As quilt making becomes more and more artistic and complex, the need to learn more efficient methods of finishing our work with machine quilting becomes more important. Heather Thomas is an accomplished machine quilter who understands the value of the quilt line as an element of design. In this class, she will introduce you to new ways of seeing machine quilting, both as a valuable design tool and as a means to add longer life to your fabric, as well as your stitch-based art work. She will also dispel many of the myths that perpetuate the quilting world as far as free motion quilting is concerned. After taking this class, you will have the skills to create quilts using the machine with ease. This type of quilting doesn’t require special machines or tools, nor does it require special talent. It simply requires practice that will quickly become skill.
In this class, Heather will not only help you see what learning to quilt your own quilts will do for you artistically, but she’ll also include lots of brilliant information on the following:
Products and tools for machine quilting
Helpful information on stitch out design choices
Ergonomics for pain free quilting & easy basting techniques
The importance of learning to doodle freely
Nine basic stitch outs including design motifs and fills
If you’ve had a desire to learn to free motion machine quilt or you’re struggling with poor results, then come on, join Heather on this journey of learning to dance with your machine.
Also included are downloadable and printable bonus materials sharing more of Heather’s knowledge, including a sketchbook.
Free-Motion Designs for All-Over Patterns Book ($12 Value)
Endless inspiration from your favorite quilters!
Want inspiration for your free-motion quilting? Now you have the perfect tool! This spiral-bound book is full of designs—JUST designs—and will lay flat on your work surface or your quilt to keep your hands on the quilt and that needle moving! The second in a new series, this visual guide is filled with over 75 continuous-line designs from your favorite designers to get you stitching. Perfect for domestic and longarm machines.
Free-Motion Block Designs Book ($12 Value)
Endless inspiration from your favorite quilters!
Want inspiration for your free-motion quilting? Now you have the perfect tool! This spiral-bound book is full of designs—JUST designs—and will lay flat on your work surface to keep your hands on the quilt and that needle moving! The first in a new series, this visual guide is filled with over 75 diverse block designs from your favorite designers to get you stitching.
NOTE: You’ll receive this Class video instruction in two forms: As on-demand streaming video (in your NQC Account); and as a physical DVD, mailed to you.
Heather is a mixed media fiber artist with a passion for color and a dedication to teaching. After a decade of making original yet traditional work, she began venturing out toward art quilting, embellishments, and mixed media work. With more than 12 years of studying and teaching color and design under her belt, she wrote her second book, A Fiber Artists’ Guide to Color & Design, which came on the heels of her very popular first book, Fabric Embellishing: The Basics & Beyond.
In 2011 Heather was a guest writer for Quilting Arts magazine with a multi-part feature on Free Style Machine Quilting. She also participates in group and individual instructional DVDs produced by the Creative Crafts Group. You can visit Heather’s blog at heatherthomasblog.blogspot.com.
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Meet quilt artist, Heather Thomas, and join her on a fabulous excursion of learning to free motion machine quilt. Along the way, you’ll begin to understand how the quilted stitch line affects the quilt and what tools you’ll need, as well as how to combine different stitch outs to achieve visually appealing results.
Session 2: Products & Tools
22:05
This segment includes vital information about just what you need to execute wonderful machine quilting. From thread weights to needles and presser feet, Heather will tell you why size and color matter, and she will help you understand how each decision you make will affect the final outcome of your quilts and provide them with a long life of beauty and usability.
Session 3: Design Choices
25:48
In this segment, Heather will show you many various design choices and the benefits to each. You will have the opportunity to learn all about different designs from flowers and vines to circles and asterisks. Here is your chance to learn about angled and curved stippling, heavy quilting vs. all over quilting and more. Not all designs are for everyone; find the perfect one that is sure to add style to your next quilt.
Session 4: Ergonomics & Basting
16:59
If machine quilting has left you with a sore back and aching shoulders, then this segment is just what you need. Heather will show you how to approach your machine from a chiropractic standpoint. This will be vital information to help you quilt for hours and never hurt again. She’ll also introduce you to a new way of basting that will give you more freedom of movement and accelerate the process.
Session 5: Doodling
4:23
Free motion quilting is simply doodling on the surface of your quilt using thread and needle instead of a pencil and paper. Once you understand that the quilt is your pencil and the machine needle is the paper that you work that pencil against, you will be amazed at how easy doodling on your quilts will become.
Session 6: Nine Basic Stitch Outs
1:02:20
From curvy to angled stippling to flowers and other fills and motifs, this segment is filled with nine different stitch outs for you to practice and perfect. You will learn everything you need to know in order to keep your creations “neat and tidy”, an ideal you can find in all of Heather’s projects. No more striving for perfection; simply practice until you’re comfortable, and then quilt to your hearts content.
Class Q&A Resource
Access to the Q&A Resource for this
Class is available with purchase.
