Hello Friends.
The workshops that I’ve done to date have generally been about learning different techniques to make a certain quilt. Although I’ve really enjoyed myself (and I hope you all have too!), I’m really excited to move a bit out of the box with my next quilting workshop in the fall. Even though there’s bit of technique in this one, it’s more about design and getting out of your comfort zone, just a little bit.
At the end of October, I’m putting on a Hunter’s Star Extravaganza! Using Studio 180 techniques, the Hunter’s Star is no longer a complicated block. The way it’s going to be taught, you’ll get pointy-points without purposely making angled seams and, because we’re making everything bigger and squaring it up, everything will fit like a glove. I’m excited about this workshop because even though everyone will be constructing the same block, a Hunter’s Star, everyone’s finished project will look totally different. You’ll get to see the versatility of the Hunter’s Star first-hand through the workshop. We’ll all be using the same construction methods to produce the same size block, but how you put it together will be totally different than the person sitting beside you. It’s like a door opening to a million possibilities.
So far, I’ve made four different Hunter’s Star quilts and I have yet to get bored. It’s not like making the same quilt four times - even though the construction is the same, you always wind-up with a different quilt. It’s changed the way I feel when I walk into a quilt shop. I now look at fabric differently because I know I can do so much more with it. For example, if I find a gorgeous two-toned fabric, I can buy yardage to make a Hunter’s Star. Or, I can pick-up 8 fat quarters that I really like or even go into my stash to find a few fat quarters and some yardage and come-up with yet another, totally unique, Hunter’s Star. Any fabric will work - big prints, batiks, country, or small prints. I can make it two coloured or multi-coloured. I can make a baby quilt, a masculine quilt, go modern, or whatever the occasion calls for. The Hunter’s Star is that versatile. For that reason, I want other people to be able to share in the experience of finding beautiful fabric, starting with the same fundamental block, and creating something unique, every time.
I don’t want quilters to be afraid or intimidated by stepping out of their comfort zone in this way. I’ll have pictures and guidelines as inspiration and samples to help get us confidently into the creative spirit. The Hunter’s Star looks like it’s really intricately pieced and that makes it seem really hard - but it’s not. By the time the weekend wraps up, all of the Hunter’s Star blocks will be made and pinned on a design wall - some quilters may even be starting to stitch their top together. You’ll get excited about all the different layout possibilities by looking around the room at what other quilters have put together. And when quilters get excited, it makes me excited. We won’t be limited, it’ll be amazing.
Check out the poster below and visit the workshop page to learn more.