classes

Consult one-on-one with an ergonomist and quilt studio designer about your specific needs. Walk away with solutions to your ergonomic problems, layout recommendations, furnishing ideas, and organizing solutions tailored to your requirements. Consultations provided in one-hour increments. Contact Lois Hallock at Clearviewdesigns@comcast.net to reserve your appointment. Photographs of quilt studio and room dimensions are helpful but not required. Go to www.clearview-designs.com for more information.  

Starting with an enlarged photo of your pet or other animal, create a paper pattern suitable for collage. Learn Haworth's freeing collage technique that uses no fusible or pattern pieces. Discuss fabric choices, color, and value for a successful quilt. Then go on to learn about stitching and finishing the collage. www.janehaworth.com

Use Posca markers on fabric to make the butterfly and Inktense to make the shadows. Learn all about value and how to mix colors. www.alessandravolker.myportfolio.com

Oh, the fun we will have here! Finally, a class where you know you have all the right fabrics because there is a laser-cut kit waiting for you. Different from "Let Me Surprise You! #1", the kit will make a quilt top that is designed just for Houston Quilt Festival. Such a relaxing, fun-filled day! Although you will be amazed at what you can get done in this class, you will not finish in class...but you can certainly try! Student should understand how to finish a quilt since it will not be finished in class. This is a mystery...so we can't show a photo of the real thing. www.charlotteangotti.com

While related, Sashiko and Boro are not the same! Sashiko is the beloved white-on-indigo classic hand stitching in geometric patterns. Boro is rows of hand stitching in more casual placement overlaying patches. Both come out of traditional Japanese stitch techniques and have been enjoying recent revival as worthy hand work for modern sewists. www.peppercory.com

Create a fun wool appliqué composition with six embroidery stitches. Learn design techniques to create your original Art Quilt. MistyFuse will be on the back of the hand-dyed wool for easy placement. Embroidery stitching will add texture, color, and visual interest. Examples of ways to use the finished work will be discussed. Finished size is 10 inches X 12 inches. www.felicequiltdesigns.com

Spend a fun, informative, and inspiring day in class while creating your own stunning, rainbow-colored wallhanging! Einmo will teach her signature method of making this gorgeous star from Jelly Roll strips without "Y" or set-in seams using her Precision Precuts ruler. This class is a technique double-header. Also learn Einmo's method for making absolutely perfect Flying Geese units using her Precision Flying Geese & HST ruler with no wasted fabric, no math, and absolutely no stress! Einmo will share many top tips sure to make your sewing time productive and fun, while improving your precision piecing skills and learning how to conquer that elusive scant ¼ inch seam once and for all! www.kimberlyeinmo.com

"Pathways" celebrates life's twists and turns! Create the center portion of "Pathways" without the use of a sewing machine. Yes, you will need one to finish your top, but the piecing can be done at home. Learn Fleuranges-Valdes' no-sew technique for making this fun top. A line drawing will be provided as a guideline for the center of the quilt top. She will walk you through pulling it all together. www.quiltedartistrybyrenee.com

Create an umbrella using the frame provided and quilting cotton. The umbrella is fully functional once waterproofing is applied. www.bungalowquilting.com

Choose from a dozen colors and learn to make and then weave the strips to create this powerful 10 inch square 3-D effect, using the contrast between solid black and ombré color to deceive the eye. Many will take home a completed top, leaving only the quilting and binding for later, and others won't be far behind! www.accidentalquilter.com

Learn Heine's collage technique while making this fun seahorse collage. See how easy and relaxing it is. Just bring your imagination! www.fiberworks-heine.com

Create an improvised colored background for the application of a monochromatic image. Landi will demonstrate how to use an image editing program to transform a photo into a stencil in just a few steps, cut it with a ScanNCut, and apply it to the customized background. A lesson with a lot of content but easy to follow! Landi will teach how to work with your own images in the future. www.marinalandi.com.br

You CAN quilt feathers! Lyon breaks feathers down into baby steps that make creating feathers fun and easy! A variety of feather styles are taught; you choose which to add to your own project. Feathers add beauty to quilts, garments, and home decor; in Modern, Art, or Traditional styles. Lyon helps you to really see that feather shape so you can feather your world! www.quiltskipper.com

Take the next step learning EQ8. Learn to draw or edit your own blocks to place in your quilt creations. Explore appliqué and stencils and understand the three layers of the quilt in EQ8. Take a deep dive into borders and Auto Borders. Create personal libraries, use text, photos, and explore free-form quilt settings. By the end of the class, have the confidence to design your own beautiful blocks and quilts. The perfect followup to the "EQ8 Getting Started" class. Windows and Mac users welcome. www.lorimillerdesigns.com

Explore creating triangle designs using both ruler work and free-motion on Amanda Murphy's “Sewing Room 2 Triangle Panel”. Murphy will guide you in creating a number of designs that can later be used on your own quilts! Templates for use in class will be provided. www.blog.amandamurphydesign.com

Are you new to longarming or have been mostly quilting pantographs and want to branch out to custom quilting? Learn Patterson's method of custom quilting, how to start out, tools and tricks, and some basic designs that will jump-start you into the world of custom quilting. No machines will be used in class. www.myquiltingfairy.com

An awesome opportunity to learn some of Pfeil's award-winning sewing techniques. This is a totally unique class with fearless free-cutting methods even with difficult material like silk, so don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity. The specially prepared and pre-cut kits make it simple to start creating right away! Tip—The class "Crazy Leaves" is the perfect opportunity to combine the results of both classes into a quilt! https://claudiapfeil.de

Let's learn all about sergers! This intensive hands-on workshop will teach the fundamentals of how to successfully use a serger, from threading to serging specialty techniques. Focus on building a detailed reference notebook full of samples of serger stitches and serging techniques to take home. Learn how to thread and stitch all of the major serger stitches including Chain stitch and Coverlock.  Practice serging shapes such as circles, curves, and corners. Learn how to pivot a corner, create Lettuce edging and faux Blanket Stitching, and more! If you've ever wanted to deep dive into truly learning about sergers, this class is for you! Taught by the author of A Field Guide: Serger 101, C&T Publishing. www.katrinawalker.com

This quilt combines Drunkard's Path with Card Trick blocks. Using colorful fabrics, create a fun 54 inch square quilt. If you have been hesitant to try curved seams, this is the perfect way to learn. Demonstrations will be given for an easy two pin method. www.stripsandcurves.com

This is an absolute show stopper...literally. Stagno's trifecta style background fill quilting has brought home many awards. Learn how to create this gorgeous quilting design. This design can look so random and planned all at the same time. Class covers the three to four individual free-motion designs used to create the combination, how to know when to use and apply each of the four free-motion fills, and scaling and sizing as needed to fit and fill in and around appliqué and embroidery. Two persons per machine.

This beautiful floral and painted project is an excellent introduction to working with mixed mediums. Learn to create dimension on a painted background with silk thread and ribbon stitches. Baker Montano provides the watercolor-painted Aida cloth for each student, but demos the painting technique in class. Learn how to create floral stitches using Lazy Daisies, Fly Stitch, Buttonhole Stitch, French Knots, Straight Stitches, Fargo Flowers, Judith's Curled Leaves, Iris Flowers, and Japanese Ribbon Stitches. This small project can be framed or used as a centrepiece for Crazy Quilting or fibre art projects. Judith Baker Montano's Essential Stitch Guide, C&T Publishing. www.judithbakermontano.com

Explore the basics of doodle art drawing. Using archival ink on sew-in photo fabric sheets, create hand-drawn blocks to take home and sew into a wallhanging. www.quiltersclinic.com

Students of all levels will learn to pad and cover a cardboard base with a pre-pieced hat (provided) then embellish with laces, trims, beads, ribbons, etc. Learn to dissect trims to give the project continuity. Learning to layer with an eclectic mix of materials can be fun and easy. Get plenty of ideas to use up your own stash. May not be finished in class. Approximate size is 13 inches square. Charms sold separately. May be hung or stand alone.

Fast and easy, this playful pooch is on the prowl with a little help from his Halloween friends! Learn the Picture Piecing technique from the lady that developed it. Sewn with straight seams, this is such a fun and forgiving process. Lots of cheating allowed! www.englanddesign.com

Create your own unique village with EasyPiecing Grid. See it before you sew it! No strip piecing. The sewing is the easiest part! This is the perfect scrap buster, great for those leftover squares and half-square triangles! Finishes 48 inches X 58 inches before border. Additional patterns for smaller or larger projects in class. Bonus demo on half-square triangles. www.tensisters.com

Ready to do more than just free-motion quilting on your sit-down longarm machine? Join Hruska as she teaches how to quilt straight-line designs using rulers. Including a variety of piano key designs, crosshatching designs, and even tips for stitching in the ditch. Leave class with the confidence of knowing "You Can Quilt Your Own Quilts"! www.forever-quilting.com

Start by learning or being reminded of some basic embroidery stitches on a specially designed pre-printed sampler. Then learn some novel embellishment techniques that add to the fun. Learn how Redford transfers her own designs onto dark-colored backgrounds. Enjoy the relaxed tempo and reconnect with hand work. www.catherineredford.com

Get the most out of your dress form utilizing store bought patterns. Take a store bought pattern and fit it directly to the body form. Learn the tips and tricks to adjust the pattern to your body shape with a dress form. The store bought pattern that has a horrible fit will become perfect with Vecchiarelli's techniques. www.frencheuropeaninc.com

Embrace perfectly imperfect quilting! That means little to no marking and a whole lot of gorgeous texture. Ease into free-motion quilting with asymmetrical textures that are fast and fun to quilt. Explore a wide range of motifs that will look good on any quilt from Modern to Traditional. Leave class armed with the confidence that yes, you can quilt your own quilts. Students should be comfortable with a sewing machine and will practice on their own pre-basted fabric and batting samples. www.christaquilts.com

Enjoy the process of creating small embroidered trees to embellish Crazy Quilts, art-to-wear, and landscape/seascape projects. Baker Montano will guide you through the traditional stitches that are used to create a variety of tree shapes. This is an informative and fun class that allows you to be an artist with embroidery threads and needles. You won't be able to stop at just one. Freeform Embroidery with Judith Baker Montano, C&T Publishing. www.judithbakermontano.com

English paper piecing (EPP) is fun, creative, imaginative, relaxing, and addicting! EPP can be a lot of different things...simple, complex, small project, large bed quilt, small pieces, large pieces...absolutley anything you want it to be! Learn how to hand sew a hexagon flower. Discover tips and tricks to make things easier for you. This is a technique to use for years to come! www.ninaquilts.com

Begin with a blank heart and leave with a beautiful "glitzy" pincushion. Julie Craig takes the fear out of layering and dissecting laces and trims. Finish with rhinestone trim and beads. Hear all about lots of techniques and ideas for other projects. Glue (provided) makes it easy, but looks hand sewn. Approximate size is 6 inches X 5 inches. Should be finished in class.

Create this colorful bird feeder while learning the innovative Picture Piecing machine technique that England devised. Uses only straight lines and no in-sets. No sewing through paper and work on the right side of the fabric. www.englanddesign.com

Explore all things floral—flowers, stems, and leaves...with cherries, swirls, ribbons, starburst, butterflies, bees, and dragonflies ''sprinkled'' all around. Freehand overall designs that are simple, yet when combined, appear to be very complex. Join Hruska as she breaks down these designs and teaches how to stitch them out continuously. www.forever-quilting.com

A day of Tricks, Treats, and Breaking ALL the Rules! Think test tubes, bubbling cauldrons, spiderwebs, and more! Add a little spooky fabric dyeing for your Halloween stash. Lohbeck would be cursed if she told you all the details, but expect some different types of fabric, some different techniques and tools, as well as some interesting and downright scary color combinations. Don't miss the fun! www.dyehardsstudio.com

A more modern innovation than the traditional Dorset button, Shirt Lace buttons date back to the Edwardian era at the beginning of the twentieth century. Start with the Star Shirt Lace, progress to the Austrian Shirt Lace, and finish with the slightly trickier, but most popular, Lace Shirtwaist. Finish the class as a fully trained buttoner! www.catherineredford.com

“Pebbles and Pearls” brings a level of sophistication and formality to any quilt. Learn to create a variety of pebbles for background fills and allover designs. Stagno will show how to fool the eye into thinking each pebble is perfectly round. Learn to stitch pebbles as a background fill, use assorted variations of pebbles to compliment any style quilt, stitch a line of pearls keeping them consistent in shape and size, and backtrack and overlap for accuracy. You won't want to miss out on her insider secrets. Two persons per machine.

Learn about the newest notions for the quilting and fashion world combined. See over seventy-five notions and their greatest uses. The best part will come towards the end of the class where everyone will receive some of the notions demonstrated. Come join all the wonderful fun in learning how to use these notions! www.frencheuropeaninc.com

Learn how to turn basic shapes into linear free-motion quilting designs. Using the seam lines on your quilt as a guide, divide and conquer your quilting while you stitch interesting motifs that are a great alternative to straight-line quilting. These can be quilted as allover designs across the surface of your quilt, or scaled down to fit a specific shape in your quilt. Students should be comfortable with basic machine quilting techniques. www.christaquilts.com