Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter Class Plan

by Katie Pasquini Masopust & Brett Barker

Suggested Classes:
Creative Machine Quilting
Creative Color Wheel
Creative Color & Composition

Class Description: Creative Machine Quilting

Learn to free-motion machine quilt through three different and wonderful exercises. The student will learn to enhance patterns, make their own patterns and stitch a realistic quilted "drawing." Students will leave the class with three completed samples.

Length of Session: 1-3 hours

Student Skill Level: All levels

Instructor Supply List

  • Sewing machine
  • Spray adhesive
  • Thread

Student Supply List

  • Required text:Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter by Katie Pasquini Masopust & Brett Barker
  • Two pieces of fresh fruit! And a knife
  • Sewing machine that does a zig-zag and a darning or big foot attachment in good working order
  • Two pieces of 18" square solid fabric
  • Two pieces of white 18" solid fabric
  • An appliquéd or pieced block with a backing (this block should contain different types of printed fabric, i.e., stripes, checks, visual texture. You could put together different fabrics in squares or a more random pattern like a crazy quilt, a landscape, or anything you can imagine).
  • Three pieces of 18" batting
  • Several spools of thread that match and contrast with your chosen fabrics
  • Bobbins
  • Machine cleaning supplies
  • Fabric pencil
  • Ruler
  • Sewing machine needles for quilting or embroidery

Step-by-Step Teaching Instructions

  1. Spray baste the layers of the fabrics together to have three separate sandwiches. Press the sandwiches flat with a hot iron.
  2. Break up the first solid sandwich by drawing squares or shapes and have the students play with free-motion quilting patterns (have a Xerox copy of different kinds of patterns).
  3. Next, machine quilt the patterned sandwich following the lines of the printed fabric.
  4. The third exercise is following the contour drawing and contour sewing chapters in the Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter class (pages 16 to 19 and then 24 and 25).

Shop owners should stock:

Shop Marketing Opportunity for Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter
Consider promoting a contest for the most innovative free-motion pattern. The student who translates the still life in the most realistic way and who comes up with the most creative way, wins!

Class Description: Creative Color Wheel

Create a color wheel and understand colors and values by creating transparencies.

Length of Session: 1-3 hours

Student Skill Level: All levels

Instructor Supply List
Fused squares of the 24 colors of the color wheel (page 32 and 33 in Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter) on fat quarter of gray fabric for each student.

Student Supply List

Step-by-Step Teaching Instructions
Follow the instructions on page 33, then after students have completed the wheel, turn to page 64 - 65 in Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter and play with transparencies.

Shop owners should stock:
Spray adhesive

Shop Marketing Opportunity for Creative Color Wheel
Consider promoting a contest to create the best quilt using the colors of the color wheel and transparencies.

Class Description: Creative Color and Composition

You will develop a tool box of methods, materials, color combinations and compositional ideas that will enable you to be a more creative quilter.

Length of Session: Six 3-hour sessions

Student Skill Level: All levels

Instructor Supply List
Follow the materials list at the head of each chapter of Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter that you choose to complete.

Student Supply List

Step-by-Step Teaching Instructions

  1. Session 1 follow the order of the book page 4 to 25
  2. Session 2 26 to 34
  3. Session 3 35 to 40
  4. Session 4 41 to 47
  5. Session 5 48 to 51 and 57 to 60
  6. Session 6 61 to 65

...or any order and combination that you choose.

Other recommended products for class that shop owners could stock:
Spray adhesive

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