INTERMEDIATE QUILTING CLASS

Intermediate quilting involves mastering basic techniques and exploring more complex patterns, designs, and quilting methods, like free-motion quilting, applique, and adding borders. It builds on foundational skills with greater precision and creativity.

Location

1711 West Battlefield Road, Springfield, MO, USA

Cost:

$90.00 – $145.00 per person

Duration:

15h

Schedule:

Offered every Friday for 4 weeks Jan. 17,24,31 Feb 7

About this experience

An intermediate quilt class is designed for quilters who have a solid understanding of basic quilting skills and are ready to build on them with more advanced techniques and projects. These classes typically focus on expanding a quilter’s ability to work with various patterns, fabrics, and quilting methods while increasing their creativity and precision. Below is an in-depth look at what an intermediate quilt class might involve:

1. Advanced Piecing Techniques

Intermediate quilters will learn to work with more intricate block patterns, such as:

  • Half-square triangles, flying geese, and paper-piecing: These blocks require precision and are often used in more complicated designs.
  • Y-seams: Quilting patterns with Y-seams require careful stitching, and mastering this technique allows for more complex and dynamic block designs.
  • Chain-piecing: This technique involves sewing multiple pieces of fabric together in a continuous chain, which increases efficiency and accuracy.
  • Strippy and angled piecing: These techniques add visual interest and texture to quilts, allowing quilters to create more dynamic layouts.

2. Design and Layout Skills

Quilters at the intermediate level begin experimenting with quilt designs, often learning to:

  • Combine blocks in creative ways: Arranging blocks with attention to color, scale, and symmetry.
  • Work with sashing, borders, and corners: Adding these elements enhances the overall quilt design and structure.
  • Play with color theory: Using contrasting and complementary colors to create a desired effect or mood in the quilt.

3. Quilting Techniques

In an intermediate class, quilters can explore more advanced quilting methods:

  • Free-motion quilting: Quilters learn to quilt without the use of a walking foot, creating their own patterns and designs on the quilt top. This includes stippling, loops, swirls, and other custom patterns.
  • Quilting in the ditch: A method of stitching along the seam lines to enhance the quilt’s structure and highlight piecing.
  • Quilting with rulers: This technique uses rulers and templates to create more precise and intricate designs.

4. Fabric Selection and Preparation

Intermediate quilters become more comfortable choosing fabrics and pre-treating them:

  • Fabric mixing and matching: Choosing fabrics that complement each other in terms of color, pattern, and texture, while understanding how to balance busy prints with solids or tone-on-tone fabrics.
  • Working with specialty fabrics: Incorporating fabrics like batiks, hand-dyes, or textured fabrics for a more unique finish.

6. Quilt Finishing and Binding

Quilters learn the final steps of a quilt, including:

  • Attaching the quilt backing: Understanding how to prepare and sew together quilt backing, and sometimes adding extra batting for a thicker quilt.
  • Quilt basting: Pinning or spraying the layers together before quilting to ensure smooth stitching.
  • Binding: Learning how to sew the quilt’s edges neatly, including creating mitered corners and joining the ends of the binding for a clean finish.

7. Troubleshooting and Quilt Care

Intermediate quilters may also focus on common issues they might face, such as:

  • Fixing puckers, pleats, or fabric distortion: Tips for preventing and correcting errors during piecing or quilting.
  • Maintaining quilting tools: Properly maintaining sewing machines, cutting tools, and rulers for better accuracy and longevity.
  • Caring for quilts: Techniques for washing, storing, and preserving quilts to maintain their beauty.

8. Creative Exploration

As part of the learning process, intermediate quilt classes may encourage quilters to:

  • Experiment with unconventional layouts: Including circular or asymmetrical designs, which challenge traditional quilting structures.
  • Work on more personal or complex projects: Creating quilts with personal themes or detailed designs that push a quilter's boundaries.

Class Atmosphere

Intermediate quilting classes tend to provide a mix of instruction, hands-on practice, and personal exploration. Instructors will typically offer guidance and feedback while giving quilters the freedom to explore their creative ideas. The class may also foster a collaborative environment where participants can share tips, ask questions, and support each other’s progress.

Projects

Classes may include projects such as:

  • Sampler quilts: A series of different quilt blocks, allowing quilters to practice various techniques within a single quilt.
  • Quilted wall hangings or smaller projects: These projects allow quilters to experiment with design and technique without committing to a full-size quilt.
  • Seasonal or thematic quilts: These focus on specific color schemes, themes, or appliqué techniques (e.g., holiday quilts, nature-themed designs, etc.).

By the end of an intermediate quilting class, quilters are expected to have gained greater confidence in their ability to create intricate, beautiful quilts, and they will likely be prepared to move on to more advanced projects with ease.