules that will aid you in designing future multi-fabric quilts. A fun class that both novice and advanced sewers will appreciate.

 

A scrappy Depression-era quilt from the state of Georgia is the inspiration for this class. Using sketch paper patterns, students get to sew String Star quarters in a casual crazy patch style. Then the quarters are completed with different background fabrics and create a checkerboard behind the patched stars-cool! All work is by machine-expect to make two large blocks in class.