Colourful Stitches - FPI Publishing

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Central to Gyleen's success as a quilter is her willingness to jump right into a project. Gyleen suggests that you just grab some fabric and SEW IT! Small projects lend themselves easily to this approach since they don't require much fabric. It really isn't necessary to develop a precise plan or to spend two weeks choosing the "perfect" fabrics. Let's go with the flow and make a beautiful quilt. All workshops use a Colourful Stitches’ pattern.

Pyramids in Colour: Learn to colour blend and piece perfect pyramids while making and exquisite charm quilt. This charm quilt is designed for 3" charms. Continue the tradition of collecting charms and trading with friends; or consider this is a great opportunity to catalog your fabric collection.

Humble Tumbler: Create a simple yet elegant charm wall hanging (~25" X 31"), using a Humble Tumbler. Learn the value of colour and balance while paper piecing this high impact wall hanging. The quilt uses 3 ½" charms cut from 2 expanded colour groups.

Garden Log Cabin: Produce six miniature quilts from one easy technique and experiment with different log cabin layouts. Make garden log cabin blocks the fun and easy way; using 1" strips. Quick piecing method keeps logs random and blocks square! Build confidence using all tones of colour in one quilt.

Batik Interlocking Star Tessellation: Geometric and fun using scrappy or planned fabric collections. Great for hand-dyed and batiks. Learn the technique of using simple shapes to make an interlocking design. Easy to piece using Gyleen's map technique. Looks visually challenging.

Trash to Treasure Pineapples: Okay isn’t it time to clear the clutter in your life? Oops, too much? What about using up all those bits and pieces stuff in nooks, crannies and boxes? Better? Let’s make an old fashion 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.

Going in Circles: Very similar to the Drunkard's Path with an extra curve. Learn two techniques to achieve perfect "stress-free" curves without piecing. Experiment with different layouts to produce an unique design. Wall hanging (25" x 25") uses 16 fabrics from 4 colour groups.

Calypso: Pull out the scrap box and odds and ends, sort and cut. Finished quilt is less than 50" square. A cadre of techniques used, ie paper piecing, strip piecing, fused appliqué and half square triangles. Learn hand buttonhole and Sashiko stitching for a quick finish.

Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend: Simply stated, you can never have too many diamonds. The diamond shape is so simplistic yet produces such elegant results. This wall hanging is comprised of 4-patch diamonds set with pyramids. Sounds hard but really isn’t when using a strippy layout. You can grow this wall hanging into a full size bed quilt.

Stripper’s Mystery: So what do you get when you combine 20 strips of fabric with one absolutely fantastic focus fabric? You are the only one that knows and this is your mystery to solve. The layouts are fun, fast and endless. The quilts range from 25” to 50”. You can chose ½ square triangles, 16 patches, Chinese coins or pyramids (to name a few) to solve the mystery. So get out your Sherlock Homes attitude and begin the Stripper’s Mystery.

Got Fabric? Make a Quilt of the Century: Remember the bathroom tile floor of the 60's that was made with little squares and octagons? You got the picture. This quilt uses just two simple shapes to make an old fashion favorite. It's called "Quilt of the Century" or "Melon Patch" but I call it pure fun for fabric collectors. Wall hanging or lap quilt is your choice just cut 6 ½" squares and bring (1) accent fabric. Learn how to set in squares quickly and accurately or achieve the same look with triangles. The choice is yours.

It Takes Seven Sisters: Nothing is more stunning than twenty brilliant stars made from diamonds. "Seven Sisters" is what makes this quilt sparkle. The power in the sparkle is created by using 20 great fabrics from a narrow color pallete. For this workshop, you can choose to make either a tumbling block charm quilt or a seven sisters star quilt. Both quilts use the same template and technique. Come ready to relax and chat; you are not expected to finish this in class since there is no speed sewing. This beauty takes time to complete.

Spinning Wheels: I'm sure you had plenty of days when you felt just like that. Well now you'll have something to show for your effort. This is an almost stress free workshop that uses the "Tri-Recs" tool by EZ. If you like the technique this wall hanging could grow into a beautiful lap quilt. Use your scraps or batiks or reproduction fabric; any choice will spin this wheel just fine. Pattern fee: $5. Supplies: Sewing machine, basic sewing notions with neutral thread, straight pins, rotary cutting supplies and iron.

Lemoyne Star: Oh boy, don’t even think you’re doing “y” seams. We’re going to get pass this fear and move forward with ease using my “proven” technique. It will be painless, I promise. The blocks finish to 7” and are set with alternating squares and the whole thing is on point. The Lemoyne Star angles are 45 degrees and you’ll learn to use a special ruler. Once you mastered this quilt, doing the Carpenter’s Wheel is a piece of cake, if we have time, I’ll shown you how.

Spider Hexagon: Old fashion and striking is all I can say about this graphic quilt. It combines the best of the 60 degree angle shapes. Got scraps and bits of fabric? Cut from the whole scrap box and a few larger pieces from your stash. You can get to a large quilt in a hurry and it will look like you took years. Learn to use the Super 60 ruler.

Tokyo Fans: Can’t you just see these fan blades made from kimono fabric? That was my first thought when getting this collection of antique 1930’s blocks. Putting blocks in a strippy setting is super simple yet so elegant. This fan blocks are very adaptable, so why not try hand-dyes, civil war and retro fabric collections. Learn to do this all by machine to include machine blanket stitch or zig-zag!

Wish Upon a Star: Yikes! Believe it or not this pattern uses templates but don’t let there scare you! I know you haven’t used them in years and neither had I until I wanted to make this quilt. The templates are the fastest and most accurate way to make the block. I promise you’ll pick up speed in the sewing.

Me and Mom Make Blue Berry Buckle: Nice size blocks to learn the basic skill and end up with a nine-patch quilt with a huge twist to elegance. The challenge in the simplicity is to match all the seams in the nine patches, to set them apart with a commanding color and to trust unusual combinations in the pieced border. Great quilt for solids, hand-dyed, batik, sateen and the host of fabrics from your scrap bag. Consider taking this workshop with your daughter, granddaughter, neighbor’s daughter or any kid you can find that wants to make a quilt!

Tootie Fruitie: This block is called Crazy Ann and can be found in antique and eclectic scrap quilts during the 30s and 40s. Try pale or super saturated colors and watch the pattern tessellate. My rendition reminds me of summer’s heat and slurping Tootie Fruitie water ice. Get excited and use the boldest of your stash and learn how to use Triangles on a Roll paper!

Jack and the Bean Stalk: Yes, it’s a Jacob’s Ladder block but the fun is in the border. Can you make it perfectly pieced? Sure you can or will by the end of this workshop! The techniques are easy like 4-patches, half square triangles, sashing with corner stones and of course, the perfectly pieced square on point border. Come on, give it a try.

Anything Goes Star Tessellation: This is an encore workshop turning the Batik Star Tessellation pattern into a full size bed quilt. Begin by using 2” strips for a 9” block to get you to that bed quilt in a hurry. Geometric and fun for this and that type of fabric; heck why not use your whole fabric collection. Feel free to mix in your batiks or homespun for added sparkle. Learn the technique of using simple shapes to make an interlocking design. Easy to piece with Gyleen’s map technique.

A Place to Quilt: Exactly what the name implies, this is the perfect quilt design to show off your hand or machine quilting. And choosing just two colors keeps the contrast and the piecing looking sharp. Don’t you just love the look of circles when sewing straight lines? Image is everything! Participants will learn how to fool the eye and master yet another block that uses the Tri-recs Tool.