Lectures / Classes

For Quilt Guilds/Fiber Art Groups

INSTRUCTOR REQUIREMENTS

Please feel free to contact me with questions or clarification. Class fees can also be structured as a per person fee for quilt shops and other venues. Just let me know what you need!

  • Prices are per class as indicated. (Note maximum number of people for certain classes)

  • Instructor requests travel reimbursement for mileage/airfare and lodging (preferably commercial single room motel/hotel/BnB). 

  • All classes require machines.

  • Non-refundable $150 booking fee (counts towards fees) required when contracts signed. Payment of class and kit fees and travel reimbursements due upon completion of class (same day).

  • Instructor may sell fabric, magazines, dyed items, etc. with no commission to Guild (At lecture or end of class day and lunch break to not interfere with class).

  • For classes with kits, they can be sent ahead if kit fees are paid ahead so participants will know what they have to work with. They will be sent to the guild/group in one package with some extras for late sign-ups. Extra kits to be returned to me at class. Timing of this to be worked out with the group.

Lecture/Trunk Show 

Lectures Trunk Show Details:

• 1 to 1-1/2 hours with Q&A session

• $250 if booked with full day class

• $350 without class or ½ day class

Mode of travel to venue (driving versus flying) will determine amount of artwork available for trunk show. There is the possibility for the group to pay for work to be shipped there and back (with insurance), or pay extra airplane baggage fees to allow more artwork for trunk show.

Possible Lecture Topics

(Will consider other topics based on interest)

• Fiber Into Art by Heidi: My Art Quilting Journey

• Techniques and Tips (as illustrated by the work shown)

• Three Layers of Design – My Process

• Marketing and/or Sharing Your Work: Tools, Opportunities and Persistence

CLASSES

Strata Art Quilts 

Max 15 people • 6 hours • $800

My most popular class on how to design a STRATA ART QUILT—a simply pieced long narrow wall hanging using only short strips of fabric.  Learn about successful use of color and value, creating a balanced design, and selecting fabrics that work together to make an interesting, exciting and fun quilted wall hanging. Quick and easy sewing once you have your design. Discussion about embellishing and finishing options and techniques. These are very fun and you can learn a lot from making them.  This topic was featured on Quilting Arts TV Series 2900, Episode 2901 as well as in an article in The Quilt Life magazine.

 “Basically Monochromatic” Abstract Collage Art Quilts

 6 hours • $800

Learn composition and design principles to apply to creating an abstract art quilt. Starting small with 13” x 13” background (finished piece approx. 12”x12”), raw edge applique and limiting your color palette, I’ll help you create a pleasing art quilt top that you can quilt by machine and/or by hand--and add embellishment if you like. Learn about my Three Layers of Design (fabric, stitch, embellish) concept that will help you achieve a balanced piece of art that is pleasing to the eye. I will give you ideas for the quilting and/or hand embroidery.  Embellishment options and techniques will be discussed and advice provided, however there is not usually enough time to complete that aspect of the quilt in class. This topic was featured on Quilting Arts TV Series 2900, Episode 2913.

 Small Abstract Collage Art Quilts

 6 hours • $800

Learn composition and design principles to apply to creating an abstract art quilt. Starting with a background base fabric and adding raw edge applique, I’ll help you make pleasing art quilt tops that you can quilt by machine and/or by hand and add embellishment if you like. Learn more about my Three Layers of Design concept that will help you achieve a balanced piece of art that is pleasing to the eye. Embellishment ideas and techniques will be discussed and advice provided, however there may not be time to complete embellishment in class. 

 Using Ice Dyed Fabrics in Art Quilts

 6 hours - $800 + Required Kit Fee $15

[Kit will have small selection of ice dyed fabric and coordinating fibers appropriate for collage]

Incorporate unique ice (or snow) dyed fabrics into a small collage and/or pieced art quilts. Combine them with commercial fabrics or use them on their own. They can be used as backgrounds, collage elements, details or featured as focal points. Sometimes it can be challenging to decide how to incorporate these unique fabrics with other fabrics so I will provide some tips and hints for blending them and making fabric choices that work well with them. A sampling of ice dyed fabric pieces are provided in the class kit and you can bring other fabrics to supplement them. There will be various yarns or other fibers in the kit and I will share examples and instructions for couching by machine or by hand. In class we will design and create quilt tops. If there is time, you can layer and begin quilting or hand embroidering them. I will provide suggestions, guidance and inspiration for how to finish your pieces with stitching and embellishing. There are endless options!

 Embellishment Design for Art Quilts

 4 hours - $500

This class is about the placement and composition of the embellishment layer of a fiber art design. It is not a how-to bead class, although I will offer some tips and hints for beading. Learn how an art quilt can be enhanced with various forms of embellishment. Where do you start? How much is enough? What is the goal and how do you get there? Learn some design principles and how they can be applied to this final layer of your art quilt. We’ll talk about the different types of embellishment and how to choose what is right for the piece. Creating lines, adding texture and color, creating focal points and echoing motifs for good balance. Embellishing can be tricky so I will help you make it a little less mystery and a little more fun! Beads are only one way to add this detail to your work so this class will also cover embroidery, couching, charms, dangles, draping and found objects. Lots of examples will be shown and I’ll share hints and tips from my many years of embellishing art quilts.  

Combine Machine Quilting & Hand Embroidery On Art Quilts

6 hrs • $800

NOTE: Students MUST know the basics of machine free motion quilting and set-up/use of their own sewing machines for free motion. Class focuses on designing with quilting, not learning how to free motion. NOT a beginning quilting class as there is not time for instructor assistance with that aspect.

Learn how to use free motion machine quilting and hand embroidery in intertwined designs on your quilts. My style of organic free form quilting lends itself to the addition of easy but creative embroidery stitches using pearl cotton or embroidery floss. I will share easy embroidery stitches and how to use them. Learn how to choose designs, combine them in a balanced way, select thread colors and decide how much and where to use them. This not a project class. You will work on multiple quilt sandwiches during the day to get a feel for combining these different elements in different ways. I will share lots of examples, ideas and suggestions for inspiration.

This topic is featured in Quilting Arts TV Series 3000 – Episode 3005, and in an article in the Winter 2023 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.

Organic Free Motion Quilting for Art Quilts

Maximum 15people • 6 hours • $800

For students who already know how to use their machines to free motion quilt—NOT a beginner class. It is a design and composition class to learn how to use the art principles of repetition, balance, movement, contrast, proportion and texture to make your art quilts pleasing to the eye. My style is unplanned and intuitive with no marking and I will help you with the process and how you can make decisions as you go to help bring it all together. As the 2nd layer of design after the fabric composition, the quilting is another way to help bring your piece together into a balanced piece of art. I will talk about how I choose threads, quilting designs, and placement of the free motion quilting motifs. What do I do next? I’ll help you figure out what is needed next so you can keep moving forward. We’ll start the class discussing and experimenting with some basic free motion designs and talking about how you can make them your own. Then we will do some stitching on some quilt sandwiches to play with combining designs, selecting threads and filling the space with interest and texture!