Wonky Spirals class

I taught my first quilting class this past weekend. I've given demos and talked people's ears off before about quilting and my quilts (who hasn't, right?!), but this was the first time I've actually officially taught a class. 

I taught improv piecing for my Wonky Spirals pattern at Bernina Sewing Center & Quilt Shop in Kalamazoo. Eight guinea pigs (I mean, lucky quilters...) signed up for the class. We had a great time! A big thanks to Karen and Bernina for hosting the class. 

Here's the pattern! You can purchase it here.

Here's the original version of the quilt I made, using Painter's Palette Solids:

The quilt is a wonky log cabin block with careful color placement. The blocks are fun to make, and each one turns out slightly different! 

My goal for the class was to get people to the point that they were comfortable with improv piecing. Not everyone thinks that cutting without measuring and then randomly trimming off angled slices of fabric is fun. I think I succeeded in that goal. All eight ladies made at least four blocks each, and a few speedy piecers made seven or eight blocks. 

Action shot: helping Joanne decide if she needs more strips before squaring up.

I brought in both of my samples (with and without sashing strips and a border) to show, and then demonstrated the technique on my third go-around of the quilt, using red as the background and black and white prints for the spirals. 

Here's my second version, made using fun prints from the Uppercase collection with a dark gray background. This quilt has sashing strips between the blocks and a border, so the spirals jump out a bit more. 

And finally, a few of the red, black and white blocks I made as class samples. Aren't the little blocks adorable?! I can't wait to put this one together! 

Here's a look at some of the blocks made in the class:

Deb, wearing her blocks. Hers is going to be a quilt for a baby boy.

Jane chose a variety of blues and a dark gray background.

Joanne used brightly colored dot/circle prints with black. You can see Teri's blocks in the background.

Laurie used a tiny crosshatch print with a mottled black.

Sue combined fun blue, lime and yellow prints with a green crosshatch.

Teri's spring palette mixed with beige.

Margaret mixed a pretty solid palette with cream grunge.

I loved the batiks Sharon used. They really popped on the black!

I love seeing everyone's fabric choices--they're all so different! 

Great news! If you'd like to purchase the Wonky Spirals pattern, you can! It's available as a digital download on Craftsy. Kalamazoo friends, the paper version is also for sale at Bernina. 

And if you'd like me to come teach this class at your local quilt shop...email me and we'll talk! 

See all of my current Craftsy patterns available for purchase here.